Location will be a crucial factor for Linea's success. The restaurant will thrive if it is centrally located in the right neighborhood, with good visibility on a busy street with plenty of foot traffic.
Two main factors determine rent for a restaurant: location and square footage. I am more than willing to compromise on square footage by using every inch of storage space possible, floor to ceiling. It's always wise for a new business to keep physical inventory to a minimum and keep the assets liquid, so I will not order goods in bulk. During my time in the shoebox kitchen of The Haven, I learned how to utilize very limited storage space by keeping it organized and uncluttered.
A line out the door is excellent free advertisement, and the better the location is, the longer the line will be. And for that reason, location is not something I can afford to compromise.
My weighted factors when looking for a space for Linea will be:
Location 40%
Rent/Lease 15%
Buildout Cost 10%
Parking 10%
Square Footage/Layout 10%
Landlords 10%
Existing Equipment 5%
(If I am forgetting something, or if you think something should be weighted differently for Linea's concept, please comment and let me know).
If any of you readers happen to see a vacant restaurant space in a good location, or hear of a spot for sale, please let me know! Especially in JP or Somerville.
-Chef Wax
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Inspiration Meal: Rod Dee Thai
It's 5pm, I'm a bad mood. I've been walking around the neighborhood for two hours in the snow, searching for a gift for my Lily. I haven't eaten yet all day, so I feel slightly lightheaded with a dull headache. I'm cold, alone, tired, and starving. Thankfully, I arrive at a my favorite hole-in-the-wall Thai joint.
I open the door, and a waft of curry hits my nostrils and awakens me. I stomp the snow off my boots and walk into the tiny store. All the busy eaters stop eating and glance my way. The cold air is sucking the warmth from the tiny space, I realize this a bit late and close the door quickly. Just six tables, none open. The warmth and aromas coming from the kitchen once again fill the room as I stand patiently in line.
As I wait, I peer into the open kitchen. I take comfort that the cooks are older Thai ladies, but don't know why I care. I suppose my soul needs more than nourishment today - I could use a well-cooked meal that a mother would make for her kids. Something simple, tasty, no fuss.
Finally, it's my turn to order. "Large roast duck with yellow curry, brown rice." $9.50, and just as I pay, a table gets up to leave. It's right next to where the door opens, but I don't care. My legs are aching. I take my jacket off and sit. The door opens, another customer. A gust of cold winter air hits my face. I put my jacket back on, squeeze the drawstring on my hood, and snuggle into my seat.
The food is ready in just a few minutes. The cashier brings it out to me and doesn't say a word. A giant plate, with lots of roast duck and a colorful array of vegetables - green peppers, orange carrots, yellow pineapple, white onions, red chilis. At first glance, I think to myself there is no way I will be able to finish it. Then I remember how hungry I am, and dig in.
The spice from the curry warms me up, the sweet from the pineapple gives me a zing. I savor every piece of fatty duck, the vegetables make me feel good about myself. Gradually, my mood changes. Cold becomes warm, hunger is satiated. My feet ache less, a dull headache fades. I glance around the tables, see others enjoying their meals. I eat alone, but I don't feel lonely. Suddenly I realize the plate is done, licked clean.
I exit just 20 minutes after I had arrived, satiated, happy. The cold air feels pleasant now. I double back to the jewelery store I visited earlier and splurge on some nice earrings for my Lily. She loves them.
This meal felt better than any other meal in recent memory. It was simple, affordable, nourishing, and delicious. Exactly what I hope to provide myself someday at a place of my own.
http://www.roddee.net/
I open the door, and a waft of curry hits my nostrils and awakens me. I stomp the snow off my boots and walk into the tiny store. All the busy eaters stop eating and glance my way. The cold air is sucking the warmth from the tiny space, I realize this a bit late and close the door quickly. Just six tables, none open. The warmth and aromas coming from the kitchen once again fill the room as I stand patiently in line.
As I wait, I peer into the open kitchen. I take comfort that the cooks are older Thai ladies, but don't know why I care. I suppose my soul needs more than nourishment today - I could use a well-cooked meal that a mother would make for her kids. Something simple, tasty, no fuss.
Finally, it's my turn to order. "Large roast duck with yellow curry, brown rice." $9.50, and just as I pay, a table gets up to leave. It's right next to where the door opens, but I don't care. My legs are aching. I take my jacket off and sit. The door opens, another customer. A gust of cold winter air hits my face. I put my jacket back on, squeeze the drawstring on my hood, and snuggle into my seat.
The food is ready in just a few minutes. The cashier brings it out to me and doesn't say a word. A giant plate, with lots of roast duck and a colorful array of vegetables - green peppers, orange carrots, yellow pineapple, white onions, red chilis. At first glance, I think to myself there is no way I will be able to finish it. Then I remember how hungry I am, and dig in.
The spice from the curry warms me up, the sweet from the pineapple gives me a zing. I savor every piece of fatty duck, the vegetables make me feel good about myself. Gradually, my mood changes. Cold becomes warm, hunger is satiated. My feet ache less, a dull headache fades. I glance around the tables, see others enjoying their meals. I eat alone, but I don't feel lonely. Suddenly I realize the plate is done, licked clean.
I exit just 20 minutes after I had arrived, satiated, happy. The cold air feels pleasant now. I double back to the jewelery store I visited earlier and splurge on some nice earrings for my Lily. She loves them.
