Open a BBQ restaurant, they said. It will be fun, they said - Page 65

MisterChrister · 01-23-2014, 08:26 PM

That's some great looking grub, GO PRIZED PIG!!!

tb80 · 01-23-2014, 10:35 PM

Congrats on the opening.

DUBBAGA · 01-23-2014, 10:37 PM

marubozo · 01-23-2014, 10:44 PM

Long day. Well, that's an understatement. I'll try to post an update tomorrow. What a crazy and amazing day.

marubozo · 01-23-2014, 11:20 PM

Actually, screw it. I'm exhausted, but at the same time so wired I can't sleep.

Inspections went without a hitch. Just a couple minor things to address in the kitchen, but mostly just comments about how clean and efficient it's set up. Mechanical inspector finally came and we smoothed things over, and everything turned out well there too.

Unfortunately, our stock of meat was a bit low because our next delivery isn't until Friday morning. That meant we ran out of brisket for lunch at around 12:30, and brisket didn't last long through dinner either. Brisket was the biggest surprise. This is a ribs and tips area, so I figured those would sell the best. But EVERYONE wanted brisket it seemed like. Those who got it loved it. Those who missed out, well, they got something else and loved that too.

But not everything was good. Lunch service went quite well, but at around 4pm things started to unravel. Ribs were running a little behind schedule, so the early birds couldn't get ribs yet. Then one of my cooks pulled a brisket while I was out making a deposit and getting change, but he pulled it at 185. Luckily he only served one person before I got back and caught it. But pulling it early then set back the finish time even further, which put us in the weeds pretty bad by 5.

Because of the setback on finishing times, it resulted in opening the smoker WAY too often from about 3-5, and that is what killed us. All that opening and closing of the doors meant nothing was getting cooked. We ended up having chicken halves still at only 145 even after three hours when the lunch chicken only took 90 minutes.

So, I shut it down at around 6:40. Stopped taking orders, tried to get everything out that was on the line, and because of a few mixups had to refund a few customers. Not ideal, and we did still have some meat in the smoker we could sell, I flat out told customers that I wasn't going to serve them something that was only 90%. Most understood, and a few were even thankful that I'm committed to quality.

Some tensions emerged among staff, but that's to be expected with the long hours, chaos, and stress of a day like today. But in our morning meeting we do have a few things to address, especially when it comes to the tickets. But that's a relatively easy fix and something that will improve with practice.

But overall, just talking with customers, watching facebook, and getting feedback from staff about what they were hearing, it was nothing short of praise. Had one brisket sandwich come back because it was "cold" but after making another one, the lady was like OMG this is the best thing ever!

And the now award-winning chili was a huge hit. We decided to start giving out some small 2 oz samples and that helped a lot. People then started coming back to the counter after eating their meal so that they could buy bowls of chili to take home. My wife stopped in after work and she secretly spied on diners while wandering through the dining room and she said she heard one guy sitting alone in the corner practically moaning and talking to himself about how great the chili was. I love it!

Anyway, I still have a lot of numbers to crunch, but I figure some of you are kind of wondering about the financials, so I can give you some rough numbers I have.

Basically, even though our grand opening was announced just an hour or so before we actually opened, had a winter storm that left some roads impassable, the turnout was way higher than expected. We also had to close down about two hours early and give a few refunds due to running out of food. But that being said, we still did about 100 covers for gross sales of about $1,500. Not bad for a 38 seat restaurant in the middle of nowhere.

To give you an idea, in all of my projections I spent nearly two years putting together, I had my best day of the week only doing 60 covers a day for around $900 in sales. I know today's numbers may not be consistent going forward, but it's very encouraging nonetheless.

Anyway, I'm still in a bit of a state of shock. After waiting for this day for so long, and going through so many setbacks, it still kind of feels like a dream. But, no rest for the weary. 5:30 am is coming soon and it's only going to be bigger and better tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the support. Without having you guys as an outlet, I may have completely lost it or given up entirely.

