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McClure's BBQ (1 Viewer)

BarBQ lovers - PBS is running a good series called “Somewhere South - How Do You Cue”. Includes some history and they go all over the south.  :banned: Enjoy.

 
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3500 meals to the front lines because of y'all and others.  Thanks so much.  We still are feeding people (580 coming this week) but I am also reopening on weekends as well for pick up orders.  And no I won't be using a delivery company.   I definitely cannotThis was the first full weekend and first time in 7+ weeks that I cooked all of my meats.    Business was decent, but honestly below in was only a quarter of the sales from the same weekend last year.   This is going to be rough.

 
Mrs. Rannous said:
How is everything in New Orleans?  How are you?  Are you still feeding people?  Our stimulus check came in and I'd like to donate some.
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I shouldn't delve any deeper to the sheer panic I'm starting to feel.   This city is in trouble on so many levels now.   Hang on to your donation for now.  We are funded for another 3k meals!  

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
3500 meals to the front lines because of y'all and others.  Thanks so much.  We still are feeding people (580 coming this week) but I am also reopening on weekends as well for pick up orders.  And no I won't be using a delivery company.   I definitely cannotThis was the first full weekend and first time in 7+ weeks that I cooked all of my meats.    Business was decent, but honestly below in was only a quarter of the sales from the same weekend last year.   This is going to be rough.
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So there is a local bakery here, they send out an email and let people know what they are making for the weekend.  Basically different breads, croissants, etc.  You then email them with what you want, your name, and what you drive.  One of their employees calls you back later in the week and takes your CC info, schedules a time for your pickup, and gives you an order number.  Any way you could do something like this to "remind" people that they can get your BBQ?

 
@tipsy mcstagger

Heya GB!  Just my bi-monthly check in here at the FFA since I'm doing the baseball draft and love to see the good news and better deeds.

FYI, I presume it's too late to associated a donation with being a FBG, but I'll make sure to do so in the future (think I just did it anonymously, but perhaps I left my name? Don't remember, and it wasnt some earth-shattering donation, just like $50 or so - and will try to get you another round soon)

 
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Koya said:
FYI, I presume it's too late to associated a donation with being a FBG, but I'll make sure to do so in the future (think I just did it anonymously, but perhaps I left my name?
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There's a comment box.  I just wrote "For Tipsy" in it.  Still anonymous, but I'm pretty sure he's the only one of those.  I reckon McClure would have been less odd, but it just never occurred to me.

 
Mrs. Rannous said:
There's a comment box.  I just wrote "For Tipsy" in it.  Still anonymous, but I'm pretty sure he's the only one of those.  I reckon McClure would have been less odd, but it just never occurred to me.
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Thanks for the.... errrr... "Tip"

Ok, back to my self imposed exile.

Stay healthy folks!

 
Mrs. Rannous said:
I thought your avatar used to have some bird bopping to the beat.  Of course, I could be smoking something odd.  

Got it.  It's Kamil that has that.  I must be brain damaged.
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Lol. No, never got involved in :pigeon:

My old avatar (it's currently a pick @Tremendous Upside on one of the last great adventures we had) was probably the Title to the Movie "Koyaanisqatsi" (hence my nick)

 
4100 meals.   We had a great time taking over the University Medical Center kitchen again this past Wednesday.   Got to go up to the roof to watch the Blue Angels fly over with all the Doctors & Nurses...that was cool.  

Being open again seems pointless so far.   This is going to be a tough summer.  We should have reduced capacity seating starting on the 16th, but we will see.   We have a huge place here in the tap room so we can still seat a lot of folks.  Hopefully everyone in the city eats out every meal for the next 12 months...even then it won't be enough for how many places we have until we get the tourists back.

 
Today was the first day we were allowed to seat people again.   With a reduced capacity of 25% allowed.   It could have been 10% and we still would have had availability all day.   Miserable.

The death of my restaurant is in full swing.   If it was this bad on the first day we were allowed to go out again after 2 months, than HFS I am in trouble as is almost every other restaurant.

Go  get food from a mom & pop.   Unless you only want chain places moving forward.

Sigh

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
Today was the first day we were allowed to seat people again.   With a reduced capacity of 25% allowed.   It could have been 10% and we still would have had availability all day.   Miserable.

The death of my restaurant is in full swing.   If it was this bad on the first day we were allowed to go out again after 2 months, than HFS I am in trouble as is almost every other restaurant.

