On Hold

Ah, the holidays. It's so wonderful for the majority of the country to slow down for a few weeks and enjoy the company of family and friends, all the while frantically buying and opening gifts and eating more in a week than would normally be consumed in a typical month.

It's also a time during which any meaningful work on a construction project comes to a screeching halt. I had been appraised of this reality in advance by my contractor, who got everything squared away before going on vacation himself; he said that I shouldn't expect much to get done this week. Nevertheless, it still held a surprise or two.

Jeff (contractor) called me the other day to ask if I had communicated at all with the building inspector, which I had not. After I managed to mess things up with the whole oven situation a few weeks ago, I was advised in no uncertain terms to stay away from City Hall so as not to further exacerbate our trust issues with the inspections department. I've behaved myself and steered clear. Something went wrong, however, as Jeff got word from his superintendent that our project is on hold until the building inspector gets more information on the oven and hood. I am hoping this is as simple as sending him the cut sheets and rough-in requirements for the oven, as well as the detailed diagrams for the exhaust hood.

This would probably bother me more if my funding were ready to go; however, no progress has been made on that end, either. I am still waiting for Todd to have his lawyer review some perfunctory SBA documents he has to sign as landlord in order for me to gain access to my money. I also am waiting on an insurance package to arrive any day now - the bank requires proof of business insurance, as well, before releasing the funds.

My great hope is that everything grinds back into motion following the New Year, and that everything will fall into place for an early February opening. Between now and then, right after the funds are released, I'll need to place my orders for equipment and a point-of-sale (POS) system, finalize the menus, hire people, set up dumpster service, purchase my exterior lighting, create a fax menu, and so on.

Should be fun. I've had some good luck, and quite a few setbacks in 2007. Thanks to everyone who has helped me in all sorts of ways as I've tried to get this going, from inhaling copious amounts of dust while knocking things down during demolition to standing on a ladder painting in a snowstorm or the simple favors like lending a ladder. Your help is always appreciated, and I will not forget it. Here's hoping the Dough starts rolling early in '08 and I can begin to return some of the favors that have been done on my behalf!

Roughing It...In...Electrical Stuff

Another eventful day (what else is new?). I was awoken this morning by Jeff, who suggested I meet the electrician already on site at the store. I was fine with this, and it was nice being able to explain to him in detail where the POS terminals and printers would be situated. He was finishing up his rough-ins (hence the title of the post) when I arrived. He presented an interesting snag, pointing out that the existing electrical wires and conduit hanging from the ceiling have to come down before he can run the new lines above the ceiling; he suggested I get on it ASAP.


This surprises me because we were ready to take that down when we did the demolition, but Jeff's superintendent Mark (a good, competent, and patient man, for the record) told me during the demolition in October that we would be better off leaving it so that the electrician could see where everything had been when he started his work. I'm going to see if Jeff can get that all removed at no additional expense to me, based on the fact that I had the manpower and the tools to get all this stuff out of the way two months ago, but at the moment all my tools and expertise are otherwise occupied in Chicago.

I also spent a good part of the day trudging through mindless HR paperwork in order to set up my ADP account, finally mailing it via FedEx late in the afternoon. Another distraction involved trying to figure out how to pay my Nicor (gas) bill. I ended up paying a dollar surcharge to do it via direct bank withdrawal, since a local convenience store listed as a payment center didn't look all that reputable, and would only accept cash. I also tried to log into my account on the website, but for the second month in a row it showed my account as "inactive" and wouldn't let me in (a phone call to Nicor will fix that within a few days). It' s always the small things that can quickly whittle away the hours of a day.

And finally, my work day was capped off by Todd (landlord) meeting me a the bank, presumably to sign the SBA paperwork and have it notarized. I had gotten him his requested assurance that the exhaust hood would stay on site in the event of a default, and subsequently called my banker to guarantee him that anything nailed down would remain as well. However, he read the admittedly legalese-intensive (and therefore impossible to understand) documents and felt like he needed his lawyer to review them to make sure that none of his provisions in the lease are superseded to his detriment. What does this mean for me? Well, I've got a contractor who has already started work, and I can't gain access to my funds until Todd signs. Thankfully, he has said that he understands my predicament and will likely sign as a gesture that he is working with me to get the place open. I'll take that, but I admit I'd rather he have signed today and gotten it over with, although I understand wanting to fully understand what you're signing.

