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McClure's BBQ (6 Viewers)

msommer said:
Sorry to hear about that killer schedule. Would it help to close Magazine and make up the lost sales with a food truck or two? How would that work for capital? That should improve the staff situation, shouldn't it, at least if you limit the food trucks to sandwiches/tacos/burritos of already bbq'd meat, so merely an assembly job. Would that work in NOLA?

I agree that the taproom is the location to concentrate on. :2cents:  

Excited to hear about your improved brisket. I thought it was excellent when I stopped by in August - now I'm going to have to come back again...
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food truck was supposed to be phase 2...but brewery came up.   i will consider it strongly after i get magazine shut.   it can show up where the biz is happening.

 
cstu said:
This was a Yelp review from the tap room location.

It sounds to me like you've got some employee issues.

You also need to figure out to handle your hours better. Nothing you can do about running out but maybe update the website every day when you sell out. Place a sign letting customers know that they can check the website to find out if you're sold out, that way they don't arrive disappointed and stop coming. Also, if you're running out all the time maybe make more?
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wow....what a nasty review.   condescending tone on the answering machine?  wtf.

and if he hates it so much, how does he know we run out of brisket alot.

 
cstu said:
This was a Yelp review from the tap room location.

It sounds to me like you've got some employee issues.

You also need to figure out to handle your hours better. Nothing you can do about running out but maybe update the website every day when you sell out. Place a sign letting customers know that they can check the website to find out if you're sold out, that way they don't arrive disappointed and stop coming. Also, if you're running out all the time maybe make more?
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Was the reviewer named Landry by any chance?

 
Tipsey - what's going to be up with the Q situation at Shaggys shows at Brewery during JF week? I was thinking of going to one of those(some good lineups for sure). Starting to figure out my music and eating plans in the next few weeks. Any other recommendations around town?

Hope you get some R&R in the meantime

 
ffldrew said:
Tipsey - what's going to be up with the Q situation at Shaggys shows at Brewery during JF week? I was thinking of going to one of those(some good lineups for sure). Starting to figure out my music and eating plans in the next few weeks. Any other recommendations around town?

Hope you get some R&R in the meantime
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Tons of it. Probably running a more limited menu (sandwiches & snacks).   Might break out the smoked bologna sliders with pimento cheese. 

I plan on pouring 50 pounds of salt in every batch Shaggy makes too :)

 
Sorry about the complaining and overall crapiness with my posts last week.   98 hours does not help my already fragile emotional state.   Made some more moves to help that this past week.  Will be a while before I see that fruit however....Busiest two months have just started.   For example:  one Friday late this month we have four separate parties totaling 400 people going on during the same three hours.   Three of the parties ordered crawfish from me.  Thats 750 pounds to boil....or basically 20 batches.  oof but yeah!

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
Sorry about the complaining and overall crapiness with my posts last week.   98 hours does not help my already fragile emotional state.   Made some more moves to help that this past week.  Will be a while before I see that fruit however....Busiest two months have just started.   For example:  one Friday late this month we have four separate parties totaling 400 people going on during the same three hours.   Three of the parties ordered crawfish from me.  Thats 750 pounds to boil....or basically 20 batches.  oof but yeah!
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mmmm smoked fruit.

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
Sorry about the complaining and overall crapiness with my posts last week.   98 hours does not help my already fragile emotional state.   Made some more moves to help that this past week.  Will be a while before I see that fruit however....Busiest two months have just started.   For example:  one Friday late this month we have four separate parties totaling 400 people going on during the same three hours.   Three of the parties ordered crawfish from me.  Thats 750 pounds to boil....or basically 20 batches.  oof but yeah!
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Maybe you should out source that crawfish to Shaggy and then when he needs whole hog and such - he comes to you

 
ffldrew said:
Maybe you should out source that crawfish to Shaggy and then when he needs whole hog and such - he comes to you
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no way.  i make a lot more profit off crawfish than bbq.  not entirely thrilled he is setting up shop for that 3 day event...but i know i'll do bang up biz that week regardless.    I guess Tipsy doesn't share food sales very well.

 
Pours a 40 for magazine st store. Im just happy I was able to get down there. Hope the move is what you are need and are hoping for. 

 
Letting go of that place is already doing wonders for my mental state.  I feel so much more relaxed and am actually excited.   Lots of trepidation before the decision was final....back and forth daily yet knowing all along it was the right move.  I will not open another one anytime in the near future if ever at all.   Perhaps I leave the brewery one day, but that is not on the radar.

 
I'm not gonna kid you I'm gonna miss the original, filling myself with that delicious first class bbq then hitting Bon Temps next door was one of favorite ways to kill a late afternoon. But I do have the brewery which is awesome. Enjoy the rest and getting back to normal, thanks for putting up one of my favorite places in NO.

