Like a treasure hunter looking for gold...

I sat down a few months ago and did an estimate of what I thought equipment was going to cost me. I looked all over, new/used etc for median prices, with the thought that the economy is so sucktastic I should be able to get some really good deals (it is a sad fact that many restaurants are going out of business).



My original estimate looked something like this:

• Smoker $2000


• VacMaster $1800


• Freezer $1200


• Fridge $1200


• Cold Display $2500.00


• Kegerator: $1200


• Steam Table $800


• Slicer $600


• Sandwich Prep $1000


• Fryer: $600


• Tables: 5 @ $35


• Chairs: 20 @ $15


• Bar Stools: 6 @ $50


• POS System: $2000


• Hand Sinks: $300


• Prep Sinks: $400


• 3 Comp Sink: $500


• Mop Sink $300

For a total of about $170000.00



Well I already found a great deal on the cold display ($700) and the kegerator ($750) and today I found a Hobart slicer for $350! This is SO cool! This means I've already chopped $2500 off my potential total. I also saw a commerical smoker on Craigslist for $1800. I might wait until the very end to buy my smoker, because if I save enough money on the other items I might be able to splurge on the Alto-shaam smoker I really want. I've seen it online used for $3k this week.



I should also be able to get all the sinks used already plumbed.



I looked thru the tome that is the Health Department's "Plan Check Guidelines for New and Remodeled Retail Food Facilities" yet again this morning. I really need to get a copy to Dave... it is voluminous. Not something to read whilst one is all hopped up on pain meds for sure (albiet, I am starting to feel better, thank goodness!).



I also ordered my t-shirts and aprons. I am trying to prioritize according to what needs a bunch of lead time. I am SUPER Excited about Ob doing this mural thing on one of the walls and hosting Esme's art on the other wall, with Ysabeau doing my patio plantings... I am so SO lucky that I know so many talented artists.



I was having this email discussion with Giles about food and life in general... I am not a food snob (despite turning my nose up at hamburgers)... you guys who are artists will understand what I am about to say (and I use the word Artist here in a very broad sense) things that are made by hand by people who have passion and love for what they do have a life... a vibration and energy... that things made in a factory do not. I love my friends and I am grateful for the soul their art embues into my life.



I have always felt loved by a generous God/dess and blessed by the richness of the universe more than I deserve. You can't just be blessed with amazing children, amazing people, an amazing lover, gifted with "sweet hand" AND also have magical match making powers and not think to yourself... "Ok the universe has done all this stuff for me... I better get my butt in gear and show the universe the depths of my appreciation."



It is amazing how gratitude can flavor a life. LIFE IS YUMMY!

The Quest is ON!

So, now that I have a lease, a space, a Sous, a concept and two months free rent... it's time to knuckle down and gather all of the small details together. I ordered a $11 decal that says, "THE COMPASS STAR Coming May 2011", business cards for Stein and I, a first run of menus (that need to be redone) and Monday I spent the day in San Jose looking at a good used restaurant supply place for equipment.

Originally my investor wanted to write one check so I was trying to find everything in one place. Some items are super easy to find used everywhere... range, refirigerators, sandwich prep stations, chairs, tables, deep fryers. ALL super available. Stuff that is REALLY hard to find used and cheap are a smoker, a front cold display merchandiser, the vaccuum sealer and the under counter kegerator.

We saw a decent mechandiser at the place in San Francisco for $2500, this was the CHEAPEST one I'd seen. Most in this price range also have stuff like "Red Bull" in giant letters written all over (when I don't have any plans to sell Red Bull). So Wednesday I saw a $700 merchandiser on Craigslist and it was super simple, white and just what I am looking for. So Todd and Vander helped me go grab it. Then we went to the Meadery for some brews and Mike (the proprietor) mentioned he had a two keg under counter kegerator up in the rafters he would be willing to sell me. I'd seen them for about $1100, but mostly it was hard to find them new. So Mike said I could have that one for $750.00 AND he would store it there until we needed it. Whew! Second hard to find item down!

ARGH! Part Deux

So today was my first round of serious equipment shopping...

I've been checking out prices on Craigslist for a while but I wanted to hit one of the larger used equipment places in the city, plus East Bay Restaurant Supply, which I thought had a bunch of used equipment (they advertise like they do oneline!)

Well, the one place was pretty good, they had some gorgeous stuff in there for people who might be interested in the old gorgeous enamel french style wood burning stove/ranges. And they did a have a decent selection of the stuff I might need, but they can't store stuff for me, so I would have to hope and pray that when the time came, they had the stuff I need in the right sizes. Plus they can get good prices on new stuff from this co-op they belong to, so technically I could get a Vacmaster and smoker on the cheap from them as well... so I found one stop shopping, but would have to deal with storage until we could get the plumbing etc done...

East Bay Restaurant supply is just way over priced... it's like shopping at William's and Sonoma for kitchen basics.

The place in Vallejo is fine for small purchases but it is just not big enough to have everything I need all on one place. I am going to check out Castillos on Monday or Sunday in San Jose to see what they have. I wish some of these places advertised a bit better :(

Katherine Goodasture suggested I maybe look into a PODS storage thing. They seem to have short term business storage.

So the press is on to get equipment, get it cheap, figure out where I am storing it and get all the specs sheets so they can be submitted in the permitting process.

ARGH! (Into each dream a bit of rain must fall)

So my primary funding source is also my contractor, and it is time to go get some of the equipment so we can have all the info needed to plan space etc. and submit to the Health Department. He wants me to find everything at one source so he can write one check. I TOTALLY understand why he would want to do that but...