DUBBAGA · 01-23-2014, 11:36 PM

Although there were a few hiccups, it sounds like an excellent first day of operations. By this weekend, I'm sure things will be running much smoother.

By the way, food looked great. You should be very proud of all you have accomplished already!

jeffjenkins1 · 01-23-2014, 11:40 PM

This is great news!

Jeff

peeps · 01-23-2014, 11:46 PM

Sounds like it went as well as one might expect on opening day...congrats!!!

Neil · 01-24-2014, 02:10 AM

Way to go Jeremy, the wife and I will be down soon---weather permitting!!

sliding_billy · 01-24-2014, 03:16 AM

Thanks for all of the info (the good and the bad) Jeremy!

insaneh · 01-24-2014, 04:47 AM

Guando · 01-24-2014, 05:15 AM

Congrats on the opening! Sounds like a crazy but satisfying day. Much more to do but a major hurdle crossed. Congrats again.

Smoking Pill Doc · 01-24-2014, 05:31 AM

congrats! Glad you finally made it through all the struggles!

peeps · 01-24-2014, 06:11 AM

Time to make the donuts.....I mean delicious Q! First Friday should be a hoot! Best of luck!!!!

ButtBurner · 01-24-2014, 06:15 AM

great to hear

they are forecasting whiteout conditions his side of the state today. Hope all will be well

01-23-2014, 08:26 PM	#961
MisterChrister Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 04-28-12 Location: Wis-con-sin	That's some great looking grub, GO PRIZED PIG!!! __________________ Kettleheads Anonymous Charter Member

01-23-2014, 10:37 PM	#963
DUBBAGA is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 07-31-11 Location: Beaumont, CA	__________________ [I][COLOR=Red][B]Green Card Q[/B][/COLOR][/I] - Pitmaster (term used loosely) KCBS MCBJ & CTC Humphrey's Long Weekender, UDS, Red Box Smoker, SJS/Tamale Pot Smoker, Weber Performer, Weber 18.5 OTS, Alton Brown Flower Pot Smoker (died), Blue Ember Gasser (died} Member of the Hall of Zero's (Noobians v. Veterans Throwdown)

01-23-2014, 11:20 PM	#965
marubozo is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 06-25-11 Location: Mishawaka, IN Name/Nickname : Jeremy	Actually, screw it. I'm exhausted, but at the same time so wired I can't sleep. Inspections went without a hitch. Just a couple minor things to address in the kitchen, but mostly just comments about how clean and efficient it's set up. Mechanical inspector finally came and we smoothed things over, and everything turned out well there too. Unfortunately, our stock of meat was a bit low because our next delivery isn't until Friday morning. That meant we ran out of brisket for lunch at around 12:30, and brisket didn't last long through dinner either. Brisket was the biggest surprise. This is a ribs and tips area, so I figured those would sell the best. But EVERYONE wanted brisket it seemed like. Those who got it loved it. Those who missed out, well, they got something else and loved that too. But not everything was good. Lunch service went quite well, but at around 4pm things started to unravel. Ribs were running a little behind schedule, so the early birds couldn't get ribs yet. Then one of my cooks pulled a brisket while I was out making a deposit and getting change, but he pulled it at 185. Luckily he only served one person before I got back and caught it. But pulling it early then set back the finish time even further, which put us in the weeds pretty bad by 5. Because of the setback on finishing times, it resulted in opening the smoker WAY too often from about 3-5, and that is what killed us. All that opening and closing of the doors meant nothing was getting cooked. We ended up having chicken halves still at only 145 even after three hours when the lunch chicken only took 90 minutes. So, I shut it down at around 6:40. Stopped taking orders, tried to get everything out that was on the line, and because of a few mixups had to refund a few customers. Not ideal, and we did still have some meat in the smoker we could sell, I flat out told customers that I wasn't going to serve them something that was only 90%. Most understood, and a few were even thankful that I'm committed to quality. Some tensions emerged among staff, but that's to be expected with the long hours, chaos, and stress of a day like today. But in our morning meeting we do have a few things to address, especially when it comes to the tickets. But that's a relatively easy fix and something that will improve with practice. But overall, just talking with customers, watching facebook, and getting feedback from staff about what they were hearing, it was nothing short of praise. Had one brisket sandwich come back because it was "cold" but after making another one, the lady was like OMG this is the best thing ever! And the now award-winning chili was a huge hit. We decided to start giving out some small 2 oz samples and that helped a lot. People then started coming back to the counter after eating their meal so that they could buy bowls of chili to take home. My wife stopped in after work and she secretly spied on diners while wandering through the dining room and she said she heard one guy sitting alone in the corner practically moaning and talking to himself about how great the chili was. I love it! Anyway, I still have a lot of numbers to crunch, but I figure some of you are kind of wondering about the financials, so I can give you some rough numbers I have. Basically, even though our grand opening was announced just an hour or so before we actually opened, had a winter storm that left some roads impassable, the turnout was way higher than expected. We also had to close down about two hours early and give a few refunds due to running out of food. But that being said, we still did about 100 covers for gross sales of about $1,500. Not bad for a 38 seat restaurant in the middle of nowhere. To give you an idea, in all of my projections I spent nearly two years putting together, I had my best day of the week only doing 60 covers a day for around $900 in sales. I know today's numbers may not be consistent going forward, but it's very encouraging nonetheless. Anyway, I'm still in a bit of a state of shock. After waiting for this day for so long, and going through so many setbacks, it still kind of feels like a dream. But, no rest for the weary. 5:30 am is coming soon and it's only going to be bigger and better tomorrow. Thanks again for all the support. Without having you guys as an outlet, I may have completely lost it or given up entirely.
	2 members found this post helpful.

