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.

The Final Countdown

As you can see from the picture below, there's not much left to do, with the dining room nearly painted and all the equipment in place or arriving any day now (all smallwares stuff, like shelving and storage containers). I'll be heading into the store shortly, and I'm hoping that the roofer has showed up to seal off the enclosure out back (he was supposed to have had it done last Thursday), so that the walls can be hung and finished and that the whole thing can be flashed (connected) to the building and the cooler. I am also hopeful that the fire suppression system is installed and operational, so that I can get my oven started at long last. The plumber also has to hook up the ice machine (it's already in place atop the Pepsi unit), and the HVAC guys still need to wrap the condenser coils in heat tape so that they don't freeze and break once the cooler is turned on.

The dining room; picture of the cash counter coming soon.

It may sound like a lot, but it should all be happening in short order; it had better be, since the Health Inspector returns tomorrow, and has already told me I wasted his time once - and I promised it wouldn't happen again.

We still have a little bit more shelving to hang and a final cleanup to undertake, but it really shouldn't be too bad. Also, we are in the process of installing the lights over the awning, but have to get up on the roof to test them out for proper positioning.

In the meantime, little mosquitoes keep buzzing around my head, like getting a bunch of missing parts in for some of the equipment, setting up dumpster service, and finally at long last establishing our campusfood account (the guy I deal with was on vacation for the last week). On top of that, our point-of-sale system is not recognizing credit cards, but that's our installer's problem to help us solve.

So, it may sound like we're still far away, but things are more or less coming together nicely and I'm still optimistic about being open by mid-week.

Stay tuned...

A New Look

I found out today that the store will have a decidedly different look once it's all said and done. After months of thinking we wouldn't have to do much to make the store approach ADA compliance, we have found out that a landing with a ramp spanning the full width of the store will be required. Thankfully, this should not impact the opening, as a temporary 30-day occupancy permit can be granted to allow us to open while sorting all of this out. But at some point during those thirty days, I will have to build the ramp and landing. This will hurt.

On the plus side, the building inspector is going to try to take as much of the pain out of it as possible, going so far as to seek some funding from the Town to help offset the costs. Even with that financial assistance - which is by no means guaranteed - this will still hurt, if for no other reason than it distracts me from trying to focus all my energies on getting a new restaurant off the ground.

In other news, I have hard confirmation that the oven will be ready for testing on Friday morning, and appointments are lined up to fire it up for the first time. The Health Inspector came by today and deemed the visit a waste of his time because we had not made much progress as far as cleaning things up and moving towards a state where food could be received since he last visited a few days ago. I apologized, and we'll try to have him come back soon, perhaps Monday or Tuesday.

I have decided to be bold and set a new target opening date: Wednesday, March 12. This will give us ample time not only for the contractors to finish up their final work, but also for adequate cleanup and preparation of all the necessary equipment for operation. We should also be able to get some food into the store in this time, as well. That will open us up just in time for the tail end of Spring Break, and leave us more than prepared to handle the rush and the students return in droves a few days later. I wonder if we can throw a ramp in front of the store before they get back...

Another day, a million more minute details. We received our replacement faucet for the hand sink that was leaky on arrival, while True Manufacturing is going to send us some missing brackets for our prep table. Still to be addressed are six missing screws for our ice machine. For anyone looking to open a restaurant, things might just be simple if everything arrived with the complete set of attachments. Oh, and equipment vendors stock most items you may need, but many are either special-order or out of stock; this leaves you with a multitude of mystery boxes littered all across the store - making it almost impossible to ever truly know if you got everything you pay for (it's good to trust your rep if you're buying a lot of stuff).

So, to recap, for all of the employees who read the daily postings, don't worry about scheduling just yet, because next Wednesday seems a world away. But at least it will allow me to get everything in order for a smooth and relatively stress-free opening (fingers crossed).

I promise this will be the last time we push back the opening...I hope.

Getting Close

I'm not sure why I've gotten out of the habit of taking pictures of the store as progress continues, but it's probably because it's a mess in there right now. It won't be for much longer, but until today we had everything scattered everywhere, with contractors tripping over each other and people regularly sliding equipment out of the way to get where they were going. The weather is not inspiring me to take the last of my unused wood back to the Home Depot, but I'll have to get on that shortly.

In the meantime, the Pepsi guys came and did their install early this morning, which meant that Mark and friends (the contractor's guys) had to scramble to set our counter in place just in the nick of time so that the machine would have somewhere to sit (the counter was supposed to have arrived last Thursday, but of course didn't arrive until this morning). Thankfully, the Pepsi guys were patient while we ran around like headless chickens putting it all together; if they hadn't been, I wouldn't have had soda until next week at the earliest.

I also discovered another unpleasant cost of doing business - it costs $437 (!) to apply for a permit from the Health Department. It makes someone think very carefully about going into foodservice in this town, that's for sure. But it's not like I can back out now. In any event, the Health Inspector is now cleared to pay us a pre-final inspection visit on Wednesday; if he likes what he sees, I will have orders ready to be placed within minutes of his departure for Thursday delivery.

