Interviews and photos by Amy Howe
Tell us a little bit about the background of Bailey’s Family Dining and what it has been like to see it grow together.
Ken: It’s great to see our business grow and know we have built it together.
Kristina: We live in the same neighborhood as the restaurant and sometimes would talk about what if that were ours. One day it was, and it’s been exciting to watch it grow and grow with it.
Did you ever imagine you would be working together running a business?
Ken: No, we would talk about our dreams, but never really thought it would happen.
Kristina: We have worked together many times. At the time we bought the restaurant, we weren’t working together. We both hoped that one day we would work together again, but we only hoped it would be our own. We always had a lot of ideas for if we ever had our own restaurant.
What’s the most challenging thing about working together?
Ken: How stubborn she is.
Kristina: Being his boss! Ha!
What would you say is the best part of working together?
Ken: I get to hang out with my best friend all the time.
Kristina: I love that we get to be together all the time; he’s my best friend. It’s fun to come up with new ideas together or work on new specials in the kitchen together.
How do you keep the spark alive when you spend so much time together?
Ken: We laugh a lot!
Kristina: We do laugh a lot. He brings me flowers and always flirts with me! He’s always trying to pick up on me.
Has working together strengthened your marriage in any way?
Ken: Yes, no doubt. It has taught me that no matter what this business throws at you, my wife always has my back, and we push through together.
Kristina: Our marriage has really always been strong. We truly enjoy each other’s company. It has made it stronger because we do get to spend more time together. We spent many years working opposite shifts while our kids were younger. I think working together has made our whole family a stronger unit.
What advice would you give to a couple who’s thinking of going into business together?
Ken: You have your great days and your not-so-great days. At the end of the day, you still love and respect each other and always communicate and listen to each other.
Kristina: Make sure you want to spend all of your time together. Be sure you are going to love what you do as much as you love each other.
What dreams and goals do you see for the restaurant this year? Anything exciting to look forward to?
Ken: We would love to start working on expanding our catering.
Kristina: Yes! Expanding our catering for sure. We would also absolutely love to do even more with charity fundraising. Giving back is in both of our hearts.
See more photos in the February 2022 print edition.