Go  get food from a mom & pop.   Unless you only want chain places moving forward.

Sigh
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Man. Sucks to hear that. We've been purposefully supporting our favorite local joints through this and will continue to. 

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
Today was the first day we were allowed to seat people again.   With a reduced capacity of 25% allowed.   It could have been 10% and we still would have had availability all day.   Miserable.

The death of my restaurant is in full swing.   If it was this bad on the first day we were allowed to go out again after 2 months, than HFS I am in trouble as is almost every other restaurant.

Go  get food from a mom & pop.   Unless you only want chain places moving forward.

Sigh
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear...hopefully you can survive the drought.  Even though people may be allowed to go out, I am sure many are still hesitant to do so. 

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
Today was the first day we were allowed to seat people again.   With a reduced capacity of 25% allowed.   It could have been 10% and we still would have had availability all day.   Miserable.

The death of my restaurant is in full swing.   If it was this bad on the first day we were allowed to go out again after 2 months, than HFS I am in trouble as is almost every other restaurant.

Go  get food from a mom & pop.   Unless you only want chain places moving forward.

Sigh
Click to expand...
I hope you did the payroll protection forgivable loan. That would by you 2+ months to get up to speed

 
BassNBrew said:
I hope you did the payroll protection forgivable loan. That would by you 2+ months to get up to speed
Click to expand...
I did.   It is good that i have it, but it is whipped cream on poop.   With zero tourists, no college kids in town, and a f-ton of restaurants opened in last 15 years, the outlook is grim. Not trying to be a fatalist or pessimistic as I believe a positive outlook is the best thing you can do in life.   I'm being realistic and knowing that my industry is in serious trouble here in New Orleans.    

We had eight hundred or so restaurants when Katrina hit and about 400,000 people.   Now we have well over 1,500 restaurants and somewhere around 320,000 residents.   After Katrina everybody was dying to eat out with their friends for months... Some of that was because people did not have kitchens to cook in anymore houses were being gutted but some of it was because as City with its culture deeply rooted in the food scene it was the only thing we all knew to do.  We were as busy as we can handle at dante's back then.   But that wore off after a few months in the summer of 06 was one of the slowest I've ever managed.   The majority of restaurants had reopened and everybody was getting settled back in but we were still missing the tourists.  We definitely had tourism that summer but it was light.    

And then everybody and their brother wanted to open a restaurant. And that was okay for a while but I think after we passed 1,200 restaurants the bubble had formed and needed to be popped.   So many good places have come and gone in the last 10 years that it boggles my mind.   Most of them have never been through the ups and downs of the busy seasons here or were kidding themselves about how drastic things can be from the spring to the summer and again in the fall into the winter. I've known since the early nineties that if we didn't put our nut away during March April and May that we would beon the verge of financial collapse.

now none of the restaurants in this city have had their spring to fill their coffers to get through what is traditionally a very slow period during the summer.   And with at least half of the residents in town having no interest in going back out in public yet, we have 1,600 restaurants fighting over scraps left behind.  There will be no conventions. There will be no fall rush.  and I'm not Nostradamus but I would imagine the next Mardi gras is very flat as well.   

I can play small ball better than most. I can run this place with just myself and one other person for the foreseeable future.   And I'm going to be forced to run a very cheap food cost menu and make other adjustments on an almost daily basis right now.   35 years of restaurant experience is it going to help much if something drastic doesn't happen.

Oy.  Sigh.   Cry.

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
I did.   It is good that i have it, but it is whipped cream on poop.   With zero tourists, no college kids in town, and a f-ton of restaurants opened in last 15 years, the outlook is grim. Not trying to be a fatalist or pessimistic as I believe a positive outlook is the best thing you can do in life.   I'm being realistic and knowing that my industry is in serious trouble here in New Orleans.    

We had eight hundred or so restaurants when Katrina hit and about 400,000 people.   Now we have well over 1,500 restaurants and somewhere around 320,000 residents.   After Katrina everybody was dying to eat out with their friends for months... Some of that was because people did not have kitchens to cook in anymore houses were being gutted but some of it was because as City with its culture deeply rooted in the food scene it was the only thing we all knew to do.  We were as busy as we can handle at dante's back then.   But that wore off after a few months in the summer of 06 was one of the slowest I've ever managed.   The majority of restaurants had reopened and everybody was getting settled back in but we were still missing the tourists.  We definitely had tourism that summer but it was light.    