Of course, that's also assuming that the building inspector stops by before then - I know he's coming by this week, but no one knows exactly when that will be. As I learned in Wayne's World 2, it's nearly impossible to pull anything off without an occupancy permit, and the building inspector holds the key to that.

In other details, we should be good to fire up the ovens as early as Thursday, so long as I can get the people who know how to do so out around then. The rest of our equipment will be coming in on Tuesday, including the ice machine to sit atop the Pepsi dispenser. We will be madly scrambling to paint the dining room after the water service gets turned back on once the Town of Normal finishes installing our new water meter. Other than that, the main work remaining involves some touch-up of the drywall and the hookup of the outdoor walk-in cooler, as well as the roofing and sealing of the enclosure connecting it to the rest of the building. Most critically, the plumber still has to bury the grease trap behind the store, which won't be easy given the weather; the grease trap is fitting snugly between the gas line and the edge of the property, so they want to be extra careful and wait for the best weather possible - which in this case will be 32 with 3-5 inches of snow cover. Worst...winter...ever.

Anyways, I'm trying to be better about keeping people informed - mostly because I'm tired of telling people we'll open on a given day, not having it happen, and then fielding phone calls about why it didn't. On that vein, more soon...

So Much To Do...

A state of paralysis may be setting in. Overwhelmed by all that remains to be done, we all (myself, David, and DP Brett from Ohio - visiting for two weeks to make sure the opening goes smoothly) moseyed over to Lunker's for a ritual Tuesday night Guinness.

The old man made it back to town tonight, and was surprised to find me at the bar watching the DVD of the Cubs' 13-0 shellacking of the Padres in the 1984 playoffs, when we really should have been applying primer to the dining room walls.

Nevertheless, things are shaping up nicely, and I at least managed to accomplish a few things today. Most important among them was the squaring away of the smallwares package I'll soon be purchasing from Serv-U. Nothing is more difficult than determining the number of containers you'll need for a store that is not yet open, but that's what I had to do. I also found out that I'll have to make due with only 18 dough trays until they can get more in stock.

I also met up with my woodmaster Joe, who will be constructing a type of counter never before seen in a McLean County restaurant for the front of the store - Health Inspector permitting. I can't mention what it will entail, since that would spoil the surprise. We spent probably a good hour going over specific layouts and potential alterations - true to form as ever, I'm an expert at wasting time.

Most importantly, sliding over to Champaign to pick out the smallwares afforded me the opportunity to remind myself why I'm going through all this trouble - I ate a Speed Zone. I may someday get sick of 'zones, but it may take awhile.

As for the actual build-out of the store, the weather officially postponed our target opening back from the optimistic Saturday target. The cover of wet snow made it impossible for the contractor's guys to start building the enclosure that will connect the walk-in cooler to the store. Instead, they finished up the drop ceiling, with the HVAC guys connecting the last of their vents to the massive blowers overhead. The electricians spent the day yelling back and forth to each other as they strung wire along the roof. Meanwhile, David and I discovered that the phone company left us with four lines that are not run into the building in a way that we can work with. Thus, we may have to have our electricians take care of it, or call Verizon and have them do a more complete install and $125/half-hour. You can see why I'm really hoping we don't have to go that route.

Anyways, I promised myself that I would make up for the sleep I keep sacrificing when my phone rings at 8 or so every morning by getting to bed early tonight. More soon...

Flooring...and Flooring...and Flooring

The title explains why it's been forever since I last posted. I've been spending all of my non-Steak n Shake nights at the store putting down underlayment for my as-yet-untiled floor. Thankfully, that is soon to be remedied, as we will be tiling this weekend. Remarkably, there is still an outside chance we'll get open in time for the March 1 Unofficial Pub Crawl through the streets of Uptown Normal. Of course, that goes on the assumption that we can get the place built out and inspected by Friday, because only I and other idiots work weekends. We also need decent enough weather in order to get my dumpster pad poured and the enclosure connecting the walk-in cooler to the store built.

As for the aforementioned flooring, I definitely got myself into more than I bargained for. Thankfully, my dad and David (restaurant manager) saved my ass. They are both handy and thorough, and by extension are able to make sure the job is getting done right, and that I can be put to some good use, as well. See the pictures to get a better idea of what we're up against. We had to lay 5/8" thick chipboard in the kitchen to bring that floor up to the level of the dining room. Once we did that, we had to go over the whole restaurant front to back with Luan hardboard 1/4" thick underlayment to set a nice even base for the tiles. Before we could do this, we had to fill in all cracks with Durham's Rock Hard, which is by far the world's coolest substance because it goes from liquid to frozen solid in less than five minutes. We also had to replace or re-glue all broken or loose tiles, as well. And before we could underlay, we had to sweep and mop over the old tile - we had to change the mop water every two feet because it had been so long since the floor had been cleaned. So the rest is easy, right? I wish! We now get to thoroughly sweep over the underlayment, prime it, wait a few hours, apply leveling compound where necessary, chalk out where the tiles will lay, and then hope to God we've done things right so that our tiles don't start cracking or randomly popping up once we're open.