This meal felt better than any other meal in recent memory. It was simple, affordable, nourishing, and delicious. Exactly what I hope to provide myself someday at a place of my own.
http://www.roddee.net/
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sample Fall Menu
Here is a sample chalkboard menu for the fall at Linea.
The menu will change frequently, so we will not be printing menus/wasting paper. Instead, the menu will be hand-written on big chalkboards on the walls, accompanied with ever-changing chalk art by local artists, based on the ingredients, the season, and the menu. For those who cannot read from afar, we will paint some cheap cutting boards with blackboard paint, and we will have a couple of small chalk menus available tableside.
No prices as of yet. I am hoping to keep all the antipasti items under $10, the half-sized pastas under $12, entree-sized pastas under $20, and entrees under $22.
-Chef Wax
The menu will change frequently, so we will not be printing menus/wasting paper. Instead, the menu will be hand-written on big chalkboards on the walls, accompanied with ever-changing chalk art by local artists, based on the ingredients, the season, and the menu. For those who cannot read from afar, we will paint some cheap cutting boards with blackboard paint, and we will have a couple of small chalk menus available tableside.
No prices as of yet. I am hoping to keep all the antipasti items under $10, the half-sized pastas under $12, entree-sized pastas under $20, and entrees under $22.
-Chef Wax
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Inspiration: Primo
Halfway up the coast of Maine, tucked into the little sailer's town of Rockland, is a wonderful restaurant called Primo. At the beginning of our year-long, cross-country road trip, Lily and I had the pleasure of spending two weeks at Primo. I staged in the kitchen, she helped in the gardens. Our time at Primo was a game-changing restaurant experience for us.
Primo has a small two acre farm where they grow their own herbs, flowers, and vegetables. Each season they raise their own pigs in a pig pen, and they have 100 chickens laying eggs for them every morning. Before the start of the season, Chef Melissa Kelly coordinates with the Head Farmer in planning when and which crops are planted from spring to fall. As the seasons change, dishes come and go as certain crops are harvested, the menu is dictated by the garden.
Anything left on a plate that is not eaten by customers is composted, and any food byproducts produced by the kitchen is fed to the pigs. The term "food waste" is not applicable at Primo because there, food simply is not wasted. Whereas most restaurants throw a lot of food away (some compost), Primo considers uneaten food byproduct a valuable resource. The pigs get fattened on vegetable scraps, used stock bones/meat, they even love lobster shells! At the end of the season in the fall, the pigs are sent away to be slaughtered, and are returned to Primo. Then they have a big pig dinner, and they cure a lot of pork over the winter months. The next season they are able to serve some delicious house cured meats to their customers from the previous season's pigs.
Due to the importance of urban location for Linea's concept, we will not be able to have a garden, let alone raise our own pigs. However, there are many farmers markets in urban areas. We will not be able to have our own chicken coup, but there are plenty of local farms that produce delicious farm eggs. Linea will not have written menus, only chalkboard menus that we can change easily. I will shop at local farmers markets every morning, and Linea's menu will change frequently based on what is good and cheap. We will compost as well - I hope to set up an arrangement with a local farm where we can send our compost. Use everything, waste nothing.
http://primorestaurant.com/
http://www.massfarmersmarkets.org/
Also, read more about Primo on my old road trip blog, linked under "Further Reading" --------------------------->>>
Primo has a small two acre farm where they grow their own herbs, flowers, and vegetables. Each season they raise their own pigs in a pig pen, and they have 100 chickens laying eggs for them every morning. Before the start of the season, Chef Melissa Kelly coordinates with the Head Farmer in planning when and which crops are planted from spring to fall. As the seasons change, dishes come and go as certain crops are harvested, the menu is dictated by the garden.
Anything left on a plate that is not eaten by customers is composted, and any food byproducts produced by the kitchen is fed to the pigs. The term "food waste" is not applicable at Primo because there, food simply is not wasted. Whereas most restaurants throw a lot of food away (some compost), Primo considers uneaten food byproduct a valuable resource. The pigs get fattened on vegetable scraps, used stock bones/meat, they even love lobster shells! At the end of the season in the fall, the pigs are sent away to be slaughtered, and are returned to Primo. Then they have a big pig dinner, and they cure a lot of pork over the winter months. The next season they are able to serve some delicious house cured meats to their customers from the previous season's pigs.
Due to the importance of urban location for Linea's concept, we will not be able to have a garden, let alone raise our own pigs. However, there are many farmers markets in urban areas. We will not be able to have our own chicken coup, but there are plenty of local farms that produce delicious farm eggs. Linea will not have written menus, only chalkboard menus that we can change easily. I will shop at local farmers markets every morning, and Linea's menu will change frequently based on what is good and cheap. We will compost as well - I hope to set up an arrangement with a local farm where we can send our compost. Use everything, waste nothing.
http://primorestaurant.com/
http://www.massfarmersmarkets.org/
Also, read more about Primo on my old road trip blog, linked under "Further Reading" --------------------------->>>
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Inspiration: Kenny Shopsin
Kenny Shopsin doesn't like press, or attention. I apologize, but I am going to write about you anyways. It's not like that many people read my blog. I have not met Mr. Shopsin in person, nor have I eaten at his restaurant, Shopsin's in Greenwich Village.
I started hearing and reading about about Kenny Shopsin a few years ago. I remember rumors of a 900 item menu, and a long list of rules for his patrons. There were stories of him kicking people of out of Shopsin's a la Soup Nazi. I didn't hear or read anything about Shopsin's over the past year or so, until one day, gleaming like a beacon on top of a bookcase in a used bookstore, I found Kenny's cookbook, Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin.
