honoring what indian gardens has become
purchasing indian gardens was the biggest decision made since opening pizzicletta in 2011. it’s a decision full of risk, opportunity and excitement. add the fact that we are in the middle of a global pandemic and there were a lot of sleepless nights over the last few months as we worked with daniel on the details of the deal.
what crystallized as we approached the final stretch to becoming the new stewards of IG was all we had known: ig is located in a location that is unmatched: it’s proximity to sedona, the creek and slightly up-canyon combines to make it an oasis in the summer and when uptown is saturated with tourists; ig is beloved for it’s community vibe, approachable menu and warm staff; the land has not changed hands but once since being established in the 40’s; it’s a destination that is timeless.
early on we were trying to thread the needle of melding our current concepts (pizzicletta) with Ig. what we realized is that we were trying too hard and we should let the current space drive the concept while we find common ground on our sense of community, focus on experience and aligned business ethics. so with no fixed pizza oven we had the opportunity to build upon the existing menu without completely turning the model on it’s head.
we loved visiting indian gardens over the past 9+ years but Being a guest in a space is only one view of a space, restaurant or experience. now that we have our eyes wide opened to the full IG operations we are looking closely on how to make the experience better for our staff and for our guests. its not a trivial task but we like to geek out on it. the behind-the-scenes look at any restaurant typically reveals the prep load that it takes to execute a busy restaurant. that introspection has bared fruit with many changes to help the flow of work for our employees. we’ve also been exploring how to expand our offering for socially-distanced seating and those changes will be constructed before reopening. touching everything up is also been the most apparent changes that we’ve been working on.
with most the painting done, this next week we are digging into the electrical changes needed (especially to power our soft serve machine!). meanwhile, we’ve enjoyed some dishes from alex as he works to hone in the menu. We got the suzuki fired up and driven it up and down the canyon, which has been a fun bit of endless laughter. staffing and hiring is next on our mind and we encourage anyone interested in employment with us to send a cover letter and resume to eat@indiangardens.com
considering all we’ve experienced in 2020, bringing people together in a small space seems odd to be excited about. or you could look at it the other way and be thrilled at the opportunity that awaits us when we can un-mask and share an embrace, common story or meal. we aren’t at all on the other side of the pandemic but we are much closer than a few months ago. 2020 has been challenging as restaurant owners because we thrive on bringing people together and creating memories for our guests. without that our business feels transactional.
our memories of ig are anything but transactional and we have a feeling you feel the same way. this has helped define our goals with ig, specifically, how can we welcome you back to the place you love and ensure you leave with a memory to put away in your mental scrapbook, share with others or simply melt into your own history. this is not a trivial task considering our need to be responsible to public and our staff’s help yet we are committed to making it happen.