Or not...

Was supposed to hear back from the broker on "Tuesday or Wednesday"... but still haven't (Are you sensing a pattern here?)... and I really am getting the feeling they are not that into my business

SO... PLAN B! Yeah! Go Plan B!

(and first a bit of a query to the heavens) WHY are so many iPhone applications better than the full PC versions of various web sites? I am thinking today about Loopnet. Loopnet is a online database-type-of-thing where you can look up commercial space for lease. If you try to find things sitting at your desk on your full size PC, it is kind of a pain really. But, the app is awesome! It pinpoints where you are and then with some simple perameters it will find all of the spaces for lease on a interactive touch-map with a very nice drop down menu if you put your finger on any of the tags for the individual addresses. Ta dah! Genius!

Anyway, so I found a 1200 sq ft space near my favorite Asian store (Which I suspect is going out of business since they are also found in the Loopnet database) and Pho place. It Already has range and hood. FAR greater drive thgrough traffic AND every singe place in that area that has decent food is packed to the gills every day. There are no coffee shops, or delis in the area. In fact there is very little non-Asian or Mexican food at all. They just opened up a huge Casino across the street AND it is right near the freeway.

Apparently this guy bought the restaurant so his parents could stay in the United States and get visas for working in the place. Then... they decided they didn't want to work lol! I've seen the place a bunch of times when I go to Pho... and it's never open, which was always very curious. He paid 80k for it! Poor guy. I think he is trying to sell the restaurant, but I only want to take over a lease and not have to pay for a menu/name/stuff I am not going to use.

I have to admit that the thought of not having to fight the City of Martinez for major improvments on a historical building, plus not having to deal with the mom/broker issues is sounding very appealing right now. Plus that area is packed with people all the time. AND I would be able to make arancini, beignet AND french fries right away! WOO HOO!

Plan B, I love you. Bri and I are going to go check out the space tonight. The only sticky part may be the guy wants to get some money out of the restaurant. I need cash to pay for the many specialty items I will need to have on hand for a deli (deli case, all of the charcuterie stuff, sous vide set up etc). I am wondering if the clientel there would be open to things like Wine Makers Dinners etc? It is right on the border of a nice residential area, so I would assume the coffee shop will be a good thing.