 
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Take a couple of restful 70 hour weeks and then I'm sure the itch to start up the food trucks will come calling ;)  

 
sorry you couldn't keep the original spot open, but glad that the 2nd location is doing so great. get some rest, dude.

 
I'm heading to NO in early May. Definitly stopping by!

Hopefully you will be rested and not too grumpy by then...

 
Lol at resting.   Sales this week are ABOVE the average both stores were generating....actually they have already beat Mardi Gras week and I still have today to add to that.  Several times this weekend the line was wrapped around the bar waiting to order (think 30+ people) and I barely cooked enough food to feed them all.   Guess my fans followed the smoke :)

 
To be clear to you guys on why I quit in order of importance:

1.  Seeing my family & being a part of the raising of my children.  Maybe even taking my wife out to dinner :gasp:

2.  Reducing my stress level which had been causing panic attacks (which increased in frequency to the point I went on anti-anxiety meds in December).  I want to live past my mid forties.

3.  Bringing all of my "A" team over from the old store to help with this crazy ### place.  Quality staff has been difficult to find since NOLA has gone from around 700 restaurants to over 1400 since Katrina...all the while rents have been going bonkers forcing even more restaurant workers out of the area.  Seemingly all the best cooks have opened up their own restaurants.   I only let one person go in this transition (he was 20 and lives at home and was one of the worst workers I've ever had).  And I need everyone of them.  My leader of the front of house at magazine is now my personal assistant / catering manager.  Having her with me here is probably going to be the biggest stress relief of this whole move.

4.  Ability to cater offsite:  Catering is where the easiest money is and I have had to say no to dozens of orders since July.  Now I have the staff and pit room.   I can also now participate in more festivals including the Blues & BBQ fest, French Quarter Fest, and possibly Jazz Fest.   Plus...i'd like to get back to Memphis in May and some other competitions. 

5.  The cannibalization of sales from Magazine to the Brewery changed the overall financial viability of my original.  I was spinning my wheels over there since the moment we opened at the tap room.  Lack of smoker onsite would eventually kill that place anyway.   Lease was up in a year and I had no intention of keeping it open past then anyway.  A lot of folks have suggested a new concept there.  NO THANKS.  I'm not the interested in being that type of owner.  I've always believed the owner needs to be a daily part of operations in whatever concept they have unless it was a soulless, low brow,  low quality type joint.   Not what I do.

6.  I want the ability to enjoy my city and my life.  Days off have not existed and when I had an afternoon off to hang with my family, all I could must was passing out on the couch or groaning when the boys wanted to take dog for a walk or play horse or go hit baseballs.  I am exhausted and sleep is the only thing I really wanted to do with time off.   Not what life is about.   "Nobody ever wishes they had worked more while on their death bed".   And maybe its my midlife crisis talking, but I want to die thinking I gave my family & friends as much as I could.  Not to mention myself.

 
You have your priorities straight. Gotta have a home life to be able to find the right work/home life balance.

I'm a big proponent of KISS, one location, one crew will certainly simplify your business. 

My primary concern for the future at NOLA tap room is serving space, particularly Fridays but I suppose that's a good 'problem'

 
msommer said:
You have your priorities straight. Gotta have a home life to be able to find the right work/home life balance.

I'm a big proponent of KISS, one location, one crew will certainly simplify your business. 

My primary concern for the future at NOLA tap room is serving space, particularly Fridays but I suppose that's a good 'problem'
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The playroom just got all of my tables & seats from the original.  We are also adding a lot more outside in front of the old tap room (ie making that more like a beer garden).   Eventual expansion in the way back (behind playroom) will probably be another beer garden, but with a roof & lush interior.  That is the same room my next kitchen goes in.

 
msommer said:
You have your priorities straight. Gotta have a home life to be able to find the right work/home life balance.

I'm a big proponent of KISS, one location, one crew will certainly simplify your business. 

My primary concern for the future at NOLA tap room is serving space, particularly Fridays but I suppose that's a good 'problem'
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You have KISS playing there? I didn't know you had live music at all. I need to check that place out.

 
First week of being closed:   Sales at the Taproom were above my average for BOTH stores for the last 3 months.  :eek:

And tomorrow I have the largest catering gig yet:  400 people get a taste of all meats and all sides.  Had to borrow another pit just to cook it all.

70# brisket

70#pork

40 racks of ribs

40# of sausage

60# of chicken

4 large pans of every side (32qts) + back up just in case.

Oh...and regular biz.   Friday is slow with only four catering gigs all within the same 30 minute span plus good friday crawfish boil.  Glad I have my full crew here now.

