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Magus

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Posts posted by Magus

  1. I have been thinking about this for a few days now and I feel that next to someone eating and enjoying your food...the next highest honor is for someone to take pictures of your food to share with others...Again...Thank You! for this honor...but....now...I have to remain focused because NOW! the world is watching!!! thanks for the pressure :biggrin:

  2. Annarborfoodie...THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE PICTURES!!!...it was a great day. I brought more food because it was homecomming and we sold out of everything by halftime!!! We were putt'in hunger pangs in a headlock on game day.

  3. I was planning on being the official eGullet photographer this weekend!  My husband has been talking about these burgers for six weeks so we will definitely be making a stop.

    I can vouch for the fact that the burgers are juicy and definitely don't resemble hockey pucks.  I don't think that they have to be frozen to be the same - you could try them both ways.  Maybe invite some of your regulars from the football games to a taste test?  You do have to keep the blend and meat/fat ratio the same though- I think that's the key to your burgers.

    If you would like to take pictures...THAT WOULD BE GREAT!!!! I will leave the food picks to the pros :biggrin: Im plan to bring extra because it is going to be a crazy day...HOMECOMMING!!

  4. I dont want to be known for making burgers from frozen. Maybe I will have to have another line of burgers...which really stinks. or just bite the bullet and go fresh when I can.

    If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If you've tasted a cooked-from-fresh burger and a cooked-from-frozen burger and there's not a major difference, keep doing what you're doing.

    It's all a matter of spin. You need to think like a PR flak.

    Your burgers aren't just frozen, they're "fresh-frozen". :laugh:

    Your top secret blend of spices and beef are fresh-frozen to meld into a first class burger unlike any other. Then they're put directly on the grill where they transform into the juicy No. 9 Original burger that's in so much demand.

    There's no charge for that ad copy. :wink::laugh:

    As for smoothies (as discussed a while ago), do they take any longer to prepare than a shake? If they're more bother than they're worth, 86 'em.

    Frankly, if you're going retro, I'd say don't do them. My mom & dad didn't have smoothies when they went out to eat in their younger days and they turned out just fine. You could even do what Carl's Jr./Hardee's is doing...their current TV campaign has them mocking smoothies which suggests retro (shakes) is better. The advertising angles are endless.

    Regarding wanting to offer a variety of cheeses on your burgers...

    I'd say keep it simple as others have suggested since this discussion first began. Save the variety of cheeses for your "Freestyle Fridays" specials. If they prove to be popular, then go ahead and move them to your main menu.

    :blink:* L@@king at Toliver like he's captain crazy*....thinking about it some more.... :huh: ....

    You know what Toliver...I never thought about it like that before. I want to stay true to the burger and not become just another place that is serving pucks...but I will think about it...I am going to think about that alot.

    I will take a picture of the food this weekend and post it and let everyone be the judge....I just wish I had that "scratch and sniff computer screen technology" but a picture will have to do.

    Smoothies are out! The only thing I am going to have as far as drinks go are (Hand spun Milkshakes and malts, Soda, hand squeezed lemonade and Southern style Ice tea)...I may not have bottled water because they didn't have that back then.

  5. So although I know what blend of burger I am going to use as well as meat to fat ratio...but if I change the burgers from frozen to fresh...will people be disappointed? or say....these are different burgers.

    Sounds like a good excuse for a side by side taste test. I'm sure you'll be able to find volunteers to do the tasting. :biggrin:

    I have found I have more success cooking a burger perfectly if it is frozen...you get great char without overcooking. I often now get just shy of fully cooked yet still drippy juicy.

    So, you will have to relearn to cook from fresh or keep em frozen

    tracey

    Tracey's basically right, but her post leaves a question unanswered:

    Define "fully cooked."

    Most hardcore burger lovers want their patties no more thoroughly cooked than medium at worst, for past that point, most of the juices cook right out of the burger. However, I have encountered exceptions to the "a well done burger makes a great hockey puck" rule; the Five Guys burger-joint chain in the Northeast US is one.