And then everybody and their brother wanted to open a restaurant. And that was okay for a while but I think after we passed 1,200 restaurants the bubble had formed and needed to be popped.   So many good places have come and gone in the last 10 years that it boggles my mind.   Most of them have never been through the ups and downs of the busy seasons here or were kidding themselves about how drastic things can be from the spring to the summer and again in the fall into the winter. I've known since the early nineties that if we didn't put our nut away during March April and May that we would beon the verge of financial collapse.

now none of the restaurants in this city have had their spring to fill their coffers to get through what is traditionally a very slow period during the summer.   And with at least half of the residents in town having no interest in going back out in public yet, we have 1,600 restaurants fighting over scraps left behind.  There will be no conventions. There will be no fall rush.  and I'm not Nostradamus but I would imagine the next Mardi gras is very flat as well.   

I can play small ball better than most. I can run this place with just myself and one other person for the foreseeable future.   And I'm going to be forced to run a very cheap food cost menu and make other adjustments on an almost daily basis right now.   35 years of restaurant experience is it going to help much if something drastic doesn't happen.

Oy.  Sigh.   Cry.
Click to expand...
Good luck. The good times will roll again and those surviving will reap the rewards 

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
I did.   It is good that i have it, but it is whipped cream on poop.   With zero tourists, no college kids in town, and a f-ton of restaurants opened in last 15 years, the outlook is grim. Not trying to be a fatalist or pessimistic as I believe a positive outlook is the best thing you can do in life.   I'm being realistic and knowing that my industry is in serious trouble here in New Orleans.    

We had eight hundred or so restaurants when Katrina hit and about 400,000 people.   Now we have well over 1,500 restaurants and somewhere around 320,000 residents.   After Katrina everybody was dying to eat out with their friends for months... Some of that was because people did not have kitchens to cook in anymore houses were being gutted but some of it was because as City with its culture deeply rooted in the food scene it was the only thing we all knew to do.  We were as busy as we can handle at dante's back then.   But that wore off after a few months in the summer of 06 was one of the slowest I've ever managed.   The majority of restaurants had reopened and everybody was getting settled back in but we were still missing the tourists.  We definitely had tourism that summer but it was light.    

And then everybody and their brother wanted to open a restaurant. And that was okay for a while but I think after we passed 1,200 restaurants the bubble had formed and needed to be popped.   So many good places have come and gone in the last 10 years that it boggles my mind.   Most of them have never been through the ups and downs of the busy seasons here or were kidding themselves about how drastic things can be from the spring to the summer and again in the fall into the winter. I've known since the early nineties that if we didn't put our nut away during March April and May that we would beon the verge of financial collapse.

now none of the restaurants in this city have had their spring to fill their coffers to get through what is traditionally a very slow period during the summer.   And with at least half of the residents in town having no interest in going back out in public yet, we have 1,600 restaurants fighting over scraps left behind.  There will be no conventions. There will be no fall rush.  and I'm not Nostradamus but I would imagine the next Mardi gras is very flat as well.   

I can play small ball better than most. I can run this place with just myself and one other person for the foreseeable future.   And I'm going to be forced to run a very cheap food cost menu and make other adjustments on an almost daily basis right now.   35 years of restaurant experience is it going to help much if something drastic doesn't happen.

Oy.  Sigh.   Cry.
Click to expand...
Regarding the bolded/underlined, I believe the best thing you can do in life is be realistic.

If the reality is that the odds are weighed heavily against you, then having a positive outlook could cause you to do things that are not in your best interests. 

I think you need to seriously consider what does your life look like if you close, because your future may be better if you decide to do it sooner than if you wait to let it happen on its own.

I don't know what your life would look like if you close, but let's assume it's personal bankruptcy. It's common for most people to assume this should be avoided at all costs. But it is called bankruptcy "protection" for a reason. it provides protection. The benefits of it go to the filer. I'm not saying it's something to be pursued, but it's there for those who need it, and if it is unavoidable in the future then maybe you need it now. The point of it is so that you can reboot your life and start new. And what you seriously need to consider is whether rebooting two years from now is better than rebooting now. If you get two years down the road and find it unavoidable, wouldn't you rather be two years into your reboot in 2022 than be just starting it?

