I'm opening a restaurant...Oh S&%T!

[gfron1]

The twists and turns: Volume 4 (aka after Day 1)

When we finished, we sat down for a bite of lunch ourselves. I was pooped. I know everyone else was tired from lunch, but I was up and at the store at 6 to make desserts. This is our planned schedule, so I need to know if early mornings are going to work. I decided that I need a hammock in the back room for a disco nap after service. Once I take over, I'll be sure to do that. I also had to head home to walk the dogs and make dinner for Tyler and I. I thought I would dread cooking dinner (and I may after I've done this a while), but its very different from the cafe soup and sandwich routine, so it did't seem to be drudgery. The dog walk was a great waker-upper since our monsoon season has started and we had a nice little rain. And to end the day, here I am writing this little summary.

I'm looking forward to learning the menu better and starting my adaptations. I'm also looking forward to making this a done deal and quitting my other job. We're just waiting for word on Tyler's part-time job coming through. Once we have that work - we're taking the plunge.

The twists and turns: Pre-Volume 1.2

Truth be told, I only want to do this so I have a venue for my desserts. I couldn't make enough desserts to sell at wholesale to make it worth my time, but by being in the kitchen 10-14 hours each day, I can have good retail volume. The irony is that my dessert style is so not aligned with the savory menu. I've dummied down my desserts to fit in plastic cups, be wrapped in saran on a plastic plate, and other scandalous techniques.

My deep, dark, secret plan is to build a fan base that will allow me to do monthly or bi-weekly fancy dinners where I can pull out my sodium alginate and tapioca maltodextrin, and have some fun. But not yet. One step at a time.

[hathor]

Hold on to your deep dark secret plans...they keep you going when your feet won't move another step.

[gfron1]

The continuing prequel

I've been at it for three days now and I still love my time in the kitchen. I question if I can run the show by myself once I officially take over, but we'll see. I am getting faster and learning the menu little by little.

A few thoughts at this stage. First, anyone reading this blabber, please, please, please promise me that you'll eat something that is a bit off the beaten path next time you dine out. When I throw a spinach quiche on the shelf, its bought immediately. But when I put in smoked paprika and Spanish chorizo...Cricket chirps and a future of mold and a date with a trash can (it actually comes home to my house for dinner.) My desserts are flying out. There is something to be said for critical mass. When I have one or two desserts, they sell very slowly. When I put out five desserts, they fly out the door.

A second thought. Kitchen chaos or control is yours to choose. For the first two days, Martyn trained me and we did just fine. Orders went out fast, mostly correct, and we kept a clean kitchen. Chef came in today to spend some training time with me and everything was wrong, nothing fast enough and the tension in the kitchen was nearly unbearable. I realized what was going on, remembered that I can't get fired, and just focused on the task at hand. I choose a happy kitchen, not a stressful kitchen.

And lastly for today...catering offers are rolling in without me even telling people I'm for hire. That's scary. I can serve 30 covers, maybe even 50 or more covers, but those are staggered over a few hours. A catering gig means 100-500 at one time. I'm not saying yes, but I'm not saying no either. I did say a flat out no to a wedding cake since I know my limits there.

[Tri2Cook]

Cool stuff Rob. Five years ago when I gave up my career of twelve years to cook it was a scary leap. I now work many more hours for less money and sleep has moved from the necessity category to being a luxury but I'm relatively stress free and I'm happy (of course I didn't have the added burden of it being my own restaurant). Best of luck with this.

A few thoughts at this stage.  First, anyone reading this blabber, please, please, please promise me that you'll eat something that is a bit off the beaten path next time you dine out.  When I throw a spinach quiche on the shelf, its bought immediately.  But when I put in smoked paprika and Spanish chorizo...Cricket chirps and a future of mold and a date with a trash can (it actually comes home to my house for dinner.) 

←

You get used to it. I'm in a small town as well and one thing I've learned is that, with a small customer base (compared to big cities), you have to accept that they like what they like. You don't have to give in to it always, you just have to be prepared to say "todays special is (insert any dish that you put a lot of time, care and love into here)" and have them reply "yeah that sounds good but I'll have a cheeseburger".

