A New Place

4LittlePigs · Posted: Mar 29 2011 Post subject:

Ed I was wondering about a couple things. What's the two tone fries? What size side of slaw is that, 4 oz? Maybe its the angle but it looks tiny. Dawg looks good!
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Sam Diggity's BBQ
MEAT, FIRE, GOOD!!!!!
Home of "Sam Diggity's Ribs & Sauce"

Shotgun Petes · Posted: Mar 29 2011 Post subject:

I'm betting that small cup of slaw by that hotdog is intended as a topping for the dog rather than an actual side dish.
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Reverse flow smoker made by my dad "Shotgun Pete" Peters over 30 years ago!

"If you can't BBQ with the Big Dogs, back away from the Pit!"

SHOTGUN PETE'S BBQ SHACK
28 N Ninth St
COLUMBIA, MO
(Downtown across from The Blue Note)

4LittlePigs · Posted: Mar 29 2011 Post subject:

ecocks · Posted: Mar 29 2011 Post subject:

We put a 2 oz. PC cup of slaw with both of them as toppings for the sandwich, same with the jalapenos. My side portion is about 4.25 oz served in 5.5 oz cups.

I use a Sweet Potato Peppercorn fry as my seasoned/spicy french fry offering. We also let customers combine them and order "mixed".

4LittlePigs · Posted: Mar 30 2011 Post subject:

Thanks Ed. It does look good. I have been doing some market comparison and I am switching to a 4 oz cup. Everywhere and everyplace I have tried uses 4 oz cups for sides and don't even fill them at that!
_________________
Sam Diggity's BBQ
MEAT, FIRE, GOOD!!!!!
Home of "Sam Diggity's Ribs & Sauce"

ecocks · Posted: Mar 30 2011 Post subject:

I like the 5.5 since it gives room to snap the lid on during holding and we just use the same one for Here and To-Go orders.

ecocks · Posted: Mar 30 2011 Post subject:

Other matters.....

The freezer problem is becoming a moot issue. The suggestion/reminder that Harry posted about being able to rotate the fries through the cooler in a speedy manner relieved the strain considerably.

That (to me) is a good example of how trading information on these forums can strengthen the industry.

browe · Posted: Mar 30 2011 Post subject:

First time reading this thread. You have a lot of room to grow in that kitchen. I'm now 18 months old and just yesterday finished reconfiguring my kitchen so my two OHP's are thru the wall. I wish I could have the hood system you do but my kitchen was previously a deli so not much room.

What is your avg check?
How many customers are you serving per week?

In regards to the 6 month issue, we didn't really see it until last summer hit which was about month 9 for us. I think it just depends where you are.

ecocks · Posted: Mar 30 2011 Post subject:

Avg ticket (NOT meal or customer) is just under $24. I'm not keeping customer counts per se but by looking at beverages and side orders (fries) we seem to have done about 1250-1300 customers last week. That equated to about 110 slabs of ribs, 40 Butts, 25 Briskets, 34 Chickens, 30 Salmon fillets, 16 cases of fries, 11 Bourbon-Chocolate-Pecan Pies and 2 Sara Lee Red Velvet Cakes.

browe · Posted: Mar 30 2011 Post subject:

ecocks · Posted: Mar 30 2011 Post subject:

My POS gives me product mix but short of putting a manual customer count button all financial info is ticket-based rather than individual customer. We get 2-3 children who split sliders and side orders as well as families of five who do three meat combos and an Appetizer Sampler split with extra plates.

Of course, there was the gal who bought 7.5 lbs. of pork yesterday as well. Should I count her as 25 people or 1? She was going to the grocery store for her buns.

The best estimate I have on people is to look at beverage and fry counts then mentally factor those who only drink water or don't order fries with their meals. This seems to work close enough for now.

ecocks · Posted: Mar 30 2011 Post subject:

Good News and Bad News

Good News

We seem to have gotten the close process down well enough that we are out of here within an hour and 15 minutes most every evening now. Occasionally 45 minutes or so. That has done wonders for morale and sleep although I notice a corner or two is getting cut more often and am putting in checklists and sign-offs to increase responsibility and accountability.

Bad News

While I got almost 8 hours of sleep last night by jumping straight into bed when I got home, I spent the whole night dreaming of working a shift. I know many people report this stress sign as work phases from that euphoric to routine stage. Sigh, Big Dawg's, Pork Plates, Ribs, fries down, how many beans we got left....? The reality of turning an enjoyable hobby into a business.

rubbbq · Posted: Mar 31 2011 Post subject: ....but it gets better

In the beginning, I loved every minute I spent at the restaurant. I loved each customer's reaction to the meal, and I loved to tell my story. I also remember when I couldn't (in sane mind) leave because the place wouldn't have survived 15 minutes without me. Then, it slowly became routine and lost a bit of the luster. I totally get what you're sayin'.

I did a few off-site events and saw that I enjoyed the time away from the restaurant. It felt good to know I trained my staff well, and I saw that I could have this great business without it consuming my life. Now, I spend 11am-4pm at home (after I prep 9am-11am) during the week and I head back in for the mad rush of dinner. My marathon days are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - and then Monday is a day of rest.

You'll find the balance, and the joy continues - just in different ways.

keep up the good work
Very Happy

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Love what I'm doing, doing what I love

Spinman · Joined: 19 Feb 2011 Posts: 4

Re: Smoke Complaint

The complaint came from a gal who also insists that the fumes from Fantatstic Sam's permanents and the Nail Shop acetones and lacquers prevent her from working properly, causing headaches, tearing, etc.