I'm saying this as someone who just had to make this decision. We are not reopening and are filing bankruptcy in the next month or two based on the timing our attorney is giving us. We started an ice cream concept that we came up with in 2016, and it took off so well that literally hundreds of people asked us if they could become a franchise. At first we weren't interested in franchising, but given the requests kept coming and coming and coming, when some investors approached us to finance a new franchising company and four franchise consulting companies were in a bidding war to win our account, with plans to grow it to 500 to 1000 locations in 10 to 15 years, and an exit strategy to sell it to a bigger company for $40 million, we decided to pursue it.

In 2017 were making money hand over fist, and the investors and consulting companies were salivating as we were working things out in 2018 and 2019. But something started to happen in 2018. The mall we were in had 24 retail stores when we opened in 2016, but by the time the pandemic hit so many retail stores had closed over the four years it was down to 9 remaing. The mall had replaced the closed tenant spaces, but not with retail businesses. It was service businesses, like dentists, and chiropractors, and wedding planners, the city's largest nail salon, four fitness businesses (a gym, a fitness coach, a taekwondo, and a yoga center), etc. Ice cream businesses such as ours feed off of retail shoppers, and not off of people burning calories and getting cavities filled. Sales dropped in 2018. They dropped even more in 2019. Even in February 2020 we were seeing declines even more to the point were we weren't sure if the location could even be profitable going forward.

And then COVID-19 arrived. We are currently allowed to reopen now, but we won't. Not only was the mall no longer a good location even before the pandemic, it's going to be even worse going forward. Those that are still willing to go out and shop aren't going to choose a mall with 9 retail shops left when they're going to limit the amount of trips they make by going to a mall where they can get everything. This mall is dead. Add to it the fact that our ice cream business concept is a self serve model. People create their own sundaes via a buffet. In the post pandemic world, buffets are dead. We would have to redesign our business concept to a full service model.... which means the investors we had pulled out. The franchising company is dead too. We've lost it all. Again, we could reopen, but why, when the current health restrictions don't allow buffet style service. It wouldn't be a reopen. It would be the launch of a new concept, during one of the worst times in history to try a new business concept. Is it possible it would work? Sure... but it's one hell of a longshot given the circumstances. Since odds are we will need to reboot our lives eventually, it's better to just do it now and start the new life sooner. Why wait for the market to tell us when to do it. 

So again, I don't know what your life would look like if your business closed. But please don't let a choice to be positive be something that costs you two years of your future life. You could easily find two years from now you wish you could get those two years back by simply having been realistic.

Good luck to you!

 
Politician Spock said:
Regarding the bolded/underlined, I believe the best thing you can do in life is be realistic.

If the reality is that the odds are weighed heavily against you, then having a positive outlook could cause you to do things that are not in your best interests. 

I think you need to seriously consider what does your life look like if you close, because your future may be better if you decide to do it sooner than if you wait to let it happen on its own.

I don't know what your life would look like if you close, but let's assume it's personal bankruptcy. It's common for most people to assume this should be avoided at all costs. But it is called bankruptcy "protection" for a reason. it provides protection. The benefits of it go to the filer. I'm not saying it's something to be pursued, but it's there for those who need it, and if it is unavoidable in the future then maybe you need it now. The point of it is so that you can reboot your life and start new. And what you seriously need to consider is whether rebooting two years from now is better than rebooting now. If you get two years down the road and find it unavoidable, wouldn't you rather be two years into your reboot in 2022 than be just starting it?

I'm saying this as someone who just had to make this decision. We are not reopening and are filing bankruptcy in the next month or two based on the timing our attorney is giving us. We started an ice cream concept that we came up with in 2016, and it took off so well that literally hundreds of people asked us if they could become a franchise. At first we weren't interested in franchising, but given the requests kept coming and coming and coming, when some investors approached us to finance a new franchising company and four franchise consulting companies were in a bidding war to win our account, with plans to grow it to 500 to 1000 locations in 10 to 15 years, and an exit strategy to sell it to a bigger company for $40 million, we decided to pursue it.

In 2017 were making money hand over fist, and the investors and consulting companies were salivating as we were working things out in 2018 and 2019. But something started to happen in 2018. The mall we were in had 24 retail stores when we opened in 2016, but by the time the pandemic hit so many retail stores had closed over the four years it was down to 9 remaing. The mall had replaced the closed tenant spaces, but not with retail businesses. It was service businesses, like dentists, and chiropractors, and wedding planners, the city's largest nail salon, four fitness businesses (a gym, a fitness coach, a taekwondo, and a yoga center), etc. Ice cream businesses such as ours feed off of retail shoppers, and not off of people burning calories and getting cavities filled. Sales dropped in 2018. They dropped even more in 2019. Even in February 2020 we were seeing declines even more to the point were we weren't sure if the location could even be profitable going forward.

