Open a BBQ restaurant, they said. It will be fun, they said

I would guess this is ok to post this link. But it will give you an idea of what I am talking about.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...-Reviews-Chuck_Wagon_BBQ-Madison_Alabama.html

I agree no TV!!

but I dont think he is reading our posts, he is not replying to any of our comments.

The way I read it he already ordered the TV and was about to have installed, so reading posts about it being a bad idea are of little use at this time. Just my $.02

K-Train said:

The way I read it he already ordered the TV and was about to have installed, so reading posts about it being a bad idea are of little use at this time. Just my $.02

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its not just that.

no responses to many other ideas and suggestions through out this thread.

Not a big deal. I am sure he is just busy

Great thread! I stayed up way to late last night reading it.

I've often been told to open a restaurant but knew it would be a hard go. Nearly impossible for me with no capital.

Reading your thread confirms what I've heard all along you have to have the capital up front and reserves to sustain for a year to make it as a restaurant.

Seems like you've gotten a great start after a miserable beginning. Best of luck!

ButtBurner said:

its not just that.

no responses to many other ideas and suggestions through out this thread.
Not a big deal. I am sure he is just busy

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He's too busy with the pickle factory. :heh:

Great read

I've seen this thread in Q-Talk for some time, but had never taken a look. Now have gone through the whole thing over the last couple of days. Feel really glad for you, man! From those initial snafus and delays to the current wonderful issues of capacity and demand: what a roller-coaster.

I know it's only a matter of time until the subject of "a second location" gets serious discussion.

Wishing you continued success and satisfaction!

I think a TV is a good idea. Especially for sporting events.

In response to the TV announcement on Facebook, some guy said, "I may never leave." I think that is going to be your problem. Not sure why you would buy a gigantic TV when your income depends on turning tables, no matter how many people have asked for one, game or no game. I think it is much more likely to result in decreased, rather than increased, sales. Hope it works out for you, though.

Just seems to me that money would have been better spent on another smoker since you still seem to be running out of food on a regular basis. Also, I am surprised that it is taking people at least 20 minutes to order and get their food. No offense, but there is no way that you aren't losing customers with that long of a wait, especially during lunch when most people only have an hour to travel there, order, get their food, eat, and get back to work.

Memphis Que said:

Just seems to me that money would have been better spent on another smoker since you still seem to be running out of food on a regular basis. Also, I am surprised that it is taking people at least 20 minutes to order and get their food. No offense, but there is no way that you aren't losing customers with that long of a wait, especially during lunch when most people only have an hour to travel there, order, get their food, eat, and get back to work.

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While I'm sure he isn't wishing for less customers or for longer wait times, you can't compare the cost of a TV with adding a new smoker. He is greatly exceeding the projections upon which he based the success or failure of his restaurant. That's great, but it's still early in the process. The cost of a new smoker, not to mention the renovations and work that he'd have to do to put it to use, may be ill advised until he's been open for a while. If people are consistently willing to wait 20 minutes (or longer) for food, then he's obviously doing something right and is focusing on the most critical items.

Everything will right itself over time. He's still the "new place" and is probably still getting new customers who've waited for shorter lines, better weather, etc. I like the idea of a TV to pass the time while waiting. Unless I specifically go to a place to watch a game and drink beer, I personally do not stay at tables longer just because I can see a TV.

As a side note, when the TV is not playing a game/sports center, you could run pictures of different plates/sandwiches that you serve. I never see one of your pictures that doesn't make me hungry. To change things up, you could also run pics of some of your customers or some of the area attractions.

Sure, I would not have bought the TV, but I would have unloaded on some of the comments made here. This is his business so be extra respectful.

Thanks for sharing with. We will always root for you.

Memphis Que said:

No offense, but there is no way that you aren't losing customers with that long of a wait, especially during lunch when most people only have an hour to travel there, order, get their food, eat, and get back to work.

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Tell that to Aaron Franklin.....:mrgreen::mrgreen:

daninnewjersey said:

Tell that to Aaron Franklin.....:mrgreen::mrgreen:

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Indeed. Doesn't matter how many customers he's losing to wait times if he's running out of Q every day. He could be losing one customer a day or a million customers a day--as long as he's making money and selling out of food, it doesn't matter how many are lost.

DaveAlvarado said:

Indeed. Doesn't matter how many customers he's losing to wait times if he's running out of Q every day. He could be losing one customer a day or a million customers a day--as long as he's making money and selling out of food, it doesn't matter how many are lost.

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That is not 100% true, though it may be partially true. He is losing the opportunity cost of missing customers. However, that is only true if he can produce and sell more while remaining profitable on the additional customers. There is also the effect that producing more will have on existing business by creating less desire for the product. The whole waiting in line thing and bragging about it is part of what sells Franklins as a brand. I guess what I am saying is that there are a lot of things to consider... cost of adding retail space, equipment, labor, product, utility, etc along with the impact on the brand. It is not as simple as reading a forum thread and throwing the assumption out there that "if you are running out, you should get bigger and make more."

Good luck Jeremy!

While there is no doubt that Aaron Franklin loses customers who aren't willing to wait in line for hours to eat lunch, he still succeeds because of his track record, reputation, and sheer volume of sales. While I hope that Jeremy someday achieves Franklin's level of success, I think he himself would admit that he is a very long way from there at this point.

In my experience, the Franklin business model of running out of food and turning away customers is the exception rather than the rule, but that doesn't mean that Jeremy can't make it work for him, too.

This is, by far, the best thread that I've ever seen on this forum. Congratulations on your amazing business and for having the sack to do what many of us wish that we could.

I noticed that the restaurant only has 7 yelp reviews @ 4.5 stars. I would encourage everyone here to jump on Yelp and help a brother out. Here's the link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-prized-pig-niles

OneHump said:

This is, by far, the best thread that I've ever seen on this forum. Congratulations on your amazing business and for having the sack to do what many of us wish that we could.

I noticed that the restaurant only has 7 yelp reviews @ 4.5 stars. I would encourage everyone here to jump on Yelp and help a brother out. Here's the link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-prized-pig-niles

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Not to sound like a jerk, but you should not be reviewing a place on Yelp if you do not have a personal experience with the establishment to share.

sliding_billy said:

Not to sound like a jerk, but you should not be reviewing a place on Yelp if you do not have a personal experience with the establishment to share.

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I see Dave G just left one

he's from CA