I'm still glad we're doing this, though. If we hadn't, we'd be at the mercy of flooring professionals who likely work the same 7-5 hours that all union laborers work. Our working nights and weekends - while the place is empty - is a major reason why we're not further behind schedule right now. I admit that I took on flooring myself solely to save money, but it turns out that the time gained is probably even more important than that.

Anyways, I have a ton more to report, but need to get off to the store and floor some more. All sorts of things are coming together next week - I hope. Wish us luck as we TRY to get open for that pub crawl!

The Old Man looks like a broken Transformer, but definitely came in handy.

If you don't have a clue about flooring, it's a good idea to hire a manager who is a black belt with a jigsaw - especially when you have to cut pieces like this.

Invisible No More

Sometimes something very simple can do a lot for the psyche; an awning is one such thing. Even though it only took the pros at Twin City T & A (the "T & A" stands for "tent and awning", for those who may have other ideas) a little over an hour to install the awning, the effect of their work is profound and instantaneous. Unlike the battle-scarred illustrations that have graced the store's windows for far more months (approaching five) than originally had been intended, the awning goes up at just the right time - roughly two weeks ahead of opening - to create excitement, but not wear out its welcome.

The store finally gets its facelift.

As for those worn and weary window illustrations, one bit the dust today. Naturally, it was the one that had graced the door, and had thus been subjected to significantly more abuse due to repeated opening and closing. We finally ripped it down today - part of the Dough Man's head had blown away - and replaced it with a collage of menus, with our driver recruitment flyer in the middle (see below).

Dough Man finally bit the dust after a long, hard winter, giving way to...

...His crude makeshift replacement.

We may not be out of the woods yet, as far as facade improvements are concerned. My design and lighting expert Kevin Collins will be out on Thursday to put up my window vinyl lettering if everything works out; he'll also let me know if the awning is hung too high for the lights we'll be installing to extend overhead. Of course, the lighting equipment package still has to arrive for progress to be made on that end - of all things to hold us up, the brackets that should have been here weeks ago have still not arrived and, worse, Kevin hasn't been able to track anyone down to get some answers.

One way or another, with the awning up I'll be able to have a photo included in my postcard mailer that's scheduled to go out in April. Depending on how much we can get done on Thursday, Kevin may end up using Photoshop to provide an accurate depiction of the finished product.

On more immediately pressing matters, we are madly scrambling to find flooring tile - commercial grade VCT, specifically - for this weekend. I had falsely assumed that the big-box retailers would carry at least a basic white offering in a quantity sufficient for our needs. Apparently not. Right now I've got David searching far and wide in Chicagoland for someone who stocks what we need (he's up there for Valentine's Day). What my old man doesn't know is that I'm going to need him to go out to wherever we can find some tile and make the purchase with his credit card (I'll be immediately reimbursing him, of course) on the way down on Friday. He warned me about the lead time on flooring materials last Friday, but even then it probably would have been too late to order anything custom in advance, since the average lead time for commercial tile appears to be around two weeks.

Before I get too depressed about that, it would be wise to change gears and mention that I had another speaking engagement on Tuesday night. This one went more smoothly than the previous attempt, for a number of reasons. Most importantly, I took the time to organize my thoughts chronologically, taking the audience along for my journey beginning with the day I graduated; I didn't run out of steam and lose my train of thought after just ten minutes like I did the first time. Of nearly equal importance was the fact that everyone who was there wanted to be there, as they are part of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO). I generally got the feel that people were a lot more interested in what I had to say this time around. I made it a little bit more interesting, too - I showed my brother's commercial from Champaign and distributed menus to all who attended. I had a solid Q&A session afterwards, and quite a few of them wished me best of luck and said they'll stop by when I open.

A Hint of Recognition: Publicity for my speaking engagement

So anyways, before this week is out, I have to figure out the flooring logistics, get my campusfood.com account set up, confirm my package expansion with Verizon and decide whether to purchase internet and cable TV through them, review workers comp quotes and choose the best one, pay a bunch of people, and not forget about Valentine's Day. Should be fun!

Coming Together

It's been a very productive week. A rundown of the positive developments:

• THE CONCRETE PAD HAS BEEN POURED!
• Todd (landlord) is ready to sign the bank documents
• I just saved $6,000 on my insurance (without switching to Geico!)
• The drywall is hung
• The HVAC guys are almost done
• The dreaded flooring odyssey is going incredibly well (thanks to D. Flood)
• I got a free pen in the mail with the store's name and address
• The awning and lights go up this week - I hope
• The walk-in arrives on schedule on Tuesday
• I finally got three months' worth of mail delivered to the store - including a few bills
• THE GRAND OPENING IS STILL ON TARGET!

A few pictures to better illustrate the ambient joy being felt right now...

My very own pen!

The jigsaw puzzle floor prep job of D. Flood and his mighty Skillsaw.