And then COVID-19 arrived. We are currently allowed to reopen now, but we won't. Not only was the mall no longer a good location even before the pandemic, it's going to be even worse going forward. Those that are still willing to go out and shop aren't going to choose a mall with 9 retail shops left when they're going to limit the amount of trips they make by going to a mall where they can get everything. This mall is dead. Add to it the fact that our ice cream business concept is a self serve model. People create their own sundaes via a buffet. In the post pandemic world, buffets are dead. We would have to redesign our business concept to a full service model.... which means the investors we had pulled out. The franchising company is dead too. We've lost it all. Again, we could reopen, but why, when the current health restrictions don't allow buffet style service. It wouldn't be a reopen. It would be the launch of a new concept, during one of the worst times in history to try a new business concept. Is it possible it would work? Sure... but it's one hell of a longshot given the circumstances. Since odds are we will need to reboot our lives eventually, it's better to just do it now and start the new life sooner. Why wait for the market to tell us when to do it. 

So again, I don't know what your life would look like if your business closed. But please don't let a choice to be positive be something that costs you two years of your future life. You could easily find two years from now you wish you could get those two years back by simply having been realistic.

Good luck to you!
Click to expand...
I'm sorry to hear that about your business.

I know for sure Tipsy has a great outlook on this kind of thing. He knows who he is and is realistic and will make the best decisions for he and his family going forward. 

 
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tipsy mcstagger said:
I did.   It is good that i have it, but it is whipped cream on poop.   With zero tourists, no college kids in town, and a f-ton of restaurants opened in last 15 years, the outlook is grim. Not trying to be a fatalist or pessimistic as I believe a positive outlook is the best thing you can do in life.   I'm being realistic and knowing that my industry is in serious trouble here in New Orleans.    

We had eight hundred or so restaurants when Katrina hit and about 400,000 people.   Now we have well over 1,500 restaurants and somewhere around 320,000 residents.   After Katrina everybody was dying to eat out with their friends for months... Some of that was because people did not have kitchens to cook in anymore houses were being gutted but some of it was because as City with its culture deeply rooted in the food scene it was the only thing we all knew to do.  We were as busy as we can handle at dante's back then.   But that wore off after a few months in the summer of 06 was one of the slowest I've ever managed.   The majority of restaurants had reopened and everybody was getting settled back in but we were still missing the tourists.  We definitely had tourism that summer but it was light.    

And then everybody and their brother wanted to open a restaurant. And that was okay for a while but I think after we passed 1,200 restaurants the bubble had formed and needed to be popped.   So many good places have come and gone in the last 10 years that it boggles my mind.   Most of them have never been through the ups and downs of the busy seasons here or were kidding themselves about how drastic things can be from the spring to the summer and again in the fall into the winter. I've known since the early nineties that if we didn't put our nut away during March April and May that we would beon the verge of financial collapse.

now none of the restaurants in this city have had their spring to fill their coffers to get through what is traditionally a very slow period during the summer.   And with at least half of the residents in town having no interest in going back out in public yet, we have 1,600 restaurants fighting over scraps left behind.  There will be no conventions. There will be no fall rush.  and I'm not Nostradamus but I would imagine the next Mardi gras is very flat as well.   

I can play small ball better than most. I can run this place with just myself and one other person for the foreseeable future.   And I'm going to be forced to run a very cheap food cost menu and make other adjustments on an almost daily basis right now.   35 years of restaurant experience is it going to help much if something drastic doesn't happen.

Oy.  Sigh.   Cry.
Click to expand...
As a relative novice, I'm hoping this will be a big advantage for the local places with owners working in the business. Bigger restaurants and franchises obviously have their own advantages, but  local places with a workaholic owner can go lean and adapt in ways a bigger places just can't.

And I hate saying this, but it's not going to be 1600 restaurants competing for long. If a bunch got in because they saw easy money, surely many of them aren't prepared for the fight ahead. 

When things cool off, the cream rises. And you, sir, are the cream.

