The Dream Lives On

Mike Portera discuss the inspiration for his restaurant in Oxford, Miss.

OXFORD, Miss. | Just north of Oxford’s town square, nestled among a strip of posh clothing boutiques and a local supper club, the University Club, sits one of Oxford’s most popular dining establishments, Lenora’s.

What today has become one of Oxford’s best dining options that serves as a favorite location of sorority girls for a birthday celebration and has hosted the likes of Greg Kinnear, started out as the dream of one man, Mike Portera.

Portera had worked in restaurants during his college years and had always earmarked the idea that he might someday want to have his own.

After working in both the pharmaceutical sales and real estate businesses for 19 years, a space just north of the Oxford Square became available. Portera jumped at the opportunity, and in the fall of 2009, he opened Lenora’s during the heart of Ole Miss football season.

“When I first opened up, it’s funny, it was right before football season,” Portera said. “I had no idea what a restaurant was like during football season. I didn’t. It was like I sat down in the chair in the old Maxell commercial and everything starts flying at me. Here we are. We’re playing Alabama-Birmingham. People are coming in here. I got reservations. I’ve got a line out the door, and I don’t know what I’m doing.”

According to H.G. Persa, associate professor of hospitality management at Ohio State University, 57-to-61 percent of restaurants fail within their first three years of operation. In fact the space that is directly next door to his, is currently hosting its third restaurant since he opened Lenora’s.

Portera believes the secret to his restaurant’s success is its consistency.

“I always said, ‘I never want to hit a home run every time in the business.’ Even though that would be great, it’s never been my goal. My goal is always to hit a double. If I’m always hitting doubles, I’m always moving forward,” he said.

His mindset has served him well. While three-out-of-five restaurants are out of business following their third year of operations, his was hitting its stride at that point.

“It really took about three-to-five years to really figure out really what I’m doing,” Portera said though he admits that he still doubts himself.

“There are times when I’m in my office, and I think, ‘Maybe I don’t know what I’m doing. Maybe I should do something else. You second-guess yourself, and I guess if I didn’t relieve believe in what I’m doing, it would really be bad. When those trying moments come, if you’re doing something you don’t believe in, you probably would run.”

It’s in those moments that Portera believes one can experience a breakthrough moment that leads to continued success.

“During football season or graduation (two of the busiest times for Oxford restaurants), you could probably serve grilled cheeses and be o.k., but it’s during the tough times that you really learn you have to put money back. You have to grind, and you have to be creative like we’re doing with Wine Wednesday that has gotten to be a big thing. Or, have live acoustic music sometimes. Come during February and get a free appetizer on certain days or offer no tax days like the liquor stores will do on Tuesdays. That’s my slowest day, and that’s a brilliant way to get people in the door.”  

“I believe rising waters raise all ships,” Portera said of his endeavor. “It took us about three years to figure this business out, and now I think we’ve got something to be proud of.”

The so-called “American Dream” is a popular topic of speculation in today’s culture. Does it still exist? Did it ever exist, or is it simply a fantastical theme that is useful in fictional literature?

The “American Dream” is a term that was popularized by James Truslow Adams in his book, “Epic of America.” His definition states, “It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”

The idea is rooted in the Declaration of Independence that grants three inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The third right is what led Portera to opening a restaurant, and Portera proves that the dream can still be a reality so long as one has a vision and is willing to use a little elbow grease.

“I love what I’m doing,” he said. “If I didn’t love what I do, I would probably be out of business.”

While the hard work and success has certainly allowed Portera to keep his doors open, that thought is not the only factor that drives him to continue running the restaurant.

“It’s fun sitting in here talking to people,” he said. “I cherish those moments like the ones talking to fathers just me and them. No one was here. The doors were locked, and we were talking about kids’ baseball. Those things are priceless. Or talking to another couple from North Carolina about marriages and what you go through and about businesses and all that. Those things are life experiences for me, and I’ll cherish those things.”