Saus

B-List

2011-07-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

Boston.com did this A-List thing where people could vote on their favorite things in different categories. Saus was nominated in 2 categories: Best Late Night Eats Near Campus, and Best Food After Midnight.

So far only the first category was announced. We didn't win. However, we came in 5th in some very good company. These places that beat us out are go-to standards for BU, BC and Northeastern. I gotta say, coming in 5th feels pretty good.

(Of course, I'm holding out for the announcements for the second category. There's still a chance!)

Excuse Our Dust...

2011-07-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

...So to speak. Our website is "Under Construction," which is why we haven't been able to update our special featured sauce. It is no longer Pungent Saus, which the website says it's been since who-knows-when.

We are on the tail end of a pickle sauce. Literally, it's almost gone. And the next one will be Pindasaus (peanut sauce)! We'll tweet it and facebook it when we have it!

Aaaaand any requests for special sauces you'd like to see in the next few weeks/months?

What's the deal? The daily deal, that is.

2011-07-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

Groupon and company. You know what the daily deal is all about, you probably receive the emails. My own inbox is inundated with offers for 50% off massages, dinners, fitness classes, parasailing...in theory, I could indulge in a full year of a recreational smorgasbord, having never paid more than half for any of it. Ironically enough, I have never purchased a single coupon, not even the most tempting (I'm still kicking myself for not jumping on the Sel De La Terre one)...I'm either lazy or guilt-ridden. Not sure. Anyway, now that I'm with Saus and all (we're kind of an item), I'm on the other side and I can give you the pros and cons from a merchant perspective.

A hot second after we opened, we were being approached by sales reps for these daily deal services. I was eager to meet with them to garner their specific value propositions so that I could make an informed decision about whether or not to offer a deal. Here's what I garnered...they all offer pretty much the same thing...a sh*t load of subscribers. Most of them require the merchant to offer 50% off goods, and most take half of the revenue from the deals sold. With food costs that are typically 25-30% of sales, it doesn't take a mathematician to realize the disadvantage.

There are benefits, however. I expressed my concerns with the reps I met with and every single one of them was willing to work with us. We have been given the option of capping the number of deals sold, negotiating a more favorable split, tailoring the deal so that it reaches only a certain demographic, etc. The point is this: don't jump into a deal that could potentially put you in a hole, but don't write off the idea either...group buying deals are sometimes necessary to boost business.

We ultimately chose to run a Yelp deal, for two reasons: 1. Yelp has, from the day we opened, brought customers through our door (I can't think of many other deal platforms that can claim this). 2. Yelp allowed us to choose the contents of the deal so long as it had a $20 value (1 order of Belgian frites, 2 sauces, 2 waffles, 2 waffle sauces, and 2 sodas). That way, we had control over our costs and were able to offer a well rounded Saus experience.

The group buying sites are becoming more innovative with their offerings to merchants. LevelUp is a great example: they offer three levels of deals...after a subscriber buys the first deal, he unlocks the second level, which if bought, unlocks the third - with each subsequent deal being better than the previous. The idea is to foster repeat business and, better yet, to track it. Groupon is experimenting with an interesting platform called Groupon NOW, a mobile app that shows users deals that are going on near them, and that must be bought and redeemed in a short (say 2 hour) time frame. Groupon NOW has the potential to be a valuable tool for restaurants looking to fill seats during slow times or bad weather days.

Oh, and I thought about it. I'm 50% guilt-ridden and 50% lazy.

Boston's Best

2011-07-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks Improper for voting us Best Fries in your Boston's Best issue! We are so excited!!

http://www.improper.com/bostons-best/food-drink/

AAAANd a mention on Fox News??!! Best day ever!

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/morning/bostons-best-who-made-the-list-20110705

Zen and the Art of Waffle Making

2011-06-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

The love/hate dynamic between Saus and our Liege Waffles is a story that should finally be told.

I love the way they taste, especially when smothered in dark nutella, sprinkled with powdered sugar- all warm and soft and slightly chewy. There isn't much not to love about the waffles.

Except the trouble we've had actually making them. The problem isn't so much the waffles themselves. It's the waffle irons. Thinking about the saga makes me cringe a little.

When we opened our doors on Day One, we had one double waffle iron. Waffles started selling like hot cakes and, wanting to be able to keep up with the demand, we bought another single waffle iron. Lucky we did because literally days later, the double waffle iron wouldn't turn on. One morning it was just absolutely dead and gone. We think the reason was caramelized sugar got into the wiring and fried the machine, but this is just speculation on our part. We sent it back in for repairs (side note, we still don't have it back.) At this point, we brought in a back-up home waffle iron so we weren't working off just one. We knew this couldn't be a solution.

We did some shopping and found what was reputed to be the best Liege Waffle iron on the market. Everything is bliss for a few days. Our waffles are better than ever- rectangular, more authentic. The machine is easy to work with. No more sticking, broken waffles. Bliss.

Then in middle of one particular day a waffle comes out completely burnt black on one side and uncooked on the other. We call the repair company and fire up our back-up irons (the single one from before and the home iron). The repairs are slow to come. Since it is a Liege Waffle iron, parts have to come in from Europe. Finally, a few weeks later- it's fixed. We rejoice.

