Dear Answer Man: How can a brick-and-mortar food service business make a profit when it is never open? There's a restaurant located on the northwest corner of 11th Avenue and Seventh Street Northwest that is open only a few hours a week and has almost no tables inside for diners. It makes me wonder if there is fraud activity happening. Can you check this place out? — Restaurant Rob.
Dear Rob,
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You emailed back and forth with one of my helpers and pointed out that the restaurant has one table in its dining room. During those emails, you again voiced some suspicions. How can a business that is not open much make a profit? How can a restaurant sell enough food if it doesn't have a place for diners to sit and eat?
All reasonable questions.
Rest assured, this is a real restaurant. And while its business model might be somewhat unique, as far as Answer Man can tell, nothing nefarious is happening other than well-regarded vegan Indian cuisine being served, often for pickup or delivery.
How do I know all this? Well, first Answer Man visited the store during its hours of operation — which, admittedly, are limited — and the food is flavorful.
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