D. Flood and his trusty sticky construction adhesive gun hard at work.

State of the Store 2/8/08 - Rear View

State of the Store 2/8/08 - Full Frontal

Building the Box

It looks like I may finally be able to save some money. The HVAC contractor had it priced in as part of their work to assemble my walk-in cooler unit outside the store; however, I have also arranged for my equipment vendor to put it together. The latter knows that this job will take less than two hours, most likely, and has priced it accordingly. I am very curious to see what the HVAC guys had budgeted for this task.

In a positive development, my squeaky wheel act will end up landing me a three-phase A/C condenser - at no additional cost, as best I can tell. The oversight was on the part of the HVAC guys who had been appraised from the start that I was going with three-phase service to the restaurant; they simply didn't connect the dots and line me up with the right condenser. Thankfully, they've been very accommodating in getting this changed, and it'll all work out. It just serves as yet another reminder to scrutinize everything as best you can in order to ensure that things get built according to plan.

I also received clarification on why the hood was two feet larger than we had originally planned. Apparently, in order to generate the amount of airflow that code requires, the hood had to be that size. So, somewhat happily, it was just an initial miscalculation rather than an egregious error on someone's part.

David and I did our first team interview yesterday with a driver candidate who we quickly hired. I must admit, it's nice having a right-hand man to keep the conversation going when I get stuck; he also gives me someone to constantly bounce ideas off of. The lonely process of starting a business feels decidedly less so right now.

Today I'm continuing to tie up the neverending loose ends. Most critically, I have to get a copy of the bank documents with revised appendices to Todd (landlord) so that we can finally get them signed and gain access to the entirety of my funds at long last. I've also signed up online for internet and cable television service. I'm hoping that they do not differentiate between homes and businesses, because I have heard that in some cases businesses are required to pay more - something I don't pretend to understand. Regardless, when I input my address on the website, it came up with the same offers that apply to my apartment, so I'm hopeful that this will be the case.

I have to call Verizon soon, as well, to make sure that I can get my phone package expanded to three lines plus a fax. If it's not ridiculously expensive, I'd love to have caller ID, so that I can immediately input people's phone numbers without them having to dictate it to me.

Continuing down the path of good vibes, I am thrilled to report that I am on track to have my matching funds request granted at the design review commission's next meeting on Monday afternoon, and that work will proceed immediately thereafter on the facade of my store. At long last, I will have visibility that extends beyond directly across the street. Most encouraging is the fact that I will likely receive reimbursement checks within two weeks of submitting my receipts to the Town. Given that I'm dealing with a bureaucratic entity, I had suspected it might take a matter of months for funds to be released. This certainly has a profoundly positive effect on my cash flow picture.

In the meantime, my finances were further aided by Microsoft's bid to acquire Yahoo. This is only an issue because I have been taking my sweet a** time liquidating my portfolio of stocks to fund the business, and was rewarded by a stock (Yahoo) that had sunk to historic lows suddenly coming close to breaking even. I immediately sold; even though I expressed some regret when the stock went a little bit higher over the next few days, when you're starting a business and have a fortunate break come your way, you don't try to squeeze every penny out of it, but rather feel very thankful and cash out before things collapse again and it's too late.

So, it's hopefully shaping up that I will be able to scrape by with enough cash to allow the business to get its feet under it over the next few months. A commitment from my grandmother (the classic angel investor) to loan me a few thousand dollars (the emphasis on loan is due to the fact that she intends to be repaid, and I intend to make good on that pledge) will definitely help, and my parents have said that if push came to shove, they'd look into seeing whether they can help at all. I never intended to be in this position, of course, but things worked out to cost more than we'd originally planned, and I've cut expenses in all the places where it made the most sense to do so. I have no qualms about going to family for those marginal funds that could very well make all the difference in helping me survive the first few months of operation - any capital you can get your hands on is key when getting a business off the ground. As it's been said a million times before: CASH IS KING.

The concrete is still (I hope) scheduled to be poured behind my store tomorrow (Thursday), in anticipation of the walk-in cooler's arrival early next week - it should be shipping today. I'll keep posting on developments as they progress.

Piping Up

Things continue to gradually come together, as the piping is now in place, and the plumber (Rick with Chief City) is wrapping up his work. Today I walked into the store to find him scorching threads into my gas pipes so that they'll fit snugly together and bring the gas service to the oven. He was using an impressive machine I'm confident I'll never see again, and I now wish I'd snapped a picture while I had the chance...

I also found out today once again that if you don't specify every small detail, something will get missed. It's not the end of the world; however, I went with three-phase electrical service for the sake of efficiency, only to find out when tracking down a cut sheet for my air conditioning condenser that one of my main consumers of energy will be single-phase (unless I can prevail upon the HVAC contractor to change that at a reasonable cost, which I presume will not be the case).

