Took the pluge Friday

Best of good fortune to you I was in the restaurant business for 20 years until 1999 and forced out by developers next door I purchased another much smaller restaruant (62 seats) in january of this year and got all my old customers back and I am enjoying the business again. I wish the best to anyone who tries this business as it is time consuming but the rewards are the best

good luck
Herman

Best o' luck, chef. I am aboput to order a trailer from Alex too....and now that there is NSF approval it looks like the FEC is in the works too.

herman and kinsman thanks for the kind words of encouragement.
and i dont think you can go wrong with cookshack and alex at trailer tech operates like cookshack does which is old fashioned honesty.
peg and i will be keeping our full time jobs for 3 years while we build the business. but it has to beat growing old in a retirement home
jack

Now for catering, are you listing the trailer as the place you are gcooing and preparing the food?

dma,
we sure are since we will only require power and potable water and grey water hookup to meet requirements. all refig freeze smokers sinks and stove are nsf. plus we are working on listing a commissary site in addition but in florida essentially an rv park meets those requirements if you are self contained. also power can be met with generator. we are going to buy the type approved by the florida folk festival since their requirements are the most stingent(plus that is going to be our 1 year benchmark)
jack

Jack....Take a look at the "Honda EU3000is". It's super QUIET and in my business on film production sets quiet is absolutely necessary. You can stand right beside this unit and carry on a normal conversation...twenty feet away you are barely aware that it is operating. In addition, it's actually an inverter putting out 3000 watts of pure sine wave power that's automatically adjusted by power demand...very friendly to refrigerators, freezers,etc. On location, in my catering trailer, I run two refrigerator/freezers, a chest freezer, mixer, food processor,microwave, etc. and it never complains. The refrigeration, of course, runs constantly and the rest runs as needed. They are a little pricey at 1700 to 2000 dollars but worth every cent. Just a suggestion, take a look and a listen.
CB

chateau,
thanks so much for that heads up since that is our next major purchase and since we currently only have one 22cf artic refrigerator along with the 7.2cf artic chest freezer that unit sure would give me plenty of expansion room. plus i always owned honda motorcycles and had good luck with them.
jack

Jack..a couple of things I didn't mention is that the unit is electric start with a conventional pull starter as backup (I've never had to use this feature), it runs all day on a 2 1/2 gallon tankful of gas, and it has a 12volt charging circuit which I did have to use once because I left the headlights on in my tow vehicle all day
CB

Another selling point to the Honda EU unit "Two EU3000is generators can be linked in parallel operation" with a special cable for 6000 watts of output. Just in case you wanted to run an air conditioner or power hungry coffee pots and the like.

Happy Trails

chateau and happy,
thanks so much for the heads up. i did a honda dealer search and figured i would have to drive to jacksonville like i do for everything else but there is a dealer here in st augustine which is great. tomorrow is my day off from the prison and i will be going down to jones to look at one (and i do mean one for now lol). i also checked with florida folk and it is approved there so it has to be really quite. again thanks you guys so much. it is fun starting up but a little scary too!!!
jack
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!

Jack, another suggestion on the Honda. Make sure the dealer throws in the cover and the 12 volt charging cord...they are accessories that you will want. Good luck on your new venture.
CB

Thanks, Happy, Chateau, DMC and Kinsman. We are plugging along with all this. I am preparing health dept. papers tomorrow listing the commissaries, etc. They'll know more about us than we do.
Thank you for your support.
Peggy
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!

Well, there is a delay on the trailer being finished. I did expect that but it is so disappointing. Well, that will give the health dept. more time to go over my writing. I asked them if they work with us because I've never dealt with this before. I have had lots of experience with state and federal mammography inspections and you'd think this would be no harder. Anyway, I was assured that they do work with us, and lots of people put in the applications. Thanks for putting up with my writing here.
Peggy
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!

