tipsy mcstagger
Footballguy
So here is how the first night went down:
Menu: Brisket, Pulled Pork, Chicken. Macaroni & 4 Cheeses, Pork & Pork & Beans, Spicy Sweet Slaw (a rip off of the wife of a man I will just call Joe B. at this point
, Roasted Corn & Jalapeno cornbread, and Fudge & Bacon brownies. I also offered tea, sweet tea, coke, diet, and sprite, miller high life & lite (cuz the wife will drink any of the leftovers...and so will i when i want to chug flavored buzzy water.) I had my KC, SC, AL, and TN sauces out.
All tables in restaurant were put together in their individual rooms. Each one had 10 seats, with and extra one at bar for my family mostly, and the biggest table was 14 chairs. As people walked in I explained what was up & chatted, had them get a drink at the bar next to me, then showed them to their seats, which i filled clockwise around each table until all seats full or close, then moved the next customers to other room. Its like being at a big picnic at church or family reunion. As people sat down we just started bombing them with food on green school plastic trays with butcher paper on them and all the foods I served last night
( - brownies at door for guests on way out). My presentation needs perfecting, but I am using disposable stuff until we work out the kinks. It is how I have always wanted to run a place since growing up going to Hopkins Boarding House in Pensacola. Good food you have to ask a stranger to pass you is fundamental in my vision. Community is missing in society today, and I am tired of table service and having to coordinate the serving and cooking of 140 different meals for 60 different tables every night. I was the least stressed during service last night than my best night managing Dante's. Slow & low & minimize the bs is my motto.
Anyway...off the rant now. People sat...food trays came out...servers floated around bring refills if people needed more of something on their tray. "NO LEAVING HUNGRY" was my mission statement to the waiters helping...and nobody did. We probably wasted too much food, but it is part of the learning curve i expected. Folks didn't really linger much after filling their bellies, so with the multiple tables I was able to feed 100 or so very easily in 3 hours with the majority of that coming in the first hour. One of my first customers was a local food writer/ radio host / chatty kathy lady that helped put dante's on the map years ago. She hugged me on the way out, gave me her honest critique which was better than I really could have asked for, tweeted about the meal, and boom...i had a few more guests last night that told me about her tweet
As people left, I got $12 bucks from them or $13 if they had a beer (honor system..and two bucks for an extra beer after that). Offered them a brownie next over at the table by the exit with the guest book & email / birthday list and chatted with most about what they liked, which sauce was best, etc. My chef told me it was the most comfortable he has ever seen me, and realizes he is going to miss having me at the door.
I served just under 100 folks last night including a few to go plates.
Next week...Turkey legs & ribs. Probably an couple of plays on family favorite thanksgiving sides too. Will offer whole turkey cooking for anybody that wants to buy one for the big thursday after that. $$$
Oh...and I am officially out as GM @ Dante's as of Dec. 4th. I will try to explain those emotions with the following emoticons:
:( :( :( :X
Menu: Brisket, Pulled Pork, Chicken. Macaroni & 4 Cheeses, Pork & Pork & Beans, Spicy Sweet Slaw (a rip off of the wife of a man I will just call Joe B. at this point
, Roasted Corn & Jalapeno cornbread, and Fudge & Bacon brownies. I also offered tea, sweet tea, coke, diet, and sprite, miller high life & lite (cuz the wife will drink any of the leftovers...and so will i when i want to chug flavored buzzy water.) I had my KC, SC, AL, and TN sauces out.All tables in restaurant were put together in their individual rooms. Each one had 10 seats, with and extra one at bar for my family mostly, and the biggest table was 14 chairs. As people walked in I explained what was up & chatted, had them get a drink at the bar next to me, then showed them to their seats, which i filled clockwise around each table until all seats full or close, then moved the next customers to other room. Its like being at a big picnic at church or family reunion. As people sat down we just started bombing them with food on green school plastic trays with butcher paper on them and all the foods I served last night
( - brownies at door for guests on way out). My presentation needs perfecting, but I am using disposable stuff until we work out the kinks. It is how I have always wanted to run a place since growing up going to Hopkins Boarding House in Pensacola. Good food you have to ask a stranger to pass you is fundamental in my vision. Community is missing in society today, and I am tired of table service and having to coordinate the serving and cooking of 140 different meals for 60 different tables every night. I was the least stressed during service last night than my best night managing Dante's. Slow & low & minimize the bs is my motto.
Anyway...off the rant now. People sat...food trays came out...servers floated around bring refills if people needed more of something on their tray. "NO LEAVING HUNGRY" was my mission statement to the waiters helping...and nobody did. We probably wasted too much food, but it is part of the learning curve i expected. Folks didn't really linger much after filling their bellies, so with the multiple tables I was able to feed 100 or so very easily in 3 hours with the majority of that coming in the first hour. One of my first customers was a local food writer/ radio host / chatty kathy lady that helped put dante's on the map years ago. She hugged me on the way out, gave me her honest critique which was better than I really could have asked for, tweeted about the meal, and boom...i had a few more guests last night that told me about her tweet
As people left, I got $12 bucks from them or $13 if they had a beer (honor system..and two bucks for an extra beer after that). Offered them a brownie next over at the table by the exit with the guest book & email / birthday list and chatted with most about what they liked, which sauce was best, etc. My chef told me it was the most comfortable he has ever seen me, and realizes he is going to miss having me at the door.
I served just under 100 folks last night including a few to go plates.
Next week...Turkey legs & ribs. Probably an couple of plays on family favorite thanksgiving sides too. Will offer whole turkey cooking for anybody that wants to buy one for the big thursday after that. $$$
Oh...and I am officially out as GM @ Dante's as of Dec. 4th. I will try to explain those emotions with the following emoticons:
:( :( :( :X 
I'm proud of you and stoked for you, Good Buddy. Super cool.J
![[icon]](/data/avatars/m/5/5167.jpg?1660313464){kind=avatar}
(<---cuz even the two grandmothers at the meal want my food more)
..... 
Generally speaking I am a firm believer that with BBQ, plain white cheap rolls are the go-to. That said, on something like this, I LOVE a hawaiian roll. Really works well with a vinegar slaw and smoked meat...
