Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Changes

For the past month or two I've been trying to get a handle on my two biggest costs; Labor & Food. Not knowing or thinking that I would need anything different, I started my restaurant with just a simple cash register. You have no real way of managing your food costs. I am going to blog about this later, but if you ever do something like this, spend the money on a good Point of Sale system. I just pulled the trigger on an Aloha P.O.S. system. It will be a few weeks before we are using it because of programming in the menu, pricing, portions etc.. But I am hoping to save myself some real money over time by using this. Again, this will be in another blog in the next few days/weeks.
I have also trimmed my labor back. Gonzalo is now gone. Bo and I are going to rotate in and out on the line with Chocho. I hired a new guy yesterday named Alfredo who is going to work part time 35 hours a week. He is going to work 4:30 to close and all day Saturdays. Chocho is leaving on May 1st. When he leaves I will hire another guy to work the same hours as Alfredo to close nights. That should save me $600.00 a week in labor. I'll post on the benefits of a POS system in the next few days. I might even have a guest blogger on the subject, if I can talk him into it.

2 comments:

Twindad said...

This is the best blog I have ever read! I have always wanted to open my own BBQ restaurant and now I can live vicariously through you. I enjoy cooking for friends but think that if it were my job it would become less enjoyable. I appreaciate your blog and will read it often. I still want to visit your Joint and look forward to cooking a lot of BBQ myself. Check out my blog www.stewarttwins.blogspot.com Thanks for the great blog!

Keith87 said...

We use a POS system where I work. Good luck . . . It can be a real P.O.S. sometimes. See you Saturday.

What is this Blog???

You ever been sitting around cooking for your family and friends and been told the following: "Hoss, this is the best I've ever had in my dadgum life.....you have got to open up a place of your own". The thought crosses your mind to do just that, but for whatever reason you dont. Well I'm "that" guy that actually went through with it and did it. I had absolutely ZERO restaurant experience! I decided to start this blog about my own experience hoping that it may be of some use and help to others who might be interested in opening their own place.
I learned this craft almost 20 years ago cooking whole hogs on brick & cinder block pits at a couple of little BBQ Joints in Henderson, TN. I learned from old, lifelong career Pit-Masters, working with them as an apprentice during school off and on for four years. Over the course of that time I learned the old, time-honored craft of REAL pit barbecue. At Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint I am trying as hard as I can everyday to bring that time-honored authenticity to my customers.
As you read you'll see I've made some stupid decisions, and I've made some good decisions. If you are thinking of opening a restaurant, especially a BBQ Joint, read this blog! Maybe some of this info can be of use to you. At the very least you will be entertained because I pull no punches.
Now listen, this is my blog to not only help with information but my blog to freely rant about my day to day experiences. There is no real "bad language" on this blog but there might be some things said that are very "tongue in cheek". If you are easily offended and/or cant see the satire in my posts then please just leave the blog. It will save both of us the annoyance of each other. For those of you who do like satire and are looking for good information about this experience, then by all means enjoy!