 
@tipsy mcstagger

i feel ya brother.  i still remember our chat after katrina.  i was with ruth's chris at the time.  i'm at a mom and pop, high end joint now.  we are still closed. i don't think we will reopen until august at the earliest.  it's scary.  let me know when you get some merchandise online.  stay strong brother.

 
Politician Spock said:
Regarding the bolded/underlined, I believe the best thing you can do in life is be realistic.

If the reality is that the odds are weighed heavily against you, then having a positive outlook could cause you to do things that are not in your best interests. 

I think you need to seriously consider what does your life look like if you close, because your future may be better if you decide to do it sooner than if you wait to let it happen on its own.

I don't know what your life would look like if you close, but let's assume it's personal bankruptcy. It's common for most people to assume this should be avoided at all costs. But it is called bankruptcy "protection" for a reason. it provides protection. The benefits of it go to the filer. I'm not saying it's something to be pursued, but it's there for those who need it, and if it is unavoidable in the future then maybe you need it now. The point of it is so that you can reboot your life and start new. And what you seriously need to consider is whether rebooting two years from now is better than rebooting now. If you get two years down the road and find it unavoidable, wouldn't you rather be two years into your reboot in 2022 than be just starting it?

I'm saying this as someone who just had to make this decision. We are not reopening and are filing bankruptcy in the next month or two based on the timing our attorney is giving us. We started an ice cream concept that we came up with in 2016, and it took off so well that literally hundreds of people asked us if they could become a franchise. At first we weren't interested in franchising, but given the requests kept coming and coming and coming, when some investors approached us to finance a new franchising company and four franchise consulting companies were in a bidding war to win our account, with plans to grow it to 500 to 1000 locations in 10 to 15 years, and an exit strategy to sell it to a bigger company for $40 million, we decided to pursue it.

In 2017 were making money hand over fist, and the investors and consulting companies were salivating as we were working things out in 2018 and 2019. But something started to happen in 2018. The mall we were in had 24 retail stores when we opened in 2016, but by the time the pandemic hit so many retail stores had closed over the four years it was down to 9 remaing. The mall had replaced the closed tenant spaces, but not with retail businesses. It was service businesses, like dentists, and chiropractors, and wedding planners, the city's largest nail salon, four fitness businesses (a gym, a fitness coach, a taekwondo, and a yoga center), etc. Ice cream businesses such as ours feed off of retail shoppers, and not off of people burning calories and getting cavities filled. Sales dropped in 2018. They dropped even more in 2019. Even in February 2020 we were seeing declines even more to the point were we weren't sure if the location could even be profitable going forward.

And then COVID-19 arrived. We are currently allowed to reopen now, but we won't. Not only was the mall no longer a good location even before the pandemic, it's going to be even worse going forward. Those that are still willing to go out and shop aren't going to choose a mall with 9 retail shops left when they're going to limit the amount of trips they make by going to a mall where they can get everything. This mall is dead. Add to it the fact that our ice cream business concept is a self serve model. People create their own sundaes via a buffet. In the post pandemic world, buffets are dead. We would have to redesign our business concept to a full service model.... which means the investors we had pulled out. The franchising company is dead too. We've lost it all. Again, we could reopen, but why, when the current health restrictions don't allow buffet style service. It wouldn't be a reopen. It would be the launch of a new concept, during one of the worst times in history to try a new business concept. Is it possible it would work? Sure... but it's one hell of a longshot given the circumstances. Since odds are we will need to reboot our lives eventually, it's better to just do it now and start the new life sooner. Why wait for the market to tell us when to do it. 

So again, I don't know what your life would look like if your business closed. But please don't let a choice to be positive be something that costs you two years of your future life. You could easily find two years from now you wish you could get those two years back by simply having been realistic.

Good luck to you!
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Sorry to hear that Spock. That’s tough. I’ve always respected your posting and know you’re a smart, good guy. You guys will land on your feet.

 
@Politician Spock.  Good stuff. The positive outlook I'm portraying here on the interwebs is what I have to do is my public face. I have serious concerns about this going forward and in all honesty if I did not have a business partner I would already be closing and moving on to whatever is next for me. Luckily for me I found a new partner back in February that isn't going to let us fail as quickly as I would now that he is financially and invested and in decent shape to get us to the time when things are picking up. If we can make it till then we will be in a great position for the future of this restaurant. I think it is key that we get out into the suburbs more out of Orleans parish which is so reliant on tourism and focus more on feeding families. I live out in Jefferson parish only 15 minutes from the restaurant but it's a different world out there. I'm not saying those restaurants aren't going to struggle a little bit right now as well but their curve to getting back to normal will be much quicker. They do not rely on tourism whatsoever. But again I'm not Nostradamus so I don't really know what's going to happen. All I do know is I'm going to continue to give it my best until the writing on the wall is clear enough.

