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With the orders from USA Gas and Oil Inc. signed, the plans for expanding Bearcat Catering (UK) were implemented, but the additional staff required to run from the Potters Bar offices made the three floors they had a little crowded. Jinnie and Alberto had a discussion and decided to see if they could lease a fourth floor in Maple House, and the property department was unleashed to try to acquire one. Jinnie and Alberto decided that, if they could get another floor, then it should be for Bearcat Catering, as it had now secured a breakthrough UK contract and would be bidding for more. Jinnie had her eye on a Midlands football stadium that she had heard had a contract up for renewal soon, but she knew the competition would be stiff.
Jinnie was considering phoning Belinda to find out how her bid for refurbishing the USA Gas and Oil Inc. boardroom was progressing when the office phone rang with an incoming video call from Rick. Jinnie accepted the call, and Rick’s face filled the screen. Rick said, “Good afternoon, boss. I need to talk to you about California. You remember we talked about either buying a site for a new city centre hotel in Edinburgh or three holiday hotels in California, and you recommended California. Well, I have just shaken hands on the California project, and it is with the lawyers to draw up the contract.”
“Yes, I remember,” said Jinnie. “They were all in the south of the state, LA if my memory serves me right, and you had cooked up some sort of deal with Virgin Holidays.”
“That’s correct,” said Rick, “but it seems that, with the hotels, I have somehow agreed to buy a winery in Sonoma County. There are some 200 acres and four types of grapes. It is owned by the holding company that also owns the hotels, and I have agreed to buy the holding company, so I get the vineyard. Now my question is, should I try and sell the winery on, or do we add it to our existing UK and French business?”
“I have a lot of questions,” said Jinnie. “Does it make money is probably the most important, where is Sonoma County, could we make use of its wine internally in the business, what is the wine like, is it any good, and why did they buy it in the first place?”
“I can answer some of those questions,” replied Rick. “Sonoma County is in the California wine-growing area, near Napa Valley, north of San Francisco, so it is well north of the LA area where the three hotels are. From my enquiries, it seems the plan was to buy up the land and build a hotel on it, but they did not get a zoning permit. As for making money, the numbers say it breaks even, but it is only using about 20 acres of the land. My research says that, in the area, you should get about two tonnes of grapes per acre, and that makes about 1,500 bottles of wine per acre. So, 1,500 times 20 equals about 30,000 bottles. But apparently the owners have not put any investment into the vineyard, and it is struggling with old equipment and could be producing a lot more wine if they made better use of the land and invested a bit.”
“I rather think you already know what I am going to say,” said Jinnie. “We are effectively getting this vineyard for nothing. With a bit of investment, we can apparently increase the yield and, hence, the profit. But, say we were to plant the remaining land with vines, we could be producing 300,000-plus bottles of wine a year. That is a decent volume if the wine is any good. I want to investigate further. When we finish this conversation, I am going to talk to Charles at Trattoria Trevi Wines. He knows his stuff and has worked wonders in Burgundy and on the South Downs. The South Downs project is in a lull at the moment; we have planted the vines and must wait for them to mature into a decent yield. Based on this preliminary chat, I want to keep and expand the business, so I think we should all fly to San Francisco and make a decision on how to proceed.”
***
Jinnie’s call to Charles had gone well, and she enjoyed talking to him so she could practise her French. Initially, he had wanted to talk about how well the grape harvest in Burgundy had gone, and how he was sure it was going to be a record year, with more and better-quality wine this autumn. Jinnie had listened to him, happy to hear the news, as the TT SuperBurger house wine had found a ready market with many customers who appreciated its value and quality. After hearing him out, Jinnie explained about the Californian opportunity. At first, Charles was a little dismissive of California wine, describing it as not even as good as Australian.
Jinnie explained that the vineyard had 180 unused acres of land and, if they decided to keep it, they would need his skills in planting the new vines and refurbishing the winery. Charles became animated at the idea of shaping a Californian winery to his own ideas. He talked of grape types, producing quality wine, and how he could supply the North American market and the Caribbean restaurants and hotels, something that was not financially viable from Europe except for very high-quality wines.
