
Support Bret and Becky in Launching SHIFT NOLA
Donation protected
Hello! We are Bret Macris and Becky Brooks Macris. The story of how SHIFT was born is a long one, but let's see if we can shorten it in this instance. We have been in the restaurant industry for over 25 years. We've done everything imaginable in this industry and have had the opportunity to work with many brilliant chefs and restaurateurs all over the country. After years of laboring for others, we've decided to set out on our own in pursuit of a pipe dream and taking advantage of an amazing opportunity that's been given to us.
Why now? Bret was recently the opening chef at Wild South in New Orleans. He loved this dream of a restaurant and the amazing staff. He created his own food and cultivated a collaborative and innovative dinner service. Unfortunately, the summer months in New Orleans can be financially brutal and was unexpectantly let go the last week of August.
Becky has been struggling with the recent loss of her mother to breast cancer. In early summer, she received a diagnosis of her own journey with breast cancer. Luckily, she's now deemed a survivor and cancer-free after undergoing a bilateral mastectomy with flap reconstruction surgery in the middle of August. The surgery was a success, but she is still on the mend since it's a long recovery and in the process of healing, took a financial hit as a result.
As we navigate these new waters, we've decided to partner with our friends at Brieux Carré who have given us the amazing opportunity to do what we do best in the upstairs kitchen affectionately called Chieux Carré. It's amazing timing with such talented people. And their beer isn't half bad either. Actually, it's phenomenal! We can't wait to offer our version of tavern food for the beer-drinking guests that have been asking for it. We're hoping our success with our food will build on their current success of the brewery. You can count on food and beer pairings, a selection of classic sandwiches (have you ever had one of our burgers?), oysters with beer mignonette, fried mushrooms with black garlic, sausages, pretzel bites, cheese plates, charcuterie, tempura shrimp, a fried chicken sandwich unlike any you've had before, and an ever-changing, always evolving menu. You can also count on every ingredient coming from local farmers and local fishermen. We can't wait to collaborate with our friends and people we love and respect.
So, what are we asking for and why? As we stated before, Bret is currently and unexpectedly unemployed and we have unfortunately had to use all of our savings for out-of-pocket medical expenses, child care and just life, leaving us with little to no capital to act as quickly on this opportunity as has been presented. While the overhead and starting costs are minimal compared to a regular restaurant, the expense is still more than we can currently afford and we're on a timeline of three weeks to get up and running. Time is slim and so is money. We've done all the footwork, SHIFT NOLA, LLC is now a legal entity and we're ready to get started.
We should also add to anyone that donates we won't forget you, because we are not the type to come out and openly ask for financial help.
That said, we consider every donation an investment, to be paid back in the form of food or future SHIFT merch, which we honestly, can't wait for you to redeem.
We appreciate you taking the time to read this and any help you send our way, whether it be financially, good vibes or just being in our cheerleading section. This family of B's thanks you and we can't wait to show you what we got.
Organizer
Bret Macris
Organizer
New Orleans, LA