[Peter the eater]

While I haven't set a timeline for blogging, I will be going as long as their is interest.  I think the unique angle on this is that I'm essentially eGullet taught.  And I can tell you that my recipes are eGullet driven.  And no, I'm not sending eGullet a check unless I make my millions 

←

I'm sure you've noticed the 700 hits per day you're getting - there is plenty of interest.

I'll bet there's a sizable Society subset (which includes me) that's largely eG taught, with eG driven recipes and would happily pay some back if this knowledge could be made into lucre. Godspeed to Rob!

[gfron1]

Peter - I don't count hits - my mom reads my writing so its always skewed!

[i'm gonna pick up the pace so I can get to real time, since living in the past is not nearly as interesting as what's going on today.]

Last of the Play Days (aka last Friday)

Yesterday was the last of my training days. Fridays are usually our busiest day, but you never know what weather, holidays, travel, etc will do. I woke up a bit late and headed in around 7. I made a quick ganache to go on some macarons that Patrick A had made the night before, and filled the lemon macs with 65% choc ganache and a few fresh blueberries that I had dying in the walk-in.

I've really been missing my mixer in the mornings and have stopped doing my sourdough or croissants until it is fixed (any day now). I also did a quick check to see what I might need for weekend desserts. Martyn still wasn't around at 9:30 so I took control and acted like I knew what I was doing. I made the chowder, prepped the stations, and did clean-up.

I'm really, really into a clean kitchen and station when I'm working. Every free moment I put into keeping the space clean, and Martyn is appreciating it because we get out no more than 15 minutes after close (a slight exaggeration).

Martyn rolled in at 10 and since almost everything was done I asked him about end of week duties like deep cleaning, what do we trash in the prep stations, etc. Chef came in today to give more info. She also stayed out of our way, and kept quiet. I in not so nice words told her that she was adding to the stress instead of being helpful when she barked orders at us yesterday. So she was just watching and biting her tongue.

Lunch turned out to be so slow. Between 10 and 1:50 we made maybe a half dozen orders. I went ahead and made all of them. At 1:50 as I was getting ready to pull the stations and finish cleaning, the rush hit. In the next 20 minutes we did 40 covers. Martyn and I have definitely hit our stride as a team and kept up with everything except when our grill was backed up. This was also the first day that I knew what went into the sandwiches or salads without reading the menu, and the first day that I was a smart-ass through most of service. I saw it as a sign of my comfort.

After lunch I piled all the leftovers onto a tortilla and made a killer wrap for myself (bacon, BBQ chicken, blue cheese, cheddar, guacamole, and a bed of greens). Chef and I talked food safety, cater bidding, and about a possible high school intern for the fall to replace Patric A.

We also had to discuss our sushi contract with the local hospital. Every Thursday we make 30 rolls, the hospital picks them up and sells them in their cafeteria. We only make californias, spicy tilapia (cooked), and veggy rolls, so they have a decent shelf life. The problem is that the hospital always picks them up late and so they're selling day old rolls. This week, they picked up on Friday which means they have two day old rolls if they even sell over the weekend. Our name isn't on the package, but its a small town and people know. I told Chef that I would rather find a way to deliver to them and guarantee freshness. If I can guarantee freshness then I want my name on the sushi to drive traffic to our store. We're talking with the hospital folks...

A very good day!

[Chufi]

Dear Rob,

can I make a reservation for October?

Best of luck with this huge project. I really admire you for taking this step.. I know I could never do it. Thanks for sharing it all with us.. you´re a great writer and it will be a very interesting journey to follow.

[gfron1]

Last Chance to Run

With training over now Tyler and I need to make the final commitment. The only thing stopping us is his part-time job. He's been offered a p-t job with a local IT support group. If they say they have renewed their contract for the local state agencies, then its a done deal. If not, then it might be too risky for me to give up my day job which currently pays for all of our living expenses. The store has never given us much income.

