pollardsvision
Footballguy
201 Alleghany Ave. It's a little ways off 29, but not too far.I might be driving through Lynchburg right before New Years. What's the address of this place?
201 Alleghany Ave. It's a little ways off 29, but not too far.I might be driving through Lynchburg right before New Years. What's the address of this place?
Can you get both and give the customers the choice?pollardsvision said:I've got quite a dilemma on the hot dog buns.
We switched to a different bread company a couple weeks ago, and those were the buns I was so excited about. I still am, for the most part. They are great buns. The burger buns are really phenomenal.
But they might not be right for our hot dogs. They are a little bigger and they have a little chew to them. Think about the difference between ####ty ### Wonder bread and quality bread. Wonder bread is really soft and when you bite into it, it's like biting through air (and chemicals). That's what our old buns were like. Inferior in everyway, but when it comes to a basic hot dog that your just want to inhale, it works well. That's what people are used to. I personally like the better bun, but I get it. Hot dog sales are fine and we've only gotten a couple of comments about it. They've even been described as "tough", but again, if you compare any good bread to Wonder bread, you could get away with that adjective.
It pains me to even consider it because I hated the old buns so much and I really hate to pay the same price for a clearly inferior product. But I think I'm going to switch back.
The other alternative is to switch to a little bigger dog. There's room there. Our basic hot dog is a 10-1 dog (10 dogs to a pound) where an 8-1 dog is probably what I'd consider standard. The "problem" is really more that our current dogs are too small, and probably not that the bun is too big. The footlong is even skinnier (twice as long, but only a 6-1 dog), and the dog/bun size discrepancy is even more pronounced.
Really though, I just can't go to a bigger dog. People love this 10-1 dog. They've used this dog for a very long time, and customers happily pay for it. Going over $2 on the basic hot dog won't go over well.
I'll probably switch back to the old bun on the basic dog and keep ordering some of the new buns for the all beef dogs. They are a little bigger, so it works better. Beef dogs still aren't a huge seller yet, but that's improving.
Yep. Perfect idea.pollardsvision said:I've got quite a dilemma on the hot dog buns.
We switched to a different bread company a couple weeks ago, and those were the buns I was so excited about. I still am, for the most part. They are great buns. The burger buns are really phenomenal.
But they might not be right for our hot dogs. They are a little bigger and they have a little chew to them. Think about the difference between ####ty ### Wonder bread and quality bread. Wonder bread is really soft and when you bite into it, it's like biting through air (and chemicals). That's what our old buns were like. Inferior in everyway, but when it comes to a basic hot dog that your just want to inhale, it works well. That's what people are used to. I personally like the better bun, but I get it. Hot dog sales are fine and we've only gotten a couple of comments about it. They've even been described as "tough", but again, if you compare any good bread to Wonder bread, you could get away with that adjective.
It pains me to even consider it because I hated the old buns so much and I really hate to pay the same price for a clearly inferior product. But I think I'm going to switch back.
The other alternative is to switch to a little bigger dog. There's room there. Our basic hot dog is a 10-1 dog (10 dogs to a pound) where an 8-1 dog is probably what I'd consider standard. The "problem" is really more that our current dogs are too small, and probably not that the bun is too big. The footlong is even skinnier (twice as long, but only a 6-1 dog), and the dog/bun size discrepancy is even more pronounced.
Really though, I just can't go to a bigger dog. People love this 10-1 dog. They've used this dog for a very long time, and customers happily pay for it. Going over $2 on the basic hot dog won't go over well.
I'll probably switch back to the old bun on the basic dog and keep ordering some of the new buns for the all beef dogs. They are a little bigger, so it works better. Beef dogs still aren't a huge seller yet, but that's improving.
Is it also something that the customers will learn to like?Can you get both and give the customers the choice?pollardsvision said:I've got quite a dilemma on the hot dog buns.
We switched to a different bread company a couple weeks ago, and those were the buns I was so excited about. I still am, for the most part. They are great buns. The burger buns are really phenomenal.
But they might not be right for our hot dogs. They are a little bigger and they have a little chew to them. Think about the difference between ####ty ### Wonder bread and quality bread. Wonder bread is really soft and when you bite into it, it's like biting through air (and chemicals). That's what our old buns were like. Inferior in everyway, but when it comes to a basic hot dog that your just want to inhale, it works well. That's what people are used to. I personally like the better bun, but I get it. Hot dog sales are fine and we've only gotten a couple of comments about it. They've even been described as "tough", but again, if you compare any good bread to Wonder bread, you could get away with that adjective.