So the waiting game continues. But in good news on another front, I made friends at the bank while waiting for Todd to arrive, and David happened upon a few Wesleyan students he grew up with the other day who will now be enthusiastically spreading the gospel of the 'zone (maybe they'd even want to work with us).

Oh, and finally I may have found a sink for my store. It's a local source, so I won't have to go through the ridiculous hassles associated with renting a Budget truck. I had to meet the seller at a convenience store in a notoriously bad part of town, so I left most of my cash and all my credit cards at home as a precaution (I later regretted this when I didn't have enough money to pay for my groceries later in the evening). Anyways, the sink is plenty big - almost too big - in good condition, and ready to roll. Nonetheless, I have an email in to Jeff, Russ (architect), and the health inspector, just to be sure that I don't buy something I can't use. I'm finally learning to be cautious before jumping into uncharted waters.

Plenty more tomorrow, as I plan on finishing my paint job at long last and ordering my light fixtures (in other words paying signage expert Kevin to place the order, because he can get the stuff much cheaper than I could). Other developments will probably also conspire to fill my day with intrigue, and then I go on to my first night as a server at my former employer - I can't wait to see how it goes (although if anything eventful happens there, I'll probably post it on my other blog). More soon.

Framed!

So, as you can see below, the framing is in place for my grand masterpiece. Before I could bask for long in that feat, I had to resolve the $50 snow removal citation - apparently they only handed out warnings last year. I got to meet the Town Counsel and the prosecutor who handles these violations; they're nice enough guys, but their hands were tied as to how much slack they could cut me. At least they brought the fine down from $100 to $50 - it's something. If anyone is morbidly curious as to the specific nuances of the code, click here to read all about it.


In other more important news, the Town sent us their official plan review today, which means all of the inspectors have meticulously scoured our plans and issued their recommended changes to the plan in bullet-point form. Despite the review comprising some 16 pages, only a few unanticipated issues presented themselves; most of the plan review is what Jeff refers to as "boiler-plate", or cookie cutter, in that each inspector has a list of recommendations that they have to include with all submissions. The unexpected hurdles are:

- all entrances and fixtures must comply with applicable accessibility code (read: ADA)
- the water service running into the building must be enlarged
- all cabling (electrical, phone, internet, etc) must be run above the drop ceiling
- the hot water heater and furnace require additional ventilation

Thankfully for my state of mind and general wellbeing, Jeff ran into the building inspector today as he was going to pull permits, and resolved the ADA issue for the restrooms by promising not to remove and re-install the toilets and sinks, as we'd originally planned; instead, we'll simply work around them in order to avoid having to replace everything and reconfigure the restroom dimensions and layout. Jeff is going to meet with the building inspector to further discuss the plan review tomorrow, and resolve the remaining issues.

The eight-inch step-in height from the sidewalk into the front door presents a unique dilemma. Given that the Town is going to tear up and rebuild the sidewalk in a year or so, anything they make me do will be temporary. I'm hoping they allow me to get by for a year and then make it ADA accessible when the new sidewalk is built at a higher elevation than its predecessor.

The more significant issue involves the water service. This one hit us from the blind side; we never saw it coming. We are not doing anything to the building to require it to draw more water. The only thing we're really doing that will have any effect on water consumption relative to the previous layout is adding an extra hand sink, as per the health inspector's mandate. Since we don't anticipate using any more water than the previous restaurant, we never thought twice about the size of the water service going into the building, figuring it would be grandfathered in. If Jeff can work his powers of persuasion, hopefully it ultimately will be.

The only thing required of me is to provide a list of all the restaurant equipment I'll be using, to ensure that it is UL-tested and approved for restaurant use. Oh, and I have to provide the fire inspector with a layout of my tables and chairs, so that they can determine maximum occupancy.

