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

[TailGateJoecom]

Good point....agree. Never thought about the health regulation.

So the only other option is bigger smoker on site! ....or maybe it is time to move to bigger restaurant. Obviously out grown the location they are in now. :clap2:

:heh:

Ehhh, let the lines just keep forming. That line out the door works better than any kind of billboard to bring people in. Sell out and leave'em wanting more.

 

[insaneh]

Of course, that's turned into a $150 project, three hours, and four trips to the hardware store.

Glad to see I'm not the only one that winds up doing that....

 

[va_connoisseur]

They finally put my TV segment online. Meh. I hate TV, but people are actually coming in and saying they are trying us out because they saw it. Can't complain I guess. It starts at around the 12 minute mark.

http://www.wnit.org/expmichiana/e/february-27th-2014.html

great segment. much continued success :clap2:

 

[danno79]

In 2001 I was that newbie restauranteur sucker, and leased a building. When 9/11 happenened, it devastated my business. One I was still new, and two, people around here were just too unsure of what else might happen, they just stayed home. I ended up closing the doors Oct. 3rd. Last deposit $303 from open to close (4:30 am - 9:00 pm) I knew I was done. I ended up getting 50 cents on the dollar for my investment, I guess it could have been worse. I also signed a 10 year lease like a dummy, but luckily I was able to get out of that. Thank God. Then I did it again, (not same diner)
in '08. Dumb Dumb move. The economy, and we had a flood that came 7 ft. from my front door. No damage, but no customers either. I don't by any means want to sound like a downer, I would do it all over again, but with more research. Live and Learn I suppose. I hope you have the BEST OF LUCK MY FRIEND!!!! Who doesn't love good BBQ anyway. You'll do Great.

 

[marubozo]

Why should have I expected anything less? Ice machine install wasn't as simple as it seemed. Found out after the fact that the drain pump we had for the soda machine didn't have enough capacity to handle the ice as well. Then after everything was installed and up and running, we found out that the heat blowing out of the back of the ice maker was blowing along the wall and hitting the thermostat, meaning it was giving a false high temp reading. So, only option was to completely relocate the thermostat, which involved many trips into the attic, holes in the wall, etc.

On the bright side, we now have automatic ice. Hooray for not driving to the store and spending 20 bucks a day and loading bags of ice manually. It will take about a year to break even on this investment, but clearly well worth it in the long run.

My staff also threw a birthday party for me today, which was very cool. But behind the scenes there are some growing tensions developing among them. Not looking forward to dealing with all of that in the coming days, but it comes with the territory.

Also had a few Texas natives come by today, and of course ordered brisket. After eating, one of the customers stopped to chat and was saying he's been to Franklin's, Smitty's, Muller's, etc. and that my bbq would stand toe to toe against what he's had there. Again, a shocking but wonderful comment that I'm not sure I'd agree with, but will graciously accept. He then asked for a behind the scenes tour, and then ordered a few pounds of brisket to go.

Also had a brit stop stop in and he said, and I quote, "Your BBQ is smashing good, mate!" He also said I should open a franchise in London. :loco:

 

[landarc]

Ahhhm, the old 'tensions between staff' gambit'. Well, good luck with that.

The compliments sure take the sting out.

 

[peeps]

Aren't you glad you have been swamped and beating your projections since you opened to cover all these little things that you have to learn along the way??? :thumb:

Helluva compliment on the brisket! Keep it up, Jeremy!

 

[marubozo]

Ahhhm, the old 'tensions between staff' gambit'. Well, good luck with that.

The compliments sure take the sting out.

Yep, two of the employees are playing off of one another. It's clear they don't like each other, but both come to me bitching about the other, trying to throw them under the bus, etc.

Simple solution as far as I'm concerned since they can both go and I can get replacements. I'll see what happens the rest of the week first, but I don't like drama.

Aren't you glad you have been swamped and beating your projections since you opened to cover all these little things that you have to learn along the way??? :thumb:

Helluva compliment on the brisket! Keep it up, Jeremy!

Oh yeah. doing well is certainly a blessing, but it's basically just enough to cover all the extra unplanned expenses. Granted, if business was crap and I still had the same issues, I'd be in a world of hurt right now.

And the compliments are nice, but seeing my regulars who come in 3-4 times a week means even more. I mean I love food, but I've never found a place that I'd go to more than once or twice a week. So if people are making it basically a daily stop, that says a lot. And it's pretty cool to get to know some of the locals on a personal level. Hell, one of the regulars, a 70 year old guy, came in today for lunch and took off his coat when he was ordering and proudly showed off his Prized Pig t-shirt that he was wearing. How cool is that?

 

[peeps]

Oh yeah. doing well is certainly a blessing, but it's basically just enough to cover all the extra unplanned expenses. Granted, if business was crap and I still had the same issues, I'd be in a world of hurt right now.

Exactly!