It pains me to even consider it because I hated the old buns so much and I really hate to pay the same price for a clearly inferior product. But I think I'm going to switch back.
The other alternative is to switch to a little bigger dog. There's room there. Our basic hot dog is a 10-1 dog (10 dogs to a pound) where an 8-1 dog is probably what I'd consider standard. The "problem" is really more that our current dogs are too small, and probably not that the bun is too big. The footlong is even skinnier (twice as long, but only a 6-1 dog), and the dog/bun size discrepancy is even more pronounced.
Really though, I just can't go to a bigger dog. People love this 10-1 dog. They've used this dog for a very long time, and customers happily pay for it. Going over $2 on the basic hot dog won't go over well.
I'll probably switch back to the old bun on the basic dog and keep ordering some of the new buns for the all beef dogs. They are a little bigger, so it works better. Beef dogs still aren't a huge seller yet, but that's improving.
And the name of the joint is? I want to put it in my phone contacts.201 Alleghany Ave. It's a little ways off 29, but not too far.I might be driving through Lynchburg right before New Years. What's the address of this place?
The Weenie Stand!And the name of the joint is? I want to put it in my phone contacts.201 Alleghany Ave. It's a little ways off 29, but not too far.I might be driving through Lynchburg right before New Years. What's the address of this place?
That's also the name of the gay bath house... so make sure anyone looking at your contacts knows the difference.The Weenie Stand!And the name of the joint is? I want to put it in my phone contacts.201 Alleghany Ave. It's a little ways off 29, but not too far.I might be driving through Lynchburg right before New Years. What's the address of this place?
Good call. Maybe put the pic on the contact to be safe...hmmm, blank building with no windows...Maybe you're better without the picture.That's also the name of the gay bath house... so make sure anyone looking at your contacts knows the difference.The Weenie Stand!And the name of the joint is? I want to put it in my phone contacts.201 Alleghany Ave. It's a little ways off 29, but not too far.I might be driving through Lynchburg right before New Years. What's the address of this place?
The roots of this place really start with a joint called "Gay's Cafe".That's also the name of the gay bath house... so make sure anyone looking at your contacts knows the difference.The Weenie Stand!And the name of the joint is? I want to put it in my phone contacts.201 Alleghany Ave. It's a little ways off 29, but not too far.I might be driving through Lynchburg right before New Years. What's the address of this place?
Sounds like he was making a fermented cabbage dish. You probably don't need such large batches, but fresh might not be the answer for this one.We've been back on the old buns for a couple of weeks now, and it seems like the right thing.
We had a slow Christmas week, but we turned it around for our best 3-day stretch yet to finish the month/year.
I got a little pissed off finishing up the paperwork last week seeing that labor costs didn't drop to the same degree sales did in a short week. It was my fault as I had let up in a number of ways. This was a good week to refocus as our top day waitress was going to be out until Friday. I've been trying to find ways to do more with less since we started, so this was a great opportunity to work on that.
Between vacations and employees calling in sick, we polished off our best 3-day stretch without our best waitress at all, our top day cook for unexpectedly out for two of those days, our GM for one, and I gave the night manager the night off last night. We had some stretches where wait times were a little high, but only one major ####-up (that was just a straight ####-up and not really a product of being understaffed).
I've got a lot to learn, and we've got a long way to go to undo some bad habits and be able to do more with less, but these few days have been an important part of the process.
I've finally gotten a few more batches of his world famous slaw made and I think I've got it fine tuned (the process. not changing the recipe). I didn't get the recipe until a few of weeks after we closed the sale because he really wanted to come do it with me on a Sunday. Sundays were when he did it (only time he entered the building). I'm in the restaurant night and day, so Sundays are my day to fix ####, drink a few beers, watch football, prep, or generally just catch up. They are my day, and I didn't want to fool with chasing him around. I know that damn recipe should've been in a packet when the sale closed and I gave him a big ####### check, but it wasn't. I was too busy to care until, you know, we needed slaw. He also drug his feet because he wasn't in a hurry to see somebody else make his mama and daddy's slaw recipe without him. I get it.
Anyway, my first batch of slaw was a bit off. Not bad, but not right either. I was basing it off the memory of the brother-in-law (he and his wife owned/ran the place for 25 years). The first batch was also done his way of buying the cabbage already chopped and make 50-60 gallons of slaw at a time. I won't say how long that lasted, but it's a little disturbing.