The only other thing I did today was meet again with the rep from Insight TV advertising. It's premature for me to go that route right now, what with the uncertainty revolving around my grand opening date and the initial sales I'll generate; however, whenever I'm ready to hit the airwaves, they've got a number of interesting options. One of them involves my logo being featured prominently on the Jumbotron at the Feb. 27 ISU men's basketball game. Of course, unless I'm open and doing business by then that makes no sense whatsoever. The $750 price tag gives me some pause, too, especially when you think of it as the equivalent of 100 t-shirts or 500 refrigerator magnets (or three tricycles, which David and I ever so briefly pondered as an alternative means of delivery, until Ste and his Champaign staff told us it was a dumbass idea). It also just occurred to me that, unless ISU has made radical upgrades, their Jumbotron is stuck in 1989 - and thus does not have the requisite graphics to really excite the imagination. Still, it's worth considering for the future.

It looks like Friday may be a prime day for finishing my paint job, including the ladder work (45 degrees and cloudy - which doesn't matter for me because my storefront gets no sun during the winter anyways). Aside from that, I have a giant packet of paperwork from ADP to fill out in order to get my payroll account set up, and I still need to line up a second foodservice distributor and pay a plethora of bills. I'll also be meeting Todd in the afternoon to get my bank papers signed. More soon.

On the Upswing...Sort Of

Today was one of those days where the good news far outweighed the bad - one where you feel like despite the inevitable loss of a few battles, the tide may be turning and the war is finally there to be won.

I arrived at the store this morning to meet Brian to return his ladder (it had spent the last few months in residence on my dining room floor as I patiently atrophied away waiting for a suitable day on which to finish painting), and was thrilled to walk in and find three carpenters finishing the framing of my walls. Apparently the building permit had gone through and Jeff had neglected to call and tell me - although I did get a call from his secretary reminding me to come in and sign a few documents. On top of this good news, I noticed with reserved glee that icicles were rapidly melting on a rather pleasant sunny day, perfect for painting - at least in December. Thus, I got out and did some detail brush painting; I didn't go up high, as I didn't want to anchor a ladder in some slush remaining on my sidewalk. I'll finish up the painting soon, but I'm happy to report that the building looks much more presentable than it had previously as a result of today's good fortune.

The river ran dry on my luck later in the day, when Todd (landlord) called to inform me that the Town of Normal had mailed him a pair of snow shoveling citations for my storefront. In all his years of operating, and later owning the property, he'd never heard of them mailing tickets for snow shoveling, and he intends to give them a piece of his mind. Unfortunately, my lease makes me responsible for snow removal, and so I'll be paying any fine (the ticket doesn't specify). I'm hoping to get off with a warning, and promise to do better going forward. I won't lie - I wasn't thinking snow removal this weekend when I was home in Chicago for the first time in months celebrating Hanukkah. From what I hear, though, my presence wouldn't have made much of a difference, as the Town apparently was going around photographing various sidewalks in an effort to incriminate as many business owners as possible in the area. I am told that the Town expects all snow to be shoveled within an hour of the end of a given snowfall; given the above vigilance, I fear that they may be overzealous in the enforcement of this mandate.

Before I get too worked up, I'd like to see what my contacts with the Town have to say; perhaps they are issuing warnings and setting expectations with this first round of citations. It's always nice to know the prevailing rules before you jump in and start playing the game. More tomorrow on this and my second meeting with the TV advertising folks (they'll be disappointed, because I'm nowhere near being in the position to commit to TV spots in the foreseeable future). I'll post on that and any other interesting happenings tomorrow.

Foot In My Mouth (Again)

I received confirmation today that the building inspector is not happy with me. We failed to keep him up to speed on the change to the equipment package - namely the type of oven I'll be using - and it caused both him and his HVAC inspector to waste their time determining whether or not I needed fire suppression on my hood. Since I am using a conveyor oven, Town of Normal code since 2002 has stated that all conveyor ovens require a Type-I hood with Ansul fire suppression. Since they weren't aware that I was no longer going with swinging-door convection ovens, a decision was reached after reviewing my menu which allowed me to go with a Type-II exhaust hood without fire suppression. Upon seeing the plans, the HVAC inspector was kind enough to immediately inform me that the more expensive hood would be necessary after all.


So, they were not thrilled with us. Not knowing whether they could trust us any longer, I now must wait until the plans are formally reviewed by all the necessary inspectors before work can commence. Originally, I had been told that a building permit would be issued in advance which would allow for basic carpentry work to begin as early as last Friday. A voicemail from the building inspector to Jeff (contractor) indicated that this would no longer be the case.


