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

My brother used to cut fish in a fishery up in Humboldt, and he wore the gloves as did almost all of the workers. There is simply too much going on, and it happens so quickly. Get the gloves, wear them religiously, or place your meat cutting station where nobody interacts with you, but, that kind of sucks.
 
Hah. I can still use the spacebar because I always use my right thumb for that. And yeah, no workman's comp on me, but I do carry my own short-term disability policy. Also picked up a glove today. At the very least, probably a good idea to use during the insane dinner rushes.

The cut is bad, but it's on the same thumb, and close to the same spot I tried to hack it off with a utility knife about 10 years ago. That cut caused nerve damage that left most of my thumb numb for a good few years. This cut feels about the same. Lost all feeling on a good part of the thumb, but it will grow back in a few years. Hopefully.
 
Beings I just retired from the ER after 20 years in the game if you wait until tomorrow you have waited too long. Cutting yourselves while slicing meat can lead to serious infection.

That is why we ask what a patient was cutting up when they have been injured in a kitchen accident.


Just a heads up.
 
Ok...so this is my first post since joining The Brotherhood. I must say that this thread is, quite possibly, one of the most interesting reads ever. I started yesterday morning and have read every single word of every post. Like a good book, I simply couldn't "put it down".

My wife, family and close friends have been urging me to drop what I am doing and open a Q joint. I have seriously considered doing so but am stepping back for a bit to let all this soak in.

Many thanks to you, Jeremy, for sharing the highs and the lows of starting up a new restaurant. I hope that you continue to update us as frequently as your hectic schedule allows so that I (and others) can live our dreams through you...and hopefully someday, I'll possess the knowledge (and cajones) to make my dream a reality.
 
I have a concealed carry permit, but don't carry. But it's probably not a bad idea.

As business owner, you certainly should when coming in or leaving for the night. You are a target at those times mostly because that is when a lot of business owners are carrying the business cash so perps are looking for that opportunity. Regardless if you do that or not, you should have protection with you just in case.
 
Thanks, guys.

For you local folks, I'll be on WNDU 16's morning show tomorrow (Friday) during their foodie forum segment. It wasn't so much an interview like I thought it would be, but a camera crew came and filmed a bunch of the stuff at the place like platters of food, slicing brisket, pulling pork, etc. I guess they will use that as a backdrop while someone talks about the restaurant and what we do. Either way, free advertising, so I'll take it!

But as of today we've officially got two weeks under our belt. How the time flies. I've learned a lot, the staff has come together, mistakes are becoming almost non-existent, and the customer flow is still steady.

But there is one thing I'm struggling with, and I don't know if my standards are just too high, or if customer expectations are just lower than I thought. When I taste something and it isn't perfect, at least as far as I'm concerned, I don't sell it. Like today, pulled a fresh new brisket out of the holding cabinet and started slicing it for a customer and tasted a piece. Flat was too dry for my liking, so I told the guy I wasn't going to give it to him because I felt it wasn't good enough and subbed his brisket for some ribs and gave him a free dessert. But he insisted he still wanted a sample of the brisket just to get an idea of the flavor. After he tried it he said it wasn't too dry at all and he would have loved to buy a pound to go to take home.

So what the hell do you do? I know it's dry. I'm cooking many briskets a day and it isn't hard to see when one is overcooked a bit. I know it isn't good enough, but the customers like it. If they like it and are willing to pay, is it really that bad, or am I just being too critical and am I throwing money away by resorting to using the meat in chili, beans, etc?

The same thing happened earlier when two customers both wanted chicken. One as a half bird, the other pulled. I filled the order and after sending it tried some of the chicken I was pulling and it was dry (to me). We didn't have any chicken ready at the time to replace it, so I went out there and apologized for the dry chicken and gave them dessert and a few extras, and they both insisted that the chicken was amazing and giving them free stuff was totally unnecessary.

So I don't know. Maybe I'm just overly critical, which is leading to waste. But I just think about it if I sample something and it isn't one of the best things I've put into my mouth, then it isn't good enough to charge people money for. Then again, you look at all the crap people are paying for elsewhere and it's a reminder that this isn't a KCBS competition and it's just regular people looking for good barbecue.


People love businesses that value quality. You should sell it bulk at 50% off and market your screwups! It will be great from a merketing perspective and will cut your waste costs
 
While I don't have a full fledged restaurant...I've had the same dilemma in the farmer's market during the summer. I've pulled ribs out of the smoker...usually towards the end of my supply for the day...and I know they're not perfect. I see them as being overdone, on the verge of falling apart, and the edges on some almost crusty.

On more than one occasion, I've sold them at a big discount with an apology. Just about every one of those people come back the following week and ask for the ribs done the exact same way. I guess my point is you're the biggest critic of your cooking and it's almost never "perfect" in your eyes (even though your customers think your food is awesome). That shows you care....really care...about what you're serving. And THAT is what makes your customers happy...and coming back.
 
As business owner, you certainly should when coming in or leaving for the night. You are a target at those times mostly because that is when a lot of business owners are carrying the business cash so perps are looking for that opportunity. Regardless if you do that or not, you should have protection with you just in case.
My cousin ran the snack bar in a bowling alley. He always carried. One night after work, he was shot in the base of the skull by a 14 year old using a .25 cal. Unless you are carrying the weapon in your hand ready to use, the armed thief wins. Safer to leave the deposit till morning.
 