    Health department regulations in some areas may require you to cook your burgers to a specified internal temperature, and where this is the case, the temperature is high enough to preclude offering any degree of doneness less than well.

    If cooking from frozen allows you to serve a burger that is well done yet still juicy, then maybe you shouldn't mess with success. However, Five Guys' patties are fresh, not frozen, and hand-shaped (or look it), so I don't think that cooking from frozen is a must. But you would have to do a few trial runs if you're not cooking from fresh now, unless you can serve medium or medium-rare burgers already; in that case, you can probably cook from fresh without much trouble.

    Sandy! How in the heck are ya. Well, right now I cook the burgers well done...yet they are still VERY JUICY!!! When I am when I put the burger on the bun...you can not tell that it was frozen...very irregular edges with nice sear! I just like the idea of being able to control the product and wanted to do this in-house. But in doing so I have to give up control by letting others know what I put in the mix...which I am not fond of. I have to think of competitive advantage. The hard thing is what people are saying..."DONT CHANGE A THING" My thinking was that the frozen patties were a temp thing...now it seems it has to be a perm thing that is beyond my control. :unsure:

    I dont want to be known for making burgers from frozen. Maybe I will have to have another line of burgers...which really stinks. or just bite the bullet and go fresh when I can.

  6. A SERIES OF UNFORTUNANT EVENTS!!!

    Well...I think I have really done it now. I think I have done something that had unintended consequences.

    I have been serving burgers at football games for a few years now. I have developed a following.

    This past game a lady asked me if I did this full time, I said no... not yet. She said when I dicided to do this full time...dont change a thing with the hamburgers.

    More than one person has told me this...THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM. I cook the burgers from Frozen...because I only have dry ice to keep them cold until I cook and serve them. It was not my intention of cooking burgers from frozen, but it was the only thing that I could do (health dept orders).

    So although I know what blend of burger I am going to use as well as meat to fat ratio...but if I change the burgers from frozen to fresh...will people be disappointed? or say....these are different burgers.

    Oh by the way...I just procured a 1968 Airstream this week. Construction starts next week on the Airstream

  7. I know this is a long shot but just in case anyone will be in the Ann Arbor MI area this weekend for the MI vs. Penn State game, I will be located in front of Ebel Field. This is located on Hoover and Divison St. This is where the band starts marching from. :smile:

  8. note to kbear - If you had a chance to check out Magus' stand, you'd find that he has been focusing on the basics for quite a while.  Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs.  That's it.  So now he's trying to be a little more creative.

    magus -

    On the bun issue - I think the ones you're currently using go with the stand and the whole "vibe" of a classic burger.  If you're going to go with a fancier bun, I agree with the recommendations for a kaiser roll.

    If you were going to make one addition to the menu right now, I'd vote for grilled onions.  It wouldn't be out of line with what you're doing already, and it's not too complicated.

    Funny you shold say that about the onions. I did a test last week. I brought raw diced onions about 1/8 inch square and marinated onions ( I grilled thoes) and everytime someone wanted onions they were asked if they wanted raw or grilled onions. I brought 5lbs of each and I went back with 4 and 1/2lbs of raw diced onions. Long story short...the grilled onions went much better than the raw. I want to keep it classic...my motto is "no gimicks...just damn good food" so I think I just need to make sure all the buns are toasted.

  9. Buns.

    Right now I am serving my hamburgers on "Wonder" burger buns. Although customers are happy to have that, I can't imagine that this is the best bun to don my burgers with.

    I thought about making my own buns but this will be VERY labor intensive and I have yet to find someone who sells prebaked hamburger buns.

    I have tried burger honey burger buns...thoes are tasty, Potato buns are good as well.

    What are everyones fav kind of burger buns...honey, potatoe, seeded?

  10. This one is about the menu.

    I have always had hand written signage...I have very good hand. I have always used a whiteboard but I am growing tired of it. I was thinking about going with a blackboard. I will be using the (a la starbucks) markers to make the menu...

    Which do you think is better...a professionally done sign or a hand written sign?

  11. may less focus on logos and more focus on potato suppliers would be beneficial... I don't mean to rain on the parade though...

