WHT

Ring molded foods or anything set in the center of the plate or artfully offset. The use of the words Chutney or martini to try and describe something that isn’t. Herb infused oils as garnishes as who really wants an oil slick on their plate. Any food that requires an explanation of the chef’s intent, philosophy or spiritual position much less anything I am expected to get. If I want my consciousness raised I will meditate. Food in small piles or presented in other awkward ways much less anything that requires an explanation of how to eat it. Oriental spoons being used as plates. You are not that clever and I’m not that stupid. Any food other than haggis that requires a processional or its own theme song or haven forbid, a light show. Pyrotechnic devices as garnishes, flan A la Great White anyone? Any sort of server lead entertainment meant to be fostered as spontaneous. Coyote ugly was bad as a movie and I don’t need to live through any contrived ad hoc tributes by 20somthing waitstaff. Food that is world famous or award winning in the mind of the copywriter but in no other reality or form that can be readily agreed on or much less proven.

The more I look at it the more I see multiple points of failure. If I understand correctly you plan on growing all you own produce or at least a major part of it? How much land do you have available for this? I hope you have most of the cultivation equipment already. Not to mention the expertise to run the farm section. Crop failure would be one of my biggest concerns. Zucchini grows well in a lot of places even ones with poor soil but depending on the soil in the area you intend to farm it could take 3-5 years to get the soil to the point that it is productive and generates a good yield. You might be better off just growing simple items at first and buying premium produce and slowly switching over as your farm becomes more productive. I know that North Carolina is a growing area but I defer to my previous statement on labor. I don’t think there would be enough people in your area interested in the type of system you plan to implement. Though to your credit I know of several Gaucho steak houses that the wait staff is cooking there own offerings of meat and they train for over two years before they ever are let loose. I have worked both sides of the house and find that even though I have good sales skills and like selling I am better suited to BOH work. I think a plan like yours would need to be in California or the PNW to have a decent shot not only for talent but growth. What incentive is there for the person interested in working for you? Does pay rise with each new skill? There has to be something tangible that these people are working towards. Again on paper it looks good but the average person is going to ask; “So after I master or at least competent everything what is the next step?” measurable performance and a defined career path are important to any business. The idea of being open one day a week for testing food is interesting. But you may find that you are really busy on that day and relatively quite the rest of the week. The discount of 50% is too deep and may detract from your clients' perception of value. It also raises the question in the clients mind of why isn’t his food cheaper other times. Sell value not price. You might be better off offering some other form of compensation like coupons for X% off on there next two regular visits. Sell the sizzle not the stake. Investors’ are a strange breed of people. I have seen many silent partners get rather loud about things they know little about. I have also seen examples of people abusing the investor’s trust. They want the money to go to things that pay a return rather than to fixed costs like labor. Please make sure any thing you do meets with their approval and put it in writing and get it signed. Your statement about not being an accountant, ok who is going to watch over the P&L? As the Chef you should know where the money is coming from and were it is going. Prime example of this was that reality show The Restaurant. If things don’t work out and a backer draws out or worse wants his share bought out how will this be taken care of? The Spike TV show The Club showed other examples of good dreams gone badly. One of the reasons why you might not be seeing the downside to any part of your plan is it is your D R E A M.! Not that there is anything wrong with having a dream but it can turn into an obsession. I know of a guy that opened up what he lovingly referred to as an upscale taccoria and coffee shop. He spent lavishly on equipment and the interior of his place. The best of everything including buying outright a $3000.00 espresso machine and a frozen beverage machine along with all sorts of brand new equipment for the place. This was done in retail space owned by his father and not able to have been rented out in over 5 years. Did I mention it was in a small shopping center with an auto parts store and a discount grocer that catered to low-income shoppers? I know I have yet to mention that finding a parking spot in the lot could take 20 Min. to find on average and that the location did not have a lot of walk by traffic. BTW there are 15 other Mexican food places in a on mile radius of the place. Only three of them had any sort of track record and several of the others changed hands on too quick a basis. You couple this with his starting out with a staff of over 20 people not including he (Who knew little of Mexican and nothing of coffee.), his wife (Bookkeeper), brother-in-law0 (Former assistant manager from a Cracker Barrel.) or father (dad owns several other dinner type places and was part backer in this.) open form 7am to 11pm for the first year. Now he is open from 10-8 closed on Sundays but also offers subs, pizza, bar-b-q plus ice cream and delivery. This place is only still open due to his father’s deep pockets. Dad a silent partner forced some of the changes in menu to try and stir up more business. They have had full color on 80# gloss stock for their takeout menus, aggressively advertised in print as well as radio and cable TV. Still cretin insurmountable problems remain. I am sure most people would be able to figure it out in a heartbeat. Simple concept, decent food and a friendly staff could not overcome the flaws of the operation. I am glad to see that you seem to be somewhat risk tolerant but are your investors? Will this be a corporation, LLC or some form of partnership? Have you reviewed everything through a lawyer or trusted agent? It looks like you may have several areas that have significant legal exposure. Part of the reason you have found too few working models of this type of operation is it is extremely complex to execute and takes a ton of money to get rolling. Starting up a restaurant is risky enough even with out some of the “out of the box” ideas you would like to implement. I am not saying it can’t be done but it looks like it has more development to go through. I would assume you have more than one investor. Find out how tolerant they are of loss and their thoughts on what will happen if things don’t go as outlined. Make sure you have all necessary permits and paperwork started as early as you can so you don’t have any last moment surprises. Start planning your press and promotions now and not just before opening or worse yet after. Have contingency plans, policies and training manuals developed and in place. Know what areas of law effect your operation and become well versed in them. Health code, labor laws, taxes and zoning come to mind but there are others that you need to be versed in. Good luck in your endeavor I do hope you can pull it off.

