Finally Updated

For those who haven't realized, we've migrated over to our Facebook page ("D.P. Dough Calzones") and our awesome website at www.dpdoughonline.com to keep people up to date on what's going on at D.P. Dough.

To anyone starting a business and wondering what it's like, we HIGHLY recommend you read all of our previous posts in the Blog Archive to your right. We take you right from when we first started the process of bringing D.P. Dough to Normal, IL all through the Grand Opening and the first few hectic months. If considering opening a restaurant, it's a must-read.

If you want to find out all the latest in the world of D.P. Dough, order online, or print a menu, take a look to your right - we've updated all the links to get you where you need to go.

~ Ryan ~

Back from Four Months of Lazy

I've been busy. Running a restaurant whose staff is comprised primarily of college-aged alpha males will tend to keep one in a pervasive state of MUDS (Mentally Upside-Down Syndrome). Anyhow, enough people have commented that I've slacked off for too long as far as updating this blog goes, so I'll try to bring it back from the dead.

Now, the biggest problem I've had has been deciding what to write about - not that there's nothing going on, but rather too much. Thus, I make this promise to anyone who actually reads this journal: post a comment on something D.P.-related that you'd like me to write about, and I'll make it happen. Topics like "Stupid Things Ryan Does at D.P. Dough", "Stupid Things Employees Do at D.P. Dough", or "Stupid Things Drunk Customers Don't Remember Doing at D.P. Dough", or anything else under the Sun that you can think up are all fair game.

And if no one takes me up on the offer? Then I go back to forgetting to write.

Now let's see if people still come here for something other than the online job application...

Local Celebrities!

You give a little, you get a whole lot back that you never expected. At the organizers' request, we sent a bunch of baby 'zone samples out to the Children's Miracle Network telethon on Sunday. By Tuesday, we had received word that the powers that be at WEEK-TV - the local NBC affiliate - had caught wind of our deliciousness at said event. They informed us that we'd be the subject of their "You Gotta Eat" segment this Thursday (see the segment here).

They work very methodically, interviewing customers, taking scenic shots, and then peppering you with questions on camera when you least expect it. I watched the piece run on both the 6 PM and 10 PM newscasts. They did a fine job, to be sure, but I was slightly disappointed that they didn't take a shot of our dough mixing with our "Top Secret" (according to our label) yeast mix.

All the same, this newfound publicity should make for an interesting weekend...

The Glass is Half Empty

A glass of water today almost shorted out our second computer terminal. I was not happy about it, but it was strange because it was one of those deja vu moments where you realize that you dreamed of having been standing there at that very moment in time before. The funny thing was that when I dreamed it, I remember standing around feeling very concerned, but not knowing that people were all standing around me looking very concerned because one of my computers had just been fried by H20 - which apparently was almost possible. Thankfully, we mopped up the water and gave the computer a few minutes and it decided to return from the dead. It wouldn't have surprised me if it hadn't, given that we've already had a year's worth of adventures in just a month and a half.

For the record, my car has now lost fourth gear, too - and if you ask the onboard computer, second gear is gone, as well (but it still works - go figure). The best trans man in town's diagnosis: "I'm stumped". Good stuff...so I guess I'll keep drawing attention to the D.P. as I push my car out of tight parking spaces across campus. I've gotten good at having people push my car out from behind the store - I pretend I'm a World War I fighter ace, adjust my goggles (cheap dollar store sunglasses), roll down my window (no power windows here - true vintage), put it in gear, point and yell "Contact!", navigate as they push, and then give a rousing thumbs-up of good cheer as I roll off to do battle...what limited battle I can do in a car that can't top 40 mph without sounding like an overstuffed vacuum cleaner at the moment. In reality, it's been miscast as a cargo van, navigating runs back and forth to Sam's Club. Not helping matters is the fact that I'm now swimming knee deep in empty water bottles and cardboard boxes.

Anyways, more of our latest developments, including the upcoming kids menu, as soon as I feel compelled to write again...or whenever my Saturn's motor falls out.

Who Needs Reverse?

I need reverse. Very badly. I ran an emergency delivery the other night (there were 15 or so orders stacked randomly atop the oven), and had to push my poor little Saturn backwards up a hill with the wheels turned in order to get myself out of a dead-end parking lot. Sadly, my maladies are only the worst affliction to befall our intrepid stable of drivers. A sample:

- Brian: no seatbelt ticket and an accident (it was the other lady's fault, though)

- Rich: two flat tires

- Jacob: antifreeze turned to goo; car overheated

- Dennis: flat tire

- Mike: speeding ticket, no seatbelt ticket, check engine light came on

It feels like we've already been open for a year, as every day we see something we never thought we would, like a guy yakking into the urinal (the worst possible thing he could have done from a cleanup perspective), to drunks sticking plungers on the bathroom wall (picture soon to follow) that nearly maim people trying to take a leak or changing the covers on the front of the pop dispensers so that Mountain Dew comes out brown and Dr. Pepper tastes like Mug. We've had a drunk lean too hard on our front window and shatter it, and also a scrubby get stuck in our pipes and intermittently flood our floor and sink drains.

Through it all, the crushing weekends and randomly hellacious Tuesday nights, the employees of the D.P. have managed to amass a beer fund of more than $500 in tips, and are currently in the process of blowing it on a self-funded beer fund tournament (I'll be joining them shortly, or my teammate will kill me).

Anyways, I had been hearing that people remarkably had been reading this blog, after all, and that I'd developed some sort of cult following. It only took an employee beer fund liquidation party for me to find time to post for the first time in a month (I haven't had a day off since we closed for Easter, and I wrote this week's schedule today, after the week had already started...shows how good I am at staying on top of things) for me to find the time to post. I'll try to be better about sharing the wonders of the D.P., Normal-style in the future, though. Maybe...