On a completely unrelated matter, I spoke in front of Dr. Hosack's Business 100 introductory class on Wednesday. She had instructed me to come in and just sort of tell them about my experience opening a business, randomly touching on a number of important themes. I worry that I may have talked over them a bit, but I tried to hit on some important topics as they came up. Looking back, it would have been nice to have structured some sort of presentation in advance, but I still think it may have opened a few eyes; however, this was a class that meets right after a lot of people have just eaten lunch - from my experience, it's one of the best times for slouching into a sudden nap, and I saw a student or two close to keeling over. I will be the first to admit that I had so much to say that it was hard to keep in mind what might be most relevant to them, although I did manage to get a laugh or two on a number of occasions, which made all the difference. I must admit that despite being only two years out of college, it felt entirely different speaking before a group of students who are, on average, probably six years younger than me. Thankfully, when my impromptu presentation had run its course after about 20 minutes, a number of students had questions that caused me to think, mostly with regards to how I intend to reach the college population.

Since I'm not a huge believer in constant full-page advertising in The Daily Vidette, I've always pegged my hopes on reaching the students via word-of-mouth spreading from one D.P. Dough fan to another. Targeted blanketing of the campus with our menus right now represents the main thrust of my advertising efforts. I've hired a rather diverse staff representing a number of different interests across campus, so their ability to purchase discounted 'zones for their friends at the end of their shifts - as well as score special deals for whichever organizations they may be affiliated with - should work wonders if executed properly. Lacking a massive war chest for an all-out advertising blitz, a read of the book Guerilla Marketing is tops on my list as soon as I can steal it back down here from my parents' house.

I've told my new employees that I will be relying heavily on them to spread the word on campus, while I focus most of my personal efforts on the surrounding business community. With David moving down here sometime soon (it was supposed to be Friday, but walls of snow blowing straight sideways have a way of changing things), we should be able to build significant awareness of the store as we move towards opening.

Finally, I visited Bradley today at Idearc, publisher of the Verizon Yellow Pages, to sign up for a quarterly postcard mailer exclusively dedicated to businesses in the restaurant or entertainment genre. As part of the deal, I'll receive an ad in the upcoming annual Yellow Pages phone book, as well as two coupons in that part of the book. They'll also provide me with a dummy phone number for all people using the card to call in an order, which will ensure that they will be able to accurately track the number of people who call in an order to my store after receiving the card. Best of all, there are only about 20 cards in the clear plastic wrapped package, so I'm not at risk of people not thumbing through the entire stack (by contrast, my experience with the flimsy Valu-Pak coupons - a competing offering which comes in an envelope - has been less than enjoyable, mostly because there are roughly 50 pieces of paper that all cling to each other for dear life, making it a nightmare to sort out the ones you want).

We'll see if this pays off the way I hope it will; it seems like a reasonable bet, though, as it is quite a bit more cost effective than television - which I hope to get into eventually, just not right now - and targets 30,000 households representing both students in apartments and members of the community at large. Visiting with Steve (brother) the other day, he mentioned that he thinks it's a good idea, based on how he feels his Madison, WI store could have better sustained their ridiculously successful opening had they committed to some advertising right from the start.

Anyways, after a few days under the weather it was nice to tie up some loose ends today, including random bill payments and continued progress towards a set of documents that Todd (landlord) is comfortable signing - I think we're very close at this point. I'll find out soon if I'm wrong. I'll be posting recruitment flyers for drivers early on Monday, and hope to resume interviews shortly thereafter. I've received a number of applications in the last week or so, and have kept a lot of anxious applicants in the dark for longer than I'd like; however, once David is down here to help me with the process of identifying how much help we still need, and for which shifts, I think we'll be able to move much more smoothly from here on out.

In the meantime, I am now nearing two weeks until the Great Flooring Odyssey, so I am also committing myself to learning as much as I can about this task in advance. Advice, anyone? Thankfully, I'll have help and I'll have periodic guidance from Mark (contractor's superintendent), so hopefully things will go well. Still, it doesn't sit well that both Mak (handy best friend) and my old man don't want anything to do with flooring. Still, they say heroic deeds are borne out of desperation, and I have no choice but to do this right and not have it cost me a ton of money. I'll keep posting as this develops...

New Pipes in an Old, Old Building

Another Thousand Bucks

I'm hoping as I get closer to opening, things will become increasingly certain, and concomitantly the degree of extremity of the surprises that come my way will shrink proportionally. This has not yet happened, as evidenced by a phone call from Jeff yesterday morning telling me that the HVAC guys had discovered that the ducts bringing air to the furnace are rotted and insufficient in size. What this means is that, if left uncorrected, the furnace will have to work that much harder to draw air, and will get its air from the basement instead of the cleaner air of upstairs. The furnace will be much more prone to a premature failure, as well; thus, I relented and approved the additional $1000 or so (after the 15 percent contractor surcharge is added to the $750 to $900 estimate). Thankfully, my financials are still looking like they'll make it, but by how much is anyone's guess as I continue to dodge glancing blows and move ever closer towards opening.

