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

[HankB]

Originally Posted by marubozo

In the meantime, I spent the day making (and eating) chicken. It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

One word: Shared Sacrifice.

[ak56]

You do ship cross-country, right?

[ozlites]

Great thread, cool to "live the dream" through your story. All the best!

[Diesel Dave]

Oh damn!!!!
I know I'm coming there hungry but I'm gonna end up spending a ton!
1 of everything!!!!













And I'm not a chicken fan but I'll take that anyday

[RevZiLLa]

Wifey came home with cukes to make your pickles

[marubozo]

Originally Posted by RevZiLLa

Wifey came home with cukes to make your pickles

Nice. Let me know how they turn out. I've got to make another 5 gallon batch tomorrow. Can't believe how many we went through in just a few days.

[NickTheGreat]

If you're driving some food to the guys on the West Coast stop by in Iowa

[NeilH]

Good Luck to you on your business. I have a feeling your hard work is gonna reward you!!

[tdwalker]

I've read this thread with great interest, Jeremy, and (like others) and living the dream through proxy! Thank you for posting your story - you might make a book of it someday.

Could you restaurant guys answer one question for me? How in the world do you decide how much to cook on any given day - especially at the start? This boggles my mind.

Also, best wishes and good luck! I wish I were close enough to make the trip.

[TailGateJoecom]

Originally Posted by marubozo

Thanks, everyone.

As for bulk orders, I already have a policy in place for placing them in advance. And for coffee, I'm a big coffee snob and there's no question I will only be serving coffee I want to drink myself. For now, I've just been grinding my own beans at home and bringing them to the restaurant. While that isn't a sustainable retail model, I will be seeking out the best bulk coffee I can buy.

And the butcher paper size is a non-issue now. Cut the sheets in half and they fit on the trays almost perfectly with just an inch or so overhang. I don't know why I had such a brain fart and didn't think of that ahead of time.

The local paper is coming tomorrow to take pics and interview me for a story, so that should drum up more interest. And my wife told me that people are talking and spreading the word at her office after Saturday's event, so that's good.

Now, I just hope the health inspector calls me back first thing in the morning and gives the OK to do the final inspection on Thursday, then I can make an official announcement to the masses that the grand opening will be on Friday.

Fingers crossed.

As far as coffee, I hate the stuff, but a friend of mine has a coffee shop down in Florida and they use and rave about counterculturecoffee.com. You might want to try them out.

BTW, good luck with the place, looks like you are putting your heart into it!

[Banjoe]

Oh man, this is going to be great!

[marubozo]

Well, today goes in the books as one of the worst days of this venture so far. Anything that could go wrong did. Electrician came as promised, so that was good. Then the problems started. Plugged the steam table in and it wasn't working. Outlet had power, so the table itself was toast. Called my repair guy and begged him to come out here ASAP. Thankfully he did, but to the tune of $250. So much for saving money buying used equipment.

Even more disastrous was the CVAP machine, which aside from the smoker is the most important piece of equipment here. It blew up around 3 this afternoon. Lucky the entire place didn't burn down. Something on the main circuit board shorted out and sparks went flying everywhere. Guess how much that repair is going to set me back? About $700, plus they have to overnight a new control module.

Then the credit card machine stopped working.

One of the drains backed up and nearly flooded the entire kitchen.

And worst of all, none of these government officials can get their ******* act together. HD wants a mechanical inspection still. Mechanical wants a permit. Contractor called mechanical and said they didn't do any exhaust work, so no permit needed. Tried to get the township supervisor involved and he said he was going to pull some strings and make things happen so we can open in the morning. Of course he calls back late this afternoon and said the ball is in my court and I need to get everybody on the same page.

So, the health inspector will be here first thing in the morning, but he's still insisting on some phantom inspection that the mechanical guy refuses to do.

My hands are tied. My head is pounding. And the chances of opening tomorrow are growing slimmer by the hour.

Now where did I put my bourbon...

[ShencoSmoke]

Hang in there brother. I work with government officials daily and run into very similar issues. My advice, get in your truck and drive to the HD. Tell them that your not leaving until you get a clear answer on what is required.

[RevZiLLa]

Hang in there brother!

[Pyle's BBQ]

Originally Posted by tdwalker

I've read this thread with great interest, Jeremy, and (like others) and living the dream through proxy! Thank you for posting your story - you might make a book of it someday.

Could you restaurant guys answer one question for me? How in the world do you decide how much to cook on any given day - especially at the start? This boggles my mind.

Also, best wishes and good luck! I wish I were close enough to make the trip.

You just guess. After a few weeks it gets easier, but you still guess. What do you do with leftovers at your house?