I bought it pre-chopped like he did for the first batch (much, much, much smaller batch). It was mid-week and my first time. I wanted to keep the variables to a minimum. When I opened those damn buckets, that cabbage funk was something fierce. Those bitter cabbage phenols or whatever filled up the whole restaurant and building the slaw was totally about trying to get rid of that funk. We got it worked out and it was decent, but again, not right.
For the next couple of batches, I've been grinding the cabbage myself (no funk because it hadn't been sitting in buckets for god knows how long). I do and always will make smaller batches than he did. I do it during the week as part of our routine prep, just like I do with the slaw for the BBQ.
Recipe's the same, but I'm confident it's an even better product than it was before.
I dig the fermented arts, but this issn't one of those things.Sounds like he was making a fermented cabbage dish. You probably don't need such large batches, but fresh might not be the answer for this one.We've been back on the old buns for a couple of weeks now, and it seems like the right thing.
We had a slow Christmas week, but we turned it around for our best 3-day stretch yet to finish the month/year.
I got a little pissed off finishing up the paperwork last week seeing that labor costs didn't drop to the same degree sales did in a short week. It was my fault as I had let up in a number of ways. This was a good week to refocus as our top day waitress was going to be out until Friday. I've been trying to find ways to do more with less since we started, so this was a great opportunity to work on that.
Between vacations and employees calling in sick, we polished off our best 3-day stretch without our best waitress at all, our top day cook for unexpectedly out for two of those days, our GM for one, and I gave the night manager the night off last night. We had some stretches where wait times were a little high, but only one major ####-up (that was just a straight ####-up and not really a product of being understaffed).
I've got a lot to learn, and we've got a long way to go to undo some bad habits and be able to do more with less, but these few days have been an important part of the process.
I've finally gotten a few more batches of his world famous slaw made and I think I've got it fine tuned (the process. not changing the recipe). I didn't get the recipe until a few of weeks after we closed the sale because he really wanted to come do it with me on a Sunday. Sundays were when he did it (only time he entered the building). I'm in the restaurant night and day, so Sundays are my day to fix ####, drink a few beers, watch football, prep, or generally just catch up. They are my day, and I didn't want to fool with chasing him around. I know that damn recipe should've been in a packet when the sale closed and I gave him a big ####### check, but it wasn't. I was too busy to care until, you know, we needed slaw. He also drug his feet because he wasn't in a hurry to see somebody else make his mama and daddy's slaw recipe without him. I get it.
Anyway, my first batch of slaw was a bit off. Not bad, but not right either. I was basing it off the memory of the brother-in-law (he and his wife owned/ran the place for 25 years). The first batch was also done his way of buying the cabbage already chopped and make 50-60 gallons of slaw at a time. I won't say how long that lasted, but it's a little disturbing.
I bought it pre-chopped like he did for the first batch (much, much, much smaller batch). It was mid-week and my first time. I wanted to keep the variables to a minimum. When I opened those damn buckets, that cabbage funk was something fierce. Those bitter cabbage phenols or whatever filled up the whole restaurant and building the slaw was totally about trying to get rid of that funk. We got it worked out and it was decent, but again, not right.
For the next couple of batches, I've been grinding the cabbage myself (no funk because it hadn't been sitting in buckets for god knows how long). I do and always will make smaller batches than he did. I do it during the week as part of our routine prep, just like I do with the slaw for the BBQ.
Recipe's the same, but I'm confident it's an even better product than it was before.
Ranges from $250-400.What is weekend breakfast like?
That's an old picture.Doesn't the big sign in the front say "open 24 hours"?
Maybe closer to 2 hours. I used to make that drive fairly regularly (wife's college buddy up in Winchester). The best route (imo) goes through Afton and by Blue Mountain Brewery, which is nice.If you can afford it, I'd try opening at 5 on weekdays (leave weekends where they are) for a while. You might be able to draw the construction/industrial crowd (such as it is in Lynchburg). If that doesn't do it, I'd kill breakfast for a while.
In my town, there's a restaurant called the Sunrise Cafe. They open for breakfast at 8 a.m.
You're on my "fairly close to home" bucket list. I'm about 30 minutes north of Harrisonburg, so you're what? 90 minutes away? Nice Saturday ride for some good food.