 
L I had lunch with a couple of friends today at a place I've been eating at since the early 90s when I was in college. Normally they would have a full dining room on any given weekday during the main lunch hours. Unfortunately today it was my table one other table and two to go orders for the hour and a half I sat there.   The city is in for some major changes. 😞

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
L I had lunch with a couple of friends today at a place I've been eating at since the early 90s when I was in college. Normally they would have a full dining room on any given weekday during the main lunch hours. Unfortunately today it was my table one other table and two to go orders for the hour and a half I sat there.   The city is in for some major changes. 😞
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Same for Houston's restaurant scene, and it's not nearly as dependant on tourism.  

Good luck.

 
Politician Spock said:
Regarding the bolded/underlined, I believe the best thing you can do in life is be realistic.

If the reality is that the odds are weighed heavily against you, then having a positive outlook could cause you to do things that are not in your best interests. 

I think you need to seriously consider what does your life look like if you close, because your future may be better if you decide to do it sooner than if you wait to let it happen on its own.

I don't know what your life would look like if you close, but let's assume it's personal bankruptcy. It's common for most people to assume this should be avoided at all costs. But it is called bankruptcy "protection" for a reason. it provides protection. The benefits of it go to the filer. I'm not saying it's something to be pursued, but it's there for those who need it, and if it is unavoidable in the future then maybe you need it now. The point of it is so that you can reboot your life and start new. And what you seriously need to consider is whether rebooting two years from now is better than rebooting now. If you get two years down the road and find it unavoidable, wouldn't you rather be two years into your reboot in 2022 than be just starting it?

I'm saying this as someone who just had to make this decision. We are not reopening and are filing bankruptcy in the next month or two based on the timing our attorney is giving us. We started an ice cream concept that we came up with in 2016, and it took off so well that literally hundreds of people asked us if they could become a franchise. At first we weren't interested in franchising, but given the requests kept coming and coming and coming, when some investors approached us to finance a new franchising company and four franchise consulting companies were in a bidding war to win our account, with plans to grow it to 500 to 1000 locations in 10 to 15 years, and an exit strategy to sell it to a bigger company for $40 million, we decided to pursue it.

In 2017 were making money hand over fist, and the investors and consulting companies were salivating as we were working things out in 2018 and 2019. But something started to happen in 2018. The mall we were in had 24 retail stores when we opened in 2016, but by the time the pandemic hit so many retail stores had closed over the four years it was down to 9 remaing. The mall had replaced the closed tenant spaces, but not with retail businesses. It was service businesses, like dentists, and chiropractors, and wedding planners, the city's largest nail salon, four fitness businesses (a gym, a fitness coach, a taekwondo, and a yoga center), etc. Ice cream businesses such as ours feed off of retail shoppers, and not off of people burning calories and getting cavities filled. Sales dropped in 2018. They dropped even more in 2019. Even in February 2020 we were seeing declines even more to the point were we weren't sure if the location could even be profitable going forward.

And then COVID-19 arrived. We are currently allowed to reopen now, but we won't. Not only was the mall no longer a good location even before the pandemic, it's going to be even worse going forward. Those that are still willing to go out and shop aren't going to choose a mall with 9 retail shops left when they're going to limit the amount of trips they make by going to a mall where they can get everything. This mall is dead. Add to it the fact that our ice cream business concept is a self serve model. People create their own sundaes via a buffet. In the post pandemic world, buffets are dead. We would have to redesign our business concept to a full service model.... which means the investors we had pulled out. The franchising company is dead too. We've lost it all. Again, we could reopen, but why, when the current health restrictions don't allow buffet style service. It wouldn't be a reopen. It would be the launch of a new concept, during one of the worst times in history to try a new business concept. Is it possible it would work? Sure... but it's one hell of a longshot given the circumstances. Since odds are we will need to reboot our lives eventually, it's better to just do it now and start the new life sooner. Why wait for the market to tell us when to do it. 