01-23-2014, 11:36 PM	#966
DUBBAGA is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 07-31-11 Location: Beaumont, CA	Although there were a few hiccups, it sounds like an excellent first day of operations. By this weekend, I'm sure things will be running much smoother. By the way, food looked great. You should be very proud of all you have accomplished already! __________________ [I][COLOR=Red][B]Green Card Q[/B][/COLOR][/I] - Pitmaster (term used loosely) KCBS MCBJ & CTC Humphrey's Long Weekender, UDS, Red Box Smoker, SJS/Tamale Pot Smoker, Weber Performer, Weber 18.5 OTS, Alton Brown Flower Pot Smoker (died), Blue Ember Gasser (died} Member of the Hall of Zero's (Noobians v. Veterans Throwdown)

01-23-2014, 11:40 PM	#967
jeffjenkins1 Babbling Farker Join Date: 03-01-08 Location: Akron, OH	This is great news! Jeff __________________ You do what you have to do, so you can do what you want to do! Ole Hickory Ultra Que 2 18" WSM 18" Weber OTS Primo Oval XL NB American Gourmet offset smoker UDS Big Chief Smoker Turkey Fryer

01-23-2014, 10:35 PM	#962
tb80 Take a breath! Join Date: 03-26-12 Location: San Antonio tx	Congrats on the opening.

01-23-2014, 10:44 PM	#964
marubozo is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 06-25-11 Location: Mishawaka, IN Name/Nickname : Jeremy	Long day. Well, that's an understatement. I'll try to post an update tomorrow. What a crazy and amazing day.

