For years Rory John?s waited for the opportunity to own his own restaurant. When it came a couple of months ago he was more than ready and jumped in with both feet with the purchase of popular Hamilton establishment, Monte Carlo.

His willingness to listen and learn enabled him to make steady progress in 14 years in the industry.

?I started out as a kitchen porter at Fisherman?s Reef, at 19 or 20,? the young businessman recalled.

?Then I was a busboy, waiter, Captain and then Assistant Maitre ?D. When I left Fisherman?s Reef I went down to Port O? Call as Manager/Maitre ?D for a couple of years.

?I was at Port O? Call for five years off and on and when I left I just took a break for three months and just relaxed.

?I was a little stressed, having been in the business 13-14 years. It took its toll at some point.?

After the break Mr. Johns returned to the restaurant business and his upward mobility continued with a new post at a new restaurant.

?Somebody actually called me and said I should go in and talk to the owner of Barracuda Grill who were opening up a new restaurant and renovating,? he explained.

?I went and spoke to Phillip Barnett and Tom Carr and actually took over as the manager of the new restaurant. That was a pretty good experience for me to open up a new restaurant as you don?t get to do that many times.

?That was about two years ago, I was there for eight or nine months and then after that I went back to Port O? Call for another year and a bit and started talking with the previous owner about me taking over this restaurant (Monte Carlo) as an owner.?

The talks with Livio Fergio and a partner proved productive as a deal was struck and Monte Carlo was purchased by the 33 year old Bermudian.

?Livio was the chef/owner and had been on the island ten, 11 years and is a good friend of mine,? said Mr. Johns. ?Livio just wanted to spend some time with his family.

?From the beginning of March to midway in March it (deal) all started to come together. We still had the lawyers involved and were getting the paperwork finalised before we could say anything to anybody. I just wanted to keep everything very quiet.?

Though his days are long and demanding ? 12 hours or more most days ? Mr. Johns goes to work everyday with a smile on his face. There are challenges, sure, as owner but it was a business deal he is glad he could pull off.

?I?ve been in this business almost 14 years now and always wanted to achieve more,? said Mr. Johns.

I love what I do and can?t imagine doing anything else. Every day I go to work is a different day because you meet different people all the time. Being in this business is very exciting and I believe a lot of people in this business ultimately want to own their own restaurant.?

He had other jobs to compare it with, but none bought him the satisfaction that the restaurant business does. ?I had a lot of other jobs before. When I left school I worked at Island Glass and Metal, I worked construction and did painting for seven or eight years. Mr. Johns built strong friendships and contacts in the business and as a result opportunities opened up for him.

?When I was working at Fisherman?s Reef, I started there with George Heracleous and was washing dishes there,? he revealed.

?He stopped me one day when I came in to pick up my pay cheque and asked me to work that night. I said ?ah, I can?t work tonight, I?m busy?.

?He said ?no, no I don?t want you to wash dishes, I just want you to come on the floor as a bus boy, serve some coffee and serve some bread?.

?I said ?okay, I can manage that? and so I went in that night and the end of the night he offered me five lunches and six nights working on the floor as a bus boy. I never worked in the kitchen again!

?He was the manager of Fisherman?s Reef and I worked with him for about eight years. He is the one who taught me mostly everything I know about the business.

?When he left Fisherman?s Reef he went to Port O? Call and then bought Port O? Call. A year later we spoke to each other and I went to Port O? Call to work for him as a manager.?

As he has found out, there is a difference between being a manager of somebody else?s establishment and being the owner of your own. As the president and owner he pays a lot more attention to detail, realising that the choices he makes impact on his livelihood.

?I thought I knew everything there was to know about running a restaurant but it was a rude awakening,? he admitted.

?Not that I was unprepared for it but it was a little overwhelming. There were so many things that I didn?t take into account that I found out about once I took over.

?When you take over a restaurant you have to really look at the amount of money that is spent, the wine costs and food costs ? which was what I had to deal with at Port O? Call and Barracuda Grill ? but after that there comes a lot of fixed expenses... water, gas, electricity, rent.

?It?s not about the money you make but the amount you can actually keep at the end of the day.?

The obvious challenges aside, Mr. Johns is happy to be his own boss, even if he spends long hours on the job.

?I?m so accustomed to that (long hours), I wouldn?t trade it for anything. This (restaurant ownership) has been my goal for the last 14 years.?

The new owner plans to close the restaurant briefly at the end of May for some minor renovations, re-opening a week alter ?with a whole new look... new lunch menu, new dinner menu and new wine list?.

Christie James will soon join as the new general manager. She brings other restaurant management experience with her, having worked at Bistro J and other restaurants in England in management positions, including Daffodil?s and Harry Hares.

?The food is very good here,? assured the owner. ?The business has been here 15 years at least and I?m the fourth owner. The decor has also been here 15 years and I think it is time to make a change.

?I know I?m not going to be able to make everybody happy but I?m going to try to make as many people as I can happy with the new decor. We?re looking to shut down for the May 24 holiday and reopen on June 1.?

Many of the restaurants in Hamilton have foreign owners so Mr. Johns is an example for other Bermudians. He admits it requires hard work and dedication to make a success of owning your own restaurant.

?I would have to say it requires a lot of time, diligence, the right attitude and one of the biggest things is commitment to what you want to do and sticking to your guns,? he said in advising other would-be restaurant owners.

?For me I was lucky enough to have some of the right people in place to help me out in my venture. That all comes from working in the business, getting to know people. It?s networking and you can?t find a better place to network in than a restaurant.

?It is a great step for me and a great opportunity to do what people have believed I could do and achieve. My family is very proud... and that makes me feel proud. It?s great when you work for yourself.?