Charles agreed that he definitely wanted to see the estate and to be part of the decision on whether to keep and develop it or to sell it. Jinnie asked Charles to fly over to England the following week, and she would organise the trip to San Francisco, coordinating with Rick. She phoned Travel, who were now on a different floor, and got the booking underway. Three tickets in Virgin Premium Class, knowing they would be upgraded to Upper Class. Next was a stay at the Ritz-Carlton. As she and Rick were “hoteliers”, she thought it justified checking out what others offered.
Thinking about the trip, she decided that it was too good an opportunity to miss, so, while on the West Coast, she also organised to return from Los Angeles, with a stop at one of Rick’s new hotels. She told them to arrange for her to pick up a large petrol car at San Francisco Airport and return it to LA, and that all three travellers were to be named drivers. Travel advised that they should all apply for an ESTA, as under the VWP scheme it would allow them to do business on the same basis as a B-1 business visa, but without having to visit a US embassy for an interview.
With all that arranged, Jinnie called in Caroline. She wanted to ensure the contracts with USA Gas and Oil Inc. received plenty of publicity, and together they concocted a press release with lots of quotes from her about how the Bearcat Catering companies within the TT SuperBurger Group were growing rapidly and were on track to become a new division. Jinnie suggested Caroline talk with USA Gas and Oil Inc. to ensure they were happy with the press release and to get some quotes from them for inclusion.
Caroline then suggested that the next edition of the house magazine should feature the catering arm. Jinnie approved. She knew that copies of the magazine were making their way into the hands of clients, competitors, and the press. It all fitted in nicely with her desire to pick up more commercial catering contracts in the UK, and gaining a higher level of recognition for Bearcat Catering, whether commercial, outdoor, or events, paved the way for enquiries from potential customers. Jinnie suggested Caroline should fly out to Barbados and interview Jorja and Seb, gather some quotes from clients, and take photos, lots of photos.
Finally, Jinnie told Caroline of her trip to California and how the Ennios Hotel Group had agreed to purchase three more hotels in the Los Angeles area, and that this was the start of the group expanding into the west coast of America. She told Caroline of the winery and plans to grow it tenfold. Caroline suggested that the way to handle this news was initially through a series of press releases. First, the hotels, then the deal with Virgin, and finally the winery. At the same time, Caroline suggested that, in the magazine after next, there should be an “Interview with the Group Managing Director”, in which she reveals her plans for the West Coast.
It would be three months before that edition went to the printers, and by then Jinnie was sure to have firmed up her plans, which were currently pretty nebulous. Jinnie had yet to mention her plans for the West Coast to Alberto and the board. The hotel and winery purchase was being funded from Ennios Hotels funds and technically did not need main board approval, but it did need to be linked into the IT network, and IT was not a profit centre. It was funded by the group and was seen by some as a major expense. Developing a West Coast data centre was sure to raise eyebrows, but Jinnie knew it was essential to West Coast expansion.
Jinnie told Caroline that she wanted to talk to Monica about taking Auntie JoJo’s there. Her research showed that California alone could support 450 to 500 outlets, and that would more than double the Auntie JoJo’s US business. However, there was a huge amount of infrastructure to set up, including chicken supply, processing plants, and distribution, and that was almost certainly beyond the financial ability of the division without group funds. But if there were 450 chicken restaurants, there would be 450 outlets for Frank’s Ice Cream. Then there was a visitor centre at the winery, new continental restaurants, and maybe even a trial of SuperBurger.
***
Over their tea, Jinnie said to the twins, “I am going away for work for a few days next week. Uncle Rick, Charles from France, and I are going to California to see a winery we are buying.” “What is a winery?” asked Willie. “It is a combination of a place where they grow grapes, where they make them into wine, and where they bottle the wine,” explained Jinnie. “We like grapes,” replied Millie. “I do not think you would like to eat wine grapes very much,” replied Jinnie, “they are grown to make wine from and do not taste like the grapes Izzy buys in the supermarket. Those are grown to taste nice and are called ‘dessert grapes’.”
