At this point it’s silly to offer an opening date. That said, if it isn’t in February we will donate $1,000 to the Martha’s Vineyard Boys’ & Girls’ Club. If it isn’t March, we will donate $10,000. April? They can have the restaurant.

Delays can be great marketing — the anticipation builds, excitement grows and then you open and, bam! What a great strategy for a new venture.

But then there are really, really delayed openings, that like a relative who stays at your house too long, start to get on your nerves.

The anticipation turns into doubt and frustration, and now instead of people being excited for a restaurant to open, they start to question if it ever will.

Copper Wok is getting close to that point. But have no fear, the end of the delays is near.

After opening Sharky’s in Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, ChoCo and Dreamland we learned a lot. One of the biggest lessons: Cut no corners and do it right the first time. Copper Wok has turned into a project like no other for us, with more than 10,000 person hours of work so far. The build out has gone from minor to major, the design has gone from amazing to awesome, the time table has gone from quick to crazy long, and yet, in a Zen spirit most likely inspired by the restaurant’s culture itself, everything is going to be all right.

This project was one of passion from the beginning. Chinese food, Sushi, Pho, Pad Thai and more are all components of a dining experience that for so many years we have been deprived. Not to mention all this taking place in a town that has only had beer and wine (and sake!) available for a few years. We had to do this right. We had to make Vineyard Haven and the Island proud of our new restaurant, and fortunately/unfortunately we compromised almost nothing in creating a community-based restaurant that we could not be more proud of.

So where are we at? The beginning of the end. The custom banquets have been delivered and installed, the floors have been stained and coated, the Sushi bar is done. The Sushi counter is done. The patio is done. The ceiling and lighting is done. Cameras are hung. Speakers are in. Chairs are in. Mirrors are done. Fireplace installed. The kitchen is basically done — the wok and equipment is operational and fantastic. The plumbing finished, the painting almost done and the ridiculous amount of staining and polyurethaning is close to done. We are in the home stretch. The town of Tisbury has been amazing, helping and encouraging us every step along the way.

What is left? The final details. Assembling tables, stocking the bar, all the small items, installing the computers, stocking the shelves, training the staff. These items take time, but days and weeks, not months. The end is near and the beginning is near. And nobody is more excited about that than all of us.

To everybody who has patiently waited — thank you.

Once we open, we will be there for our community seven days a week, 365 days a year. This is our one shot to get it right, and we think we have. We thank you so much for your interest, your patience, your support and your anticipation. On behalf of myself, Chef Alex and the entire crew, this has been a humbling and invigorating experience and we cannot wait to share it with you.