    I work at a place that does good fries, and the supplier isn't all of the problem.

    Potatoes develop their sugars as they age, so be sure to test what you are getting in. They sell testing kits and whatnot, just google it and you should find what you need. If you can't find the right supplier, and you have a B&M place, you can store your potatoes and let them develop.

    Last note, at least for the stand, two fryers are not a necessity. You can blanch the fries way earlier in the day and store them to be finished to order.

    Until then, good luck! I think the search for the perfect burger may be the most honorable quest a man can go on.

    Blanching the fries before hand sounds like a great idea...especially with the cost of fryers and extra oil being used. Thanks for the idea.

    Also on a burger...has anyone ever tasted crumbled blue cheese on a burger...I have never tried it. Or, is sliced blue cheese better.

    Another crazy thing happened. I sell both Kosher frankfurters as well as hamburgers. My menu was hand written with the frankfurters on top. I switched the placement and put the hamburgers on top and the frankfurters at the bottom of the menu...sales increased by 25% just by reversing the order of food on the menue...this is quite the learning experience....who knew???

  12. may less focus on logos and more focus on potato suppliers would be beneficial... I don't mean to rain on the parade though...

    First...I would like to thank everyone for their opinions. Kbear...there is no rain on my parade...I am good at what I do. I also realize that EVERYTHING is important...from the sign on the door to the food that people consume. If it was just about making money I would not give a rats (you know what) and just throw anything out there...but this all has my marking on it. So...if you do not see topics that interest you...

    I thank everyone again for their input :biggrin:

  13. gallery_20145_1872_25920.jpg

    What are your thoughts on the New and improved logo.

    I wanted to keep it classy yet with an edge.

    also a design that would look good in black and white.

    This is the most recent registered logo.

    Also comming soon...www.theninespot.com

    Also..I would like to know if this logo is t-shirt worthy

  14. Congrats Magus! Sounds like you've got a winner.  Now, how about a little No. 9 burger porn? :raz:  :laugh:

    I am afraid that I have not mastered the art of taking pictures of my food. I need to get a better camera. I will try to use one this weekend and see how that goes.

  15. Well...We had a great day. I was SO happy to see Annarborfoodie stoped by. That was the ultimate complement. :biggrin:

    We sold out of burgers five min after she stopped by. Which was good because the home team did not fare well in their game. Oh well.

    I am finding it hard to contain myself because I want to offer different kinds of burgers with different cheeses. But then I look at places like in and out and they only have three...a hamburger...cheeseburger and a double double...Thats it.

    To answer the other question...I am going to have both a "brick and mortar" as well as a mobile burger stand. I figured this will allow me to have two running locations. One will be seasonal, the other will be all year round.

    The potatoes are still an issue. I am finding that it will be very difficult to have a steady stream of quality potatoes to have fresh cut fries. Also to do fries correctly...I need two friers.

  16. Update:

    Finalizing menu:

    Fries: still looking for a good source of potatoes :blink:

    Having fun with the health department :hmmm:

    Getting ready for football season.

    If anyone is in the Ann Arbor Michigan Area during football Saturdays, No.9 will have a stand at the corner of Hoover and Divison...a block away form the stadium.

    Drive thru...I am still playing with this idea...I have not made any decisions on that as of yet.

    Delivery: Something that I did not think about before but something I need to think about now. The only thing I need to figure out is how to pay them. I dont want to act strange with the change when it comes to paying people well.

  17. Yes, the numbers are correct. dont know if this is bad or good but if I can get 1% of that number...I will be a great shape. Although the numbers are from 2003 and there has been an increase in my area, I will stick with the lower number

  18. Drive-thru or walk-up?  There are good examples of successful walk-up burger places like Jake's and 5-Guys in the DE/MD region and I'm sure elsewhere.

    But, no doubt that walk-up eliminates some customers while drive thru has added staffing and cooking issues.

    Forgetting for a minute the food issues, I'd focus first on the suitability of the location for either drive-thru or walk-up.

    What are the other places in the immediate area like?  How's the parking?  How's the safety?  Traffic? both foot and car

    It can work either way.