We both feel like this is the next step for us in our dreams, and for the store. But its very scary. Tyler reminded me last night that our home mortgage is only $650 and the store covers its own mortgage, so the $650 is what we need to make. Obviously its not that easy but the mortgages are our two big bills. I'm also concerned about health insurance. I just turned 40, eat shitloads of sugar and butter, and am generally an overworked person. I had a faux-heart attack back in April which led to a battery of tests, all of which came back saying I was in outstanding shape (due to a lifetime of running and alpine climbing). So with just a few months of hindsight, again, maybe things happen for a reason. Maybe I needed to hear from a doctor that I am in good enough shape right now to take this plunge and not have insurance for a year or two as we continue to grow the business. Anyway, this is the point where we pray and meditate and get some clarity, then make a decision.

[gfron1]

Just Looking For a Sign

Today has been interesting to say the least. We both are fairly spiritual, and believe in signs - whether they come from a higher power or the universe or our subconscious. We've been asking for a sign to stop us because this feels right. Today, was the day I was supposed to give notice at my job, but we hadn't heard from Tyler's future employer yet. Tyler hunted one of the two owners down (the optimistic owner) and the owner said, "Can you start tomorrow?" We haven't been able to reach the realistic owner yet.

But we went to lunch (our weekly date). Tyler said, "If the store can guarantee paying us $#### each month then we're okay." I said, "It can't right now." That deflated both of us immensely. We ate most of our lunch in silence.

Right before lunch I had received a call from our local university asking if I wanted to teach a class. I told them no since the pay wasn't appropriate for my time efforts. She went on to say that they would have a position open in January that would be full-time, and that I would be a good candidate for it. Side note: My PhD is in Sport Psychology - jobs are rare. I thanked her and didn't think more of it.

After lunch we went home to run the numbers and pray together and at the end of it I said that two things kept crossing my mind (While we aren't Quaker, Tyler's seminary degree is from Earlham, a Quaker school, so our prayer is Quaker silence where you still your mind and allow for God to speak through the silence). First, the teaching opportunity tells me that there are other opportunities out there if this doesn't work, so I don't need to feel so fearful of consequences. Second, the January opportunity would come right after I had gotten knee deep in the cafe, and I should have a very clear idea if we can make it fly. With both thoughts I now feel a sense of comfort and confidence, but not as confident as when we opened our store a few years ago. Tyler agreed. I said, "So do I give notice?" He said, "Do it."

I headed back to work with the intention of offering my resignation and on my way I got a call saying that my supervisor and the HR Director were waiting for me. That's never good. Sure enough when I got back the supe had a letter in her hand. We went to my office and she covered a half dozen mistakes my staff had made lately and wanted me to explain how we were going to fix them. Culpable on all counts your honor...but we had already been working on the issues, and in fact, the issues lied primarily with two of my employees who I had started the process of transitioning them out of the agency.

So is this my sign? Kick my ass out? Discretion being the better part of chocolate, I decided to wait to write my letter until tomorrow.

[gfron1]

Signed, Sealed, Delivered...oh yeah!

The deal is done. I have submitted my resignation, making it abundantly clear that my resignation is not associated with that disciplinary letter. I'm not ticked about the letter at all since, as I said, they were issues that I was already working on, but it sure makes turning in my resignation all the more easy. Now, my mind focuses on wrapping up my current work duties, enjoying time with my outstanding staff, and focusing on the cafe transition. It should be a fun couple of weeks.

[This is the end of my prerecorded message This event actually happened on Tuesday of this week. Things are rolling ahead very quickly now so here come the questions....]

[gfron1]

Before my apron even gets warm I was called for a catering job. Actually the chef was but she'll be pushing out a baby just about the time that the happy couple says, "I do."

This is a topic in and of itself as a friend has been telling me what the bride wants, but tonight (after two weeks of talking to the friend) I finally talked to the bride, and her ideas are vastly different. This is the daughter of the founders of Wild Oats. She's well traveled, but she's now a small town bar matron at our local biker bar. The husband is/was a regular at said bar. The event is up in ranching country, but lot's of guests from the East coast and the Boulder area.

