station 7: the patio

 
 

welcome to karrine’s happy place

10 years ago I started talking about expanding into this area. I was gonna open that green wall so that guests could enter from inside then into this beautiful patio. I was all talk because we didn’t have the means to do it anyway. Adding a door was a big project considering the structural changes that need to be done to this old building. I abandoned this plan because I knew it would cost too much.

Before 2020, we were only able to serve guests inside and the front patio. This area you’re in, as well as the sidewalk seating to the left of our building, was built in September 2020, right when we were allowed to eat outdoors.

But this patio has a deeper meaning to us. If you look towards the top of the deck to the right, there is a sign that reads: Karrine’s Happy Place.

Karrine started working at 7 Mile in 2011. She had just turned 21. Since she had grown up and worked in Brisbane, she was quite popular. She was immediately loved by new customers and especially by us. She was selfless, loving, brave, unique and beautiful.

On May 28, 2020, Karrine came to work to deliver food to Brisbane residents. She volunteered to do it because she was so concerned about the viability of our business. No one ordered for delivery that day so Karrine hung out with us. She was especially loving that night. She sat me down in my office and we had a long talk. “You know 7 Mile is a special place to me. It’s my happy place,” she said. We hugged and when I left, we both said “love you!” Little did I know that would be the last time I’d hug her.

The next day, we found out that Karrine had past away at a tender age of 30 — after 9 years with us at 7 Mile. During those 9 years she was the one who kept on asking me when this area would be built out. Once this patio was finished, I already knew what to call it. I feel Karrine’s presence here. I know our angel watches over us and is behind all the blessings we’ve received throughout the pandemic. This is her space. This is Karrine’s Happy Place.

Thank you so much for going through 7 Mile’s Self-Guided tour with me. There are still so many stories to tell and I plan to add more stations to this. To find out more about our history, feel free to borrow our house copy and read at your table, borrow our book at the local library or purchase our eBook on Amazon Kindle.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to drop me a note HERE to send feedback.

I’ll see you at the 7!

Vanessa Garcia

7 Mile House

Tour Map