Several things come to mind like wasabi powder or Cajon seasoning, garlic powder make nice additions.

This plan in a nutshell is a form of market socialism and will not work in any capitalist economy. Even if we get beyond how “tip pooling” is tightly regulated on a federal tax level. There are a lot of other implications as far as moral and service. People tend to work in areas that suit them. Great FOH are not tuned to the dance of BOH and the congruent is true. The utopian balance you describe cannot sustain itself too few people will be available for hire and even less for replacement people. An iterating experiment in social justice that can’t work in the long run,

Cook all food fully and freeze a quick as possible. Meatballs (Swedish, Italian or other can be frozen and reheat well in a pot or the oven. You can freeze almost all cooked food but some need to be done in parts, like sauce separate from the meatballs if it is cream based and deviled eggs also come to mind. Most vegetables can if blanched first and stored in an airtight containers. Those deli to-go cups and lids can be obtained from a restaurant supply cheaply and in many sizes and I use a lot of them for such things. Pasta freezes well; stuff with mayo tends to separate. Stuffed fish can be done in a raw state and cooked later just be sure it was not previously frozen the exception would then be to cook the item and then freeze it. Have fun at it, it is not as big a challenge as it may seem. When I used to work a lot of long hours I would make up food and sides and freeze them to be nuked later in the week when I did not feel like cooking.

I use it to soak beans in. it adds a wonderful flavor. Also great as a brazing fluid.

From the makers of Warmflat Beer; the friendly folks at Yoyodyne In Browns Mills NJ introduce Snaky Puffs. The snack flavored Puffs that crunch when you bite them. Coming to the gift shop of your local TGI McFunsters.

Stove Top Stuffing??? Mmm, I'll be right over! ← My first wife’s’ parents had been invited to our house for dinner. Nothing fancy roast beef, new potatoes and fresh green beans sautéed in EVOO. I did use the good china and silver for the meal and the table setting did look nice. I had just been promoted to manager in a retail chain and most of my pay came in the form of month end and year-end bonuses and paychecks were a little tight. Half way through the meal her father started to make comments on the extravagances of the meal. This was the late 80’s and at that point a pack of Oscar Mayer franks was about $4.00, roast on sale was under $3.00 a pound by a slight bit. So I broke it down in terms of cost. After that he never again questioned anything that I served. Over the short term of the marriage the situation was treated as an in-joke. But looking back on it it was one of the gravest insults ever issued. Since that point I have never commented on food in a friend or acquaintances home. I reserve that right for when I am paying the tab eating out. As some of you have mentioned it should be about the party and the people finding enjoyment in one another’s company. Not some demented game where scores are kept and points awarded based on perceived value. Yes we can wax poetic about the poor friend that would give us the clothing the wear to the rich person who putting out a bag of snaky puffs is seen as being a host. Like many other areas of life we ultimately stay with the people we enjoy the most.