The friend said she wanted basic brisket, potato salad, salad and boiled pinto beans. Not quite what I, nor my store, is known for but I can certainly do it. Tonight the bride said, "Yeah we were thinking brisket, but can't we do something more fun and fancy?" She also added 90 minutes of appetizers tray passed, a bartender, party favors, etc.. My little job is now a not so little job for 150 people. My food has to transport 60 minutes and then sit until served. The appetizers are 90 minutes before dinner. No kitchen. Probably power, but its solar, so I can't guarantee that I'll have it.

I'm doing a sampling on Sunday for the wedding couple and parents. Did I mention that I've never catered before? But, I've done many, many cheese parties for crowds about that size...not quite the same, but its why I'm not afraid to do it.

I'd appreciate tips.

Any questions that your experiences have taught you for me to ask on Sunday?

Ideas for fancy cowboy fare for the appetizers?

Remember that the key is I'm making food that has to be served at room temp to people standing up at a cocktail party environment, but its outside.

[Peter the eater]

Ideas for fancy cowboy fare for the appetizers?

Remember that the key is I'm making food that has to be served at room temp to people standing up at a cocktail party environment, but its outside.

Meat on sticks, maybe spicy peanut beef on small skewers. And shot glasses with gazpacho, that could work.

This story keeps getting better Doctor Robert!

[JeanneCake]

Check out some catering web sites that you know and admire, look at their menus. (they don't have to be local vendors. You could find hundreds of caterers just looking at online wedding websites like Brides, The Knot, Wedding Channel; most of them will have sample menus online and that's where inspiration can strike).

Even Martha Stewart's Hors D'oeuvres handbook will give you lots of ideas! Pulled pork? BBQ? some kind of smoked meat on small sweet potato biscuits (who needs those little tiny hamburgers!) Love the gazpacho idea! The always and ever present tortellini on skewers. Do wedding cake cookies as favors and encourage them to do a selection of desserts rather than a cake (she says irreverently, being a baker!) so you can show off your dessert style.

(this is minutae: Most of what you would be offering could be transported in insulated Cambro units in hotel pans. Wrap everything in plastic wrap before you put it in the Cambro; this way if it tips, nothing spills beyond the plastic. And pack a panic bucket of extras - paper goods, silverware, serving utensils, etc)

Wishing you and Tyler all the best in your new adventure!

ETA because I can't spell

Edited July 11, 2008 by JeanneCake (log)

[boagman]

Probably power, but its solar, so I can't guarantee that I'll have it. 

I'd appreciate tips.

←

Well, for this, you could buy a cigarette-lighter-to-power-adapter thing (the name escapes me at the moment...it's past 3:30AM, I need some slack) at any number of places in order to be sure that you have *some* power.

Also, must everything be room temperature? How about oil burners, thermal wraps, and such?

For the brisket, are they wanting it in sandwiches, by itself, or what? I would think that, in a sandwich, the brisket wouldn't need to be really hot, but if it's standing on its own, yeah: hot temperature would be better received.

For the appetizers, why not go (at the very least) with your strong suit of cheese? Go with what you know. I wouldn't fancy it up too much in sticking with the cowboy-esque theme, but cheese (hate it though I do) is always a great standby for such things, and if you can do that course as well as you've shown in the past, what cowboy would find cheese distasteful?

Are there going to be paper plates? Are good, *quality* calico beans with bacon and brown sugar out of place? It might be kitschy, but the theme draws me back to these.

Just throwing some ideas out and seeing what sticks. If it's all garbage, well then hey: it was free.

[Sugarella]

Remember that the key is I'm making food that has to be served at room temp to people standing up at a cocktail party environment, but its outside.

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Is outside in NM going to be room temp?

What time of year is the wedding? How long will the reception be? What are the local health requirements regarding keeping standing foods hot or cold? If you don't have the facilities to do either for hours on end, I think your best bet is to go with preserved/cured proteins to be on the safe side, like chorizo, etc. But even potato salad, like she wants, wouldn't be safe for a long time in the heat. Do you know anyone locally that could lend you the equipment you need?

