Business Persons of the Year Bart and Maura Gillman behind the bar in the Creekside Room of Mel's Diner.

Bart and Maura Gillman named 2009 Business Persons of the Year

By Lisa Lucke
In 2003, when the “old” Mel’s Drive-in with its dozen or so parking spaces became the “new” Mel’s Drive-in at the edge of the Busi parking lot on Highway 49/88, it did more than move three hundred feet to the south. It tripled its size to six-thousand square feet, more than doubled its number of employees and expanded into an entirely new dimension for the new owners, Bart and Maura Gillman. The husband and wife team at that time were transitioning into their new role as sole owners and were completing the purchase of the restaurant from Bart’s parents, Mel and Faye Gillman.

Naysayers warned that the supersize Mel’s, so to speak, would lose the charm of the old place, and with it, its place in the town’s eyes as more than just a diner. Granted, the pinball machines and need for creative parking techniques are now just fond memories, but the fact is that the addition of more space has resulted in more of a good thing. Added responsibilities, and increased overhead notwithstanding, Mel’s Drive-in epitomizes the old saying that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Bart and Maura recognized that the purchase, relocation and expansion meant a deeper commitment to not just the running of a successful business, but to the continuation of what Mel’s had evolved into through the decades: an extension of many people’s own kitchens and living rooms – a sort of modern day town square, where connections are made, refuge sought, gossip shared and familiar faces spotted. Mel and Faye Gillman had no idea that a walk-up window, a handful of barstools and a fairly priced, consistently good product would result in anything more than a decent living, doing something they enjoyed – there one and only goal. That was 1956. This is 2009 and Mel’s Drive-in has evolved into a vital part of Jackson culture, as well as a mandatory stop for out of town skiers, bikers, truckers and more. Bart and Maura embrace this reality as much as they do making a living – perhaps more.

Work is a relative term. For some business owners, it means five days a week, ten hours a day. For others, it may be six days a week, or even seven, with occasional vacations or holidays with family. No matter how one does it, all small business owners will report exhaustion, lack of sleep and burdensome taxes as a constant in their lives. The same is true for Bart and Maura, who have intertwined their professional and personal lives in such a way that the financial payoff is shadowed by the emotional one. The success of Mel’s comes at a price, evidenced by the fact that they catch up with many of their friends and acquaintances only when those people happen to attend a banquet, or come in for a burger. While it cannot be said that they never complain (what small business owner does not?) they will turn right around and be the first to admit they thrive on it. “Mel’s is the place where people come to see each other. Before work, before and after games, holidays, it’s always the place people count on,” said Maura, adding, “We love that. We love being the first place kids come back to when they’re home from college on break. I get calls from parents all the time during Christmas break, asking me to send their kid home.”

On any given morning, the place is inhabited by locals and out-of-towners, retirees and business professionals who tell their stories, or sketch out their day. Local ranchers, hunters and construction workers account for the earliest customers, walking through the door as early as four a.m.

To make it happen, Maura and Bart do what so many business owners overlook: they work their business. Sure, they have shift managers who absorb some of the employee and customer relations issues and who work long hours, but Bart and Maura are the very definition of hands-on ownership.

To hear Bart and Maura Gillman describe an average day in their lives as owners of Mel’s Drive-in and the newly opened Bg’s Lounge conjures images of days far longer than twenty-four hours. For Bart, it begins with a pre-dawn wake-up call, typically by five a.m. By the time the breakfast rush is in full swing, at about seven a.m., Bart has already sifted through the mail, restocked the walk-in, fixed whatever has broken, like a deep fryer or the walk-in door, and begun to prep for upcoming banquets. That might include seasoning and putting a prime rib into the slow roaster, or starting soup or chili in the banquet room’s kitchen. By late morning, he may be running errands, which includes picking up the “Mel’s Blend” from Swingles (the butcher has provided Mel’s with their special blend of ground beef since 1956) or keeping up with changing ordinances that affect their business. With luck, he’s finished cleaning the kitchen mats, usually his last job of the day and home between ten and eleven p.m. Thankfully, the self-described “morning person” is married to a “night owl,” who typically gets home from work just a few hours before his alarm sounds.

Maura’s day begins a little later in the morning, that is, if there is no morning banquet. On those days, she attacks her “to do” list from the office in the rear of the Mel’s kitchen: paying bills, doing the books, coordinating banquets, making schedules and the list goes on. As the banquet manager, Maura is the sole point person for every banquet as well as works nearly every event the three-thousand square foot Creekside Room hosts. In addition to setting up and breaking down, she bartends, runs the video system and acts as emcee when a party needs one.

“I’m the only person people speak to when they are trying to book a banquet. That way there are no mistakes or mix-ups,” said Maura.

When the last banquet of the day ends, she heads upstairs to finish an armful of tasks ranging from bookkeeping and scheduling to sorting through the dozens of requests for donations and sponsorships Mel’s receives each month. Once the restaurant closes and its daily books are done, she does the same for Bg’s when its lights go out (as late as two a.m. on the weekends.) Finally, she heads home – her other home – the one she shares with her husband and youngest son, Bradley.

Somewhere in the midst of their individual mandatory tasks and responsibilities, Bart and Maura join up several times a day for miscellaneous human resources issues that flare up, like shift no-shows, or disputes over days off and personality conflicts.

 “We have fifty-six employees,” Maura explained, adding with a grin, “Things happen.”

The question must be asked, Why no bookkeeper, or catering manager? What about a part-time handyman, or assistant to help with the backlog of donation requests? The simple answer is that if Bart and Maura did not absorb those duties, Mel’s would not be able to exist. In an industry where a ten percent profit margin is considered decent, Mel’s operates at a profit margin that averages about thirteen percent, before factoring in cash donations or sponsorships. All this work for thirteen cents profit on every dollar, in a good month? The answer is yes, because it is not “just work.”

“I remember several times at the old place when due to a storm or other problem, electricity was out all over town. We ran Mel’s on generators, twenty-four hours a day to provide meals to PG&E crews, law enforcement, local residents,” said Bart, adding, “That is what keeps me going. It means a lot to me to be able to provide that.”

Maura explained about the modifications they have had to make in the last few years. “We’ve had to cut back on employee benefits, like paid vacations that our long term employees have always had, but the fact is we employ fifty-six people. If we want to continue doing that, Bart and I have to be hands-on, every day, bottom line,” she said.

Those long-term employees are many. Joyce Cain has been with the Gillman’s for thirty years, Jennifer Jurickovich for over fifteen years and several more have been with the company for between five and ten years. Maura and Bart both cite consistency in business as the reason for that.

“Our employees know that they can count on tips. We try and spread out the busiest shifts among them all and they know what to expect.” The couple estimates that since 1956, the family business has kept hundreds, if not thousands of students off the streets and others gainfully employed through all kinds of economic situations.

There have been changes to the business over the last several years since the move and the subsequent slowdown in the economy. Fewer customers spending less money and the loss of the courthouse are among the more dramatic of the circumstances that have required Mel’s to adjust. The addition of Bg’s Lounge, which has allowed them to take advantage of a liquor license they have had for many years by increasing controlled space on the premises, has helped.

A few more responsibilities for both of them, a few less hours or perks for employees, but the doors to Mel’s remain open, their hard working employees keep their jobs and the townspeople have a place to go, whether it is over coffee and a Moo burger, or a cocktail and prime rib. Most importantly, ladies who lunch, students, coaches, truck drivers, skiers and local characters, including Bart and Maura, have a second home.