They say you should never judge a book by it's cover, but Eat Me has the best cover of any cookbook, ever. You know when a lady greets you with a big smile and you know you are going to like her? That's the impression I got with the cover, and the impression was right. Only $12 used, "cha-ching" went the register and I was out the door with a big smile.
As I read Kenny's eloquent words about the love for his kids, for his patrons, for cooking, for control, and for his abhorrence of bullshit, I felt like a kindred spirit was talking to me. The way he interweaves the subjects of cooking, family, and sex is impressive. I hope I get to story-tell like he does someday.
What made the most impression on me from Eat Me is how Kenny controls his customer base. Shopsin's is a small diner in a big market, and Kenny is particular about who he wants to cook for. For Kenny, Shopsin's is not just a place to work, to make a buck, it's practically a home for him and his family, and he doesn't like assholes in his home. He wants conversations with his customers, he wants connections. Kenny wants to have a give-and-take relationship with each person who walks in the door at Shopsins. He wants to cook delicious food for everyone there, and he does not think payment is enough of a return on his investment. He wants feedback, appreciation, conversation, and loyalty. Anyone who is not up for conversation, who has a bad attitude, who shows the slightest risk of being bad customers, are shown out the door before ordering. He has an excellent base of regulars who support Shopsin's, and thus support him and his family. Shopsin's doesn't turn a huge profit, but Kenny and his wife Eve have raised five kids on the grocery store-turned-diner despite a few re-locations.
How does this apply to Linea? I will specifically look for a small restaurant space, centrally located in a big neighborhood. We will have excellent food at affordable prices, with amicable service and lively ambiance. If we are a small restaurant in a big market with a line out the door, I will not be hesitant to kick anyone out who comes in with an attitude, with an overblown sense of entitlement, or who behaves inappropriately. Linea will have the opportunity to cook for the people whom cooks enjoy cooking for - genuinely good, fun people who appreciate our craft. And I will leave the asshole customers out of the equation, for the other restaurants to deal with.
http://www.shopsins.com/
I started hearing and reading about about Kenny Shopsin a few years ago. I remember rumors of a 900 item menu, and a long list of rules for his patrons. There were stories of him kicking people of out of Shopsin's a la Soup Nazi. I didn't hear or read anything about Shopsin's over the past year or so, until one day, gleaming like a beacon on top of a bookcase in a used bookstore, I found Kenny's cookbook, Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin.
They say you should never judge a book by it's cover, but Eat Me has the best cover of any cookbook, ever. You know when a lady greets you with a big smile and you know you are going to like her? That's the impression I got with the cover, and the impression was right. Only $12 used, "cha-ching" went the register and I was out the door with a big smile.
As I read Kenny's eloquent words about the love for his kids, for his patrons, for cooking, for control, and for his abhorrence of bullshit, I felt like a kindred spirit was talking to me. The way he interweaves the subjects of cooking, family, and sex is impressive. I hope I get to story-tell like he does someday.
What made the most impression on me from Eat Me is how Kenny controls his customer base. Shopsin's is a small diner in a big market, and Kenny is particular about who he wants to cook for. For Kenny, Shopsin's is not just a place to work, to make a buck, it's practically a home for him and his family, and he doesn't like assholes in his home. He wants conversations with his customers, he wants connections. Kenny wants to have a give-and-take relationship with each person who walks in the door at Shopsins. He wants to cook delicious food for everyone there, and he does not think payment is enough of a return on his investment. He wants feedback, appreciation, conversation, and loyalty. Anyone who is not up for conversation, who has a bad attitude, who shows the slightest risk of being bad customers, are shown out the door before ordering. He has an excellent base of regulars who support Shopsin's, and thus support him and his family. Shopsin's doesn't turn a huge profit, but Kenny and his wife Eve have raised five kids on the grocery store-turned-diner despite a few re-locations.
How does this apply to Linea? I will specifically look for a small restaurant space, centrally located in a big neighborhood. We will have excellent food at affordable prices, with amicable service and lively ambiance. If we are a small restaurant in a big market with a line out the door, I will not be hesitant to kick anyone out who comes in with an attitude, with an overblown sense of entitlement, or who behaves inappropriately. Linea will have the opportunity to cook for the people whom cooks enjoy cooking for - genuinely good, fun people who appreciate our craft. And I will leave the asshole customers out of the equation, for the other restaurants to deal with.
http://www.shopsins.com/
Monday, November 21, 2011
Inspiration: Intro
OK, folks. It's time to crack my head open and share with you readers where my ideas come from. In the next couple of weeks I will be writing a series of blog posts explaining some of my biggest professional inspirations, whether it be from reading, working, eating, or travel. I will explain how these inspirations will manifest themselves in the design, structure, and daily operation of Linea.
Here is a preview of posts to come, the list may grow:
Authors/Writers:
Danny Meyer: NYC restaurateur, author of Setting the Table: The Power of Hospitality in Restaurants, Business, and Life
David Chang: Chef/Owner of Momofuku restaurants and author of The Momofuku Cookbook
Kenny Shopsin: Cook/Owner of Shopsins and author of Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin
Restaurants I've worked/staged at:
Le Pigeon in Portland, Oregon
Primo in Rockland, Maine
La Morra in Brookline, MA
Ten Tables in Jamaica Plain, MA
The Haven in Jamaica Plain, MA
Meals I've Eaten:
Craft, NYC
Per Se, NYC
Rod Dee, Brookline
Niche, St. Louis
Travel (with Lily):
Our one year road trip
Our trip to Spain
Our eventual trip to Italy
Damn. After writing this list, why the hell am I in Boston and not New York? OK, I will admit NY is too big and intimidating for me, but why aren't there risk takers, trend-setters, and interesting characters like Meyer, Chang, and Shopsin in Boston?