It's working beautifully for about a day and a half. Then, the same thing. Half burnt, half uncooked waffle. Fire up the back-ups (which are mercifully still working and not broken) and call the repair company.

At the moment, it is fixed again. Keep in mind, we have been open only since March. We scrupulously read the instruction manuals on how to care for our irons. We are gentle, careful, and meticulous in our handling and cleaning. And we are flummoxed at our waffle iron luck. Stay tuned for updates (ya know, if this one keeps working...).

New stuff

2011-06-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

We recently made the decision to sell packaged sweets imported from Holland, in order to increase our offerings while remaining true to our concept. We are now selling stroopwafels and speculaas (syrup waffles and spiced graham-like cookies, respectively). Both are delicious (the speculaas, or speculoos depending where you are, being the more familiar tasting of the two), but they may be a tough sell to the same people who had a hard time accepting waffles for dessert or frites as a snack and not as an afterthought...

Either way, here is some of the response we have received on twitter regarding our offering of stroopwafels:

"I <3 STROOPS! I wrote a love song about them once...not kidding" - @kellyrice88

"Stroopwafels are my reason for living. I must come by." - @RileyWaff

"You have stroopwafels??? I want to so badly right now. Too bad I'm 3,000 miles away..." -@bonbonong

Summer

2011-06-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and we have an interesting and unexpected conundrum. Our loyal students are home for the summer and incoming are the tourists. There are hordes of them outside, all walking the cobblestoned freedom trail seeking Boston's most historical sites, oldest restaurants, best chowdah, pubs where they serve Sam Adams that are a stone's throw away from Adams' actual grave. And while we are right on the freedom trail, we are not historical or interesting in the least to them.

Somehow we didn't see this coming. We opened pretty successfully, and this turn of events didn't occur to us. We assumed summer would be even busier than before-- what with all the tourists...

Here's what we've been doing: sampling right outside the store, liaising with hotels' concierges and speaking with freedom trail tour guides. We are on Trip Adviser, Yelp... blah di blah...

Of course we really are a place for locals. That's what we set out to be. However, being still quite new and quite a few of our migrant locals (read- students) are home for the summer, we could use the influx of tourists to munch on our frites. So this is what we are currently working on- how to attract the tourists! Any new ideas would be welcome.

Relaxing between some frying

2011-05-25T20:10:00.001-07:00

Partial Saus team. It makes me realize we should take more pics!

Progress?

2011-05-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

Our idea for this place started out as just pommes frites and homemade dipping sauces. In short, we wanted to open a fry shop.

Once the concept really got underway, we talked about several additional menu items. Obviously, waffles and poutine made it on to the opening menu. We decided to hold off on the rest of the menu items. 1- because we wanted to make sure we could do what we do really well and not take too much on. We are very aware of our novice status as business owners and restaurateurs. And 2- because we wanted to let our customers help decide the direction of the menu.

We are now at the point where we need to start making decisions about the direction we want to take. We can either be more general street food oriented (and add things more familiar to Americans) or add more authentically Belgian items. We have extensively discussed the pros and cons of both options. We have discussed how it would shape our brand, our reputation and our market. We priced out the cost associated with different menu items and how they would change our behind-the-counter-process.

We know that it ultimately comes down to WHAT DO THE PEOPLE WANT? We have gotten lots of feedback. People emailed in through the website with suggestions and questions, customers in the store have talked to us. Americans, Belgians... lots and lots of people.

Now that we have taken this all into consideration, we have to start playing with recipes. Stay tuned to see what makes it onto the menu.

Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer

2011-05-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

May 2 to May 8 we are participating in Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer!

$5 pays for a waffle topped with our specially created pink sauce- strawberries and cream- and all proceeds go directly to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

The sauce, created by Shira Melen (who is the genius behind all of our waffle sauces), is a little unexpected. It's not you mamma's strawberries and cream! Shira added cardamom to kick it up a notch.

Help us support a great cause and enjoy some delish desserts!

Oh yeah, this is a business...

2011-04-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

When we started this blog, it was with the intention of sharing with others our experience with starting up a restaurant in Boston. So in the spirit of education through experience, we have decided to discuss the nitty-gritty of the business...the cost of goods and factors that drive them.

In our business plan, we estimated that our cost of sales would be in the 18-20% range (this is typical for a quick service place, whereas a higher end full service restaurant runs in the 30-35% range). After a full month of operation, we calculated our cost of sales to be closer to that of a full service restaurant. The factors driving the higher figure include: uncertain demand which resulted in unused product, waste which is simply due to the learning curve (more specifically, burning waffles, inconsistent portioning, and getting the recipes right), and the high prices of ingredients.

We are confident that in the coming months we will be able to reduce our waste significantly and also anticipate demand more accurately, but as for the rising prices of food...that is an area that will require us to get creative. We did as much research around food costs as possible when writing our plan, but focused too much on our staples (potatoes, oil, eggs) that we disregarded other secondary ingredients such as cheese (used in two of our sauces). We also added poutine to our menu later in our conceptual stage, which meant we did not fully understand the cost drivers of this dish. And of course there are those factors that are behind anyone's control. For instance, due to an unexpected increase in demand for potatoes, there was a shortage, which resulted in a spike in prices.