50% off uniformed officers last 30" of operation. Set up a secure wifi and only give password to law enforcement so they can park in the lot and utilize their tablets, laptops and smartphones. We have quite a few business in Amarillo that do the wifi thing. Quite a few churches do it
 
People love businesses that value quality. You should sell it bulk at 50% off and market your screwups! It will be great from a merketing perspective and will cut your waste costs

I was thinking something like this myself. Say, "Look, I sell my product for what I know it's worth. I can't in good conscience sell you this for my full price. If you would still like to buy it, I will sell it to you for XX% of full price."

I think it would create an excellent rapport with the client.


50% off uniformed officers last 30" of operation. Set up a secure wifi and only give password to law enforcement so they can park in the lot and utilize their tablets, laptops and smartphones. We have quite a few business in Amarillo that do the wifi thing. Quite a few churches do it

IMHO, the problems with 50% off in last 30 mins is that 1) it appears that the last 30 mins may have no product left to sell; and 2) I doubt Jeremy leaves any time near when the place closes.
 
uote:
Originally Posted by 16Adams
50% off uniformed officers last 30" of operation. Set up a secure wifi and only give password to law enforcement so they can park in the lot and utilize their tablets, laptops and smartphones. We have quite a few business in Amarillo that do the wifi thing. Quite a few churches do it



Create a rapport with the local boys in blue...perhaps hold back a pork sammich with a coupla sides or something in the warmer. Have a night shift officer sitting out front about the time you're leaving for the evening and take a doggy bag/box out to him. He gets a late night snack and you have someone watching your back as you leave. :wink:
 
Well, I don't know if I mentioned it previously, but I don't have to worry much about the law enforcement side of things thanks to my wife's job and our relationship to all aspects of the police and legal system. Our police friends are at the restaurant daily, and we've told them it's ok to use our property for meeting other officers, looking for speeders, and even have them do regular patrols of the place after hours. It is comforting to know that many mornings when I arrive there's a state trooper in the parking lot, and often another hanging around in the evening.

In other news, the producer of that TV show I was talking about got in touch today and they are scheduled to come out and film this Saturday. Going to shoot kind of a behind the scenes thing of me working in the kitchen and at the pit, try some of the food, do an interview, etc. Of course, they want to come right at noon, so that could get a little hectic. But exciting nonetheless.

It's also exciting to be looking at some updated equipment. Found a slightly used Southbend 60" range with a 24" griddle, broiler, and double ovens. That would be a huge upgrade considering we're only working with 3 burners (that operate at less than 100%) and a single oven with just one rack. I never imagined we'd be burning through three full pans of mac and cheese, baked beans, and corn bread daily.

After that, it's time to get an ice machine for the soda fountain. Buying ice daily is becoming a pain. We've only ever run out of ice once, but going to the store and spending $12 a day on ice, then hauling it and loading it just isn't cutting it.

And tea. Holy fark, do people want their tea with BBQ. I figured being this far north, tea wouldn't be a big deal. I was wrong, and when we tell them we don't have tea, they almost always then opt for just water. So I need to get tea in this joint ASAP. I'd love to make my own fresh in-house, but that's added time and introduces another easy contamination source. And then there's the packaged tea that can be dispensed through my coke distributor which is easy and cuts down on the contamination issue, but isn't very authentic since we do everything else in-house.

Oh well, I'll figure something out. But I should probably try to get some sleep since my 80 hour workweek starts in just 7 hours. :redface:
 
BBQ drinks = tea or beer down here in Tejas :wink: Don't get fountain Lipton tea crap. Brew it. I know it is more work for an already busy staff, but it is worth it...
 
BBQ drinks = tea or beer down here in Tejas :wink: Don't get fountain Lipton tea crap. Brew it. I know it is more work for an already busy staff, but it is worth it...

I'm not a tea drinker, but even I wouldn't use Lipton.

I find that Gold Peak syrup is generally very good, it is light years better than Brisk

Yeah, Gold Peak, that's the one that they mentioned to me. Haven't tried it personally, and I know nothing about tea, so it's a gamble either way.
 
Luzianne > Lipton if you plan on brewing it yourself and can get the bags in bulk. I don't like any of the pre-made store bought teas. Make sure you have lemon wedges on hand as well for those that like it that way.

If you wanted to invest in a few gallon sized glass jars, you could make sun tea outside in the warmer, sunnier months.
 
Luzianne > Lipton if you plan on brewing it yourself and can get the bags in bulk. I don't like any of the pre-made store bought teas. Make sure you have lemon wedges on hand as well for those that like it that way.

If you wanted to invest in a few gallon sized glass jars, you could make sun tea outside in the warmer, sunnier months.

I used to make sun tea outside until I found out about the food safety issues... Now I make refrigerator tea (and I was surprised that I really didn't notice a difference in flavor!). Just my $0.02.

http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/suntea.asp

BTW, congrats on the success of your business! :becky:
 
Back
Top