In the meantime, I am hoping to lower my natural gas bills by finally having stuffed the openings in the walls with insulation (there had previously been doors/windows in two spots towards the back of the store, and they were filled in rather haphazardly through the years, in keeping with the overall theme of penny-pinching neglect to which the building was subjected previously). My Nicor Gas bill will probably come to $300 or so, rather than the ridiculous $710 based on the estimated reading. Much of this can be attributed to the recent Arctic chill that has descended upon the Midwest, and perhaps some blame is due to the aforementioned furnace situation; regardless, I'm going to do everything in my power not to allow for the bill to climb this high again until the oven is install and firing away.

I've more or less completed my first round of interviews, and have been thoroughly impressed with all who have shown up (I've had a few no-shows). As a new business, it has been easy to hire without regard for specific needs (other than making sure that everyone can work until close at least a few times a week); however, now comes the hard part. As I interview the remaining applicants, I'd be wise to look at who I've hired thus far and try to sketch out a typical schedule based on their hours desired and availabilities before blindly hiring more help. I have one interview this afternoon, and then will take a look at where I'm at and go from there.

On the random nuisances front, I will be meeting next week with Jeff and Brian (my equipment vendor rep) to figure out how to get all the necessary equipment into the store without having it get in everyone's way while they work any more than is necessary. We'll be deliberating these considerations next Friday when Brian comes in from Champaign to check out the store's dimensions in person. As a curious aside, the mop sink I had picked out is out of stock and has a 4-6 week lead time, so I am now looking to purchase one through my plumbing contractor for a slightly higher price.

Finally, based on the finalized schedule, I'm good to start flooring the store on the 15th. I'll have David down here by then to help, and a few of the guys I've hired thus far have a construction background and are willing to help. Even better, Mark (contractor's superintendent) is going to show us the ropes and make sure we do things right. All in all, I have a twelve-day window in which to complete flooring, baseboarding, and painting the inside of the store. I think it can be done, but we'll see.

I also will be running Motor Vehicle Reports (MVRs - also known as public abstracts) on all of my drivers in an effort to get more favorable rates on insurance coverage. So many little things to take care of, but so much time that my biggest enemy is my own tendency towards procrastination. So with that in mind, I'll wrap up this immensely important blog post and get back to what really matters - LUNCH!

More soon...

Well-Equipped

One step closer...I finally purchased the majority of my equipment today, which meant another $12,000+ out-of-pocket. Money well spent, though, as this continues to push me towards a late-February opening. Comparable drops in the bucket ($21) were spent wisely at the County Recorder's office, where I kept myself as legal as I know how to be by having my Secretary of State incorporation documents entered into their records. I still have this nagging feeling that there's something perfunctory that I haven't yet done, not because I don't want to do it, but because I don't know I'm supposed to...we'll see.

Anyways, more good news came my way today in the form of a solid expected ship date on my walk-in cooler/freezer unit. If it in fact ships on February 6, it should arrive in Champaign on Friday the 8th, and perhaps be at my store by the 11th, which is four days sooner than my contractor had projected.

With the above as ammunition, I am hoping to see if the schedule can be modified tomorrow morning when I meet with Jeff and Mark to discuss target opening dates, and the sequencing of everything that has to be done to reach that point. I'm sure they have reasons for scheduling everything the way they have, but at the least I'll understand that reasoning and perhaps be able to push my opening date back into late February.

I ran some quick financial revisions on a paper scrap this afternoon and was elated to find that I think I'll be alright if I can just contain costs from here on out. Brian from Serv-U was able to help me switch away from name brands on non-critical components such as hand sinks, mop sinks, and shelving, which saved significant money; he did, however, also upgrade one of my tables to a stronger gauge of steel for an extra $100 so that it won't collapse under the weight of my dough sheeter.

I also spoke today with a very knowledgeable lady with the Illinois DMV, and she clued me in on how to purchase public abstracts - better known as motor vehicle reports (MVRs) - for my drivers. I'll wait until I've completed my first wave of hiring before purchasing the MVRs, as it may require a 50+ mile trip down to Springfield.

Today was also one of chance encounters. On a personal banking mission, I happened to catch old friend Jason Clay from my undergrad and MBA days scurrying off to a meeting. He's a big honcho in commercial lending with National City now, which could possibly come in handy down the road - it never hurts to have successful friends, that's for sure. Also, while I was in the County Recorder's office, a lady tapped me on the shoulder. At first, I thought it was just another case of mistaken identity, where an Edward Norton fan asks me for an autograph, not realizing nor caring that I'm not him. In this case, though, she told me I looked very familiar, and it turned out I'd worked with her son at Jewel for a few years. I gave her a business card, figuring that it can't hurt to have somewhere to turn when hungry.

Anyways, I can only waste so much time posting today, since I still have to get organized for my interviews tomorrow, cook my legendary Peanut Surprise for dinner, and manage to find time for my weekly Lunker's excursion. Tonight was supposed to be the night where I didn't have to drive - and could therefore drink more - but then I went and committed to meet my contractor at 7 AM. Oh, well. More soon...