Here is a preview of posts to come, the list may grow:
Authors/Writers:
Danny Meyer: NYC restaurateur, author of Setting the Table: The Power of Hospitality in Restaurants, Business, and Life
David Chang: Chef/Owner of Momofuku restaurants and author of The Momofuku Cookbook
Kenny Shopsin: Cook/Owner of Shopsins and author of Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin
Restaurants I've worked/staged at:
Le Pigeon in Portland, Oregon
Primo in Rockland, Maine
La Morra in Brookline, MA
Ten Tables in Jamaica Plain, MA
The Haven in Jamaica Plain, MA
Meals I've Eaten:
Craft, NYC
Per Se, NYC
Rod Dee, Brookline
Niche, St. Louis
Travel (with Lily):
Our one year road trip
Our trip to Spain
Our eventual trip to Italy
Damn. After writing this list, why the hell am I in Boston and not New York? OK, I will admit NY is too big and intimidating for me, but why aren't there risk takers, trend-setters, and interesting characters like Meyer, Chang, and Shopsin in Boston?
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Waiter - Check Please!
As many of you may know, I took a job at a the Jody Adams restaurant downtown, Trade. I get the opportunity to learn and earn at what I believe will be one of the most exciting restaurants to open in Boston this year.
Some of you might ask, "Why are you taking a job as a server?" There are a handful of answers to that question, which I am happy to explain:
1) As a future Chef-Owner of a restaurant in which all employees will be both servers and cooks ("waitcookers" if you will), it is important that I am knowledgeable of what it takes to provide excellent service. The only experience I have as a server is at a cafe/pizza place before culinary school, and I want to be a well-rounded owner.
2) I can earn more money per hour downtown than I can as a Chef in JP, work less hours, and spend more time working on plans for my own place. I will also not be a manager of any kind, so I will not have the level of attachment to the restaurant that consumes my mental capacity. I will still have mental energy and enough extra time on my hands to concentrate on Linea.
3) I can learn a lot from Chef Jody, G.M. Sean, and the rest of the management team. Rialto is a highly successful restaurant that has been open for almost 20 years, so obviously they are doing something right.
4) I will be learning how to interact with customers. I want Linea to be very interactive, with a wide open kitchen, and plenty of intermingling between the neighborhood regulars and the cross-trained "waitcookers". I am learning how and when to approach a table, how to read a table, and how to interact with them in a way that is charming and helpful.
5) I get to be involved in the opening of another restaurant. I am not quite as involved as I was at The Haven, where I designed my own kitchen and was the Owner's right hand man. Just like I did at The Haven, at Trade I am taking notes on what to do, and occasionally, what not to do. Like any restaurant there have been kinks to work through, and there will be more ahead; but so far everyone has been keeping their cool and concentrating on solutions.
This blog will concentrate on Linea and its development. But meanwhile, my employment at Trade is an important step that I should write about. It is currently the focus in my professional life, since we are not yet open and I am still learning the flow. So occasionally, I will be posting about my experiences at Trade. I will not be writing anonymously like WaiterRant (excellent, funny blog), but I will not say anything negative.
It looks like Trade will be an amazing restaurant, so come and visit soon!
-Waiter Wax
Some of you might ask, "Why are you taking a job as a server?" There are a handful of answers to that question, which I am happy to explain:
1) As a future Chef-Owner of a restaurant in which all employees will be both servers and cooks ("waitcookers" if you will), it is important that I am knowledgeable of what it takes to provide excellent service. The only experience I have as a server is at a cafe/pizza place before culinary school, and I want to be a well-rounded owner.
2) I can earn more money per hour downtown than I can as a Chef in JP, work less hours, and spend more time working on plans for my own place. I will also not be a manager of any kind, so I will not have the level of attachment to the restaurant that consumes my mental capacity. I will still have mental energy and enough extra time on my hands to concentrate on Linea.
3) I can learn a lot from Chef Jody, G.M. Sean, and the rest of the management team. Rialto is a highly successful restaurant that has been open for almost 20 years, so obviously they are doing something right.
4) I will be learning how to interact with customers. I want Linea to be very interactive, with a wide open kitchen, and plenty of intermingling between the neighborhood regulars and the cross-trained "waitcookers". I am learning how and when to approach a table, how to read a table, and how to interact with them in a way that is charming and helpful.
5) I get to be involved in the opening of another restaurant. I am not quite as involved as I was at The Haven, where I designed my own kitchen and was the Owner's right hand man. Just like I did at The Haven, at Trade I am taking notes on what to do, and occasionally, what not to do. Like any restaurant there have been kinks to work through, and there will be more ahead; but so far everyone has been keeping their cool and concentrating on solutions.
This blog will concentrate on Linea and its development. But meanwhile, my employment at Trade is an important step that I should write about. It is currently the focus in my professional life, since we are not yet open and I am still learning the flow. So occasionally, I will be posting about my experiences at Trade. I will not be writing anonymously like WaiterRant (excellent, funny blog), but I will not say anything negative.
It looks like Trade will be an amazing restaurant, so come and visit soon!
-Waiter Wax
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Cook and Chef
Morning. A cook comes to listen, organize, and prepare.