Fortunately, we have kept a close eye on our financial data by tracking all of our purchases and daily product sales, which has allowed us to see the implications of our earlier decisions so that we may make necessary adjustments (for example, renegotiating contracts with vendors and reassessing menu items - we took a pesto sauce off the menu because of the triple digit price of pine nuts).

The lesson here is to understand the particulars of your menu items. We are all about quality, homemade deliciousness, but in addition to being passionate food purveyors, we need to be business minded restaurant operators - and this is a difficult balance to achieve.

Frites, as literature

2011-03-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

We check our yelp page like we check our email (compulsively and many times a day). Unlike our emails, we are usually ridden with anxiety and anticipation as those yelp reviews load (refresh browser...gulp...heart palpitations). So far, we've been blown away by the positive response from yelpers. Many of them have taken the time to write very thorough, thoughtful, and sometimes hilarious, reviews. One review in particular sent us all in a tizzy that we ended up doubled over in laughter behind the counter at Saus.

This review is from Dan(resembles Lenny Kravitz...he and his girlfriend, Heather, frequent Saus and are local yelpers). Is it too much to ask that everyone experience our food like this?
...

Dear Golden-brown Goddess,

Whilst wondering down the uneven cobblestones of Union st., enveloped by the cacophony that is the night life of Fanuiel Hall and yet feeling so alone, I passed you. In that fleeting moment my whole world changed. Just past Union Oyster, the oldest restaurant in Boston, and nestled between the many bars, I spied you through your window, the fluorescent light bouncing off your golden-brown skin like electrons off of a thin gold foil. You sat there there, seductively teasing me with your delicate form, your subtly yet purposefully curved form beckoning me to come to you as if you knew I couldn't stop staring. "No, I cannot--I will not succumb to such temptation. I have broccoli and carrot slices in my bag which are more than enough for me," I told myself, but we both knew that was not the case as my hand creeped towards the door knob. I craved your exotic (Belgian) taste. The tension was palpable as I entered your palace, and despite the lump in my throat and quivering hands I was compelled to press on. On my approach I was stopped by one of your many chaperons, your artisans; if I wanted to spend time you a tribute would be necessary, but frankly no price is too high to taste your deliciously soft treasures (not that it mattered of course, since you come in a variety of sizes for any budget; $4sm-$7lg). I made my choice, I wanted as much of you as I could handle, but to my surprise I was not yet done; another task awaited me. You minx! You knew all along that you came with friends, but observing my coy nature you decided to let me find that out myself. I was suddenly inundated with choices of condiments--almost all of them (homemade) mayo-based. What did I yearn for? How did I want to take you? With the subtly heat of a Chipotle sauce perhaps? The sweet yet spicy burn of the Green Monster? The complexity and richness of the asian Samurai Sauce? I wanted them all. I was determined to have you every which way.

Once I completed the transaction with your caretakers I was privy to watch you begin your preparation for our late night meeting as you delicately slipped into your hot bath. Embarrassed at my own voyeurism I tried to occupy myself with other tasks, like pouring the home-made ketchup into tiny paper cups, but your gently sizzle and scent in addition to my immense anticipation for the inevitable threw me into such a fit of ecstasy I dumped ketchup all over myself. It was then that you probably realized this was my first time, but you didn't laugh, you rather climbed out of your bath and continued your preparation, cooling yourself briefly and getting tossed with a little salt. Then you came to me--on a platter no doubt. Keep in mind I wanted to ravish you right there on the spot, oh deep-fried muse of mine, but I resisted. I quickly tucked you under my arm and took you away to somewhere more private, where our experience could be free from any prying eyes of onlookers, and frankly because I told my girlfriend I was picking you up.

Yes, she was about to join us, but you and I both knew that this would still be a very personal experience, and it was. On the elevator I held you close, judgment be damned. Once we were alone I quickly took you from your brown paper carriage and without hesitation began our tryst. I had to have you naked immediately--I needed to know exactly what I was getting into. First bite: delicious. Your soft interior perfectly complemented by your just barely crispy exterior. You came to me in so many forms; long, short, fat, thin, subtly under-done, subtly over-done, sometimes even in Siamese-twin pairs. As I gourged myself on you I realized that I had neglected your friends, the many sauces I had painstakingly selected with the guidance of your guardians. I plunged you head first into the off-white Bost-onion (a caramelized union, sour cream mix) and brought you to my lips.

Frankly my dear Saus, I want to swim in a bathtub of your saus...es.

oh--and they have waffles too.

It's not my first day, It's my 20th...

2011-03-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

Twenty days in and we are having so much fun! The line between complete chaos and harmonious organization isn't as thin as it was in the earlier days. People actually come in and ask if we are a chain. Means we must look pretty legit, right?

Our website still says "Coming Soon" but you know...

Anyway, we are already making changes and growing. Presto Pesto is off the menu officially. (This means we need to get our menu chalkboard changed.) We want to replace Pesto with Green Monster, which has become one of our most popular sauces.

We are also toying with the idea of adding an item or two to the menu. Can't say much more there.. don't want to spoil the surprise... But write in if you have any suggestions or requests!