Willie had been thinking and asked, “Is Charles coming here? We could talk to him in French.” “He is coming to England, so we can have a chat before we all fly to San Francisco,” replied Jinnie, “but I do not know if you will get to see him.” “Mummy, is it hot in San Francisco?” asked Millie. “I think that at this time of year it is a bit warmer than here, but not hot,” replied Jinnie.
Izzy asked, “How was school today?” “OK,” said Willie, “but we do not like Mr Excell as much as Mrs Pilbeam. He is much stricter.” “Well, he is the deputy head teacher,” said Izzy. “Today he asked if anyone spoke a foreign language,” said Millie. “So did you put your hand up?” asked Jinnie. “Of course,” said Willie, “and he asked what languages, so we said Italian and French and some German. Then he tried to test us by talking in German, so we answered in German, and his German was not very good. You and Daddy and Uncle Jan and Aunty Simone and Juliette are much better.”
“Well, before the War of Liberation, we all learnt German at school, and the Germans were trying to get everyone to speak, read, and write German. There were German newspapers and German radio and television,” said Jinnie. “Wow,” said Millie, “Mr Excell said we are going to start learning Spanish and asked if anyone knew any Spanish. We know how to say good morning, goodbye, and a few other things from our holiday, but we did not tell him.” “Why not?” asked Jinnie. “We did not want him to test us again,” said Willie.
When the twins had disappeared to watch TV, Izzy asked, “Do you want me to make up the visitor suite for Charles?” “I do not think so,” replied Jinnie, “he is going to fly into Gatwick and get a train down to Worthing and stay in the Ennios. It is business, so the company is paying. Then Miranda is meeting him and taking him to the South Downs winery. It has been some time since he was over, and he says he wants to ‘walk the vines’. Miranda wants to show him the events space and visitor centre. There is a big two-day conference booked, and the place should be jumping as they are hosting 600 attendees.”
“Gosh, that is a lot of people to make lunch for,” said Izzy. “That is part of the reason she wants to show Charles just what can be done. Breakfast, coffee and croissants, mid-morning tea and biscuits, a three-course lunch with house wine, mid-afternoon coffee and cake, and a pay bar open all day and after the conference closes at 16:30.” “Where is everyone staying?” asked Izzy. “That is an excellent question,” replied Jinnie. “I guess they are in hotels and Airbnbs all over the place. Now you have given me an idea. I must talk to Rick and Charles about building a hotel on site. I wonder if we could get planning permission.”
“Miranda wants to show Charles a successful events centre and push for one in Burgundy,” continued Jinnie, “I wonder how he will take to an on-site hotel.” “I cannot keep up with you,” said Izzy. “It is hard enough with the twins, they are so busy learning new things every day. But you seem to have so many balls in the air. I only have to sort out the washing and what is for tea and find time for some Spanish lessons.” “You are going to learn Spanish?” asked Jinnie. “I cannot have the twins talking in another language I cannot understand,” said Izzy. “They know I can understand them in French, German, and English, so they used to chat in Italian, but I have picked up a bit,” replied Izzy. “I am signing up for Spanish and, with any luck, I can learn faster than they can.” Jinnie said, “If you do not mind, I think I will join you.”
***
Jinnie met Charles at the new Artisan Sandwiches outlet in Heathrow Terminal 3. He was sat on a fixed bar stool at a small round table with a coffee and croissants. He saw her approaching and said, “Good morning,” in his heavily accented English. Much to his relief, Jinnie replied in her perfect French and headed over to the counter to get a coffee while waiting for Rick. As she sat down, Charles said, “I do not know this shop, but the coffee and croissants are so good, I could be in France. All the cold meats and cheese look wonderful, I suspect they do a good trade.” “They have only been open a few weeks,” replied Jinnie, “but it is already doing far better than we anticipated.”