People have been hyping that place to me since I've been over here. Maybe hit your joint, then BMB on the way back.Maybe closer to 2 hours. I used to make that drive fairly regularly (wife's college buddy up in Winchester). The best route (imo) goes through Afton and by Blue Mountain Brewery, which is nice.If you can afford it, I'd try opening at 5 on weekdays (leave weekends where they are) for a while. You might be able to draw the construction/industrial crowd (such as it is in Lynchburg). If that doesn't do it, I'd kill breakfast for a while.
In my town, there's a restaurant called the Sunrise Cafe. They open for breakfast at 8 a.m.
You're on my "fairly close to home" bucket list. I'm about 30 minutes north of Harrisonburg, so you're what? 90 minutes away? Nice Saturday ride for some good food.
We'll try opening earlier, for sure, before making any major decisions. The construction crowd that we can't get with these hours can certainly buoy little locally owned breakfast joints.
There is something about the combination of the water, soil and sun which make fresh Hatch chiles from NM the best - accept no substitutesOh, and the most important update of the week...thanks a better friend than I deserve, we started selling Green Chile Cheeseburgers this week.
He's shipping Hatch chiles out of N.M. for now. Trying to find somebody to grow something similar locally (a really nice Anaheim would do in a pinch) for when he moves back East and my supply dries up.
Blue Mtn is good, and right down the road is Devils Backbone and Wild Wolf. DB brewpub is really nice, sort of a ski lodge feel being as it's right next to Wintergreen. http://brewridgetrail.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/slider_dbbc.pngPeople have been hyping that place to me since I've been over here. Maybe hit your joint, then BMB on the way back.Maybe closer to 2 hours. I used to make that drive fairly regularly (wife's college buddy up in Winchester). The best route (imo) goes through Afton and by Blue Mountain Brewery, which is nice.If you can afford it, I'd try opening at 5 on weekdays (leave weekends where they are) for a while. You might be able to draw the construction/industrial crowd (such as it is in Lynchburg). If that doesn't do it, I'd kill breakfast for a while.
In my town, there's a restaurant called the Sunrise Cafe. They open for breakfast at 8 a.m.
You're on my "fairly close to home" bucket list. I'm about 30 minutes north of Harrisonburg, so you're what? 90 minutes away? Nice Saturday ride for some good food.
We'll try opening earlier, for sure, before making any major decisions. The construction crowd that we can't get with these hours can certainly buoy little locally owned breakfast joints.
I'd never argue that Hatch aren't glorious, unique, and worth a premium. Preaching to the choir on that.There is something about the combination of the water, soil and sun which make fresh Hatch chiles from NM the best - accept no substitutesOh, and the most important update of the week...thanks a better friend than I deserve, we started selling Green Chile Cheeseburgers this week.
He's shipping Hatch chiles out of N.M. for now. Trying to find somebody to grow something similar locally (a really nice Anaheim would do in a pinch) for when he moves back East and my supply dries up.
I think hatch chiles are anaheim chilies right? And hatch chiles are only available roughly what? 3 weeks a year?There is something about the combination of the water, soil and sun which make fresh Hatch chiles from NM the best - accept no substitutesOh, and the most important update of the week...thanks a better friend than I deserve, we started selling Green Chile Cheeseburgers this week.
He's shipping Hatch chiles out of N.M. for now. Trying to find somebody to grow something similar locally (a really nice Anaheim would do in a pinch) for when he moves back East and my supply dries up.
Looking into to some Summer hours. Maybe open later on Fridays and Saturdays. I'm trying to get rested up and get the staff healthy for it, but we're looking at it. Doing breakfast makes it tricky. I feel like a place like this needs an owner with a thumb on the pulse on every aspect of the business. I'm working on getting the right systems in place to make things more sustainable long-term, but at the moment, I'm there 12+ hours the 6 days a week we're open and usually a 8-10 on the day we're closed. Still trying to figure out a way to my first day off. I'm still trying to get the right systems in place that would make extended hours without me working that many more hours a little more feasible.8pm closing? What about 9 or 10pm? Offer late night specials...
Yes, they are just very good Anaheim's.I think hatch chiles are anaheim chilies right? And hatch chiles are only available roughly what? 3 weeks a year?There is something about the combination of the water, soil and sun which make fresh Hatch chiles from NM the best - accept no substitutesOh, and the most important update of the week...thanks a better friend than I deserve, we started selling Green Chile Cheeseburgers this week.