I am positive that I did not help matters by venting in a two-sentence email reply to the HVAC inspector. I came off sounding like I knew more than they do; I managed this feat by reminding them that the Madison store has an identical oven, but does not require the expensive hood, and that the oven does not have any open flame (every time I re-read that email I cringe at how I must have come off). Those two lines of an email may really end up costing me in the end - we'll see.

The most agonizing part is that a building inspector is usually tough to get a hold of. Jeff has instructed me to sit back and stay away from the situation - very tough to do, and I may be violating that order by writing this. I'm hopeful that the building inspector gets back to him soon and at least tells us where we stand; the worst part is not knowing when we'll be able to start work.

I wrote an email apology to the building inspector, which at least made me feel a little bit better. It probably won't make any difference, but a big part of business is managing relationships, and I don't like the idea of other people thinking of me as a know-it-all who manages to talk out of his ass about things he knows nothing about. I'm really a nice guy, I swear; starting a business causes even the best of us (not that I've ever professed to fall into the "best" category or anything) to slip up every now and then.

In positive developments, landlord Todd called me today and set up a time later this week to sign all the necessary papers - his only concern is that in the event of a default the bank not rip out the exhaust hood and leave a gaping hole in the restaurant (I understand completely). Also, Steve scored us a nice multi-store payroll deal with ADP. Finally, I'm just about done with my quasi-perfectly scaled 3D SketchUp of my store, inside and out. I'm in the process of getting it posted to Google Earth. I really wish I could post it only for all to tour, but I'm not sure if that's possible.

So with all this off my chest, I'll work on tying up some loose ends this week. I really should be finalizing my menu and equipment package, and lining up a second vendor for my foodstuffs. Finalizing the equipment package means hunting down a few local sources that might have a few key pieces I can use - most notably a three-compartment sink. A few phone calls in the next few days will tell me where I stand on that. More on the evolution of my equipment package over the past few months next time.

On Target...Maybe

I met with my contractor this morning, and he said that his superintendent says it will be difficult - but not necessarily impossible to open by Super Bowl weekend (Thursday, January 31). I told him I'll be in the store while work is being done as long as they can use me for something. The Super Bowl will be huge for me, if I can get open on time. It's always nice to have some fanfare surround a new business' opening and, somehow, I don't think early February is much cause for excitement for anyone in Central Illinois. So as far as I'm concerned, it's Super Bowl or Bust!


Some other good news is starting to trickle through, as well. My lighting guy Kevin called yesterday and said he found a set of gooseneck lamps that will work for illuminating the awning that will overhang my store. Total savings: roughly $500 (every little bit helps).

I also got my first fencing quote (for a dumpster enclosure and to mask my outdoor cooler unit): $2300. I am still under the impression that the Town of Normal will be reimbursing half of this expense as part of my ongoing facade improvements; even though the dumpster and cooler are in back of the store, that whole area is eminently visible from an Amtrak pulling into the nearby station and - slightly farther away - from Linden Street.

Somehow in my doomsday post the other day, I neglected to mention that the Small Business Administration (SBA) - reputed champion of the nascent entrepreneur - is claiming $4,500 as its fee for taking part in my loan; this comes to 2.25% of the total loan valuation. I read through the literature in an effort to help convince myself that going the SBA route was a wise choice.

So is it worth it? Here's what the SBA does for me:

- It allows me a longer term during which to repay the loan - in my case seven years.
- I am able to make interest-only payments for the first year of operation, which will help maintain the health of my cash position until I really get rolling.
- The SBA also limits the bank's exposure to default (my inability to repay) - at least as I understand it - which makes the bank more willing to loan me the money.

Unfortunately, the SBA's involvement does nothing to improve the interest rate I'll be paying (9.00%). This just motivates me to pay off the loan as quickly as is reasonably possible (in other words, don't repay the loan and then find that you don't have enough cash on hand to keep the ovens on). All in all, though, I have a loan in place awaiting official release of the funds, which is all that a guy walking into a lending institution hat in hand with a big idea can hope for.

So, now that I have a loan close to ready and a target opening date - however optimistic - agreed upon with my contractor - what do I have to do today to start working toward the dream scenario of having everything ready to go seven weeks from today? I have to finalize my menu, track down my landlord to sign the final bank papers, and hound my insurance agents to bring me some quotes from which to choose so I can get my business owner policy in place and gain access to my loan funds. Subsequent to all that, I need to have my equipment quotes firmed up and ready to order by the middle of next week. All easier said than done, of course.