Charles looked a little surprised before saying, “You mean this is owned by TT SuperBurger?” “Did you not know it is one of our chains?” replied Jinnie. “No,” said Charles, “I do not think we have this in France.” “When we started up the chain, it was before France was liberated,” said Jinnie, “we now have hundreds of outlets in our fast food division all across the UK and Ireland. The divisional managing director and I have discussed opening in France, but the French people like French things, and we would have to make it a bit different from the UK chain. Not so many sandwiches, more filled baguettes and croque-monsieur.” “But that would be wonderful,” said Charles, “especially if you sold this coffee and these croissants.”
Jinnie was making a mental note to talk to Brooke about trying a few branches of Artisan Sandwiches in France. Maybe they needed to get Simone involved. A few test outlets in the south of France could be the way to go. As Jinnie was mulling it over, Rick arrived and they set off to the Premium Class check-in. As usual, as soon as Jinnie’s passport was scanned, the ground stewardess said, “The computer has upgraded you and your party to Upper Class, Dame Jinnie. If you would like to make your way through the priority security lane, I will arrange to have you met and taken to the Clubhouse to wait for your flight. Oh, and your return flights from Los Angeles have also been upgraded, so please use the Upper Class check-in there.”
Rick tucked into his Clubhouse bacon breakfast roll and said, “This is really good, I have never flown first class before. Do you always get upgraded, Jinnie?” “Most times,” said Jinnie, “I think it is the Dame part that does it. But this is not first class, Upper Class is an enhanced business class, but still very good.” “Well, I do not care,” said Charles, “I will just enjoy the experience.”
The flight was called, and the party made their way to the boarding gate, had their boarding cards checked, and, as they stepped off the airbridge onto the A350-1000, Rick said, “This is the first time I have ever turned left on boarding,” much to the stewardess’s amusement. Once in his seat, Charles said, “I am impressed, such a big seat and so much space.” Jinnie replied, “And the seat converts into a lie-flat bed. Not strictly necessary on this outbound flight, but when we come back it is overnight, and it is good to be able to sleep.”
Halfway across the Atlantic, Rick said to Jinnie, “I was impressed with lunch, the catering is almost as good as at one of our Ennios Hotels. The only thing is the coffee is not very good.” “That is because water boils at a lower temperature at this height,” said Jinnie. “I read that a typical plane is pressurised to the equivalent of 8,000 feet, and at that height water boils at 92°.” “So that is why tea and coffee are never really hot on a plane,” said Rick.
***
Jinnie eventually got to the head of the immigration queue and presented her passport to the officer. He swiped the passport through the reader and glanced at the screen. Jinnie could see it reflected green in his glasses, but still he asked, “Purpose of visit?” Jinnie replied, “My colleagues and I,” indicating Rick and Charles, “are visiting some businesses the company I am managing director of has just purchased in California.” “So, you will be working?” the officer asked. “Yes,” said Jinnie, “but only to the extent that we will be meeting the management and staff of our new companies. We will not be being paid by any American company or signing any contracts. All our wages and expenses are being paid for by our parent company in the UK.”
“So why are you travelling on an ESTA and not a business visa?” the officer asked. Jinnie replied, “Because the ESTA allows me to enter for vacation or business. I could have applied for a B1 visa, but it is currently taking over a month to get an appointment with the visa section of the US Embassy in London. When I return to the UK next week, I shall be applying for a B1 visa, as we now have multiple companies in Florida, Georgia, and California which will be employing over a thousand US citizens by the end of the year and turning over a combined $600 million.” The Customs and Border Protection officer carefully stamped her passport and handed her an I-94 form, which said she could stay for three months, before waving her past and calling, “Next.”