The cook will wash, chop, taste, sweat, sear, boil, simmer, and taste. The cook will butcher, season, grind, stuff, roast, braise, taste, cool, and store.
Night. Again the cook will listen, organize, and prepare.
The cook will set up, smoke, warm, taste, listen, and call back. The cook will saute, grill, fry, hustle, sweat, season, taste, toss, plate, clean, and help.
Late. Finally the cook will store, clean, and rest.
Morning. A chef will listen, organize, and prepare.
The chef will explain, instruct, demonstrate, educate, check, taste, double-check, help, and coach. The chef must reflect, project, schedule, cost, research, plan, discipline, document, and communicate.
Night. Again a chef will listen, organize, and prepare.
And again the chef will explain, instruct, demonstrate, educate, check, taste, double-check, help, and coach.
Late. The chef will reflect, organize, list, order, and encourage.
The chef is a cook.
The cook will wash, chop, taste, sweat, sear, boil, simmer, and taste. The cook will butcher, season, grind, stuff, roast, braise, taste, cool, and store.
Night. Again the cook will listen, organize, and prepare.
The cook will set up, smoke, warm, taste, listen, and call back. The cook will saute, grill, fry, hustle, sweat, season, taste, toss, plate, clean, and help.
Late. Finally the cook will store, clean, and rest.
Morning. A chef will listen, organize, and prepare.
The chef will explain, instruct, demonstrate, educate, check, taste, double-check, help, and coach. The chef must reflect, project, schedule, cost, research, plan, discipline, document, and communicate.
Night. Again a chef will listen, organize, and prepare.
And again the chef will explain, instruct, demonstrate, educate, check, taste, double-check, help, and coach.
Late. The chef will reflect, organize, list, order, and encourage.
The chef is a cook.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
The Control Freak In Me (Part 1)
I admit it: I've got a little control freak in me. Most chefs do. My control freak's name is Bill.
Bill works me hard - he cracks the whip when he needs to. For the first three months as Chef at The Haven, I worked six long days each week. Bill told me I should work all seven days to make sure everything was perfect, but I ignored him. After working six 12-14 hour days with no breaks, I needed to rest on the 7th day. Physically, that 7th day was crucial recuperation. Mentally, it was wasn't enough. Each day off, while I sat on my couch, completely wiped, Bill would constantly ask me, "Are my customers getting great food in my absence?" I did not yet have confidence in my staff to uphold my standards and instructions in my absence, and Bill agreed. I would get texts and phone calls from the cooks on my day off, pestering me with questions. I would never get the mental rest I needed, and it just drained me more and more each week.
I grew tired, but I learned to listen to Bill, to embrace him, and to reason with him. If Bill had it his way, The Haven would be closed when I had a day off. But this was one decision (of many decisions) that was not his to make - he didn't own the place - and I told him as much. "Well," Bill responds, "then you're just going to have to own your own place, so we can make all the decisions ourselves." I agree. "That way, if we want to be closed one or two days a week we can do that!" I caution in reply, "Sure, but slow down Bill - we can only do that if it makes sense financially."
TO BE CONTINUED
P.S. I do not have a multiple personality disorder, I just want my writing to be entertaining to read...
Bill works me hard - he cracks the whip when he needs to. For the first three months as Chef at The Haven, I worked six long days each week. Bill told me I should work all seven days to make sure everything was perfect, but I ignored him. After working six 12-14 hour days with no breaks, I needed to rest on the 7th day. Physically, that 7th day was crucial recuperation. Mentally, it was wasn't enough. Each day off, while I sat on my couch, completely wiped, Bill would constantly ask me, "Are my customers getting great food in my absence?" I did not yet have confidence in my staff to uphold my standards and instructions in my absence, and Bill agreed. I would get texts and phone calls from the cooks on my day off, pestering me with questions. I would never get the mental rest I needed, and it just drained me more and more each week.
I grew tired, but I learned to listen to Bill, to embrace him, and to reason with him. If Bill had it his way, The Haven would be closed when I had a day off. But this was one decision (of many decisions) that was not his to make - he didn't own the place - and I told him as much. "Well," Bill responds, "then you're just going to have to own your own place, so we can make all the decisions ourselves." I agree. "That way, if we want to be closed one or two days a week we can do that!" I caution in reply, "Sure, but slow down Bill - we can only do that if it makes sense financially."
TO BE CONTINUED
P.S. I do not have a multiple personality disorder, I just want my writing to be entertaining to read...
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Social Media and the Small Restaurant
Okay, let's just say I'm behind on the times. I've been so busy honing my craft in the kitchen over the past eight years that I just haven't paid due attention to the social media explosion. In this age, it is important for a small restaurant owner to use social media regularly and effectively. Websites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can be useful tools for business networking and for free, targeted marketing.
Facebook is where it's at these days, so I recently updated my dormant personal Facebook page and expanded my friends list. Aside from using it for personal use, I can spread word of my blog and ask poll questions to gauge my restaurant ideas.
LinkedIn is a useful tool for networking, and it's a site that I am currently learning how to use. Since I'm opening my first restaurant, I will need a good network of people for advice, tips, and feedback, and LinkedIn will help with that.
Twitter is a good, quick way to spread news fast. Lots of food bloggers use Twitter, and it's always useful to keep them in the loop, especially in the few weeks before the restaurant opens. Also, I can have my tweets also post to both LinkedIn and to Facebook, so if I write a new blog post, I can tweet it to all three sites with one post.
