Chapter 1: Grand Re-Re-Re-Re-Re-Re-Opening
The air was still as a loud beeping sound began emanating from the tinny speakers of a cheap alarm clock, as a small hand slapped around a wooden bedside table, knocking around well-worn Japanese collectibles before violently hitting the snooze button, a loud, muffled groaning escaping the covers before the young adult pulled herself out of the bed, stretching and standing up in the small bedroom. "Alright… first day…" She grabbed a pink beanie sitting on her bedside, pulling it over her messy, shoulder-length black hair, a pair of pink rabbit ears adorning the top. "Let's do this."
Louise Belcher grabbed a clean set of clothes from her closet, pulling herself together before exiting her room, making her way towards the kitchen where her parents were sat around the table. Shifting her way around the excess chairs, Louise opened the fridge to grab herself a jug of milk. Linda and Bob half-read the paper, occasionally looking up at her. "So…" the older, mustachioed man spoke, breaking the unusual silence of the apartment, "you think you're ready, Louise?"
"Oh, me?" She chuckled in retort "yeah, I was born ready. I've been ready since I was in the womb. I have been preparing for this since I was conceived!" Louise smiled with confidence. "Well, I just wanted to make sure you were ready. It's a big day for you and I know you're feeling a little nervous running everything yourself" Linda chimed in, sipping a cup of coffee. Bob smirked, pulling up his own cup of coffee, "You know, there is a difference between running the restaurant with me versus running it on your own."
Louise sighed, going back to her bowl of cereal. He was frustratingly right. Louise had been effectively running the place for the better part of 4 months, but always with her father close by, handling major responsibilities and the menu. Now, it was all on her. She still had Bob nearby for help, but he was stepping back and letting her take care of things. It was an arrangement she had been working with mostly out of necessity. Her father wasn't the youngest guy when he started running the restaurant, and after an accident early in the year, he was even less capable at managing the day to day activities. Linda had stepped up a lot, but Louise could tell she was tired of playing nurse and restaurateur, and Louise thought: who better to run the restaurant than her?
Well, there were some people who could run it better… She thought to herself, finishing her breakfast, and placing the dishes in the sink. "I'm gonna head down and open up!" she announced, jogging down the long hallway of the cramped apartment. She passed Tina and Gene's old rooms, virtually untouched since they had moved out, save for a few boxes of storage Louise had pushed off onto them. Not like they need it… she thought as she bounded down the stairs, pulling open the front door, ready to face the new day.
She looked up at the sign on the short walk to the front door, giving it a small smirk. While it wasn't technically "Bob's Burgers" anymore, the name just felt… right to Louise. It just sounds like a good place to eat, y'know? Who wouldn't trust a guy named Bob to make you burgers? She chuckled to herself, unlocking the door and flipping the lights on. Louise had actually kept the place closed for the previous week, both to give herself a little time to handle business matters, getting proper permits and certifications, but also to try and get the place "renovated". New shiny red barstools sat beside newly refurbished red leather booths. The restaurant smelled clean, the floors having been polished the previous night, and the walls almost shone with the fresh coat of yellow paint applied to them.
Why mess with what works? Maybe I'll change it… Eventually. She thought to herself, slowly making her way to the kitchen, turning various knobs in order to warm up the grill and fryer before descending to the basement, and pulling a large tub of ground beef out of the walk-in freezer. It was far heavier than she was used to for, but she was expecting a slightly larger than average crowd. Not only was it another grand opening for Bob's Burgers, but she had timed it with OceanFest being in town, getting flyers posted all over town in the lead up. Before leaving the basement, she pulled a large white sheet of cloth from a shelf, grabbing a marker from a nearby cup. As she got back into the kitchen, she set down the beef on the counter, and got to work on the cloth, drawing a little bit on the well-used banner. Years ago, the Belcher's personal handyman Teddy had prepared a large banner for the restaurant to ever use on their many re-openings, allowing for more additions of "Re-" to prepare for the future.
That was smart of him. Probably got sick of charging Dad for another new banner… She smiled, hanging the grommets of the banner and jumping off the ladder onto the sidewalk, admiring the craftsmanship of the banner. Bold black letters on a white banner reading "Grand Re-Re-Re-Re-Re-Re-Opening". After a moment, she pulled the ladder off the side of the building, taking it around the back and worming her way through the restaurant, before making her way to the front door, unlocking and flipping the side from "Closed" to "Open".
Time to get started.