Explore Big Sky
by Jack Reaney
"Lotus Pad closes after 17 years"
"'It just has been a really weird year,' Omania said. 'We aren’t doing the sales that I thought we’d be doing—that we should be doing—yet all the prices have gone up. So the economics of it… the cashflow has been really difficult, and I haven’t been able to keep up with rent.'
As Lotus Pad’s rent deficit grew, Omania lost sight of the path forward. Her staff was struggling and leaving. She had taken on an undesired role as landlord as she leased three units for her staff. Omania’s responsibilities merged with business management and shifted away from being chef of a small restaurant.
'It just got to a point where it wasn’t healthy for my life… the dynamics of what it would take to keep [the restaurant] running wasn’t healthy for me financially, emotionally, physically,' Omania said."