A month before Linea opens, I will create a Facebook page for it. The Linea Facebook page will feed regulars information about upcoming events, promotions, menu changes, and specials. Using a combination of Linea's Facebook page and @ChefWax, I will upload pictures, videos, and do regular status updates and tweets to keep followers in the loop in a manner that is not monotonous or boring, but entertaining. Followers = Regulars, and having a good regular customer base and keeping them well informed and excited will be key to Linea's success.
Hopefully, through blogging and effective use of social media, there will be some buzz about Linea well before the doors are open.
Facebook is where it's at these days, so I recently updated my dormant personal Facebook page and expanded my friends list. Aside from using it for personal use, I can spread word of my blog and ask poll questions to gauge my restaurant ideas.
LinkedIn is a useful tool for networking, and it's a site that I am currently learning how to use. Since I'm opening my first restaurant, I will need a good network of people for advice, tips, and feedback, and LinkedIn will help with that.
Twitter is a good, quick way to spread news fast. Lots of food bloggers use Twitter, and it's always useful to keep them in the loop, especially in the few weeks before the restaurant opens. Also, I can have my tweets also post to both LinkedIn and to Facebook, so if I write a new blog post, I can tweet it to all three sites with one post.
A month before Linea opens, I will create a Facebook page for it. The Linea Facebook page will feed regulars information about upcoming events, promotions, menu changes, and specials. Using a combination of Linea's Facebook page and @ChefWax, I will upload pictures, videos, and do regular status updates and tweets to keep followers in the loop in a manner that is not monotonous or boring, but entertaining. Followers = Regulars, and having a good regular customer base and keeping them well informed and excited will be key to Linea's success.
Hopefully, through blogging and effective use of social media, there will be some buzz about Linea well before the doors are open.
Friday, September 16, 2011
The Plan
Here is my outline of the many tasks and subtasks I must complete before Opening Day at Linea.
There's a lot to do! Please let me know what I am forgetting...
THE PLAN:
There's a lot to do! Please let me know what I am forgetting...
THE PLAN:
- Networking
- Need assistance/advice from other owners and restaurant professionals throughout the process
- LinkedIn - DONE!
- Contact spreadsheet - names, phone #s, emails
- Business Plan (STARTED, ongoing)
- Obtain a good restaurant business plan rubric DONE!
- Contact SCORE, schedule weekly business plan assistance sessions
- Complete all areas of business plan that are not dependent on location
- Do market analysis for each potential location
- Finalize business plan after a location is found (before lease is signed)
- Find/Secure Capital
- Private investors
- Throw dinner parties and invite potential small private investors
- Apply for government stimulus $$ for small businesses (SOON)
- Apply for SBA loan (SOON)
- Apply for bank loan (hopeless?)
- Look at spaces for Linea (start soon)
- Bring spreadsheet and take notes so I can compare physical location, square footage, rent, street visibility, foot traffic, ect.
- Look at leases/meet landlords of spaces with actual potential
- Have the following in place well before doors open (preferably before lease is signed):
- Employee policies
- Employee manual
- New employee package (tax forms, manual, ect.)
- Reservation policy
- Bookkeeping program/process
- Master To Do List
- Job descriptions
- Prepared job posts
- Staff scheduling process, rubric
- Meeting schedule
- Marketing schedule/plan
- Restaurant contact spreadsheet
- Linea Website
- Linea Facebook Page
- Add to this list
- Go to Italy for a month (if not more)
- Sign a Conditional Lease on a space
- Find builder
- Go through licensing process (help! - order of tasks, tricks, advice, ect)
- Secure a conditional beer and wine license from town hall
- Get Linea approval from town's residential bureau
- Get Linea approval from town's business bureau
- Get whatever licenses I need
- Initial visits from Fire, Health, Building inspectors - dictates design
- Design restaurant with builder
- Dining room
- Kitchen
- Bathrooms
- Storage
- Start buildout
- Begin Hiring process
- Have new hires help with buildout
- Get equipment
- Restaurant auctions are fun!
- Train staff
- Inspections
- Get occupancy
- Fire
- Health
- Building
- Initial marketing for opening - local newspaper advertisement, social media blitz
- Three Friends and Family dinners
- First night - 20-30 guests spread out (donations only)
- Second night - Restaurant mostly full, all night (donations only)
- Third night - Full with a line (free food!)
- Close for a day or two, fix issues found in F&F dinners
- OPEN THE DOORS!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
A View of Linea
I thought it would be helpful to share my vision of Linea with the readers.
Linea will be a small, lively, unique 30-40 seat Italian neighborhood restaurant. I am hoping to find a space with plenty of street visibility, foot traffic, and storefront windows in one of the following locations:
Jamaica Plain (Centre Street or Hyde Square)
Somerville (Davis or Union Square)
Brookline (Coolidge Corner or Washington Square)
or Cambridge (Central or Inman Square)
The storefront will be a key to Linea's popularity. Every afternoon, I will make fresh pasta in the storefront windows on top of a long window table. Streetwalkers will see me making pasta from the sidewalk. I will hang the long sheets of pasta to dry right in the windows on long wooden dowels. Those who walk by and appear curious will be invited in - any extra pasta portions leftover from the previous night's dinner will be available for retail sale in a small display case.
We'll want to provide excellent food and service right off the bat. If we do that, the restaurant will make good first impressions with the neighborhood folk, and good reviews will follow. Linea will not take reservations. With a good location, good reviews, and limited seats, there will be a line of customers waiting outside shortly after we open.