My Very Own Spaceship

After taking care of random odds and ends - such as setting up my Verizon online account and FINALLY buying an HDTV to hover above the dining room - I had the chance to sit down with Mr. Yellow Pages and find out what they have to offer. I'll say this: the phone book has come a long way in the last few years.

I'll probably end up signing up to be part of a direct mailer that will go out quarterly to 30,000 households and apartments with heads that are between the ages of 20 and 55. The ads are in the form of attractive glossy postcards - a far cry from the ValuPak envelopes with which I am most familiar - and will be dedicated exclusively to restaurants and entertainment venues. If I do it for $2400 for the year, I'll also get 1/8 page ad in under the "pizza" category in the phone book, as well as two coupons in that section of the book.

After the Yellow Pages info meeting, I headed over to the store to check on the progress. What I found was nothing short of astounding. I must admit I had totally underestimated the size of my exhaust hood - it's a flying saucer (albeit decidedly rectangular in shape - see below) hovering ominously low over my kitchen. I called Superintendent Mark to find out more about this ninth wonder of the world, and found out that code dictates that the clearance for an exhaust hood be set no higher than 6' 6". If I can jump and bang my head on the edge of the hood, I truly fear for the wellbeing of those taller than me. On the plus side, this monstrosity should suck out every last wisp of hot air emanating from the oven.

My very own spaceship hovering in its bay.

Later on in the day I heard back from my first employee - my youngest brother's friend David Kim. I've been keeping him in the loop since October, and he finally got me an application to set his availability and find out all the latest. He's also probing his friends to see if they might be interested in applying. In any event, I got a few more applications in from students I met at the job fair. If I can just clear one or two more hurdles, I should finally be able to begin setting up interviews with them.

I knew I was riding too high, and would likely be brought down by something shortly. Sure enough, that something came in the form of a call back from Todd (landlord), telling me that he wants serial numbers for all of the equipment that is to be left behind in the event of a default. Considering that the walk-in unit won't arrive for another four weeks, this is quite the tall task. I've dealt with the difficult before to get to this point, however, so my emails have gone out of all the people who can get me the info I need and hopefully I'll have something for Todd to sign no later than Monday. Admittedly, though, I'm stressing this, because my bank accounts are getting tapped fast after I had to plunk down the deposit for the walk-in out of my own pocket the other day.

In a separate interesting development, I have been asked to speak in front of Dr. Hosack's Business 100 class on Wednesday, January 30. I asked her if she was sure the kids could handle the harsh realities of getting a business off the ground, and she assured that they would be better off for hearing it; she thinks that certain topics I cover might provide a springboard for future class discussions throughout the semester. I have to admit, I think it'll be fun.

Anyways, nothing relieves stress like rest, so I'll report back soon hopefully with some positive developments that leave me closer to being able to touch my money. More soon...

Help Me! Setting Up Shop at the Job Fair

While excavators were digging a 4-foot-deep crater behind my store, I found myself in the Bowling and Billiards Center spreading the gospel of the 'zones. The off-campus job fair that provided my forum and captive audience was an all-out success. I had probably the most visible booth directly in line with the entrance, and found quite a few people curious about who I am, what I do, and where I do it - and whether they could potentially do the D.P. too. In any event, thanks to all the ISU students who stopped by to learn about the dough, and who were kind enough to navigate their way to this blog when I ran out of applications and told them they'd have to apply online - your efforts and quick response time are much appreciated. Of course, if I wasn't still a college student at heart, maybe I'd have had plenty of aps and driver info forms - and maybe even some colorful posters and such - but instead I barely managed to make it to the fair a half hour late carrying only what I remembered to grab on the way out the door. Still, as the picture below illustrates, it was well worth it due to a turnout that far exceeded my expectations.

Interesting side note: my booth was right next to Weed Man, who was not nearly as interesting as I had hoped he'd be - he was signing up people to cold call for landscaping services.


Moving on...as promised, the latest construction pics are below, including the giant trench out back behind the store. It's now half-filled, with the footings in place awaiting the pouring of the concrete pad on which the walk-in cooler/freezer will sit. According the Mark (contractor's superintendent overseeing the project), it's really hard to get concrete poured in winter on the few days on which weather permits. Go figure. Not to fear, though - it's not as though this will delay the overall project, as I found out yesterday that the lead time on the walk-in cooler is four weeks. When I got that message, I immediately checked my bank accounts, maneuvered a bit, and hauled ass to Champaign to place my order for the unit as quickly as possible. As a result, my $8,725 down payment had to come in the form of two separate checks adding up to that total (funds still have not been released, as Todd (landlord) has gone MIA the last few days as I've tried to track him down to sign the final documents. For the time being, though, I should still be OK; however, I'd really like to have the funds ready so that no further delays are sustained on account of lack of money.

In the meantime, while I was in Champaign, I toured the damaged goods aisle at Serv-U (my equipment vendor), and found an ice machine identical to the one I'd planned to purchase new for a fraction of the cost. It's flaw? It had a panel chip off in transit, so they resecured it with a bolt, which I'll have to loosen to access the machine's inner workings. Do I mind? Not a bit.