    10,000 cars pass on that street in a day

    I have alot of parking

    The safety is great

    Foot traffic is not so good.

    When I speak of walk up...meaning people drive to the location to walk up to the window.

  19. Hello Everyone!! :biggrin:

    Sorry I have not been checking lately...I will put it on my list of must do's during the day. BREAKING NEWS!! I have found a place...not a trailer but an actual place!

    This brings new issues. The place can be set up for a DRIVE THRU!!! This is an option that I have not thought of...AT ALL! I can also set it up as a walk up. The issue is: with a drive thru...this brings up a different set of logistics. With a drive thru...people already have a preconceived notion that it shold be fast...well...my aim is to slow people down a bit.

    With this option...I have been plugging away of how to produce a great product even faster than I have been before. This is not easy...especially if I want it to be consistant.

    If I go with the walk up option, then peopel must get out of their cars or I would need car-hops to go take orders. If this is going to be a year round opperation, then that can get tricky.

    What are your thoughts...drive thru or walk up? :huh:

  20. any new update?!?! im dying to hear!

    what ratios % are you using for your burgers? Chuck brisket etc...

    Well Hello everyone. :biggrin: I am still working on some of the fine details. I have chosen a name "Burger Joint No.9" I am still working on the blend...getting it just right. I am still thinking about fries. dont know which way to go. Fries are not something that keeps for very long. I was thinking about fresh chips. If I cook chips...the chips being hot is a plus...especally when properly salted, but if the chips are cold...well everyone is expecting chips to be cold. I am also working out logistics of scheduling, who needs to do what and when. Meanwhile...I am still hustling to make the money to open.

    Just wanted to give an update.

    Oh yeah...I am also building my website (NO flash) in which I want to mention this group because you all have helped me so much through this process.

    I will be checking in.

    Also...If anyone has any fund raising ideas I am more than happy to hear them... the more money I raise the faster I can open.

  21. Hello One and all.

    Well, No.9 is still on track. I am still doing the money saving thing...Not dealing with a bank. I am still doing the football games and selling out every game. I am happy about that. Demand has gone up by 50% from last year. This has given me a chance to think about simplicity...staying on track, staying focused. There are alot of distractions when it comes to food as far as what to offer. I just need to remember what I am here to do...make and serve a GREAT BURGER! I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. I have even resulted to selling t-shirts to raise money to open the store. I wont give up and everyone here has been a great help and inspiration.

    Talk to everyone soon.

    send me an email...I would like to know how everyone is doing. :biggrin:

    Even though I am very busy...I miss talking to everyone here.

  22. Well. The Milkshake mixer came in yesterday...boy did I screw up my first one with the blender. I got the three head mixer...man do I love mixing :biggrin:

    I was used to making milkshakes in a blender but this is a different animal. I dont think I put the ingredents in correctly (proper order) I put the ice cream in then the flavoring then cream. It did not come out as planed but it tasted pretty good.

    I gues there is also a danger in over mixing the milkshake with this machine.

    Also, I have looked high and low on the internet for plain white wax cups...can not find. They all have some kind of funky design on them.

    I have been doing some research on icecream as well. It sounds like Basset's is a very good icecream...I have never tried it.

    It also looks like with the vanilla milkshake something else is added to it. Almost like an extra kick of vanilla flavoring.

    I am also thinking about putting whipped cream on top of the milkshake with a cherry on top. I think this will seperate me from alot from other people that serve milkshakes.

    Malts: this seems to come in a powder form as well as a liquid form. The powder form seem like it will have a gritty texture...I dont know...I have not tried it yet.

    Would a super premium icecream be a waste in a milkshake? If so, what grade and how much butterfat and overturn should I look for?

    Should I still look for wax paper cups or would styrofoam be O.K. I know I can find a plain styrofoam cup at my local GFS.

    Thanks for your input.

  23. Just wanted to update.

    The fun part starts:

    The Trailer is found, I start construction this weekend.

    Purchased a three head drink mixer for milkshakes and malts....should be here this weekend.

    I will also have the ability to do smoothies but they did not have smoothies back then.... :angry:

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