The line will serve as a pre-dinner meeting place, where neighborhood folk will have a chance to chat amongst each other while they wait. Occasionally, a server will walk outside and pass little nibbles of delicious complementary finger food to encourage people to stay in line. Linea will have a nice awning to keep people dry in light to moderate rain, and there will be one or two park benches for people to sit down.
In the event of a very rainy night or other bad weather, we will run a "Rainy Day Special" (such as a free soup or 10% off) which we will market live that day on Twitter and Facebook. We will take reservations for the cold winter months (Dec-Mar), as people will not want to risk waiting in line in the cold.
The menu will be simple, highly seasonal, and will change weekly. Everything will be made from scratch in house. I will shop in the mornings at farmers markets and take pictures of all the beautiful stuff I buy. As I come up with new menu items based these ingredients, I will post them (and the pictures) on Twitter and Facebook. Social media will play a key role in marketing for Linea.
The restaurant will have a very open kitchen, and possibly a 6 or 8 seat high-top chef's table right in front of the line. This will promote interaction between the diners and staff, and the whole restaurant will be lively.
There will be no paper menus. The dining room will be painted with blackboard paint, and the food and drink menus will be nicely drawn on the walls in large print. We will hire local artists (or art students) to do chalk art around the weekly menu, the theme being the ingredients used and the season.
The meal will start with warm focaccia with good olive oil, and optionally fresh ricotta or lardo to eat with their bread. The menu will be authentic Italian, not exactly sure which region (if any in particular) quite yet:
Salads, Soup(s), Cured Meats
5 pastas (2 vegetarian)
3 entrees (one meat, one fish, one poultry)
Sides
All dishes will be available in half/whole sized portions (app/entree). Sharing will be encouraged.
The wine selection will also be small (also written on blackboard). We will have exclusively Italian wines, and two wine lists. One list will be customer and staff favorites, which will all available year-round. The second list will be a selection of rotating rare and interesting short-production bottles.
There will be no dessert. At the end of the meal when the check is presented, each diner will get a small plastic bag with a little complementary sweet of some kind (e.g. choc truffle, meringue cookie). Stapled to the bag will be a business card for the restaurant, with promotional information or a coupon for next visit attached.
Instead of conventional dessert, there will be a small gelato counter right inside the door, with interesting flavors of homemade gelato and sorbetto available to go. Diners will see the gelato on the way in (it might be visible from outside too), and will surely want a scoop after dinner on the way out. During the day time, the gelato will be for sale to the general public.
Linea will have a very small, tight-knit, enthusiastic staff. There will be two cooks in the kitchen, two servers in the dining room, and a swing person who will float back and forth. All will all be very knowledgeable about the food, much more than the average restaurant. How?
All the employees will be both cooks and servers. Since the menu will change weekly, the two cooks and two servers will swap weekly as well.
I can go on all day about the little details, but I hope this gives you a sufficient mental picture of what I am trying to create.
-Chef Wax
(End note: I fully realize that I may not be able to open a restaurant with all of the characteristics described above, this is merely what I am aiming and hoping for.)
Next blog post: what I said I would write end the end of last one
Linea will be a small, lively, unique 30-40 seat Italian neighborhood restaurant. I am hoping to find a space with plenty of street visibility, foot traffic, and storefront windows in one of the following locations:
Jamaica Plain (Centre Street or Hyde Square)
Somerville (Davis or Union Square)
Brookline (Coolidge Corner or Washington Square)
or Cambridge (Central or Inman Square)
The storefront will be a key to Linea's popularity. Every afternoon, I will make fresh pasta in the storefront windows on top of a long window table. Streetwalkers will see me making pasta from the sidewalk. I will hang the long sheets of pasta to dry right in the windows on long wooden dowels. Those who walk by and appear curious will be invited in - any extra pasta portions leftover from the previous night's dinner will be available for retail sale in a small display case.
We'll want to provide excellent food and service right off the bat. If we do that, the restaurant will make good first impressions with the neighborhood folk, and good reviews will follow. Linea will not take reservations. With a good location, good reviews, and limited seats, there will be a line of customers waiting outside shortly after we open.
The line will serve as a pre-dinner meeting place, where neighborhood folk will have a chance to chat amongst each other while they wait. Occasionally, a server will walk outside and pass little nibbles of delicious complementary finger food to encourage people to stay in line. Linea will have a nice awning to keep people dry in light to moderate rain, and there will be one or two park benches for people to sit down.
In the event of a very rainy night or other bad weather, we will run a "Rainy Day Special" (such as a free soup or 10% off) which we will market live that day on Twitter and Facebook. We will take reservations for the cold winter months (Dec-Mar), as people will not want to risk waiting in line in the cold.
The menu will be simple, highly seasonal, and will change weekly. Everything will be made from scratch in house. I will shop in the mornings at farmers markets and take pictures of all the beautiful stuff I buy. As I come up with new menu items based these ingredients, I will post them (and the pictures) on Twitter and Facebook. Social media will play a key role in marketing for Linea.
The restaurant will have a very open kitchen, and possibly a 6 or 8 seat high-top chef's table right in front of the line. This will promote interaction between the diners and staff, and the whole restaurant will be lively.
There will be no paper menus. The dining room will be painted with blackboard paint, and the food and drink menus will be nicely drawn on the walls in large print. We will hire local artists (or art students) to do chalk art around the weekly menu, the theme being the ingredients used and the season.