Jinnie waited for Rick and Charles to join her. Rick, who had a B1 multiple-entry visa, said, “That is why I hate travelling to the US. I got a B1 visa when we were setting up in the Continental chain in Florida, and I was in and out half a dozen times in six months. It is always the same officious CBP officers asking the same questions you were asked at the embassy interview, and they are all on the computer. They know you have a B1 visa and still want to show you they can refuse you entry and put you on the next flight home.” “I think he was fed up asking the same questions when he got to me,” said Charles. “He did not ask me anything, just stamped my passport and handed me the I-94 form.”
Jinnie showed her passport, driving licence, and paperwork at the Hertz desk and, in return, got the keys to a silver Chevrolet Equinox SUV. Rick put the Ritz-Carlton into the sat nav and drove out of the parking lot, following the female voice and continually moaning about the “awful” accent and driving on the wrong side of the road. Charles said, “I am quite happy to drive up to the winery tomorrow, at least it is the right side of the road for me.” Rick laughed and said, “You are welcome, provided Jinnie is happy.” “Oh, I am happy,” replied Jinnie, “I can enjoy being chauffeured and looking at the scenery.”
As the party checked into the hotel, Jinnie was aware that Rick was watching everything closely. They agreed to meet for a drink in the bar before an early dinner, and Rick was already at a table, nursing a beer, when Jinnie slipped into the seat next to him. “So, what is your initial opinion of the Ritz-Carlton?” she asked. “Was it that obvious?” replied Rick. “Well, maybe not to the hotel staff, but I know you are always watching the service, staff, and the finish and layout, and comparing them to the Ennios,” said Jinnie.
“Well,” said Rick, “firstly, this is a city centre hotel, something we do not really have yet. It is dealing with upmarket tourists and businessmen on company expense accounts. Who else can afford to spend $350 a night on a basic suite, and a lot more on a good one? I compare its position in the hotel hierarchy to above the Ennios Southampton.” “Interesting,” said Jinnie. “Perhaps I am picky,” said Rick, “but I like to see happy, smiling staff. Everyone here seems to be miserable. Here comes the waiter, see if I am right.” Jinnie ordered a dry white wine and put it on her room tab.
She said to Rick, “I see what you mean, polite enough, but not a little spark, no real interaction except business.” “Exactly,” said Rick, “I want my staff to be friendly, but efficient. To be polite to customers, but to say something like, ‘Good evening, madam, are you ready to order, or would you like to see the drinks menu?’ Not to walk up and say, ‘Yes’. Perhaps it is the American way. They are on basic wages and need the tips to survive. I only hope the automatic 25% added to the bill for service all goes to the staff.”
Charles arrived, and the unhappy waiter returned and took his order for a beer. Rick continued, “My first real impression is that the hotel is perhaps not quite living up to its reputation. The service is not European five-star, and the decorative condition could be better. The room is OK, but not wonderful. The TV needs renewing, and the bathroom could do with a refresh. I am not looking at buying this place, but if I was, I would be looking at a major facelift and to find out why the staff are unhappy. I suspect it is wages.” Jinnie said, “Well, let us go into dinner and see what the food is like.”
***
Jinnie sipped her after-dinner coffee and said, “Well, dinner service was OK, but the menu was terribly American, too many burgers and steaks and not enough classic dishes for my taste. But I guess it is catering for an American clientele and not a European one. It was also a bit expensive, and this coffee is not very nice. I will be having tea with my breakfast.” Rick chuckled and said, “Yes, it certainly caters to American tastes. In our Florida hotels, we have tried to produce a menu that caters for both European and US tourists, and it seems to work. Our customer satisfaction survey says we are doing it right.”
Getting up from the table, Jinnie said, “Well, gentlemen, I am done for. It has been a long day, and we do not really know what to expect at Sonoma tomorrow. You never know, we might hate what we see or we might love it. I am off to bed. I suggest we meet in the breakfast room at 8. I do hope it is not all pancakes and waffles.”
Chapter 24, The Sonora Winery
© WorthingGooner 2026
