First Bar-B-Q in Kyrg...Shenanigans...Forever!

JAllen · Posted: Jan 27 2011 Post subject:

edited
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JAllen · Posted: Jan 28 2011 Post subject:

Record gross last night of $70. breakeven $250. only drinks fries/puppies and free chicken, beef samples. repeat customers sitting for hours is a good sign. I got a record $2 tip, on top of the customary 10% service charge, which is very unusual here. tables, bar, atmosphere very nice. a few people sat until 3am. a drunk lady from the mayors office wouldn't leave and hit on my barman/electrician. he said he put her in a taxi as she was 30 years older than him.

testing the pit today: lamb legs, and then chicken at high temp. gonna have to serve the lamb while the chicken is cooking.

this weekend we retile the kitchen, paint the walls, and put in remaining equipment. Freezer, fridge, ovens, stove,
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BBQMAN · Posted: Jan 28 2011 Post subject:

You had a gross of $70 or $700?

Unless you are also running a bar section only, IMHO customers sitting for hours is NOT a good sign.

I would figure having them eat, drink, pay the bill and leave is the idea- then somebody(s) else can take their place.

Good luck with it, from your description that's certainly a Wild West outpost.
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JAllen · Posted: Jan 28 2011 Post subject:

BBQ man, thank you for your comment. No typo, seven zero. Breakeven is about 250/day. We took over a good location major cross streets, easy parking, nice interior, 50 seating plus 25 bar seating, plus 150 outdoor seating, with a terrible, terrible previous renter. Kitchen officially condemned by health dept. They had a couple barstools holding up a grille, another barstool for a cutting board. All the lighting was trashed as were the nice wood tables, each of which has been defaced by hot teapots...you get the picture. During the two weeks we scouted, I asked the previous renters what kind of business they were doing.

"on a good night we do about $200." The didn't have enough stock behind the bar or in the kitchen to do $20.

Additionally, I forgot to mention, in the basement are three cool private rooms w/tables and couches in the same decor as above, one with a cool fireplace. Total seating for 35.

Currently I'm happy to have warm bodies in the place.

Still, one of my two employees is stoned for the second time on the job (and after being warned), my wife is home sick, and as I mentioned earlier our sitter was chased away by the kids...oh, and my wife already quit once.

We've been unsuccessful trimming a row of pines that block the view from a main road. City prevents trimming these as this breed of pine is only located in two locations in the city: in front of the president's office and BLOCKING THE VIEW TO MY JOINT; which means it will be expensive or risky to trim them. Two of the three toilets' water pipes froze, both indoor heaters crapped out by the second week, and the smoke ventilation system doesn't work very well. Fortunately we have a few more days or weeks before the onslaught of tax/fire/health/mayor/maf i a/ departments come.

The draught beer supplier failed to show for the second time, and my stoned electrician/bartender/night watchman broke off a plug in the amplifier for the sound system, which required half a day to fix.

Tax is 6% of what we ring up, and our accountant will probably cost $100/month. Lamb BBQ came out just okay, and the chicken tests were also okay after we hot smoked.

All of this and more has been expected, planned for and hedged. The bad times, and hopefully the good times are still ahead.

One thing I wanted was a place had potential to "work." Bar and stools correct height, tables and benches that are comfortable enough(there are benefits to marginally comfortable seating, and will change that if needed) but if you're spending 15 hours a day at a place, it's nice if it's easy on the eyes and nice to be there. We've got that.
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Harry Nutczak · Posted: Jan 28 2011 Post subject:

JAllen,
You know, You could use that stoned bartender and the drunken woman's lust for him to your benefit.

He has a way to make up for being a doofus and might possibly be able to keep his job, and you get an 'IN" with the mayors office. (Yes, the pun was intended)

So have a little chat with him about "properly servicing the customers" so he can keep his job.

Don't get discouraged, at my 3rd day open I had less than $100.00 in my checking account!
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JAllen · Posted: Jan 28 2011 Post subject:

Harry Nutczak thank you for the advice and encouragement. JAllen
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BBQMAN · Posted: Jan 28 2011 Post subject:

Thanks for the honest and open share.

Sounds like quite the endeavor with some unique (to say the least) challenges.

Best of luck with it.
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JAllen · Posted: Jan 28 2011 Post subject: website in progress with chosen logo

website draft....

http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h361/JAllenBBQ/site1.jpg

1. logo will be much bigger
2. background under logo will be something wood
3. hosting should be www.smokies.kg

comments much appreciated

cost for logo, website with 6 months of adjustments, organizing all signage, business cards, menusfor six months, foh materials, sandwich boards = $150

materials costs add'l.
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JAllen · Posted: Jan 29 2011 Post subject:

1. We've been asking locals (Kyrgyz) about pork. Lots of people saying they eat it. And there was a group four ladies in a few days ago (not the previous drunk one) drinking up a storm. They sucked a liter of vodka between 'em and some beers and were screaming for food. We only had fries and puppies and my wife told me she was sure they would have eaten a butt each. So, based on this from today we're adding wings and pork daily.