The meal will start with warm focaccia with good olive oil, and optionally fresh ricotta or lardo to eat with their bread. The menu will be authentic Italian, not exactly sure which region (if any in particular) quite yet:
Salads, Soup(s), Cured Meats
5 pastas (2 vegetarian)
3 entrees (one meat, one fish, one poultry)
Sides
All dishes will be available in half/whole sized portions (app/entree). Sharing will be encouraged.
The wine selection will also be small (also written on blackboard). We will have exclusively Italian wines, and two wine lists. One list will be customer and staff favorites, which will all available year-round. The second list will be a selection of rotating rare and interesting short-production bottles.
There will be no dessert. At the end of the meal when the check is presented, each diner will get a small plastic bag with a little complementary sweet of some kind (e.g. choc truffle, meringue cookie). Stapled to the bag will be a business card for the restaurant, with promotional information or a coupon for next visit attached.
Instead of conventional dessert, there will be a small gelato counter right inside the door, with interesting flavors of homemade gelato and sorbetto available to go. Diners will see the gelato on the way in (it might be visible from outside too), and will surely want a scoop after dinner on the way out. During the day time, the gelato will be for sale to the general public.
Linea will have a very small, tight-knit, enthusiastic staff. There will be two cooks in the kitchen, two servers in the dining room, and a swing person who will float back and forth. All will all be very knowledgeable about the food, much more than the average restaurant. How?
All the employees will be both cooks and servers. Since the menu will change weekly, the two cooks and two servers will swap weekly as well.
I can go on all day about the little details, but I hope this gives you a sufficient mental picture of what I am trying to create.
-Chef Wax
(End note: I fully realize that I may not be able to open a restaurant with all of the characteristics described above, this is merely what I am aiming and hoping for.)
Next blog post: what I said I would write end the end of last one
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
First Post - New Blog!
I am a bit overdue for creating this blog. I have put so much thought into my own restaurant and I desperately need to get my ideas on paper.
This blog is for the following people:
- It is for me, first and foremost. Even if nobody reads this blog, it is absolutely crucial that I write my ideas down on a daily basis.
-It is for Lily, my fiance, so I can have a second outlet for my thoughts so she doesn't get overwhelmed with my one track mind.
- It is for anyone interested in working on this project with me. Or even thinking about the possibility of helping me open a place. Whether it be hopeful staff members or potential investors, I want to keep everyone in the loop, and this is how I will do it.
- It is for my friends and family, who want to keep track of what I am up to and what stage in the process I'm at, and to make sure I still have my sanity.
- It is for future patrons of my restaurant. I want a place that will be more than just a restaurant - I want customers to be involved in the place. I want them to care about the restaurant, I hope they'll want to know what's going on. A restaurant shouldn't just be a place to eat - it should be a gathering place where there is an exchange of ideas amongst patrons and staff. I don't have the brick and mortar yet, so let's start here.
- It is for anyone interested in opening their own restaurant some day. In the next 6-18 months (my current estimated time frame for doors open), I will be going through a lot in preparation of that first friends and family dinner. From the business plan, to looking at spaces, to licensing issues, to securing investment capital, to inspections, and everything in between, there is a lot of stuff I do not know about at all. I will learn a lot on my own and from the people that help me, and in documenting this process I hope that anyone who reads this will be more knowledgeable going into ownership than I am today.
Lastly, this blog is important, and I need to post daily because I need to stay focused. I have a lot of work to do in the upcoming months and I'd be lying if I said that I can do it all with self-motivation alone. Honestly, I need some support and feedback to push me along. So I hope you read, I hope you enjoy this blog, I hope you follow along, and I hope you add to the discussion
-Ben
Next Blog: Phase map (below blog title?), General To Do List in order from now until open
This blog is for the following people:
- It is for me, first and foremost. Even if nobody reads this blog, it is absolutely crucial that I write my ideas down on a daily basis.
-It is for Lily, my fiance, so I can have a second outlet for my thoughts so she doesn't get overwhelmed with my one track mind.
- It is for anyone interested in working on this project with me. Or even thinking about the possibility of helping me open a place. Whether it be hopeful staff members or potential investors, I want to keep everyone in the loop, and this is how I will do it.
- It is for my friends and family, who want to keep track of what I am up to and what stage in the process I'm at, and to make sure I still have my sanity.
- It is for future patrons of my restaurant. I want a place that will be more than just a restaurant - I want customers to be involved in the place. I want them to care about the restaurant, I hope they'll want to know what's going on. A restaurant shouldn't just be a place to eat - it should be a gathering place where there is an exchange of ideas amongst patrons and staff. I don't have the brick and mortar yet, so let's start here.
- It is for anyone interested in opening their own restaurant some day. In the next 6-18 months (my current estimated time frame for doors open), I will be going through a lot in preparation of that first friends and family dinner. From the business plan, to looking at spaces, to licensing issues, to securing investment capital, to inspections, and everything in between, there is a lot of stuff I do not know about at all. I will learn a lot on my own and from the people that help me, and in documenting this process I hope that anyone who reads this will be more knowledgeable going into ownership than I am today.
Lastly, this blog is important, and I need to post daily because I need to stay focused. I have a lot of work to do in the upcoming months and I'd be lying if I said that I can do it all with self-motivation alone. Honestly, I need some support and feedback to push me along. So I hope you read, I hope you enjoy this blog, I hope you follow along, and I hope you add to the discussion
-Ben
Next Blog: Phase map (below blog title?), General To Do List in order from now until open
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