Heading home for the weekend for our traditional belated Hanukkah celebration. It'll be nice to eat endless free leftovers and take my mind off of calzones for a few days. Work is firmly scheduled to begin on Monday in the store, and I'll update on the progress from there.

Paralysis

It doesn't get much worse than this.


I knew there would be lows involved in starting a business, but watching time go by with no progress whatsoever is severely unnerving, to put it mildly. I am patiently waiting on the building inspector to take a look at my plans, so that my contractor can get his building permit and start carpentry work. We had optimistically hoped that this would be a formality, but reality blew it bitter and fierce on that one. The new timetable for the commencement of work is Friday or Monday - pretty much just in time for the holidays to distract everyone. I should also mention that the building permit does not allow for us to do any electrical, HVAC, or plumbing work; those inspectors may need a few more weeks to sign off on our plans. I am starting to think that Super Bowl weekend is out of the question - I am just not ready to admit it to myself yet.

Continuing along the depressing theme, my landlord is trying to imply that I should pay to have the roof temporarily patched, which falls under his responsibilities in the lease. His argument is that he was willing to put the new roof on the place before winter set it, but I had stated that it would make more sense to have the new roof put on after my contractor had put his hole in the roof for my exhaust hood and made temporary patches around that, with the understanding that the roof would be redone soon thereafter. Thankfully, the roof does not visibly leak - even after the recent ice storms - which means that it probably won't require temporary patching, and that my landlord will be able to put a new roof on the place come spring.

Were that my only landlord issue, it would be enough. Unfortunately, I'm not that lucky. What I had believed to be a formality, he's to some extent stonewalling. I need him, as landlord, to sign some perfunctory papers so that my loan funds can be released. These papers give the bank first lien on my equipment in the event I default on my loan. When I explained this to him, he asked, "Well, what about me?", implying that he believed the equipment to be his. What about him? At most I would be on the hook for however long remained on my initial three-year lease, or - if down the road - my four year option. At $1250 or $1300 per month, my indebtedness to him would not be insurmountable. Considering that I am putting almost $100,000 into a building he paid only $64,000 for a few years ago, I don't think we'd have much trouble finding a sublessee to reap the benefits of all my improvements and hit the ground running. What if he refuses to sign? Then I never gain access to my $200,000, and everything gets flushed down the toilet unless an angel descends from the skies and deposits said amount in my upturned hands.

And what if the landlord does sign? Then I can ALMOST gain access to the funds; there still remains the issue of insurance. You see, no one wants to insure me for delivery, since I have not been in the delivery business for a minimum of three years. It's the ultimate catch-22. Hopefully they can look at D.P. Dough stores that have been around for that long, and extrapolate from there the level of risk my deliveries present and underwrite a policy in accordance with that. In any event, with sands of time pouring through my fingers, I've instructed them to go ahead and price me a policy without the delivery covered for now.

I promise to post more frequently going forward; recently, I was just waiting for some good news to mix in - there just really isn't any. "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all" works great for little kids, but if I were to abide by that, I may go months between posts.

I'll try to whip up something encouraging in the next few days - but no promises.

Correction

Got a call from D.P. Josh up in Madison today. He noticed how the illustrations in my store's windows were attributed to my brother, Steve. I knew he hadn't drawn them, and told the photographer so; however, the photographer is a photographer for a reason. Once I mentioned that my brother had given them to me, he took that as meaning that he had drawn them, even though I told him that someone else had drawn them.

No worries, though. It's like Josh says, any publicity is good publicity. I'm hoping the Pantagraph publishes my correction, so that Jill Sipkins of Evanston, IL can receive due credit for her fine work. Ah Jill, if I only still worked at the Evanston Steak n Shake - your next shake could have been on me.

A pretty much totally uneventful day, other than having a potential Ben & Jerry's distributor finally get back to me and printing out paper job applications to distribute. More soon.

Sure Enough...The Village Idiot

Well, I kept my eye out for a few days...nothing. But let me walk into the Town of Normal office to chat up a few of my favorite people, and suddenly I'm "Celebrity". It turns out I made page 4 of the Pantagraph in today's paper (Monday - see below).