Whatever you do, hesitate to quote a price after you talk to her and let her know you'll get back to her. Because it's your first time, you're likely to forget to factor in costs like bags and bags of ice or gas costs or and rentals you might need, or a million other little things that'll come up and eat away at your profits.

By the way.... yesterday you were looking for a sign.... I think you just got whacked upside the head with one. Way to go.... hope the orders keep pouring in.

[gfron1]

Great suggestions and tips! For Sunday I think my primary goal is to figure out who is in charge of this wedding so I don't waste time going down the wrong path again. The wild card is the Wild Oats parents. I haven't heard what they want, but based on their starting Wild Oats, it would seem that they would want fresh and organic. No one has mentioned those words to me yet. I also know that they are both vegetarian (so that means no meat in the beans). I'm trying to upsell them on some Niman Ranch meats to appeal to their ethics. We'll see if it flies.

Meat on sticks, maybe spicy peanut beef on small skewers. And shot glasses with gazpacho

I like this, especially merged with Sugarella's suggestion about cured meats. I have some nice pancetta, prosciutto & serrano in bulk from my store AND it doesn't sell real fast. I also have a half of a bison and was thinking about playing with that. I could borrow my friend's dehydrator and do bison jerky sticks (they would have to be easy to eat - so make them long and twiggy so they would look fun.

smoked meat on small sweet potato biscuits

I was thinking about sweet potato. Right now we're in Summer, but in Sept, we're leaning into Fall. So I was wondering if I shouldn't think corn, sweet potatoes, nuts...Fallish stuff. And I do think a bbq-esque meat, held in a warmer and put on miniature sweet potato biscuits would be great!

Also, must everything be room temperature? How about oil burners, thermal wraps, and such?

I'll find out on Sunday. September will be perfect temperature - we're in the desert, but up in the mountains so its never too hot or cold. I would expect it to be around 70 F at 6 pm. My larger concern would be wind, and that could impact burners, warmers, etc..

For the appetizers, why not go (at the very least) with your strong suit of cheese?

I definitely want to do this because I can a create beautiful passive appetizer that has a dramatic impact. I would probably do a wood boat filled with a quarter of gorganzola dolce surrounded by fruit and crackers.

Are there going to be paper plates?

They definitely want paper/plastic. We're talking about who will supply them - me or the family. I will also pitch my compostable corn plates to the parents. That would help me meet a minimum for free shipping to get more for my cafe. Oh yeah, I'm supposed to be thinking about taking over a cafe right now

Whatever you do, hesitate to quote a price after you talk to her

Best advice of the day! I had quoted them a price before that had a tremendous mark-up for food and labor. I have been working with Chef to cover all my bases. The call yesterday where the bride to be changed everything, I think they're in for a sticker shock. Based on her comments, we're looking at a 2.5 or tripling of the bill. They may change their minds, but again, this is not a family without money.

My priority is to nail down two menus - one conservative, and one more playful and create those menus for Sunday. I want them to be parallel, so all I'm really doing is changing out the sauces/seasoning, but keeping the same base (meat, bean, etc).

[RAHiggins1]

Best advice of the day!  I had quoted them a price before that had a tremendous mark-up for food and labor.  I have been working with Chef to cover all my bases.  The call yesterday where the bride to be changed everything, I think they're in for a sticker shock.  Based on her comments, we're looking at a 2.5 or tripling of the bill.  They may change their minds, but again, this is not a family without money.

My priority is to nail down two menus - one conservative, and one more playful and create those menus for Sunday.  I want them to be parallel, so all I'm really doing is changing out the sauces/seasoning, but keeping the same base (meat, bean, etc).

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I was thinking 4x the cost. Keep in mind you have to transport everything to a location an hour away. Also who is going to be passing the Canapes? More cost. If you are supplying the drinks, I'd find a bartender to sub that out to and make them bring their own stock.

