in the beginning

where are you located, hunt?

Denver, CO

well, i'm just a part time caterer... will let the full time pros answer... but you'll need to think about how much business you think you'll do at first, and how you plan to operate. that is, gonna do like in TX (cook up some fresh Q each day and it's gone when it's gone), or will ya cook a bunch and fridge, then have a plan to reheat in certain quantities (several briskets and several racks), or as needed, by the serving. Some cook and hold at temp (140+), some reheat and hold, some even nuke as needed. what's your approach gonna be?

Great questions. I'm actually from TX and I've just never done anything like this on a commercial level. Quality is the most important thing to me. I expect good business due to the amount of promotion I'm planning on doing. These electric smokers make me feel like I can cook more than less and reheat easier without losing tenderness. Any input on equipment? Thanks for the replies.

Hello Hunt, welcome to the Q world.
Will you be serving other than BBQ? Burgers, Hot dogs, etc?
At my place on a medium day I go through
4-6 shoulders about 6 slabs a day( I still use an open pit). But, I sell a wide variety of items from burgers, salads, etc.
Wish ya luck man, keep posting

Terry

just my nickel..... welcome,hunt! you found the right forum for all kinds of help. keep asking and we will all pitch in some kind of clues from our own experiences. hopefully, you will take heed from our postings and create your own ways. then let us know how it all turns out so we can all benefit.
ok, as far as how much to cook, i reccomend filling up that smoker each time you fire it up. that will bring down your operating cost.
utilize all that precious smoke and space. after all, your paying for it.
ever tried smoked meat the next day? much better isnt it?! yep, proven fact that smoked meat needs to settle overnite to allow the flavor mature. try to stay a day or two ahead. that way, you should never run out, and you can always slow down if sales are slower than projected. i reccomend a trial run of every menu item so yeilds dont suprise you.
good luck, post any questions............

great input... I think some of the questions I need answered are like what kind of equipment am I gonna need. I'm looking at some electric smokers. What would I use to reheat that amount of meat the next day? How do I find the best meat in my area? What about all the little things I'll need for day to day ? I don't want to get started and then have to order something I didn't know I need. What's the best way to know that I have all my bases covered as far as equipment goes?I can already see that this forum is gonna provide me with the knowledge I need and am appreciative of people like you who spend your time helping

Hi Hunt,

Does the location you are going into already have a kitchen? If so, what existing equipment is there?

Hey Stuart. Don't know yet. I actually haven't even walked through yet. I'm just judging at this point by location, and size of space. I know it was a mexican food restaurant previously. Let's assume it has nothing of use to me just to be safe. Any recommendations on quantity and type of equipment. Going back to a previous post, what would be the best way to reheat day old smoked meat without losing any tenderness or juice? Are these electric smokers really the way to go? I would love to have a pit but I'm realistic about the situation and I just don't think that's gonna happen. Thanks!

Stuart, I know there's a kitchen just don't know about equipment.

quote:

Originally posted by hunt:
[qb] somebody please tell me where to begin[/qb]

You need to map out a business plan, Hunt. To accomplish this, you need to do some homework. Begin by laying out a basic menu concept of items you think will work best for you. For the time being, leave the pricing on the sidelines. Don't forget to include sides and beverages.

Next, formulate a monthly itemization of expenses: labor costs, occupancy costs, utilities, principal & interest, (if you're planning to borrow money) marketing costs,
serving supplies, (plates, napkins, silverware) taxes, dues, permits, maintenance, repairs, equipment purchses, etc.

Next, make a list of suppliers you'll need and contact them; get prices from them for the menu items you've already established. The idea here is to get a basic portion cost established for your main entrees, sides and beverages.