And the compliments are nice, but seeing my regulars who come in 3-4 times a week means even more. I mean I love food, but I've never found a place that I'd go to more than once or twice a week. So if people are making it basically a daily stop, that says a lot. And it's pretty cool to get to know some of the locals on a personal level. Hell, one of the regulars, a 70 year old guy, came in today for lunch and took off his coat when he was ordering and proudly showed off his Prized Pig t-shirt that he was wearing. How cool is that?

Awesome! :thumb:

 

[THoey1963]

Man, have you thought of renaming the place Murphey's BBQ? Seems that whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.

As for the two employees, get them both together at the end of a shift. Show them applications you have for possible new employees. Tell them to work it out before they come back, or don't come back...

 

[sliding_billy]

Loving how this has turned into a diary for all of us. Way to go.

 

[Hoppy]

Problem employees are a cancer to a business. Been there and done that. I learned early on that personalities that don't Gel are not going to change and that clash will effect the quality of your working system and in time those you serve will catch a drift of it which hinder what you are trying to do there.

Im sure with the job situations with what they are these days you can find workers that compliment your operations.

I say "Cut'em Jack!"

 

[landarc]

Problem employees are a cancer to a business. Been there and done that. I learned early on that personalities that don't Gel are not going to change and that clash will effect the quality of your working system and in time those you serve will catch a drift of it which hinder what you are trying to do there.

Im sure with the job situations with what they are these days you can find workers that compliment your operations.

I say "Cut'em Jack!"

This!

And worse, they spread to others.

 

[jamus34]

Yeah end of shift sit the two troublemakers down, tell them they got 10 minutes to fix their problem or their both gone.

I've worked in restaurants in my youth with drama queens and kings and in the long run it's just not worth it. If a person has an issue and can't deal with it properly it's going to lead to nothing but headaches for you (such as calling out on days with they need to work with people they don't get along with etc etc).

Ironically it's easier for me to work with people I don't particularly care for in the business world than it is in a service industry environment. There is much more "team" required in service industry and much like an assembly line if one part isn't pulling the weight the whole line will be inefficient.

 

[jamus34]

Loving how this has turned into a diary for all of us. Way to go.

Yup - my takeaway is "don't ever open up a restaurant regardless of how much people say they like your food"

More power to you for doing it Maru!

 

[Redleg71]

Did I hear that you only season your brisket with salt and Pepper?

 

[Big Dan]

Did I hear that you only season your brisket with salt and Pepper?

That's all I put on mine. Most BBQ places in Texas do it that way too.

 

[slammmed]

For those that are quick to say kick em to the curb, remember, these are people. People are stubborn, naive and just plain stupid sometimes. But a good boss gives people the opportunity and the encouragement to do better. If people are left to do their own changes how they see fit then most of the world would never change. A Leader leads, a boss gives orders. It's worth it to give people the reality of the situation and give them a chance to work it out first.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

For those that are quick to say kick em to the curb, remember, these are people. People are stubborn, naive and just plain stupid sometimes. But a good boss gives people the opportunity and the encouragement to do better. If people are left to do their own changes how they see fit then most of the world would never change. A Leader leads, a boss gives orders. It's worth it to give people the reality of the situation and give them a chance to work it out first.

I agree on some level. But at the same time as a business owner (who has more skin in the game than these employees). He doesn't have a lot of time to play Dr. Phil. One stiff warning and a hair trigger is about all the "second chance" they need to get. Disgruntled employees can kill a business quick. And seeing he is a new business owner he definitely doesn't need this mess to deal with.

 

[landarc]

For those that are quick to say kick em to the curb, remember, these are people. People are stubborn, naive and just plain stupid sometimes. But a good boss gives people the opportunity and the encouragement to do better. If people are left to do their own changes how they see fit then most of the world would never change. A Leader leads, a boss gives orders. It's worth it to give people the reality of the situation and give them a chance to work it out first.

To start, my pedigree. I have either managed or owned a design firm since 1985, with primary responsibility for managing production and design for firms ranging from 4 to 30 employees. All of them ranged in education and experience from high school to Ph.D. educations. When I finally sold my company, I was managing a payroll that had reached close to $700,000 a year.

I love people and loved the interactions and relationships I built with people in my business, I consider many of them to be close friends, even now, some 6 years after I sold my interest in the company. The people I brought in, at a professional level, have all gone on to either run firms or have become educators and professors. All of that being said...I found that investing time in some people did not return benefit.

1. I realized over time and many mistakes, that when I have two people who bring drama and duel with each other, letting one go, often empowers the other to seek getting rid of anyone else they dislike. Getting rid of both, lets the rest of the staff know that professional behavior is not a choice.

2. There are some people who simply spread dissension in a staff, these people need to be removed ASAP. For whatever reason, they cannot be happy, and if they sit in your staff long enough, they spread that unhappiness.

3. If I give a person a chance, one chance, and explain that what they are unhappy with is the business process, and that it that, and they still complain every time, then they are always going to be a problem, they will eventually recruit others to their vision. The team is what matters.