2. Did anyone notice up there I said we were slammed and in the next post I said we did $70? It really felt busy.
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ecocks · Posted: Jan 29 2011 Post subject:

Raise prices a bit?

JAllen · Posted: Jan 29 2011 Post subject:

daddywoofdawg · Posted: Jan 29 2011 Post subject:

once you get going it will get easier.My first vend of the season really wears me out but by the end of the season I wish it was busier.You next to keep tables turning to make money.In the US bar put out free salty snacks to get people to eat them and after eating salty you need some thing to drink so they sell more beer.You'll get more profit off the beer than you ever will off food.

"cost for logo, website with 6 months of adjustments, organizing all signage, business cards, menus for six months, foh materials, sandwich boards = $150 materials costs add'l."
Wish I could find those kinda deals in the US.
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JAllen · Posted: Jan 29 2011 Post subject:

daddywoofdawg, thanks for the salty snacks idea. I'll try it for awhile and let you know how it goes.
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JAllen · Posted: Jan 29 2011 Post subject: draft beer talk

Just had a talk with Vladimir, the guy who sells the slower moving draught beer and didn't show yesterday. He gave a nice history of the place we're renting. Used to be very popular, but the renters left as the rent became too high. I also found out the the very nice interior and the bar, and maybe even the nice outside area was paid for by the previous renters, not the owner. The good news is that the rent we're paying is less than half what he would have expected. He expected 3k. A clause in our lease limits the amount the owner can raise the rent every year of our three year lease. Still, I give about 80% chance that if we're making money, the owner'll break the lease and ask for more, or even take over the place himself.

Vladimir also said that restaurant business throughout the city is off 30% post crisis/post revol u tion.

We'll have our first draught beer on Tuesday, according to Vlamdimir. This means maybe by Friday.
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12TH AV SMOKERS · Posted: Jan 29 2011 Post subject:

Very interesting thread. Neat to see you trying to do BBQ in place where they don't really know what BBQ is. Well at least they can't compare you to other BBQ joint down the street. Very Happy

Keep working hard and keep the chin up. You seem to have a good mindset ....good luck.

peace
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JAllen · Posted: Jan 30 2011 Post subject:

Half way through Saturday night and it's our busiest by far. 8 tables and maybe 30 people. Served our first pulled pork to a Kyrgyz that eats pork. He spent time in China and visited an American's home that had a smoker there. He said our's was way better than he had before, especially the texas sprinkle rub with of chili. He thanked me twice and said he'll be back.

Just had an order for chicken and they asked for extra spicy chicken and extra spicy sauce.

We're on our third babysitter in just over two weeks. My wife's father lasted two nights before calling in sick. I think I had given him about 5 days. I give the new sitter not more than a week. We're already looking for a replacement.

Sold two bottles of champagne as a couple liked the first and ordered a second. These are eight dollar bottles of Sovietskaya. BBQ man, that's eight, not eighty.
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JAllen · Posted: Jan 30 2011 Post subject:

12th Avenue Smokers, thank you for the comment and encouragement. Can't have too much of that.

We close at 11, locking the doors and letting who's left out when they finish. We've still got 3 tables eating chicken and drinking vodka.

Our busiest day by far. We're closed tomorrow and Monday and will be moving in refers, oven and freezers, continuing tile work and some paint in the kitchen.
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JAllen · Posted: Jan 31 2011 Post subject:

Monday Morning. I'm sick as a dog with that flu that closed all the schools in Moscow. Hoping I'll feel better tomorrow. End of month so we have to do the end of month closing.

Yesterday, our electrician/bartender/stoner/non-performing gigolo, Sasha, said he was plugging in the new kitchen fridge and burned out something and now there's no electricity in the kitchen. Our other worker, Ilia, too hungover from the night before didn't even show. So, we lost Sunday, but hopefully everyone got some rest.

We really need to finish the tile in the kitchen and paint the walls. The doors on the smoker won't stay closed and are held by a steel bar propped against the floor, We have about 10% of the needed horizontal work space in the kitchen, and my wife's search for a three-tiered oven yesterday was unsuccessful.
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ChuckieD · BBQ Super Pro Joined: 07 Oct 2009 Posts: 1129

JAllen,
The place looks great!
Hope you feel better soon Bro...
Keep up the hard work! Wink

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JAllen · Posted: Feb 01 2011 Post subject:

We bought a refer for the kitchen Saturday. Yesterday we bought meat, rubbed and put it in to marinate for today. I came in this morning and checked the meat...

Frozen.

I'm gonna have another cup of coffee and calm down.
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