So again, I don't know what your life would look like if your business closed. But please don't let a choice to be positive be something that costs you two years of your future life. You could easily find two years from now you wish you could get those two years back by simply having been realistic.

Good luck to you!
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Just wanted to say what an incredible giving post this is. People with this type of perspective and awareness bounce back better than ever. Just like I know Tipsy will. Best wishes to you both. Every day is a gift. 

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
@Politician Spock.  Good stuff. The positive outlook I'm portraying here on the interwebs is what I have to do is my public face. I have serious concerns about this going forward and in all honesty if I did not have a business partner I would already be closing and moving on to whatever is next for me. Luckily for me I found a new partner back in February that isn't going to let us fail as quickly as I would now that he is financially and invested and in decent shape to get us to the time when things are picking up. If we can make it till then we will be in a great position for the future of this restaurant. I think it is key that we get out into the suburbs more out of Orleans parish which is so reliant on tourism and focus more on feeding families. I live out in Jefferson parish only 15 minutes from the restaurant but it's a different world out there. I'm not saying those restaurants aren't going to struggle a little bit right now as well but their curve to getting back to normal will be much quicker. They do not rely on tourism whatsoever. But again I'm not Nostradamus so I don't really know what's going to happen. All I do know is I'm going to continue to give it my best until the writing on the wall is clear enough.
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Plenty of room for another BBQ joint on the Northshore.  :drive:

 
Breathes in....

The brewery I am in has decided they need the revenue from food sales and have given me official 90 days notice to cease operations at the taproom..  Its a part of the lease I was most apprehensive about before signing, but was also aware I may have wanted to use it myself at some point in the coming year.   So unless a miracle happens and we find a place and get operational by mid September, my biz is going to shut down for a bit.   My partner and I are accelerating our search for a spot we can get in and rolling quickly, but I know that is going to take more than 3 months to make happen.    One property is already being discussed somewhat more seriously now.   We shall see.     If it happens it will be a pretty funny part of my restaurant story arch which I'll explain later if it happens or not.

Phase 4 is what I'll be calling this project.   Depending on the space I have a lot I want to do differently including a bbq menu with more items (like beef ribs, and pastrami) along with an expanded southern menu core....along with the fried chicken and pork chops I already do, I would like throw in a few more classic southern dishes each day.   Will see....the space and neighborhood I end up in will dictate what direction I really go.   Not away from bbq, but definitely more.   And bring back that brunch I did on Magazine in the beginning.   Ribs & Grits was one of the best brunch dishes ever and I look forward to bringing it back!

Stay tuned.   This sucks with the timing but biz is biz.  No hard feelings.   This was going to happen in the next year anyway I'm sure.

If you need onsite catering anytime this fall...holler.  Have pit.  Will travel.

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
Breathes in....

The brewery I am in has decided they need the revenue from food sales and have given me official 90 days notice to cease operations at the taproom..  Its a part of the lease I was most apprehensive about before signing, but was also aware I may have wanted to use it myself at some point in the coming year.   So unless a miracle happens and we find a place and get operational by mid September, my biz is going to shut down for a bit.   My partner and I are accelerating our search for a spot we can get in and rolling quickly, but I know that is going to take more than 3 months to make happen.    One property is already being discussed somewhat more seriously now.   We shall see.     If it happens it will be a pretty funny part of my restaurant story arch which I'll explain later if it happens or not.

Phase 4 is what I'll be calling this project.   Depending on the space I have a lot I want to do differently including a bbq menu with more items (like beef ribs, and pastrami) along with an expanded southern menu core....along with the fried chicken and pork chops I already do, I would like throw in a few more classic southern dishes each day.   Will see....the space and neighborhood I end up in will dictate what direction I really go.   Not away from bbq, but definitely more.   And bring back that brunch I did on Magazine in the beginning.   Ribs & Grits was one of the best brunch dishes ever and I look forward to bringing it back!

Stay tuned.   This sucks with the timing but biz is biz.  No hard feelings.   This was going to happen in the next year anyway I'm sure.

If you need onsite catering anytime this fall...holler.  Have pit.  Will travel.
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Booze?

 
tipsy mcstagger said:
If you need onsite catering anytime this fall...holler.  Have pit.  Will travel.
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Not sure about catering but there is a bunch of folks that would love to buy your rubs. 
 

I’m looking forward to reading this thread in a few years after you have absorbed all these body shots and come out on top as the undisputed champ of New Orleans BBQ. 

 
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