I told the landlord to document anyone else who has a legitimate complaint and then to sit just inside my door watching the people who come in. smell and smile. I get dozens of comments on the wonderful smell everyday from customers and my other co-tenants have assured me there is no issue.

With regard to the stack, my flue is already 6-7 feet below the roof line and off the back of the building so raising it any significant height above that would have an effect on the draw and I'm not engineering a unit for one insane person's complaint.[/quote]

This a great thread and cannot imagine all of the work that goes into starting and operating a restaurant.

Regarding smoke and smell complaints, one man's aroma is another's odor. In every one of our leases (we're landlords), we have odor clauses to insure that every tenant in the building can operate without being forced to smell another business's aromas/smells/odors. Just as a restaurant doesn't want to smell the products from a nail or hair salon, the salon may not want to smell bbq all day (I don't understand that, though).

We put the responsibility on the tenant, and have it documented in the lease, to make sure that odors do not permeate the walls and into adjacent spaces. This can be typically handled with minimal effort and expense if done properly.

However, many times businesses leave either front or back doors open for extended periods that allow smells to come into their space. This isn't the odor-causing tenant's responisibility, but the business that has chosen to leave their door open.

I fully understand that businesses - whether they are restaurants, salons, paint stores, etc. - create odors. It's the landlord's and tenant's jobs to make sure that these aromas are properly dealt with so every business in the building/shopping center can operate without being inconvenienced.

ecocks · Posted: Apr 01 2011 Post subject:

I somewhat understand that people are entitled to work in safe, friendly environments. However, there is a point where defining it becomes absurd. The woman is right next door to a nail salon and there's a hair salon between the two of us as well. Frankly, since they didn't do anything about her complaints, neither am I.

The landlord is going to have to think seriously about the reasonableness of this situation and that tenant in particular. She apparently doesn't like anyone. I'm a draw for the shopping center, pulling 80-100+ more cars into the parking lot each day even at this early stage. The insurance company has three administrative employees and is hardly a retail center asset. The rest of my neighbors are happy to have a restaurant in the building and the one gal I found who says she has serious allergies also said it's no big deal, she just takes anti-histamines anyway.

BBQMAN · Posted: Apr 03 2011 Post subject:

Thanks for the updates and the share Ed! Very Happy

I looked into a free standing lease on a busy corner.

Good rate, perfect sized joint etc.

Was a donut shop for years, then BBQ (that sucked REALLY bad).

I didn't want the association with the past business for obvious reasons.

The owner would not lease it to me as a BBQ joint citing smoke complaints from the neighbors- and this was for a stand alone place in commercial area!

Everything happens for a reason, it may have been best off I didn't get this place.

Good food for thought though!
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BBQMAN
"I Turned A Hobby Into A Business".
Providing "IMHO" Since 2005.

ecocks · Posted: Apr 04 2011 Post subject:

Hard to say how much a previous place's history affects the new joint but I can see that a "bad" BBQ joint being followed by a "good" one would have a bit tougher battle than an ice cream shop would have.

[Note: Don't remember if I am repeating myself, forgive me if so.) This was a specialty pizza place (sourdough) owned by a husband & wife. Like many of them the husband has a good, full-time job. The wife ran this one and another unit as her job. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer about 3 years ago and they closed a year and 2 mos. ago after the chemo didn't go well enough. She passed away on Christmas Eve of 2010. Their other location is for sale now.

Since there is already a Domino's and a Pizza Hut on the intersection corners most locals are happy that there is something new here besides pizza. I live about 2 miles straight down the same street the restaurant is on, always less than 5 minutes to get here from the house. The area sorely needed a sit-down, casual place and I think a diner would have done well here also.

I had looked at a former Dickey's location which still had all the equipment (including the OHP smoker) but the landlord was living on another planet when it came time to discuss rent (like $25/sf). Another location is/was in a mall that is frozen in time. It was completed two years ago and is sitting with 41 empty retail bays (out of 45). It was just as well that it didn't work out because that place still sits, brand-new and unoccupied 5 months after I would have been in there.

Harry Nutczak · Posted: Apr 04 2011 Post subject:

ecocks · Posted: Apr 04 2011 Post subject:

Oddly, they have a Penny's, Macy's, Sports Authority and 12-screen Edward's Cinema for anchors. and 41 empty retail bays spaced between them. The rented facilities are a nail salon, bakery/coffeehouse, children's daycare, a Pier 1 knockoff store and a place selling Wings and Beer. There are rarely more customers than employees at the Penny's or Macy's and never more at the Sports Authority. The Cinema pulls well but no food places there except the place called WingNutz.

ecocks · Posted: Apr 06 2011 Post subject:

For those interested in numbers.....

First Month's Gross Sales figure: $33,679.96

Percentage of Cash/Credit Card Sales: 30/70% (approximately)

Percentage of Visa Cards used vs. all others: 80% (apprx.)

Number of Employees (including working family members): 8

Number of Tickets: 1,783

Percentage of Customers Lunch/Dinner: 50/50

Number of Customers carrying sidearms openly: 17

Number of Customers displaying Concealed Weapons Licenses: 4

Number of Police, Fire and Ambulance Personnel: 53

Average Hours Husband-Wife Owners sleep each night: 6 (rising)

Normal Time We Go to Work Now: 7:15AM

Normal Time We Get Home Now: 10:30PM

Number of Days Off for Husband-Wife Owners to date: 0