Peggy,
Sorry to hear your trailer will belater than expected. I ordered mine a bit after you folks did.

Hope everything goes well with the Health Dep't and please do keep us posted!

Chris
Long Riders Bar B Que

Kinsman,
Our trailer was supposed to be finished July 10, so I scheduled a day off work on July 16 so I could help Jack towing since we are new to that aspect. Now they (TrailerTech) say it may be 2 more weeks. I am so disappointed! I still think they are decent people, I just want to get this thing going!!!
We went to the bbq, bluegrass, and blueberry festival in Callahan, FL and had a wonderful time. But don't ever participate in judging people's choice in pulled pork on a hot day in Florida! Walking around with 18 different pork recipes in your tummy on a hot day in Florida doesn't make for a happy girl. But Jack did buy me 2 nice blueberry bushes.
Thanks for being here.
Peggy

new delievery date is supposed to be july 31st
jack

Health Dept. Update
I sent in all the required stuff. I didn't give them enough information on our commissary. They sent a notice to me. The people at the state level I have dealt with on the phone have been very helpful. I got a copy of the health dept. license from the commissary people, got the city to sign off that the commissary is indeed hooked up to municipal water and sewer. I think I filled out all the papers right. Got a receipt from the U.S. Mail saying they received my latest papers. Why is this so difficult? I know I'm not being taught patience, because I am a patient person. Wish us luck!
Peggy Percifield
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!

Good luck, good luck, good luck!

They just don't make sense, do they? When I came back to Macon County, NC and met the 26 year old over zealous little lady that was a health dept inspector and talked to her is when I decided NO WAY! Can you believe giving that much power to someone so young? She's not even old enough to be the President of the USA!

I asked some question about some rules...she admitted they didn't make sense but the rules are the rules! In the "book" it states inspectors can make they're own decisions about the rules! That confused me when the book states that but she won't budge from the rules.

well guys this one just gets gooder an gooder as we say in the south. spent 2 hours on the phone today with the nice lady from state of florida. heck i even got to call our nice county fire inspector. what caused all of this??? why my 2 burner hot plate under a 5 foot hood system. seems she wanted a confirmation from the fire inspector that i did not need a fire suppressor installed in my hood. after the nice fire marshall quit laffing he said call her up and tell her no suppressors only apply for primary cooking involving a greasy substance. of course this created a 2 page type written telephone confirmation response.
OH AND TA MAKE IT EVEN GOODER TRAILER TECH HAS BANGED MY DELIEVERY BACK ANOTHER WEEK TO AUGUST 5 AND THEY GOT MY 2 DAMN COOKSHACK SMOKERS AND I CAN'T EVEN PLAY WITH THEM.
NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS AINT FUN AND I AM LOSING MY NICE SPARKLING PERSONALITY AT THIS RATE!!!!!
plus we want to enter the fun cook off at the fla bbq assoc. labor day
thanks for listening and letting me vent
jack
2 greyhounds....smokin!!!!

note to kinsman;
if your trailer is the 45 thou one with special flooring you are holding us all up.
alex gave me this as his reason for our 2nd or is it 3rd bump date
jack

Jack~
45 thousand!?! You gotta be kiddin' me. Nope, that one ain't mine. Yet. I haven't heard from Alex in a while and he hasn't mentioned any delays to me....but I know you are in front of me so I guess I won't have mine for the blues festival....

Keep us posted.