Looking forward to day 21 (and soon celebrating our one month birthday!)

Surekha Says...

2011-03-09T20:53:00.001-08:00

The other day Tanya and I were discussing the characteristics of our waffle sauces with Surekha, the 4square Mayor of Saus, who happens to be a food writer, and she (on the fly) came up with the following descriptions that we obviously had to share...

Lemon sauce: "Lemon Luf" - If I were cat with a favorite sunny napping spot and one day just *happened* to find a basket of still warm, freshly laundered clothing in that spot, and somehow, obviously accidentally, crawled into this basket of laundry and rolled around and purred like a maniac, that's basically the same feeling as having some Lemon Luf Saus.

Homemade Nutella - Like a best friend, sweet and comforting, always there for you (chocolate), but not afraid to stand up to you and tell you that you're being crazy in the face (hazelnut).

Berry Berry - Like falling in love, it's sweet and tart, fresh but familiar, a taste you feel like you've known your entire life, but is still somehow new and exciting.

Salted Caramel - Ah, the little black dress. Sultry and classy, yet mysterious and slightly aloof.

She also left us with some of these menu suggestions...

Thoughts on awesome dishes you should most definitely (but not Mos Def-ly) put on the menu.

Heart attack breakfast, eh? - Poutine, deep fried egg, bacon parm sauce on top. Necessary. It's breakfast, right? Egg, potato, bacon, with a deliciously heart stopping amount of gravy and cheese.

Apple pie waffle - Straight up grab an apple and deep fry it. Crush it, smush it, whatevs, and throw some salted caramel on that bad boy. Deep fried apple sauce/pie filling. I'm so all over it.

Karmaberry saus - A balanced blend of salted caramel and berry saus. Just what your crazy new age uncle ordered. Seriously. He's sitting in the corner over there.

Garlic butter tossed frites - For serious. Possibly chili-garlic butter.

Malt vinegar mayo - homemade mayo either made with malt vinegar or blended with it. Yes.

And this is why, we have decided, our customers are the most amazing people in the world.

New Week, New Hours

2011-03-08T06:58:00.000-08:00

A week under our belts and I think we are in a better place than Day One. Of course we still have some kinks (the first few waffles of the day get stuck to the waffle iron and break, our Nutella is a temperamental sauce-kept too warm it starts to separate, too cool and it gets goopey, and on and on...)

But we are learning. We haven't run out of waffles since Day Two. (Side note: This past Sunday we had to stop serving waffles to repair our waffle iron. But it only took us about an hour to repair something we learned how to repair on the spot! And we have a temporary solution if that should happen again- we brought in a single waffle iron as back-up).

We wanted to do late night early in the week, but we have learned from people who work at the local bars and from our own observations, that during the winter the government center area simply shuts down after 9pm.

Our new hours are as follows:
Mon-Wed: Noon-10PM
Thursday: Noon-Midnight
Fri & Sat: Noon- 2AM
Sunday: Noon- 8PM

These changes are our temporary spring (read: cold weather) hours. When it starts warming up and Bostonians come out of hibernation, we will extend our hours again.

One last note: these new hours have not been changed on our website yet (just like it still says "Boston's first street food cafe is coming soon!")... we are in the process of updating our website. Alright- back to cutting fries...

Also, happy birthday Chin. Enjoy your bday present (your day off!)

Day One, Lessons Learned

2011-03-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our grand opening! Phew, we are exhausted. But here we are- doing it all over again for Day Two.

We had a blast- that's for sure. Our customers are fantastic! We couldn't believe how excited people were to try our humble frites and waffles.

We are absolutely loving the feedback we are getting- we are learning some valuable lessons. A real-live Canadian came in and we had a long talk about poutine and she gave us some tips- which we implemented right away! It's all about layering we learned. Like lasagna. Keeps the heat in, melts the cheese, and it's all about the messy, cheesy experience.

The most important lesson of the day? How to prepare for the onslaught of people. We ran out of waffles and poutine! So- the most heartfelt apology to patrons who came in wanting waffles or poutine. We felt awful and tried not to send anyone away empty handed. We will try to never let that happen again. We literally had no idea what to expect for Day One. No idea how many people were this excited to try us. And we hate to let anyone down.

At the moment, we are eagerly awaiting our cheese curd order so we can be back up and running with poutine. However, if it's a waffle you crave and you are reading this right now: WE HAVE WAFFLES!!

Practice makes perfect?

2011-02-23T20:04:00.001-08:00

The team has been practicing frites....

We hope you think they taste as good as they look. Come to that, we hope you think they look good too....

Now Hiring

2011-02-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

After a very stressful day of inspections and running around, I'm on the couch reviewing applications for employment (and multitasking my relaxation).

