I don't want to jinx myself, but it looks like we could open as soon as next Friday. Health inspector came this morning to collect some paperwork and to do a walkthrough. He was thrilled at how the remodel turned out and how clean everything was and said it was one of the cleanest places he sees in the area. It went so well in fact that he decided to waive all the plan review fees and everything. I guess being anal and OCD about everything paid off. :mrgreen:
So, he said all I have to do is give him a call next week when all systems are up and running and he'll come out first thing and get the final inspection done. Amazing, because I was expecting nothing but headaches.
There are still two last snags that hopefully will be done by Friday, but could still potentially cause a delay. First, the contractor is still an idiot. He never did show up today to drop off my exhaust fan and install the kitchen door. But that may not matter. The health inspector said the smoker may still be fine even without the exhaust. So, I'm just waiting on the mechanical inspector to come out and say yes or no. If yes, screw the contractor and I'll start out without the fan and get somebody else who is more competent to install it later.
Then I just need an electrician to come and wire up the steam table and add a 20 amp outlet for the CVAP. They said it should be by the end of the week, but possibly Monday.
So that's it. Once those two items are taken care of, I'm only a phone call away from getting the license and opening for business. Of course the mechanical inspector could pitch a fit about the exhaust and snag things for another week or so, but it's the home stretch. It's almost surreal.
Doing a little private gathering tomorrow so I'm excited to get up early and smoke a handful of butts, ribs, a turkey, and some sausage.
I know many of you in the area have asked, either in here or via PM about letting you know when I do finally open, so I'll update you when I know for certain. I'm planning on doing a soft open next weekend provided things stay on track, so an official grand opening should be the following week or so.