He's shipping Hatch chiles out of N.M. for now. Trying to find somebody to grow something similar locally (a really nice Anaheim would do in a pinch) for when he moves back East and my supply dries up.
Congratulations on the way you've improved the place.We'll be fine though. Business is good and we're getting more efficient (sales per employee hour are up almost 50% since we took over).
oh ya! Not sure how you prep you green chili but I have several of my favorites if you are interested in testing. That looks amazing!Oh, and the most important update of the week...thanks a better friend than I deserve, we started selling Green Chile Cheeseburgers this week.
He's shipping Hatch chiles out of N.M. for now. Trying to find somebody to grow something similar locally (a really nice Anaheim would do in a pinch) for when he moves back East and my supply dries up.
There is something about the combination of the water, soil and sun which make fresh Hatch chiles from NM the best - accept no substitutesOh, and the most important update of the week...thanks a better friend than I deserve, we started selling Green Chile Cheeseburgers this week.
He's shipping Hatch chiles out of N.M. for now. Trying to find somebody to grow something similar locally (a really nice Anaheim would do in a pinch) for when he moves back East and my supply dries up.
No kids. Wife is disabled, and I don't imagine we ever will.Congratulations on the way you've improved the place.We'll be fine though. Business is good and we're getting more efficient (sales per employee hour are up almost 50% since we took over).
Just curious about your family?
Thanks for stopping by.Nice to meet you and the wife. Food was excellent and I'll have to come in a different day and try the BBQ.
Great update! Financially you seem to be in a good place. Lots of positives.Thanks for stopping by.Nice to meet you and the wife. Food was excellent and I'll have to come in a different day and try the BBQ.
I wasn't really sure how to explain to the waitress what FBG was, but luckily, I think she assumed it must be some food distributor she'd never heard of.
Sorry about no BBQ, but not doing it on Mondays and Saturdays has been great for my schedule.
It's been a crazy couple of weeks. Prior to this week, we had back-to-back best weeks yet. The building and everything in it keeps falling apart, but we're getting it all worked out. Like the roof, everything in this place has been rigged up and strung along well past it's expected life. At times, I'm amazed by the previous owner's craftiness, but I'd still like to choke his ### sometimes.
We're not where we need to be just yet, but better than I'd have expected so far. We're paying the mortgage and the bills, investing in new equipment, making some pretty big repairs, paying me, and so far, not borrowing any money to cover anything (hoping the 30 year old leaking AC unit holds out long enough for that to remain true). March labor and food costs were both finally down close to where they need to be.
Business has been down over the Summer, but still solid overall. Still trying to get better and more efficient everyday (decades old habits are really, really hard to break). I'll update more later when I have some time.Any update on your restaurant? What's been going on the past three months?
Not quite that drastic, but it definitely hurts. Liberty is growing like crazy, but still only like 10-12K students on campus. We're not that convenient to Liberty anyway (bummer). We're about a mile away from Lynchburg College, but it's less than half the size, I believe.With college being out, the population gets cut in half doesn't it?
I don't know if it's feasible, but have you thought about something like "1/2 Price Tuesdays w/Student ID"? Or not even 1/2 price, but since I'm spending your money, maybe $_ for sandwich/side/drink for students? Then print like a zillion flyers and wait for a strong wind to blow them across the campuses?Not quite that drastic, but it definitely hurts. Liberty is growing like crazy, but still only like 10-12K students on campus. We're not that convenient to Liberty anyway (bummer). We're about a mile away from Lynchburg College, but it's less than half the size, I believe.With college being out, the population gets cut in half doesn't it?
We still don't cater to the college crowd as much as we need to yet, but we're getting there. Every change is geared towards appealing to a younger crowd. We've got two very distinct customer groups co-existing right now. The old-time regulars that get hot dogs, don't look at the menu, and have no idea there's a Facebook page. But we've got a growing crowd of younger people that come in an order the newer stuff we've added that most of the long-time regulars wouldn't dream of ordering. They come in an order a Mac-n-Cheeseburger, a Green Chile Cheeseburger, BBQ, a Garbage Plate, or a Pita Burger. They throw some Sriracha on it (Texas Pete for the long-time regulars).
We're trying like hell to cater to both crowds, and I think we do a pretty good job. College students still aren't a very large percentage of our customer base though.
The summer slow down, I think, has more to do with family vacations, people eating less during the summer, and us not having a menu that really caters to summertime appetites.