Welcome to the Week... "The Waiting is the Hardest Part"

As we continue to wait for TECO Energy to restore power at our culinary center, I’ve been reflecting on how we navigate moments that feel beyond our control. From facing the impact of our second hurricane in under two weeks, to not having the power to resume full operations, these challenges remind me why we lean on our core values: Winning, Purpose, Gratitude, Curiosity, and Ownership.

... But it also reminds me of the Tom Petty Song, “The Waiting is the Hardest Part.”

When things seem impossible, when the world throws curveballs we didn’t expect, all we can do is rely on each other for support and trust the process. So many of us have been personally affected by these storms, and there are times when words fall short. All we can offer is reassurance and let our actions speak for themselves.?

I find joy in the way our team comes together during these times, whether it’s our market leaders and culinary team packing delivery bags for the Fitlife Foods Atlanta in the Wesley Chapel store or the culinary team rallying to clean our facility with the limited power we did have or our customer service team working their way through more than 250 tickets.

It has been an amazing team effort all around. This culture of teamwork and dedication shines through in moments like these. When I see photos like the one here, it fills me with pride. This is who we are—people coming together to help each other and deepening our bonds in the process.

It’s in these moments that I remind myself of a quote from The Martian that I used in my Welcome to the Week two weeks ago (because it is more relevant now) where Matt Damon’s character says:

“You just begin. You solve one problem, then the next one, and then the next. And if you solve enough problems, you get to come home.”

For many of us, home is not just our physical house, but also our stores, our businesses, our stadiums or our actual homes. It’s where we build our community. Our job now is to work through each problem, one step at a time, and trust that by doing so, we’ll find our way forward—stronger and more united than ever.

In these difficult times, we rely on one another for support, and as we look ahead, I have no doubt that we will emerge stronger. Let’s keep moving forward, one step at a time.

Go Feed Your Journey,

David