Gchat between myself and Renee explains:
(preface-we are talking about the applications I'm reading)
Renee: are there any strong contenders?

me: yes, some very good ones. I'm really looking at students who live downtown (emerson and the like) who can work the night shifts bc they have to live close if we close at 2am, ya know? like no one wants to take a cab home from work.. so they have to be very close

Renee: yea totally. I'm listening to katy perry firework. you were singing it earlier

me: hahaha i was also singing teenage dream

you and i will be young FOREVER

YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE IM LIVING A

TEENAGE DREAM

LETS RUN AWAY AND DONT EVER LOOK BACK

my heart stops when you look at me

this is realllllll

(im singing to you, by the way)

Renee: hahaha

me: if only our job applicants knew what i doing what as i was reviewing their emails- singing at the top of my lungs katy perry and gchatting you the lyrics

Renee: hahaha! they would want to work for you even more!

me: now im listening to firework

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:36:00.000-08:00

To those who kept waiting with us to open, this is my Valentine's Day Love Letter to you. Thank you for believing that we would get our sh*t together and open our blue doors to you. We more than like you.

Here's lookin' at you, Boston. <3
Saus

It's only noon right now?

2011-02-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

6am: Out of bed

7am: Out the door to meet Renee

7:30: Chin picks us up (Renee and I are car-less). We prep for our meetings while navigating the treacherous, yet well salted, roads.

8am: Arrive at the ISD (Snag pretty sweet parking spot that is essentially on top of a pile of snow. Worry if the car will be able to get out of the spot. Decide to risk it.)
Stalk our building inspector. Make sure necessary papers have been filed.

8:30: Fire department at the ISD. It's still Closed.
Food while we wait until it opens (obviously. It's us. We eat.)

9am: Fire Department. Learn we need to get a new fire sprinkler report from our building manager before they come in to do our inspections. Call building manager for new reports.

10am: Stalk an inspector at the Health Department and shanghai him into a meeting. Ask questions- what will you be looking for in a health inspection? How can we ensure it runs smoothly? We fail to remember correct hot-holding temps. We're pretty sure that didn't impress him. We leave feeling confident, nevertheless.

11am: After a few tries, successfully manage to get the car out of it's "parking spot."

Recap: I had breakfast at 6am and lunch at 8:30. Pretty sure I should just call it a day... But, there's more to do. We really want this to be our month! If I have to wake up at 6 am everyday, then so be it. And mind you, the Saus team is not an early bird kind of team...

In fact, I could re-break down the day by the injuries we sustained just trying to function at such an early hour. Like when we got the to ISD, Renee walked straight into the door frame.

Updates and updates

2011-01-25T10:49:00.001-08:00

January has meant frigid temperatures and lots of snow to Bostonians. (Was it really 6 degrees yesterday?? Are we really getting 8 more inches tomorrow??)

For the Saus team it's meant a few more delays. For instance, we spent one whole day waiting for a package to be delivered that was supposed to get to us first thing in the morning but took longer because of several inches of snow. That was a minor delay.

January has also meant some last minute, unexpected revelations. Like we need a solenoid valve installed before we have our inspections. A what? We still don't know exactly what it is, but I think it's installed.

However, we can't totally knock January. It's been a good month for us. We got some press from the Improper and from the Feast. So we are smiling (underneath our scarves).

Anyway, thanks Boston for continuing to wait for us while we navigate the last few hurtles before we can open.

One last very important thought- when we can finally open, we are doing so IMMEDIATELY, no matter what the weather! So in case it's 6 degrees and/or snowing, what will get you to leave the warmth of your apartments and come visit us? What treats can we bribe you with to brave the cold?! Tell us! We want you in our doors when they open!!!

LONG LIVE FRITES AND WAFFLES! (Sorry got carried away)...

Pick up your own copy today

2011-01-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

Thanks for writing about us again, Improper! We won't let you down this time!

http://www.improper.com/going-out/we-are-golden/

The Pros and Cons of Building Your Own Restaurant

2011-01-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

When we found our space at 33 Union, we knew the location was perfect for us. The downside was that it wasn't an existing restaurant space. It was retail. Which meant we had to build out.

There are definite pros and cons of building a restaurant space, rather than using an existing restaurant.

Pro- Designing the restaurant to your specific needs. Our kitchen is designed for our menu and cooking needs. Our food has a definitive flow through the restaurant and our kitchen and prep kitchen were designed to make that food process as efficient and safe as possible. Saus has a truly made-to-order kitchen for our frites and waffles.

Con- Building a restaurant. That may sound silly and obvious, but more goes into a kitchen than we ever imagined. We had to hire a contractor, electrician, plumber, etc for building and installations. Then there are separate systems that have to be installed for safety and regulation purposes- specific systems that come with their own installers. Some systems overlap. The fire prevention system and the ventilation system for our fryers are connected, for instance. And of course where overlap happens, gray areas occur where each party says they are not responsible for XY and Z. Which leads to things missing. (This is difficult to write about without getting too specific.. haha. Bear with me.)

This is what we are dealing with at the moment. We are trying to get things ready before all our inspections and learned (through pestering people- us-"Is this all set? Meaning- if this is inspected as it is right now, will it pass? No? Why- what's missing?" them-"We put this in for you, but these people need to hook it up to their system. You need to buy XYZ to connect it. They do that work for you, not us.") that we were missing some vital parts.

Lesson? Don't feel bad about pestering people. They will tell you you are all set to go. This doesn't mean what it sounds like. It means, they have finished what they will do for you. Ask ask ask if it needs to have ANYTHING else done to it before inspections. Chances are- it will.