Chris

man kinsman i am glad to hear that you are not the hold up!!! always thought of us as friends lol . but i did just want to keep you up on what was happening so you would get some idea as you requested.
i will be talking to alex this friday.
i will post to you here what i find out as i told him monday you and i talk on this forum.
yer friend
jack
2 greyhounds

Cap'n Pete,
I know you've been pulling for us. Thank you. We got approval from the state of FLORIDA!!!! We have to be physically inspected too. Now if we could just get the trailer, the adventure could begin!
I think they hire the young inspectors because they probably cost less.
The people I dealt with here were very nice, just not always on the same page. But I told the ones I spoke with on the phone that I hoped the department would work with me because I didn't know what I was doing. They informed me that no one knew what they were doing. and that yes the dept. would work with me. I think I showed them that I work hard for this.
Jack dealt with the lady he spoke with very nicely, I think. And he gave the firefighters here a good chuckle as well.
So, now we need a trailer as promised, and some events to work!
Peggy
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!

kinsman,
tried to post this under delay but it wouldnt go.
got email from alex today that the 20th is firm. just keeping you posted
jack
capt pete!!!!!!!
man thanks for pulling for us and i hope you can beat those darned nc inspectors
yer friend
jack

good luck to both of you...chef i would like to see a running journal{if you have the time} of your start-up and experiences...i live in fernandina and think of doing what you are doing all the time...again the best of luck...beach

note to kinsman,
got email from alex friday
says the 20th is firm
will say this alex has always been responsive and i think they are going thru growing pains (and if you and i are lucky it should happen to us )
beach pirate fl,
this is kinda of a running journal and glad that you live so close so feel free to jump on in. kinsman and i have been in contact since we are using the same builder but as you can see we have gotten a lot of help from everyone here
jack

Herman and Capn Pete
This is certainly a new adventure for me. I've worked in radiology since 1976. The only cooking I've done is a pinch of this, housewife southern cooking. Jack is the trained food dude! I think I can do the paperwork stuff and I like meeting people so I believe I can do that part. Thank you both for your support.
We just did an application for a foodservice company. We agreed to pay cash.
How do you manage, if you have a large restaurant on credit?
I can see why lots of people are scared away by all of this.
I hope to be like Herman 20 years later, with the same customers.
I just wanted you both to know that I really appreciate your good wishes!
Peggy
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!

Grayhounds,
Watch your supplier real close.They seem to have a habit of low balling you prices at first and lul you to sleep and then start a slow increase.The next thing you know.....well you don't get a kiss.
Good Luck,and welcome to our Hell.
Papa Shaka

Well, Jack and Peggy, I'm glad you got a firm date.
I am a bit nervous as I am having trouble getting Alex to call me back (or email) and he has a lot of my money!

Best luck and keep on posting!

Chris
Long Riders Bar B Que

Peggy
Sorry about the delay in replying I have been very busy of late and have not had the chance to check the forum. Most suppliers will grant you a one week cycle without much ado In other words what you recieve this week will be due for payment next wk(7 day cycle) Anything longer will take a bit of doing. I have left mine at the 7 days to keep me abreast of where I stand in the cash flow department and to keep from getting too far behind.
Herman

Chris,
We're nervous too. We've been promised that our trailer will be done Aug. 20. I can't get that day off work, so we'll be going down there Aug. 21. Jack is calling Alex tomorrow.
For your peace of mind, I'd send them a certified return receipt letter stating any concerns you have. It will be a cheap investment if you do have future problems. You know to keep a copy. Also, keep the receipt.
I'm hoping we're worrying for naught, you and I.
I tend to be a worrywart and usually these things turn out ok.
We gave them 20 per cent down. Plus they have our smokers.
We will retire now and wait for the hurricane blow! We got Bonnie gone through and Charlie yet to come.
Peggy
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!

chris,
ok dude here is the latest
called alex at 4.09pm my time
he answered on first call no machine or anything.
shell for my trailer is done
but!!!!
the darned 45k one has equipment coming.
new pick up date is wednesday the 24th.
advised alex i would send confirming email since he has my smokers deposit money and now this is the 6th bump date. also advised him i had hard copies and registered mail reciepts for my attorney's use but i hoped that that would not be required
oh what the heck
it is friday the 13th
getting slammed by hurricane at 2 am the 14th
time to drink a beer
oh i also told him that i had been talking to you so i hope that that helps you out some
jack

hey
on a more positive note
since i know we will come out of the 'cane ok. i took a boneless pork loin and opened it up jelly roll fashion about 2" thick. rubbed with chinese 5 spice powder and sesame oil (the dark kind) put it in a big zip lock bag with coconut milk, cilantro, habanero sherry sauce and limes.
will smoke it tomorrow (i got my brinkmans in the house for safe keeping how's that for bbq dedication??)
so whether the power is on or off who cares and will do the jasmine rice on my coleman stove if need be
jack