[gfron1]

Carrying forward the store's philanthropic efforts, I'll be contracting with our local high school culinary program to do the set-up, clean-up and passing. That way the customer gets a break, but the students get a great fundraiser. They need money every year for their competitions (Patrick A is in Orlando right now at the national competition). I'll just have to do a bit of uniform policing and basic training, but they should be good since they're trained through their program.

And so far they haven't mentioned drinks. Its on my list for Sunday, but I'm picturing a pick-up filled with ice. The bride is a bartender after all

[gfron1]

Some ideas I'm working on for the alternative/less standard menu:

Appetizers

-Spring/salad rolls - not too frilly for the cowboy

-Serrano Asparagus spears

-Bruschetta (Bride's request): pinon, tomato, parma hair

-Cheese board: one cheese with fruit and crackers

Meal

Spring green salad - fruit and nuts

Fall risotto? Can I make this ahead and not have it get gloppy?

or pasta salad with roasted fall vegetables

Brisket: Asian inspired rub

And for the standard menu:

Appetizers

-bbq chicken on sweet potato biscuits

-Bison teriyaki jerky twizzlers

-Bruschetta: tomato, rosemary, balsamic

-Cheese board: one cheese with fruit and crackers

Meal

Spring green salad: homemade croutons, parma, cherry tomatoes, etc.

Potato Salad: Swedish style (dill & sour cream)

Pinto Beans: vegetarian, need flavoring idea

Brisket: standard rub

[gfron1]

Since my last week is going to fly by I also spent the day calling the food distributors in the area. We have Sysco (who I've lambasted for years, but they have Niman Ranch), Ben E. Keith, and Zanios (An Albuquerque company). Chef is currently using Zanios.

One little side deal I'm trying to work is that UNFI (a major natural retail foods distributor) has a lot of things I want in my store. They don't deliver down to my town, but they do from Denver to Albuquerque. If I can get a company that will allow me to have UNFI ship to them in ABQ, then bring it to me on their truck - they will get huge bonus points. Its asking a lot though, so we'll see.

There is no easy distribution for us since we're 3 hours to any major city. But its like a puzzle to me, which I enjoy a lot.

[chezcherie]

just on the off chance you are planning to cut and paste from this for your presentation:

Appetizers

-Spring/salad rolls - not too frilly for the cowboy

-Serrano Asparagus spears

-Bruschetta (Bride's request): pinon, tomato, parma hair

-Cheese board: one cheese with fruit and crackers

parma hair= parma ham, i assume....cuz hair is never appealing on a menu..

[gfron1]

Ha! No, it is hair, but I won't word it that way on the final menu. I'll use my fine microplane grater and do a very fine parma hair topped with a toasted pinon. It won't be gross, I promise

[chezcherie]

Ha!  No, it is hair, but I won't word it that way on the final menu.  I'll use my fine microplane grater and do a very fine parma hair topped with a toasted pinon.  It won't be gross, I promise 

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ahhh, so it's parmesan, not parma. yeah...i'd def lose the hair reference. cloud, maybe? good luck with your proposal!

[RAHiggins1]

Ha!  No, it is hair, but I won't word it that way on the final menu.  I'll use my fine microplane grater and do a very fine parma hair topped with a toasted pinon.  It won't be gross, I promise 

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ahhh, so it's parmesan, not parma. yeah...i'd def lose the hair reference. cloud, maybe? good luck with your proposal!

←

"Nest"

[gfron1]

Nest...right, that's what it is.

So on the cafe front, today as I've shared with friends that I'm taking over, I've heard three times that people are dissatisfied with the cafe because of small portions. I knew this might be a problem. They even named a sandwich after me because I always needed two sandwiches to fill myself. But now that its my cafe, this is a problem. I've been thinking of filler foods - homemade crackers or such. It'll have to be something fun and quality. Sorry to have so many issues going at once, but isn't that life in the biz?!

And, I met with a Sysco rep. It was odd since I've spent years saying how terrible Sysco is. My first opinion is that their inventory is much more diverse than my naysaying gives them credit for. I've asked for prices and they will be in the running.