On Jun 22, 6:04 am, "Shawn" > wrote:
> "Chef Juke" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
>
>
> > On Mon, 18 Jun 2007 10:13:26 >
> > wrote:
>
> >>Hi you guys,
> >>It has been awhile since I have had time to be in here much, and I am
> >>afraid there won't be much more in the future either ( I will get to
> >>the reason here in a second) but I would like some advice. As some of
> >>you know I have been bottling my BBQ sauce for awhile now and frankly
> >>if I had a bunch of cash, I would be able to hand off production and
> >>distribution to others and have a decent income for G'ganna and me.
>
> >>We have been handed, on a silver platter a BBQ mobile kitchen, it is
> >>NOT new and actually has quite a following here on the Oregon coast.
> >>Bob, the owner just wants to fish hunt and camp and is just plain
> >>tired, he took a liking to us and has offer it to us for a measly 8k
> >>no down and will only ask for 1/2 of our profits to pay him off.
>
> > Hey Bruce,
>
> > Chiming in a bit late here (things have been REALLY busy around here
> > and I've been somewhat reduced to lurker status on the NG).
>
> > A few thoughts off the top of my head.
>
> > First, read and reread Dave's post. A number of times. Then put it
> > on your calendar for next month to reread again.
>
> > ;-)
>
> > Next....
>
> > Taking over a business that is already running has it's own
> > challenges. If the business has a significant number of regular
> > customers, sudden change can be your enemy. You do not want to
> > alienate the existing customer base, while you get your sea legs, even
> > if that means keeping the KC sauce around for a while as an an option
> > for the regulars. This is not to say that you won't make that break
> > and make the changes that will turn the place into YOUR place, but it
> > is best not to do that immediately.
>
> > Note that the above advice that this is taken from my personal
> > experience from being the office manager and maitre D of a well-known
> > popular restaurant that was sold to a new owner wh then made immediate
> > changes both to the decor and menu of the restaurant and immediately
> > lost a majority of the regular clientele who just wouldn't accept the
> > change. If he had segued slowly to the newer menu, and then done the
> > physical changes, he would likely have been far better off and would
> > not have taken the hit to his business (which ultimately forced him to
> > change the whole restaurant theme and name to a totally different type
> > which WAS successful).
>
> > The next red flag is tha agreement with the current owner. You need
> > ot make sure the terms are very clear, as Dave mentioned. You also
> > need to be able to see HIS books to see what you can reasonably
> > expect, from the beginning, in terms of net profit, so that you really
> > know what you are getting into. You need to especially focus on
> > historical data including a chart of comparitive business each month
> > over the last 3 years so you can see the trend of what the busy and
> > slow months look like, keeping a keen eye as to the comparitive
> > profits during different times of year.
>
> > Yes, a dish like Critter can be your friend in terms of how to deal
> > with leftovers. While on the one hand, figuring out how to order and
> > cook so that you run out nearest to closing time every day is ideal, I
> > gave my critter suggestion to Dave based on the West Bros. Barbercue
> > restaurant that used to be here in Eugene. They basically took their
> > 'leftover' beef, chicken and pork, chopped it up, added a little
> > onion and sauce and called it 'critter'. Served as sandwhiches or
> > like chili on a plate/bowl it was a staple for a number of regular
> > diners at their restaurant (especially at lunch a it was a quick
> > dishup item).
>
> > Overall, the key is getting a clear understanding of what you are
> > getting into initisally, meaning, what would it mean to you,
> > financially, if you took over the business AS-IS, made NO significant
> > changes, and ran it exactly as it has been run previously. What would
> > the numbers look like? That should be your starting point. While you
> > can GUESS at what you might be able to do better, or more profitably,
> > etc., you need to start with the reality of what the busines is
> > now....and go from there. Take the base of what the current owner has
> > done, then build on that.
>
> > Personally, I think that it sounds like an exciting opportunity and
> > one that could, if the numbers look good, be just the ticket for your
> > gateway to a wider audience for your sauce and more.
>
> > -Chef Juke
> > "EVERYbody Eats When They Come To MY House!"
> >www.chefjuke.com
>
> I would also add that if you could work for the current owner 6 months or
> so, that the clientele can get used to having you up front, really helps.
>
> (this is how restaurants pass so easily from one generation to the next; no
> real perceived change, just that Dad doesn't come around much anymore.)
Hi Bud ! How the heck are you? Glad to have your input BIG TIME.
6 months won't happen he is tired and wants to fish, camp and travel.
Today G'ganna and I did the gig all by ourselves Bob did pitch in at
lunchtime. Our learning curve is almost straight up. We will do fine
as long as we keep it simple, learned that about 11:30 this morning
when I got orders for 9 Tri-Tip sandwiches, a stir fry, a few curly
fries ,,,,G'ganna and I were bumping into each other and so stressed
it was amazing.
But we made it through fine, the best part is the feedback everyone
love it. We missed a bunch of sales of pulled pork because it was no
where close to ready. We just need to get things set up so it works
well for us.
I will be taking pictures as time permits but I cant post on AFB so I
will post all on my FOTKI site if you don't have a link let me know,
we have tons of pics there.
Seems to me this is a 3-4 person operation during a festival or big
event, we are scheduled for a big event next week. But the norm is the
farmers market Saturday and Sunday in Brookings
Email me
Would love to chat
Bruce & G'ganna
Gold Beach