Now it gets a bit tricky. In order to establish a "cost of goods sold", you need to apply pricing. Here's how it works: say loin backs are selling for $3.00 a pound and average 1.5 lbs. each. A finished rack of ribs costs you $4.50. But wait, you rubbed them with seasoning, and will probably need to offer sauce with them...add another 25 cents. Net cost is $4.75. What do you charge for them? That depends on your food cost % target goal. For now, let�s use 38%�which is probably going to be a close number for your operation. What that means is, for every dollar of food sold, you want to spend no more than 38 cents. If your operation isn�t going to sell liquor, wine or beer, you can count the cost of your beverages as food too. So let�s assume you�re only selling a limited BBQ menu with soft drinks, and you need to achieve a 38% food cost. Divide 100 by 38. The result is 2.61. That number is your mark-up factor. So now multiply the cost of your loin backs by your mark-up factor�$4.75 x 2.61 = $12.40

Now keep in mind that $12.40 for a rack of loin backs may seem like too good of a deal. Remember that 30 lb case of loin backs you bought? One rack hit the floor and went into the trash. Chances are another one either got eaten by someone on staff, or was fed to someone because it was leftover at the end of the day. Until you get a handle on what your waste is, add back an additional 10% to the cost of your food. So your real cost of loin backs is $4.75 + .48 = $5.23 x 2.61 = $13.65

So now you need to identify a portion cost for everything on your menu. Simple, eh?
But you�re not done yet. You now need to forecast your sales so you can put together a cash-flow chart. If you�re starting up a new operation, this is the tricky part, as you have no history to go by. First, determine your days and hours of operation. How many seats will you have? Are you doing take-out? Your goal is to determine how many customers you�ll have on a given day. Is there a restaurant near your intended location? Drop by for a few meals and see how they�re doing. Heck, the owner might even tell you. Perhaps the local chamber of commerce can provide you some traffic information. You need to generate a reasonable number to work with. Let�s say it�s 50 lunches and 50 dinners.

So you now have a daily customer count and a lunch and dinner menu with prices. Next you need a per person sales average. Show your menu to 10 people and ask them what they�d order for lunch and dinner. Tabulate the total and divide by 10. That�s your lunch sales average and your dinner sales average. Be sure to add in sides and soft drinks.
Let�s say the lunch average is $6.75 and dinner is $11.50. Your 50 lunch patrons spent $337.50 and dinner patrons spent $575 for a total of $912.50. Because it�s new, you�re going to be open 6 days a week, 50 weeks a year. 300 days x $912.50= $273,750

Not a bad haul, eh? Oops, we forgot to subtract the cost of the food which was 38%
That drops the $273,750 by $104,025. You now have $169,725 left over. Remember all the expenses I asked you for on a monthly basis? Multiply them by 12 and subtract from $168,734. That is your net income from operations.
This is a blueprint for what you need to do. Also keep in mind that most restaurant go under from being under capitalized. You�ll probably need some wiggle room for awhile so you better be prepared for it. Good rule of thumb is 3 months worth of expenses.

Good luck and let me know if you have questions. I�ll be happy to help as time permits.

thanks topchef, awesome advice. anybody have any advice on equipment, type, how much. I'm concentrating on brisket, beef and pork ribs, and links. Looking at electric smokers. What's the best way to reheat day old meat without drying out? thanks.

I like your doggedness, hunt... hehehehe... don't let go til you get them answers!!!

well... each smoker type has it's plusses and minuses. I have found electrics -- and that means cookshack -- are great for brisket and pulled pork, especially, cause they retain so much moisture. I happen to like chicken and ribs and links on something with more wood and less mositure (better bark, IMHO)... like my weber kettle! not so good for commercial, though. Then again, you can do ribs and links on the cookshack, then finish on a grill for some bark. reheat: smoke the stuff, foil up tight in quantities that you would want to reheat, refrigerate. to reheat, just hit those foil packs (briskets, racks of ribs, links, whatever) in the regular oven at 250 for varying periods (1 hr to 2 or more) to get em up to temp. Kept foiled, should just fine. With pulled pork, I recommend cooking the shoulder, pull and sauce in a tray, then refridge. Reheat the tray, covered, for about 1 - 1.5 hrs.

Thank you woodburner! Very much appreciate the advice. And your right, ain't no quit in this boy, 'specially when it comes to money and barbeque.