 
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What happens to kitchen at the magazine store. Did you buy or lease the equipment? Are you able to resell to the new Thai place going in there

Just curious about the behind the scenes stuff

Also, I know that you pride yourself on fresh, but have you ever cooked stuff for the catering and reheated. It seems like that is a lot of cooking for multiple parties in such a small time frame. 

 
Congrats on making the decision to centralize the operation for both the restaurant itself and your own sanity.

GL.

 
AcerFC said:
What happens to kitchen at the magazine store. Did you buy or lease the equipment? Are you able to resell to the new Thai place going in there

Just curious about the behind the scenes stuff

Also, I know that you pride yourself on fresh, but have you ever cooked stuff for the catering and reheated. It seems like that is a lot of cooking for multiple parties in such a small time frame. 
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I sold a couple of the refrigerators and both stoves.  The rest I kept and have in use at the brewery (more fridge space & all my tables in the playroom now).   And its not a thai place...its Vegetarian Mediterranean.

I will have all fresh pork & brisket coming off the pits by 4am.  They can rest in the hot box and be like butter come service time....just have to be careful not to let them cook 100% done so they actually finish in the hot box.   The ribs, chicken and sausage will be cooked and done about 2 hours before so we can have time to cut.  Going to hold all that hot in the smokers.   I also borrowed another smoker from a teammate at Hogs 4 the Cause....its propane assisted and will make a nice warming oven.

All the sides, minus the mac & cheese, will be made today and heated up in that borrowed smoker tomorrow.  Probably cooking the greens all day in one big pot out on my propane burner.  Its a mess to coordinate, but we got it!

 
I should be there for lunch Friday.  I'll be in for the Cresent City Classic.   Is it slower on Friday's during lent? 

 
ATC1 said:
I should be there for lunch Friday.  I'll be in for the Cresent City Classic.   Is it slower on Friday's during lent? 
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Lunch is pretty busy on Friday...the real chaos starts when the free beer hour and tours start at 2.  I'll have crawfish going then as well!

 
I was looking at a tour, but the site says there will be no tours on Friday in March. Is it just not open to the public? 

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
To be clear to you guys on why I quit in order of importance:

6.  I want the ability to enjoy my city and my life.  Days off have not existed and when I had an afternoon off to hang with my family, all I could must was passing out on the couch or groaning when the boys wanted to take dog for a walk or play horse or go hit baseballs.  I am exhausted and sleep is the only thing I really wanted to do with time off.   Not what life is about.   "Nobody ever wishes they had worked more while on their death bed".   And maybe its my midlife crisis talking, but I want to die thinking I gave my family & friends as much as I could.  Not to mention myself.
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Don't worry, I've saying that since I was 16.

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
I sold a couple of the refrigerators and both stoves.  The rest I kept and have in use at the brewery (more fridge space & all my tables in the playroom now).   And its not a thai place...its Vegetarian Mediterranean.
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I wonder if they'll get bad Yelp reviews "Vegetarian, but everything smells like smoked meat!"

 
Sounds like things are really starting to come together.

I am curious that for all of the effort you put in, has this place made you a millionaire or what?

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
And its not a thai place...its Vegetarian Mediterranean.
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Just to say another nice thing here: that corner was pretty much out of commerce for a long time. The fact that McClure's was there, made the corner a viable location with a nice interior, busy, bringing in tourists and locals, was a big deal for that single corner. That whole stretch has picked up IMO. And the fact that a new restaurant is coming in (by the sound of it) means that Tispey has put this corner into active commerce maybe for years to come. He has given economic value to that neighborhood and the city for years to come, more than just the value of his restaurant that was there. Because of this IMO the area is safer and nicer too. Anyway this is another hat tip to say thanks.

- Also btw I had the poutine at the brewery yesterday, great stuff, I had it with two stouts currently on tap. Great day.

 
Paulymaggs said:
Sounds like things are really starting to come together.

I am curious that for all of the effort you put in, has this place made you a millionaire or what?
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sadly no.   profit is usually scarce in first few years, and quite frankly i'm lucky i survived the first two.  this last 8 months has been intense, but with the dip in the magazine sales my costs were stupid and I have nothing but the paychecks to show for my effort.  At least i have those...didn't pay myself hardly at all the first year and it made things really tight personally (ie i'm actually still in debt for that period).

But I see light on the horizon.  This should be a profit machine now.  Actually working on my pricing right now, especially for catering.  I've been way under pricing my catering and that ends now.   All meats and all sides on the menu is going up to $40 now....it has been $32 for the last year and based on weights it should have always been $45 or so...but it is the most photographed item I sell and charging less than its worth is worth the lack of normal profit. 

Becoming a millionaire doing this...no chance.   Maybe one day I can afford a new vehicle.  Or a real vacation.  

 
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