Pros VS Cons. If you are a pro at opening a restaurant, it's still a lot of balls to juggle turning a retail space into a restaurant. But you get exactly the right restaurant for you. We learned a lot doing this and are still learning a lot. Mistakes are made. Mainly because we don't know all the right questions to ask. But I think when we finally open, we will feel that much more proud of what we accomplished.

Home-stretch hopefully! (As long we don't discover more that's missing...)

We mightta took the long way, We knew we'd get there someday

2011-01-07T08:06:00.001-08:00

Our brand-spankin' new ventilation!

These photos are of our new vents for the fryers going up outside 33 Union.

Look how shiny!

And our handsome police detail making sure the work is done safely.
Sadly, the manufacturers didn't send all the parts. We are currently waiting on one last part, which ships out today. So hopefully Monday the work can be completed and we can start practicing on our fryers.

ps. 10 points to anyone who knows what song I'm referencing in the title. I can't believe I remember this song. It just popped into my head.

Crickets

2011-01-04T13:18:00.001-08:00

I know, it's been silence on our end. However, good news is on the horizon. 2011 apparently likes us a lot more then 2010 did. We got some important issues resolved and can now take care of the last of our outstanding permits.

What this means is that WE CAN SEE THE END. It's in sight!!

It's still too soon to name days as of yet. We need to get our ventilation system up before we can cook anything and have our permits in hand before we start shouting from the rooftops an opening day. No more false alarms with opening days is Saus's resolution for 2011.

As soon as we have more substantial information, you all will know. But for now, take our vague enthusiasm and insubstantial information and be excited like we are.

Did all manage to hold on to that craving for frites and waffles? If not, we should post some more pictures of our food to get you all in the mood again!

If we were open today...

2010-11-23T09:31:00.000-08:00

We would be arguing amongst ourselves if we should substitute our poutine's usual gravy with a turkey gravy in honor of the Thanksgiving spirit! I would be spearheading the Turkey Gravy Campaign!

Loosely, our recipe would cook down the giblets, add some dry white wine, butter, onion, heavy cream, brandy... we would definitely argue about the recipe and try several different variations.

And if I weren't hosting my family's Thanksgiving this year (and consequently out of my mind in recipes I'll be using on Thursday), I'd be playing with Saus' turkey gravy recipe. But instead it's only in the back of my mind while I plan a gravy my family will like. (My sister is pretty picky and wouldn't like any brandy in it).

Happy Thanksgiving from Saus

How do people remember us still?

2010-10-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

Somehow we are still on people's radars...

thanks for the write up!

http://harvardcitizen.com/2010/10/27/eat-out-more-new-restaurant-offerings-in-boston/

ps. We are still trying to get our doors open.. PROMISE!

Beer and Carving

2010-10-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

Since our last post, we have been talking non-stop amongst ourselves about different pumpkin beers. So we decided to stop talking and start tasting.

We threw ourselves a little party and carved some pumpkins while we drank/learned about different pumpkin beer.

Below are the results...
of the pumpkin carving...

aaand the beers we drank...
We tried (from the left) Magic Hat Hex (not a pumpkin...), Fisherman's Imperial Pumpkin Stout, Shipyard Pumpkinhead, Dogfish Head Punkin Ale and Blue Point Brewing Company Pumpkin Ale.

Hopefully we open in fall so we can make our pumpkin beer sauce!

Oktober Flavors

2010-10-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

Fall is one of my favorite seasons because of all the flavors associated with it- pumpkin, spiced apple, nutmeg, cinnamon... And as such, it has got me to brainstorm how we can use those amazing flavors to make special fall sauces for Saus. (Since we will be having weekly special sauces we constantly need to brainstorm so we don't run out.) Here are some of my ideas for autumn sauces... if we get open in time!

Spiced applesauce (applesaus?!)- made with freshly picked apples (maybe the Saus team could even go to an orchard and pick them ourselves, instead of just calling up our supplier and ordering local apples. Field trip!) Any ideas on favorite apple varieties? I think this would be great on our waffles (maybe even the frites...)

We already have a Cheddar Duvel sauce. It would be fun to substitute it with a fall variation... Cheddar Pumpkin Beer. Renee's favorite pumpkin beer is by Shipyard. However, I recently tried Pumpking, which could be great. Or, instead of temporarily replacing the Cheddar Duvel with a pumpkin beer, we could make a whole new beer sauce recipe. Ideas?

Anyway, I'm "falling" in love with fall flavors. Yeah.. I know. I had to go there.

Any other fall flavors I missed that you love?

All this trouble for a humble frites and waffles joint?

2010-09-26T14:05:00.001-07:00

As our last few blog posts suggest, we have very little to write about other than that we are trying desperately to open. We have written about our permitting perils (actually, we haven't really talked about the half of it...because it's so depressing), so in a nutshell this is how we feel about all that: %@#%&#@#$$%!!!!!!!

Our tweets aren't even tweets anymore, they're faint squeaks.

"Hopefully hearing some good news today!" or "Tried our cold brewed iced coffee recipe today!" ... I mean, how do you capture hopelessness and despair in 140 characters or less?

