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

[NickTheGreat]

Sorry to hear that

 

[GrillsGoneWild]

Hope things brighten up for you today.
Did I miss exactly the town you are located in and the population around you? it looks like you are on a good road. Was there a recent traffic study done that would tell you how many cars go by on a single day?

 

[Kloogee]

You've got to be ****ing me. Came in this morning and not only did our furnace go out last night, but the walk-in cooler died as well. Are you farking serious? This is just getting ridiculous.

In the tech industry, we have automated monitoring services that are constantly monitoring our servers and systems and send out automated text/email alerts if something goes awry. Is there something similar in the food industry that could monitor the temp of your cooking and cooling devices and send alerts so you can take care of it ASAP instead of finding out 8 hrs later when it's too late?

 

[luke duke]

In the tech industry, we have automated monitoring services that are constantly monitoring our servers and systems and send out automated text/email alerts if something goes awry. Is there something similar in the food industry that could monitor the temp of your cooking and cooling devices and send alerts so you can take care of it ASAP instead of finding out 8 hrs later when it's too late?

There has to be. Heck you could get a Stoker and have it text you if your cooler gets above a certain temp.

 

[cpw]

Something like this can measure temp, moisture, or motion.

http://wirelesstags.myshopify.com/collections/all

 

[landarc]

There are monitoring systems, it's all just money.

As for the whole jail thingy, welcome to the restaurant industry. There are a lot of great people working in it, but, many are troubled. It is hard, low paid work, and it tends to push folks towards alcohol, drugs and poor choices, which tends to result in a day or two in jail.

 

[marubozo]

Glad this day is over. At one point we had four separate repairmen here trying to fix stuff at the same time. Fixing the brand new range, the furnace, the walk-in, and the kitchen drain again. FFS. Also had the refrigeration guy take a look at the walk-in freezer since we wanted to convert that to another cooler. Unfortunately, that opened a whole new can of worms since he said it was completely out of refrigerant and after hours, couldn't find a leak. What should have been just a quick half hour job is now stretching into multiple days. Where's my advil...

At least it wasn't a total loss since we sold everything that we had put on the smoker last night and all the ribs and rib tips we put on this morning. But to be shut down on a Friday night is going to hurt.

The only upside is that I get to go home early and get a little rest.

 

[marubozo]

Since a few of you have asked, and since I'm sitting here alone wallowing in my inability to sell food, here are pics of the back of the house. Oh how naive I was thinking the kitchen and fridge space was more than enough. Live and learn.

Where a lot of prep goes on:

The other prep table:

My office (those shelves, and I set my laptop on the water softener as a desk):

The smoker, obviously:

The line. Order window, cold side station, hot side station, and meat cutting/plating:

The non-smoking cooking area:

The pickup window and the ghetto hole I had to cut in the wall to get the new stove in:

 

[Big Johnson's BBQ]

A friend of mine posted this link last week as a good read for anyone thinking about opening a BBQ Joint!

I am exhausted & I wasn't event there to help... LOL!

I am glad you have made it thru and open... Kickin Butt now! Keep up the good work & keep that humble positive attitude and only the Lord know how far you can go with it!

 

[landarc]

It's more than enough, you haven't gotten your legs yet. That line looks great. You should open for breakfast, imagine the business once you are known for house cured ham and bacon!

 

[ejmiller]

Something like this could be good for monitoring the coolers and freezers: https://www.lacrossetechnology.com/alerts/

 

[castlepines]

It's more than enough, you haven't gotten your legs yet. That line looks great. You should open for breakfast, imagine the business once you are known for house cured ham and bacon!

Sadist...

 

[TailGateJoecom]

With this unit you do need an exhaust hood. Another this is I don't run it with all the burners on. The burners are only on high when I am heating up the griddle. Just like anything else kin the kitchen, you learn to work with it.
I like it because it incorporates two pieces of equipment into one unit. I don't have that much space in my kitchen so I make it work.

Yup, mine too, I have a full commercial setup with the hood and all in the basement. I probably haven't used it enough to make it managable, it just gets so damn hot in a particularly vulnerable spot of my body when I am standing there, lol.

Ok, back to the OP and his restaurant adventure which I am very grateful he is sharing with us...

 

[Bperkins01]

Thanks for posting the pics!
Best thread ever - still!

Were any of the issues cold weather related? Thinking ahead.. is there potential for warm weather issues that should be addressed now?
(air conditioning? or others?)

 

[Hawg Father of Seoul]

It's more than enough, you haven't gotten your legs yet. That line looks great. You should open for breakfast, imagine the business once you are known for house cured ham and bacon!

+1 on the line. A reach in with a conveyor toaster on top is all I would add. It would save you from reaching under the cold side and "loosing all your cold air" for the cold prep table (very important for quality).

At my restaurant (200 sq ft more kitchen, 1500 sq ft more dining) we served all three meals and I was there every minute it was open until three months in. My brother graduated with his MBA and both my sisters-in-law got their B.A. on the same day. My staff handled it great.

It really is all about the process. Write down your processes and it will be okay when you change staff. It is about making your staff better, but it is more about modularity of human capital.

 

[Hawg Father of Seoul]

I have a vulcan version of that range with the broiler/flat top in my basement, yeah of my house lol, and I hate using the flat top. Standing in front of it gets unbearable with the heat coming out through the broiler opening, to the point that it burns, and that is not a good height to be burned at! I never use the flat top because of it.

I think I said the one I had was a Wolf, but my wife reminded me it was a Vulcan. We only used it for mass cooking on top and steaks under. We also had a micro polished flat top that we primarily used.

Very versatile piece of equipment. You will love it.

 

[marubozo]

I don't know what I did to deserve all of this bad karma, but I don't find it funny any longer.

Came in this morning to another cold restaurant. Opened the smoker and all the meat inside was frozen. Out of propane. No heat, no hot water, no cooking, no smoking, so it's another prime weekend day that's going to be a loss. Even more so than Friday since I lost all the meat that was in the smoker last night. We also had about a $250 takeout order scheduled for noon.

I seriously need a few days off.

 

[Memphis Que]

Really sorry to hear about your bad luck recently, but it is just a small bump in the road in the grand scheme of things. It's nothing compared to what you went through to get your restaurant opened. Just hang in there and keep going the way you've been going.

It sounds like you might want to consider investing in one of the monitoring devices that others have suggested. I don't know what they cost, but I bet it's less than a smoker full of meat and a day of sales.

 

[Hoppy]

You just can't make this stuff up..... This would make a good Reality TV Show.....From being in business for myself years ago (Not BBQ Joint) I learned that being in business providing a service for the public it's a lot like Remodeling..... One thing constantly turns into another.........

Making a go for it in any business is not for the faint of heart and in order to make a small fortune in a business you need to start off with a large fortune.....

The General Public and Employees never realize that you are actually working for them and not for yourself.....

Keep your Chin Up and Soldier On Brother!......Keep the faith and you will find the sweet spot......

It's sure not easy because if it was all of us would be opening a BBQ Joint.

That's why I stick with Catering because I'm to old to put myself through it.....

We are ALL PROUD OF YOU for having the Ballz and Drive to Make this thing work.

YOU CAN DO THIS Jeremy!

 

[ButtBurner]

dang sorry to hear that!!!

how could you run out of propane?

did the delivery not show or something?