Marilyn, wearing shorts, explains her genius idea to sell to sidewalk customers while also serving customers on her patio. Listening are Verona Thibault, left, and Colton Foote, wearing hat. Photo by Becky McCray.
In the small town of Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, Marilyn Pope Francis ran a restaurant with a fenced patio for tables and chairs. She set up hot serving dishes and a cold drinks station in the gazebo to serve customers.
Here’s the part where we learn that Marilyn is a low-key business genius.
Next to the gazebo, she made openings in the fence that fold out. Then she could sell to people on the sidewalk while also serving customers on the patio.
I have NEVER seen anyone else do that. It’s simple and brilliant.
Perfect for small town events
Small town businesses often don’t have a large staff just to handle special events like festivals. Marilyn could stand in one spot and serve two different groups of customers.
Photo explanation
In the picture, the darker area at the top of the fence is actually the two doors that fold out so she could serve the sidewalk. You can see the roof of the gazebo sitting just inside the fence.
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
This is such a creative idea! I love how they turned the fence into a serving station for both sidewalk customers and patio diners. It’s a perfect way to maximize sales during events.