$5 Reggie Monday and a Dough Mermaid

I last posted on Tuesday. Wednesday was crazier than Tuesday (with the exception of late-night). Thursday was completely nuts, in part due to an article in The Pantagraph about D.P. Dough. Friday was more of the same, minus the ridiculous post-bar rush. Saturday would have been nice, except that I ran all the deliveries until 5 PM, and a few thereafter. Driving delivery is designed to fray the nerves, especially when you are trying to read a receipt and dial phone numbers while in motion (I finally gave up and did it before leaving the store).

Are we creating something similar to a crack epidemic? It's very possible. I may in the coming weeks profile a few of our most devout junkies, probably starting with Hookah Steve (from IS Hookah Lounge) or the infamous local celebrity profiled below. Also, Normal's Finest have taken a shining to the D.P., as have multiple shifts at the Bridgestone-Firestone plant.

With the first week more or less complete, David and Double-D (real name Bradd) prevailed upon me to close the store early on Saturday night in anticipation of a slow late night due to the Easter holiday. I didn't feel guilty about the decision until Buddy Holly (a guy doing a survey for me as part of his small business field studies course) wandered in a half hour after we'd killed the oven, saying he had 10-12 guys hungry for 'zones with him. Then, to make me feel even worse, Hookah Steve called at 1:30 AM expecting his nightly Mangus.

All the same, it's probably a good idea to take a break from the 19-hour days and actually get some sleep and catch up on the mountain of paperwork that has accumulated while I've been slinging 'zones across town.
We'll be selling Reggie Zones for just $5 each from 4 PM til close on Monday, when ISU takes on Dayton in the NIT at Redbird Arena. Go Birds!

Oh, and some dude stood in front of our window today and frantically wiggled a Prime Time box while I was eating my nightly 'zone...belated retaliation for the mooning?

Anyways, enjoy the work of so many aspiring artists who couldn't find anything better to do during the one hour where we actually weren't busy...

The Mooning Marauder...REVEALED!

The mooning man of the hour has shown himself, and sat down for a photo op with D.P. Dough...on the condition of anonymity...

The Moon Man says "Cheeze"...or "Mangus"

Moons Over My Roni

Well, after almost 19 hours of work I can officially say I survived my first full day of D.P. Dough. It wasn't anything special - steady, but not spectacular - until late-night when some true believers came in. I now have a million different ideas for new zones and marketing slogans/t-shirts, and also one indelible story. Now, let me preface this by saying that I feel bad that this should happen to anyone, because no one deserves such treatment - and God forbid it ever happen to us - but I can't help but find the humor in the following episode:

One especially passionate D.P. Dough aficionado was going on and on about the wonders of the zone, suggesting a marketing campaign based on the slogan "penetrate your hunger with D.P. Dough". I went to the back of the store to pull out the steak we were prepping (very important, since some of our fans were VERY passionate about their steak-infused 'zones), while he and the other drunken revelers continued their meandering conversations. The next thing I know, I am told that the owner of Prime Time (competitor across the street) had come in and scolded one of our more passionate customers for running across the street and mooning Prime Time. It has not been confirmed whether his butt ever actually touched their window, but his sentiments were conveyed quite clearly either way. I guess it's a proud feeling to have a store that people are so enthused about that they go to ridiculous extremes to express their devotion; that said, however, I kind of hope this is as extreme as it gets (some D.P. Dough fans are big on European soccer and the concomitant hooliganism it entails, so we'll see).

Anyways, a memorable finish to a successful first day. The scary part: this was only Tuesday...

Good to Go!

We open at 5 PM tonight with a limited menu, and will have our first full day on Tuesday. For once, there's nothing much else to say...

T-Minus Three Days (Monday Liftoff)

Well, for all those of you (all of one person, if I remember correctly) who voted that we'd open after Spring Break, congratulations. We just missed being able to open this weekend, but on two fronts. The Health Inspector came back today (Friday) and said we're basically a day away, so they'll be back Monday morning and will allow us to bring food in immediately thereafter. They expressed profound confidence in our ability to pass on the re-visit, given how close we already are to being prepared to open. A funny moment: when the inspector asked me what I was looking for from them, my one word response was "Mercy". Thus, this compromise was reached, where we agree to have everything they've required taken care of by Monday morning and they, in return, gave us the tentative green light to order food for Monday delivery.

Then, of course, there is also the matter of the building inspection. All of the related inspectors have been through the store, with the exception of the plumbing inspector; unfortunately, all plumbing inspectors state-wide were beckoned to a conference in Chicago today, and were thus unavailable to visit the store. Hopefully their Monday return will be mostly a formality, and we can get a 30-day temporary occupancy permit to take care of any concerns they may have.

The toughest thing right now for me is getting a handle on all the smaller details of opening the business, from buying staplers to making sure that we get cash on hand for the register. I also have to write my first schedule, which has been brought to my attention on multiple occasions, usually by the curiously employed.

I have a ton of ideas for marketing the product and concept, but of course must get the doors open first. The spring does afford quite a few opportunities, though - and opening on St. Patrick's Day makes for the interesting possibility of selling green 'zones on the first day of business...it's under consideration. We're already thinking forward to holidays like 4/20 - some D.P. Doughs have created what's known as the "Hydra" Zone, where we throw cheese and every green ingredient into the 'zone. I'm not sure we could sell it for $4.20, but if we did a half-zone variety...

Anyways, I'm off on tangents again. Enjoy the countdown, and I'll try to post another update or two before the big day.