Only for very informal occasions like bar-B-Qs’ and alike would a small token not be in order. Most etiquette books do suggest a modest “hostess” (Dated term.) of flowers, win or sweets to show ones appreciation in being invited. This also is intended to remove any further obligation of reciprocation on the part of the guest. Vanderbilt and Post are rather clear on this through out there books and revisions. They also mention that frequent dinning partners need not bring gifts. They are to be tasteful gifts for later enjoyment not admission tickets or part of the meal. While I have heard people speak of selecting wedding gifts based on the perceived cost of the reception I have yet to find any mention of it in any etiquette guide. I am not sure how or when this started but it would be interesting to find out.

I wouldn't worry about law suits. I'm not a lawyer but it seems to me that they would have to prove that they were given food that had already gone bad. Food going bad while in their posession is different obviously. If I order food at a restaurant and leave it out for 2 days before eating it and I get sick it's my fault. ← At several places I have worked at in the past liability was the main reason left over product was not donated to charities. People are far too litigious and some injury lawyers take things too far. This is another reason that some organizations have quit operating the preverbal soup kitchens. Really rather sad that people can’t get help because of the misdeeds of others.

In most states this is not true almost anyone can work in a kitchen, no license or permit needed. Illinois, NY and a few other states have varying levels of certification. Some only require management to have certification but most states work under varying types of health inspections and nothing more. The real problem in this situation is a lot of would love to help and give suggestions and other input. The original poster has not given us enough information on the exact parameters on how long the food is to remain out or if the people have the ability to reheat the food correctly. We are all taking shots in the dark and that is of little help to anyone. HACCP, SafeServ and other programs are all well and good but it al parties involved are not knowledgeable it will not work. I would venture to guess that the average person is clueless about proper food sanitation. My mother-in-law being a perfect example of this scenario as food is put in the fridge by where it will fit, things left open. I could go on but most of us know the type of mistake I am talking about. Lets wait for the original poster to fill in some of the details of the situation and then we can more effectively help.

Thanks for posting that link. Always nice to have another way to find good places to eat.

My mom used to make us cheese sandwiches and freze them in advance as she had time. PB&J also freezes well.

Funny but it make sense in a strange sort of way. 1968 was when Amana started heavey pushes to home users.

Take-out or delivery food.

If you are using one of the newer 6.5 megapixel or better it should be fine. I have done some limited work in pure digital format for promotional booklets on heavy gloss stock. Though there is something to be said about the detail of 4x6 or 8x10 format transparencies being just slightly better.

While I agree in principal with you, here is another way of looking at it. You tip 20% on your Amex card if the sever is hit for the credit card fee you have not tipped 20%. Better to tip in cash.

Garlic Powder. Onion Powder. Dried Parsley. Three substitions, if not ingredients, that I have immense problems with. ← I regard them as flavoring agents not substitutes. They have limited but legitimate use such as part of a fry coating or popcorn seasoning.

it's logical to assume that the ABC rules don't extend to what you do with the bottle after you leave. the fact that you'd take it into your car couldn't possibly be written in to the rules, nor does it seem that they'd want to. i walk to a lot of restaurants. ←

I have a clay pot and tray from the garden store I use. Cost all of $2.00.

Some diabetic charts have them count as one of each. I think it depends on the type of dietary restrictions you are trying to follow.

Fried was a bad word in the late '70s to mid '80s.

Think of oil and water and you have the answer. Thick booze and thin soda.

Small strips of oak that have been charred can be used in the right type of plastic container for aging.

The main reason I brought up the subject is distillation is far from an odor free process. In thinking of things post 9/11, your crank next door calls the authorities because of funny smells and… Granted most home stills are going to be small and not produce more than a couple of gallons of product but the way the code reads leaves a lot of room for creative interpretation. Funny they will let you make lots of beer and wine without any red tape but try and convert it to whiskey or brandy and things change. In the USA I know it is a tax issue, other parts of the world I could not even guess. More from the point of before you spend lots of money and time on the set-up, know what risks are involved. Model rocketry is a hobby that has been radically changed by recent events. What may have been a neat after school activity is now regarded with severe scrutiny. One mans science project can be another mans weapon system. The regulations varied greatly by state from just being of an age to having to have a pyrotechnical license. Now the way they define the differences between model rockets and munitions are blurred. Have fun, experiment you may be pleased with the results. It is not that hard to make rum and can be quite fun.