Today we’d like to introduce you to Karla.
Hi Karla, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
After college in Wisconsin I worked in healthcare in Marketing/Communication/Physician Recruitment for about 16 years. It eventually became where the job wasn’t gratifying anymore. I had always wanted to own my own business, and a friend and I decided to open a winery where people had fun and were not intimidated no matter what their level of experience was with wine. Ironically neither of us drank wine or knew anything about it so the learning curve was steep to say the least. Our concept, however, was a hit and Cork This Winery was successful. In 2013 I opened a second winery in College Station at Santa’s Wonderland and that helped grow the business further. At the end of 2018, I sold the winery in Montgomery and changed the license in College Station in order to sell both beer and wine at Santa’s Wonderland. Then 2020 came around and everything changed. I found my self without a business. The smart thing would have been to go back into healthcare with a salary, benefits and retirement but I haven’t always made smart decisions.
In 2020 I bought a couple buildings in downtown Montgomery. The renovation was my 2020 project. I rented one of the buildings and turned the other into Chandler’s Event Venue. Knowing that this business would not sustain me financially or provide enough of the challenge that I crave, I decided to also buy a restaurant outside of town. The name came about from the winery experience when customers would ask, “Why don’t you sell beer here”? I would explain that because we are a winery and that is illegal in Texas. I often would say, “If we could sell beer here, I’d call it Cork This Tap That”.
I bought the restaurant in 2021 and took over from the previous owner on September 1st. I have several close friends in this industry and every one of them warned me against doing this. They were right, I’ve never worked harder or longer in my life! I love a challenge and this certainly has been one. The things I have learned are too numerous to count. I’ve learned every role the restaurant provides, because staff is volatile, to say the least, in the restaurant business.
The most important thing to me was to provide a place for families to enjoy good food and for their kids to have fun and hopefully give them some time to enjoy each other. Customer service has always been a critical factor for me all the way back to my healthcare days, so it is imperative that my staff provides good service and has fun with the customers. The restaurant still has many challenges, like a very small kitchen, but we have grown year over year. We offer live music Thursday – Sunday, Singo Bingo, Steak Night and Karaoke during the week. The atmosphere here is more like the Texas Hill Country gone south. It is fun and eclectic and we really hope people enjoy their time with us.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Staffing has been my number one challenge. I started with a staff of six part-timers and we now employ 19. It seems no matter how I try, this industry is a revolving door. Sometimes people just don’t show up or they quit without notice. It is frustrating but getting better. I have staff now that has been with me from the beginning or close to it. The other challenge is working within the constraints of a very small kitchen and getting out the food in a timely manner. There are days we have over 100 people here and we are operating at full throttle. And lastly, equipment. Something is always broken or not working correctly. Thankfully, a couple staff members and myself are not afraid to dive in and repair as many things as we can ourselves. Thank God for Youtube!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Cork This Tap That – Restaurant and Bar?
Cork This Tap That is a unique place with a hill country vibe and a great atmosphere. “Life’s too short not to have fun. And if I’m going to work all the time, I’m going to make it as fun as possible”. “We love our customers, both regulars, and first timers, and strive to make their experience entertaining, quirky and yet still delivering the highest caliber of service.” Our food is very good and I’d say we are most known for our burgers. We call ourselves the Live Music Capital of Dobbin, TX and have stuck to providing live music for people Thursday – Sunday.
What were you like growing up?
I loved to have fun and I still do. Even though I’m pushing 60, I still act and feel like I’m in my 30’s, at least. I love adventure, surprises, being silly and making people laugh. I’ve always loved holidays and go all out on many of them. Growing up I was very social in school, played sports all of the time and rode horseback. I’ve always had a huge love of animals and welcome them to the restaurant. For years I was into photography and majoring in Communications/Public Relations was right up my ally. I enjoy people, getting to know them and listening to their stories.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://corkthistapthattx.com
- Instagram: corkthistapthat
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CorkThisTapThat
- Other: Tic Tok: @corkthistapthat24