It's a little hard to imagine, but in a month 'zones will be flying out of this kitchen.

My royal moat, commissioned to keep the enemy armies at bay.

Drywall stilts - a very cool tool of the trade.

Right now entrance to the store requires the assistance of two mules and a sherpa...especially since the front door can only be unlocked from the inside.

Anyways, I'll begin interviews for kitchen and drivers next week. I'll only speak in generalities, since it's not nice - and probably not legal, either - to divulge anything specific that transpires in an interview. In any event, stay tuned...

New Mascot

Thanks to Christian in Champaign for making great use of excess dough shrapnel to create a real-life "Dough Man"...or "Dough Hamster" action figure. Check him out below surfing on a D.P. Dough menu. More construction pics and updates coming soon!

The Magic of the Dough

Sometimes I forget why I'm bothering with all the hassles of starting a business - my brother's new commercial for his store in Champaign helps remind me of the fun side of D.P. Dough. Enjoy!

Good to Go...Almost

This week was definitely more kind to me than those which preceded it. Of greatest import is the return of construction workers to my store. The building inspector is back from vacation, and immediately spoke with my architect and contractor to assuage his lingering concerns.

I sat down on Wednesday afternoon with Jeff (contractor) and his superintendent, Mark. Their belief is that I can be ready to go in about five weeks, which puts me on target for an opening around Valentine's Day. This will work perfectly, as my funding going through next week will allow me to immediately order my equipment; the most critical piece is the walk-in cooler/freezer unit, which has to be in place before the enclosure attaching it to the building can be constructed.

In the meantime, I have spent some time cleaning a three-compartment sink I'll very likely be buying next week. The health inspector has stipulated that it must be rust-free, a state which my persistent scrubbing achieved. I also finalized my menu and continue to work on the lingering question of non-owned auto insurance to cover me in the event that one of my drivers has an accident while on the job.

I am also breathing easier now that I've received basic assurances that I will not have to put up the fencing around the aforementioned walk-in cooler in the dead of winter, but will have the opportunity to negotiate a reasonable extension. The mid-February opening also allows me to go before the design review commission once again to receive formal approval for my matching funds as part of the Town's facade improvement program. The drawback is that any work which is performed before formal approval has been granted is ineligible for the matching funds, so my window vinyl, exterior lighting, and awning must be installed no sooner than Tuesday, February 12. Nevertheless, everything appears to be lining up nicely to coincide with the target opening.

My new work computer arrived (although I am ignoring it at the moment by typing this post on a laptop), and I was able to successfully install QuickBooks; unfortunately, I have yet to summon up the patience to set up my account. My decision to go with Windows XP instead of Vista will allow me to be able to network this office computer to the point-of-sale (POS) terminals, according to my rep. I spent part of Thursday discussing specifics and logistics regarding the installation of my POS system.

I admit I'm getting tired just thinking about all the things that still remain to be done before I can open; however, I'll soon have help in taking care of them, as David signed a lease the other day and will be moved down here as of the first of the month. I tend to work better when someone is around to push and prod me a bit.

With all of these mundane tasks occupying my mind, I've been unable to think about the gradual buildup of brand awareness for the business - the fun part of the job. I am very much looking forward to renewing acquaintances with friends in town with whom I've fallen out of touch over the past year or two, but who work all over town and should therefore be able to organically spread the gospel of the 'zones. Oh, and I'll be occupying a booth at the spring student employment fair next Wednesday - should be fun trying to find employees.

Next week promises a concrete pour behind the store, as well as progress on the plumbing, drywall, and HVAC fronts. I'll be starting to investigate my flooring options, and can't wait to peruse some of the restaurant products available at Sam's Club - I'm hoping to purchase some of my shelving there, among other things. More enthralling updates soon...

Throwing Up Prayers

This week represents the most important gauntlet to jump, on a number of fronts. First, I have to hope that the project gets its green light reinstated when the building inspector returns on Monday.

Second, I will be meeting with Todd (landlord) on Monday to discuss some changes his lawyer suggested be made to the SBA documents; my banker will be on the phone to work through them with him, while I anxiously wait in the wings.

Finally, I am working to get an insurance quote that is reasonable for my business and its drivers. Right now, I have heard back from a local agency, but the quoted premiums are quite expensive; I am hoping that the lady my brother used can do better. Regardless of the non-owned auto (driver's insurance) outcome, I should have insurance in place next week.

So...if Todd and Busey Bank agree on the language of my SBA documents, AND my insurance coverage gets initiated, AND building inspector is agreeable to our response to the plan review, THEN my project should truly be on the fast track at long last.

In the meantime, I'm working to get my menu finalized by early next week, so that the printing process can get underway. I also have to follow up with the POS vendor, campusfood.com, Verizon, and American Waste Disposal (need somewhere for the garbage to go), as well as establish an additional vendor relationship or two.

It's a bit frightening how fast time keeps flying by, but hopefully I'm laying the foundation for an early February opening at this point. Until the next delay...