I checked Tri-mark (SF) and East Bay Restaurant Supply (Oakland) and they are SO expensive. I can get the same open front merchandiser on Craigslist for $600 that Tri-mark has (used) for $2300.00 and that is pretty much the price difference for everything. But Craigslist, it will be really hard to find everything in one place. I might get lucky and a deli goes out of business and is selling everything for a set price... but then I will have to look up spec sheets for everything online, IF they exist.

I just need to actually go out and go to the places and see what is avialable... but Sam has been sick and I can't be dragging him around in the rain.

I am just worried that my cost projections are going to be WAY off (they are based on craigslist prices) and we are already doing $10k worth of work more than I'd planned with adding the hood and range.

And I talked to Stan this morning and I think he was really surprised that the process is so long. Health Department alone is a HUGE packet of information, much of which is coming from sub contractors (plumbing, building, hood/range etc) and then once I finally submit it, the estimated processing time is 20 days. 20 days before I can go apply for a building permit, business permit or anything else. And I can't submit to the Health Department until I have the specs for my steam table, kegerator, range, fryer, smoker, sandwich prep table, sinks, and shelving.

Here comes Stress-Time #2 (after Stress Time #1: Negotiating the Lease)... I better put on my Chef-Patronne Toque and git 'er done!

I am going to check Stockton and the place Roric suggested for equipment. I think are not in as high rent areas and their prices may very well reflect that. I am also going to keep an eye out for small cafe's going out of business that might be able to sell me a group of items for cheap.

Lots of movement... sort of!

Things are coming together (knock on wood)

Had a great meeting with Stein about seasonal menu, got my opening menu designed and ordered, ordered Stein and I business cards and got my t-shirts and aprons designed and handed off to Brion so he can talk to Benin from Trimaris about getting them done before we open.

Today David sent me an ever shrinking to-do list to get my packet ready and sent into the Health Department Today I had to call the Sanitary district and ask about grease traps and how many I will need and what equipment has to flow thru them. I also had to add up my total potential BTU useage since Dave is expanding the gas line to adjust to all the new equipment.

The Sanitary district was super nice and very helpful. I spoke to a Colleen Henry and once again I am very heartened by the patience and helpfulness of the people at the various County offices I encounter. I will need to run my mop sink, prep sink and 3 compartment sink thru the grease trap, but they are all within like 10 feet of each other so that shouldn't be too big of a deal. I need a minimum 100 lb grease trap and it will go under the floor.

I also needed to copy the section in the Health Code on air gaps to send to my plumbing sub contractor, which I did this morning.

AND I am very excited that one of my favorite photographers is willing to do my food photography in trade for selling her AWESOME art in my cafe! I LOVE THE BARTER SYSTEM!

I would guess I will be prepared to submit to the Health Department (knock on wood) within two weeks! Then I need to go thru the buidling dept, then Sanitary District... I am not sure when Fire comes in there? I better check (add to the to-do list)

And for your veiwing pleasure! Sammy at the Wine Stroll eating ice cream! Photo by Aaron Cole

It costs WHAT?!

So got the hood estimate back at about 18k. Dave thinks he can find it cheaper, so that is on hold until I know for sure. I ordered a small run of my opening menu and had a great chat with Stein yesterday about how we want the menu to flow. The place is too small to (and has too little storage) to change out the specials every day so we will keep them on the menu for at least a week at a time. They will go in as a paper inset to the static menu which will look something like this to start

We will have a changing weekly Salad, Pasta, Salumi (on the Ploughman's lunch) and Soups (likely three of them so we can do a soup trio of 2 ounces of each soup). The first ones will be:

Special Pasta: Deep fried butternut squash gnocchi with guanciale and brown butter

Special Salad: Cold smoked duck with deep friend duck egg on bitter greens with honeyed parsnips

Soups: Corn Chowder, Split Pea and Lemon Cream, and Chichi Bean and Red Pepper

I also ordered a "large window decal" that says, "THE COMPASS STAR! Coming Soon! May 2011"

So now I just have to hop we can actually get open in that time frame (deep sigh).

I need to talk to Brion about having his friend do the jerseys. That will take some lead time as well. I have to get over feeling like if I spend money on anything I am going to jinx myself. I will feel better when I've submitted to the Health Dept and gotten some positive feedback. It just still feels like... so up and down.

Like a tigress ready to pounce!

I am just getting more and more excited!

I got a phone call from a friend today that went kind of like this...

"Hi Rachael!"

Me, "Hi! Wow, one of my most favorite people in the world! How have you been??"

"I hear you are opening up a cafe? How come you haven't called me? I want to give you money."

This is SO awesome! This means I can pay for the stuff for the Health Department, plus all my permitting right away instead of haivng to wait until the end of the month... I am so humbled and grateful for the outpouring of support I have received.

Plus, I got the most awesome pep talk... about how I have what it takes to do well... passion, energy, focus, drive... all that stuff. I think I know what Danae must have felt like when Zeus showered her with gold.

This makes such a huge difference in how fast I can get things done! I could potentially turn in my whole packet to the health department in a week or two! It's such a weight off my shoulders.

Tomorrow I meet with Stein to revamp the menu to reflect the expanded kitchen equipment. I think I shall go laze in the bath with beer and read thru all my notes.

OH and guess what else I did? I know it is a real long shot but I sent in my resume to stage for Cosentino for the Nose to Tail dinner! http://www.offalgood.com/chris-blog

I sent in the link to this blog and also to my lamb slaughtering blog. It is the first week of April, and I think I should be able to squeeze it in before the end of April when I plan to open my shop.

Have I mentioned how much fun it was to meet my new neighbors on the Main street this past weekend? So many creative down to earth fabulous people. I am just SO so so SO excited!