Well, Jack & Peggy, stay safe....and enjoy the vittles. That marinade sounds very interesting.

I talked to Alex on Wednesday, and he said they would start my trailer in 15 days. I felt some better talking to him but I'd sure like to have the thing here before the snow flies!

No hurricanes in Montana but we had some pretty strong storms come through during our cookoff. Blew over some heavy-duty steel-framed canopies (not the ez-up kind) which in turn took a decent-sized cooker down!

Best to ya, keep safe and dry.

Chris,
We're at 10 pm still waiting on this hurricane. It's supposed to be bad in the early morning. I was born in Florida and grew up here. Usually the hurricanes we have aren't too bad. The east coast kind of dips in, so I think we're protected a little. We seldom get a hit where we live(St. Augustine). Charley is supposed to exit the state right here. I don't remember a storm that went across us from west to east. I think he'll lose some steam as he crosses. I hope the other folks on here that live in Florida are OK.
I made potato salad to go with Jack's pork.
I'm getting pretty upset with Alex. He certainly doesn't want to get me mad. He told Jack that the expensive trailer would be put together before ours, after they had a wait for equipment that should have arrived at another date but didn't.
I WILL NOT GET MORE GRAY HAIR OVER THIS.
Peggy

Jack & Peggy,

Hope Charley doesn't come knocking too hard. My Parents live in Bonita Springs and have a gift shop on Ft. Myer's Beach. They are OK but they don't know if the gift shop still exists. Probably won't know for a day or two until they open the island back up.

In regards to your trailer I have followed your thread and feel very sorry for you. Sometimes I think people don't understand that this is your LIFE that they are putting on hold not just a trailer. Not having seen your contract I would guess that the only recourse you really have is to walk away from the deal. If you kicked and screamed enough you could probably get your deposits back but then would have to start the whole process over again and go to your "second" choice for a trailer. The trailer manufacturer knows that the chances are very slim that you will walk and so they will get the trailer done on their timetable not yours. When I'm in this position, I usually try to get them to throw in some things at no additional cost to make up for the inconvenience and show good faith. Perhaps some stainless steel paneling or an upgrade in the trailer suspension would help make up for the repeated delays. The key is to get them to say they are sorry for the delay. Remember what your parents taught you. Say you're sorry then make it right! This is one way they can make it right without putting a significant dent in their pocketbook and you get an upgraded trailer. Everyone is even. Just a thought. Sometimes it works, sometimes not but at this stage what do you have to lose.

Hope you are safe
Mark

Mark
I'm glad your parents were safe during the storm and hope that their property is in good condition.
Your idea to ask for concessions from the trailer manufacturer because of the delays appeals to me. That would be something most decent people would offer at the first delay. Thanks for that idea.
We made it safely through that old Charlie. The Gulf Coast was hit the worst. And the storm exited the state at Daytona Beach which is about 45 minutes south of us. I know there are a lot of folks on here from Florida and I hope all of them and their families are fine.
Peggy
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!

Mark and Chris,
TrailerTech has offered to deliver the trailer to us at no cost. That is without me begging and stuff, so I feel a little better. We still have no firm date.
Peggy
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!

You have a lot more patience than I do. If I was promised my trailer on July 10 and over a month later I still didn't have it and there had not been a natural disaster to explain the delay, something would be done for me or things would get really ugly. These folks should give you something REALLY nice to compensate you for the aggravation.