There's nothing like free publicity, and the window illustrations looked great, but I feel less than flattered in my old man's beat up hoodie and magic gloves holding a tiny little roller while bent over; I'll still take it, though. Note also that now everyone knows A) the name of my business; B) where it's located; and C) when I'm looking to open.

Now, if only I could speed up the getting open part of the equation. Apparently, I find myself once again at the mercy of a draftsman with multiple projects on his plate. My contractor made his final revisions to our plans, and sent them back to the architect. The draftsman employed by the architect is in charge of making those changes and kicking them back to us. Every time we get him involved we hit a time snag. I'm very much hoping that when I wake up in the morning the plans are complete and printed. If they are, then my contractor can pay a visit to the building inspector - who puts us in a queue for an official plan review. While we await said review, the contractor pulls together final cost estimates, shows them to me, then tries to revive me with smelling salts and prays he doesn't have to resort to CPR after I pass out from acute sticker shock.

Assuming I survive, he then goes to his superintendent, subcontractors, and carpenters and hammers out for them exactly what they'll be doing (if they ask nicely, he may give them their very own copy of the plans). In the rosiest of scenarios, this should be complete by early next week. For my next store, I'm going to build it in a deserted, unincorporated section of a desert somewhere and build a thriving university around it. Just seems easier than dealing with these myriad complications.

In a positive development, I finally got around to checking out the Illinois State Hookah Bar, and was able to meet one of their owners, Steve Peak. They will be opening Thursday (if all goes well), after perhaps two months of do-it-yourself renovation. It really makes me wish I weren't dealing in the realm of food. That aside, their place looks fantastic - a major bonus for the whole Downtown Normal area. For once, someone under 21 will actually have a reason to come our way for something other than food. What's really sweet is, should hookah loungers find themselves hungry while puffing away, Steve is more than happy to place an order for them from D.P. Dough or other restaurants in the area and have us deliver it to them (due to the town-wide restaurant smoking ban, they are not allowed to prepare food on site).

I'm never allowed to feel too good in any given day; thus, it was the job of the town and its liaison to the design review commission to pull me back from any cloud I might have been on. It turns out that they will be requiring me to put a 6-foot-tall wood or wood-composite fence around my outdoor walk-in cooler. I will also have to similarly screen my dumpster on three sides. I may or may not get matching funds from the town as part of their facade improvement grant program - I consider this to be facade work, albeit to my highly visible rear facade, since it abuts a railroad track near the Amtrak station. Unfortunately, my opinion in this matter goes about as far as the Cubs in October: not very.

Finally, the trip to Champaign went well. David has decided to officially come on board; he had withheld final judgment until he had tasted a 'zone for himself and deemed it worthy of his time and effort (his first 'zone: a Roni Zoni). It turns out we picked a great night to help out. Champaign was short one or two people, and had temporarily run out of dough; thus, our first task was to frantically cut and roll dough balls. After that, we replenished the folded box supply and started making some 'zones. I spent some time taking orders, as well - I asked one caller five times to clarify whether he had said "Chief" or "Cheese" (having already confused the two once, I was hell bent on not letting it happen again). We had a fairly busy night altogether, and time flew after 1 AM - we didn't get home until 4:30 AM. Humor for the night was supplied by one of the last drunk customers, who asked about a hundred times "is that a Roni?" as each 'zone came out of the oven. Of course, like most bored and impatient drunks, he threw a few insults our way, as well.

I had hoped to finish painting the store on Sunday morning, but was thankful to have slept in when a monsoon hit at 11 AM. After watching my storefront cry purple tears after the last time I tried to paint in a downpour, I was loathe to try it again.

So that's where it stands at the moment. I realized today that I really haven't heard from my banker in about a month - since we met in Champaign to sign all the necessary SBA papers. That's never a good sign, at least not when the funds have yet to be released. Thankfully, I'm still paying people out of my own funds, but once it's time to pay the contractor and order equipment, my meager savings will prove woefully inadequate.

Not sure what's on tap for Tuesday - maybe I'll start spending some more of these uneventful days in Champaign actually learning to run a D.P. Dough...or maybe I'll be lazy, stay at home, not learn anything, and fly by the seat of my pants when I open my doors. Maybe.