I'm being melodramatic. For the past 2 years, we have been trying to breathe life into the idea of Saus. It's been 2 years of pain, joy, and everything in between: securing enough money to make it possible (joy, shock), working at restaurants for experience, but little pay (pain, fun), finding 33 Union Street after a long, fruitless search (j-o-y), realizing that building a restaurant from scratch would cause lots of stre$$$$$$$$$$ (pain-stab-punch-pain)...anyway, you get it...this journey has yielded alternating bouts of pain/joy.

However, nothing compares to what we have experienced these past few months, from June (when we thought we would open) until September (now). The past few months have been downright frustrating. You ask: "Who is the sorry wretch to blame for my being prevented from devouring delicious frites and waffles????" In a 140 character or less squeak: it's completely our fault that Saus is not open yet. Plainly, we thought we knew what to expect from the permit process, but we were completely wrong. A quick aside: the city of Boston and Inspectional Services Department are way too busy to care if some kids can't open their little Belgian restaurant. Yeah, we were surprised to learn that too. So without delving too deeply into why it's taking so long (here's a hint: lots of waiting for approval)... I want to leave you with this one note: we're tired, we're disappointed, we're frustrated and running out of patience, we're jobless (can only afford Chinatown now - God bless it), we're jaded, but we're passionate as hell and can't wait to open and (hopefully) make people happy with our food. We're entrepreneurs. We're America. (those last two were completely gratuitous).

FEEDback

2010-09-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

We love hearing ideas from people! We aren't even open yet and we are looking into the future, visualizing new items on our menu.

How do we want our little concept to expand while staying true to our roots? We started Saus as just pommes frites and home-made dipping sauces. Then we realized that if we were doing pommes frites, we should definitely have poutine as an option- melty cheese, home-made gravy- what's better? Then along came the Liege waffles. Sweet perfection in waffle. How could we leave out this Belgian classic? Especially when it fit in so perfectly with the theme of home-made sauces. So we created a menu of home-made sweet sauces to pair with the waffles. **

Our current menu is a great way for us to start. We need to hit our groove in turning out perfect frites and waffles. However, this doesn't mean this is what we will always look like. We want to add more Belgian street food classics. Preferably foods that are better dipped into sauce (which most everything is).

This was a very long-winded way of saying I got an email from a real-live Belgian asking if we were planning on adding her favorites to the menu. She asked about meat croquettes (also called "bitterballen" and "vleeskroket"), frikandel and cervela. The latter two she describes as "cut open before frying and then served with mayo, ketchup and diced onions in the middle." So we are looking into these ideas, seeing if anything can be imported for us and how they would add to our concept.

We want more FEEDback and ideas from other people out there waiting for us to open! Any foods you think would work on our menu?

**NOTE: An idea to sweet/salty fiends: try our nutella with the frites.

Getting it done (hopefully)

2010-08-31T14:43:00.001-07:00

Our goings on:

1. Editing our recipes (which entails not only making them better tasting, but also coming up with more efficient processes with which to make them).

2. Writing a HACCP plan (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point- basically how to make our food in the safest way possible, identifying what could go wrong at any point in the food's life cycle at Saus and planning how to avoid that trouble).

3. Drinking our iced coffee (we think the cheese cloth really worked to strain the grounds and make the coffee really smooth).

4. Getting written up in Grub Street's Fall Preview

5. Doing our best to live up to Grub Street's fall deadline.

6. Moving to new neighborhoods (Sept. 1! Moving within walking distance to Saus so that work/life lines get blurred).

7. Craving our own pommes frites and home-made sauces (not to mention waffles). Come on permits so that we can open!!!!!!!

Making iced coffee via cold brew method!

2010-08-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

Why did we decide to serve cold brew iced coffee (or toddy, in some circles)? Well for one, it tastes better - you can get nice strong, bold flavors without the bite. Also, more machines = more headaches right??
All you need are some coarse grounds, water, a strainer (make sure to use something super fine - we had to use a fine mesh colander lined with cheese cloth), and something to stir with.
Check out the videos if you would like to learn more

What's up with our silence?

2010-08-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

Our last post was July 29th. Unacceptable.

It's just funny because even though we are up to our eyeballs in work and trying to get this place open (in 2010 at least...) there isn't much new to write about. We are still working on the same permits that we've already written about. Our days are ISD, fire permits, building materials, plead, plead, plead.

On the upside, as you may have seen on our facebook page (Renee posted videos of it) we have been playing with our iced coffee recipe. We are doing a cold brew method, which yields a smoother, less bitter iced coffee than hot brewing it then putting it on ice. The first time we made it, we sifted the grounds through a very fine colander (to replace filters which are used in the hot brew process). However, it turned out a thicker coffee than we wanted. Through a process of trial and try again (we did one time try using traditional coffee filters), we decided how many times we want to strain our iced coffee to get a perfectly smooth, yet strong and rich iced coffee. We hope you like it as much as we do. I personally think it goes perfectly with a liege waffle. Just something to think about while we continue to try to open...

Did you know?...

2010-07-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Greg and I met with Bill (the fire marshal) at the store. We walked with him through the store as he gave us an assessment of our "life safety" measures (basically, are we set up properly in case of a fire?).