01-23-2014, 11:46 PM	#968
peeps somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 08-09-13 Location: Round Rock, TX	Sounds like it went as well as one might expect on opening day...congrats!!! __________________ - [B][COLOR="darkorange"]Earl [/COLOR][/B]- My Custom Vertical Offset Smoker by AJ's Custom Cookers ([URL="http://bit.ly/1gelc9M"]build link[/URL]) - [B][COLOR="darkorange"]Colt[/COLOR][/B] - Superior SS-2 w/ DigiQ DXII- Courtesy of Gainesville Jaycees and Superior Smokers - [B]Weber Kettle 22.5 OTG[/B] w/ Craycort Cast Iron Grates - [B][COLOR="darkorange"]Major[/COLOR][/B] - Mini WSM (from SJS) [B][COLOR="Blue"]Certified IMBAS MOINK Baller![/COLOR][/B] ([URL="http://bit.ly/1lr5cKx"]Certificate of Authenticity[/URL]) / [B][COLOR="Blue"]Join the fun in the [URL="http://bit.ly/1ew3H57"]Throwdowns[/URL]![/COLOR][/B]

01-24-2014, 02:10 AM	#969
Neil Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 06-04-04 Location: St. Joseph, MI	Way to go Jeremy, the wife and I will be down soon---weather permitting!! __________________ "You can't always get what you want but if you try sometime you just might find you get what you need" Mange Bene Viva Bene! Old Country Over/Under, Weber: 18.5" WSM, 22.5" WSM, Weber Performer(Col. Steve Austin Mod), Two 22.5" Kettles, & a Smokey Joe; Old Country 36" griddle, Luhr-Jensen Big Chief, Turkey Fryer, Rocky Mountain Camp Stove and a UDS.

01-24-2014, 03:16 AM	#970
sliding_billy somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 08-27-13 Location: Princeton, TX Name/Nickname : )	Thanks for all of the info (the good and the bad) Jeremy! __________________ Custom Offset/GMG Davy Crockett/Vision Kamado/Blackstone 36"/Weber 22" "redhead"/WSM 14.5" X2/Jumbo Joe/Pit Boss Copperhead/KCBS

01-24-2014, 04:47 AM	#971
insaneh Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 01-21-14 Location: NH	__________________ I'm just here to see what cowgirl cooked.

01-24-2014, 05:15 AM	#972
Guando Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 09-09-13 Location: Branford, CT	Congrats on the opening! Sounds like a crazy but satisfying day. Much more to do but a major hurdle crossed. Congrats again.

01-24-2014, 05:31 AM	#973
Smoking Pill Doc Knows what a fatty is. Join Date: 11-07-13 Location: Middletown, CT	congrats! Glad you finally made it through all the struggles! __________________ Team Meat BBQ - Stump's Baby XL - Bayou Classic Cypress (ugly stepchild to BGE) - Weber Q Gasser

01-24-2014, 06:11 AM	#974
peeps somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 08-09-13 Location: Round Rock, TX	Time to make the donuts.....I mean delicious Q! First Friday should be a hoot! Best of luck!!!! __________________ - [B][COLOR="darkorange"]Earl [/COLOR][/B]- My Custom Vertical Offset Smoker by AJ's Custom Cookers ([URL="http://bit.ly/1gelc9M"]build link[/URL]) - [B][COLOR="darkorange"]Colt[/COLOR][/B] - Superior SS-2 w/ DigiQ DXII- Courtesy of Gainesville Jaycees and Superior Smokers - [B]Weber Kettle 22.5 OTG[/B] w/ Craycort Cast Iron Grates - [B][COLOR="darkorange"]Major[/COLOR][/B] - Mini WSM (from SJS) [B][COLOR="Blue"]Certified IMBAS MOINK Baller![/COLOR][/B] ([URL="http://bit.ly/1lr5cKx"]Certificate of Authenticity[/URL]) / [B][COLOR="Blue"]Join the fun in the [URL="http://bit.ly/1ew3H57"]Throwdowns[/URL]![/COLOR][/B]

01-24-2014, 06:15 AM	#975
ButtBurner Babbling Farker Join Date: 12-18-12 Location: Dearborn Mi, Manton Mi	great to hear they are forecasting whiteout conditions his side of the state today. Hope all will be well __________________ Michigan Custom 'Que "Serving Those Who Have Served US" Shirley Fabrication Custom Smoker Member Great Lakes BBQ Assn ServSafe Food Handler Certified [URL]https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michigan-Custom-Que/327994370697180?sk=timeline[/URL]