I started this blog because I didn’t want anyone else to make the same mistakes I made. It never occurred to me to ask my future landlord who would have keys to our restaurant space. It never occurred to me to ask if the security cameras worked on a building that was only about 5 years old. It never occurred to me to ask my future landlord how they handled their employees who steal from their tenants. It never occurred to me to call the former food service company and ask why they were pulling out, as everything I had been told by Pierre and Todd checked out to be true by my own observations. It never occurred to me to get a detailed marketing plan from Pierre before we started – although now I know he would not have done anything on the plan even if he had made one. It never occurred to me I should not trust any of these people. It never occurred to me I wouldn’t have the seed money from my two partners. It never occurred to me that the Dallas Stars organization was mostly managed by men and that fact should be a warning sign to a woman managed business. I wanted to encourage future business owners to ask as many questions as possible even if the question seemed stupid. Then I wanted them to see they should go back and think it through again and ask more questions. Opening any business is risky and the more answers you have, the better.

Not too long ago, I saw an article about the Dallas Stars Foundation giving money to help a local restaurant survive. I did an internet search on some of the keywords in the article to see if any women had received this same kind of help from the Dallas Stars. I didn’t find anything. I don’t know if it was because I searched poorly or they haven’t donated to any female owned businesses, but honestly I wasn’t surprised I didn’t find anything. A few years ago, I was a disabled senior citizen business owner in a Dallas Stars facility, and rather than support me by eating at my restaurant or recommending my business, they stole from me and disparaged me. These actions have helped me change from my original perspective of telling my true stories in hopes of helping new business owners to analyzing my stories for possible collusion.

Now in retrospect, I’m wondering if Pierre and Todd conspired to use me to front the money of opening a restaurant and then get rid of me so they could reap the benefits. Or maybe Pierre is less than honorable and has done this to others. Or at the very least Pierre has broken the law by taking money under false pretenses. After all, Pierre certainly misled me all along the way. Since I left the business, Pierre has redecorated the bar, held annual anniversary parties with free food and live music, put a permanent sign on the building, and advertised in a local Impact newspaper/flyer. Where was all this marketing in the beginning when we really needed it? As you have read in earlier posts, Pierre told me countless times that he was Marketing. Why did almost all the marketing happen after I was gone? After my money was gone? My heart is broken that this man took so much from me – and not just money, he took my dignity and self-respect. And now he threatens me to keep quiet. Are these the actions of an honest man? I need some outside perspectives of people who have read my story.

My purpose with this blog has become a broader warning. Not only should people learn from my mistakes, but they should question themselves if they are thinking of doing any kind of business with Pierre and/or the Dallas Stars. And women especially should consider supporting any hockey team except the Dallas Stars. Any company that would allow their employees to steal from a disabled senior citizen should not receive support of any kind from anyone.

On Facebook, I got challenged to share pictures representing the Good Life. After about 15 posts, I posted a picture from the restaurant and talked about how much I enjoyed making pizza for people. I explained that I loved it in spite of the fact that my time at the cafe didn’t end well and the possibility that my partner seemed something like a con man. I didn’t say it directly and I didn’t mention any names.

Well, guilt is a terrible and revealing thing. In a couple of days, I got an email from Pierre. It had the last financial report, FINALLY. And of course, another threat. Pierre said he would sue me for liable, slander, and defamation of character if I didn’t delete the post within 7 days.

No one likes to be threatened. I thought about his demand and came up with my own solution. I reposted the original post with a note. I said someone had assumed the post was about them and threatened me to delete it. Then I apologized to all present and former life partners, friends, etc. who may have assumed the post was about them because it was truly about me and my love for making pizza. All Pierre succeeded in doing was to bring the post to the top of the list again. If you keep threats a secret, that’s when people can hurt you the most.

Pierre unfriended me. What a pity.

At the encouragement of a friend, I got on NHL.COM. I was looking for some kind of code of conduct. And sure enough, the NHL has a page dedicated to their principles of Teamwork, Respect, Perseverance, Integrity, Courage, Acceptance, Passion, and Humility. They even have summits to promote these values. I don’t know if they hold their affiliates to these principles, but I can tell you the organization I worked with definitely does not adhere to the standards described on this NHL community page. While I’m sure there are companies everywhere who publish their company beliefs and then don’t even treat their employees by their own standards, these high profile organizations have a lot of influence as mentors and spokesmen and should be the best role models they can possibly be. And their affiliates and employees should exude these standards.

If you’ve been reading my blog from the beginning, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The hockey organization employees stole from me, disparaged me, sabotaged my business, and disrespected me in just about every way possible short of physical abuse. I don’t know how they justified their behavior to themselves and their coworkers. Even if you take away the fact that I’m a disabled female senior citizen, their behavior was abominable.

I looked at the Contact Us page for the NHL community. It specifically states they want stories of how hockey has positively affected you. I guess that means they’re not interested in hearing how their affiliates represent them and their code of conduct if it’s not ideal. The NHL’s standards say to do the right thing, yet they don’t want to hear that someone didn’t do the right thing. It’s easy to think you’re great when you live in a bubble and only accept compliments.

When Pierre and I were discussing dissolving our partnership, his cash offer got smaller and smaller every time we talked. At one point, he suggested a cash amount plus an opportunity to get more money over the next 3 years if the restaurant made at least $10,000.00 that year. I agreed to this offer because I just needed to get something and get out. He had used me up. He had used up all my money. I had to get out. So we signed the agreement he wrote up and I walked away with a tiny bit of cash. In order to prove whether he owed me money each year thereafter, he was supposed to send me a copy of the year’s financials by May of the following year. With a check attached if they made money.

Obviously, as much as I hoped to get more money, I wasn’t counting any chickens. Pierre was such a non-contributor to our business and so out of touch with the overall management of the restaurant, it seemed pretty unlikely he would ever make any money. I still don’t know why he even wanted the business in the first place. Maybe he thought it impressed people that he owned a bar in an ice rink. Maybe it wasn’t a business to him at all, just a hobby to get tax write-offs from the government. I don’t know.

Anyway, every May for 3 years, I was supposed to get a financial statement. This month is the last one. The 3 years ended in 2019. It’s not a difficult thing, as the accountant has to print a report in order to do the income taxes. Everything is computerized, so a report is generated with the mere press of a button. Yet every year, I have to ask for the report. This was Pierre’s idea and yet every year I wonder if I’m going to have to get a lawyer just to get a financial report that he contracted to give me. And as expected, I have not received any more money. This whole experience has really changed my opinion of Pierre and I hope others will read this entire blog before they even consider going into business with him.

It’s amazing what you can learn from the internet. For example, I learned that the restaurant was having some issues after I left, like not paying their state sales tax in a timely manner. The State of Texas doesn’t like that and they can close your business. It’s not a good idea to get crosswise with the State or TABC.

I encourage you to use the internet to its fullest before going into business and definitely before partnering with anyone. Personally, I prefer the search engines by Google and Dogpile. Whatever you choose, click on everything that seems related to your search. You never know where it may lead. The more information you have before you start, the better. You may even find things that save you from going into business with that person or company.

Unfortunately, you probably won’t find much even if the person or company has wronged people in the past. Sometimes, victims are too embarrassed or afraid to share the heartbreak of being conned or misled. But research, you must. Dig, until you can’t dig anymore.