Here is what we learned...hopefully someone out there can use these tips for their own retail projects:

1. It's a good idea to go to the fire marshal prior to construction to get an idea of what you will need in terms of life safety.
2. There are different kinds of fire extinguishers. A general one you can find at Home Depot is an ABC. If you have the potential for grease fires, you will need a more heavy duty "K" marked extinguisher.
3. Our deep fryers are located next to our stove. This is problematic because oil from the fryer can easily splash over and ignite a flame on the burners. Luckily, there are steel barricades you can buy to put in between the two. PHEW.
4. Emergency lights must be checked once a month. You can do this by holding down the switch for 30 seconds to make sure the battery is not on its last legs. Same goes for the Exit sign lights
5. You must have a life safety training plan for employees - it must state a common meeting place nearby for employees to gather to make sure everyone is out of the building.
6. New regulation states that the Ansul system must be checked 4x a year.
7. This is interesting - your ceiling tiles and anything that is upholstered must be certified. Each material must have its own permit - this can be done at the ISD.

So these are just some facts we learned from our meeting. We are constantly amazed by how much goes into this business...

Testing the waffle irons

2010-07-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

We have decided to get with the times and incorporate videos to our social media activities.

Decor

2010-07-19T08:53:00.001-07:00

With the permits taking as long as they are, we have had extra time to embellish our store with awesomeness. Before we started this project, we knew that decor would play a huge part in our store experience. It would cost more, but we had our hearts set on a fun, hip, traditional, yet contemporary space. So we hired Brandon Graska, a young architect who is pursuing his masters at the Boston Architectural College and is currently working at Concise Design in Brookline. In addition to designing the store, he has been helping us frame Belgian comic strips and black and white photography (scenes of both Bruges and Boston, taken by photographers Michael Joseph and Andrew Ong, respectively) that will be featured on our walls.

Design, decor, and general atmosphere can really contribute to someone's dining experience...and in different ways. Let's look at some famous names: Starbucks, in their early years of expansion, made a point to retain the local, indie coffee shop feel of their original store by featuring photography from local artists, allowing local organizations to post flyers on a bulletin board, and even entertaining local bands to play live music (usually jazz and usually in their larger locations). McDonalds went the other way -- their shtick is fast and cheap and their interior reflects that philosophy to this day...nice, high quality fixtures and artwork do not further the low-cost corporate model.

For us it was simple. We, as diners, wanted to go somewhere that offered counter service. Somewhere that is inexpensive, but unique (not sandwiches or pizza) and offers high quality ingredients. In addition to that, we wanted a nice atmosphere that was inviting and even homey. Why was this so hard to find in downtown Boston?

the Saus team celebrates

2010-07-14T14:10:00.001-07:00

For Greg's b-day, the Saus team decided to relax and enjoy some cocktails, conversation and jazz. Oh, and do what we do best- eat!

Renee and Tanya laughing, waiting for the music to start

Close up on our delish cocktails. Yes, mine's purple!
Chin, Greg and Renee
This was a much needed break for the team. The next morning was business as usual. So when you see us at Saus covered in ketchup, mayo and waffle batter, remember- when showered and fed, we clean up nice!

On another note, our mayo is back on track and better than ever. In my last post I said a test run had been a disaster. But not to worry, Chin brilliantly worked out the kinks that came from making the mayo in such large batches (as opposed to our test runs in a home kitchen with a non-commercially sized food processor).

Another Day in the Life...

2010-07-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I talked about running around like chickens without heads. Running errands and running from task to task. Well, here is another look into how some of our days go (a much more blasé look).

This morning the team decided today was a non-errand day. So I sat on my couch and started typing. My task: documentation!

We have to know exactly who is going to be doing what and when. And how long any given task will take. And how will any interruption like a spill in the dining room effect our work flow? Who will have time to clean it up? Who can we spare from their normal tasks to clean it up? Our employees need to know what's expected of them. And we need to be able to tell them from DAY ONE. We need to know how our operation is going to run, down to every boring detail.

So I worked on that for a few hours. Then when it gave me a headache, I switched to reading. Since we are going into this venture as newbies, we are getting some of our experience from books. We have made several business how-to books, as well as "behind-the-scenes" restaurant books required reading. Currently I'm reading Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. He is scaring me.

Then after Anthony made me question my chosen path, I went grocery shopping. Nothing soothes me like food! Time to cook.

And while this may seem like a waste of a day because we are scrambling to open, we need to be prepared when we are open. So today was a prep day. However, tomorrow- back to craziness. On the agenda: getting some supplies at Restaurant Depo and then testing our recipes. Our last mayo test was a disaster, sadly.

What's the hold up?

2010-06-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

July is upon us and Saus is still not open. No one is more aware of this or frustrated by the fact than the four of us. We made it worse for ourselves when we tried to predict our opening date. Since part of what we are trying to do with the blog is educate, please take note: predicting an opening date for your restaurant is like predicting the weather in Boston, the forecast always changes and it rains on you, just as you've laid your towel down on the beach and after you've applied a responsible layer of sunscreen.

The delays started over a month ago when the subcontractor who was slated to install our ventilation system backed down. Fine. We'll just have to find another. Sadly our contractor did not have a camp of ventilation engineers ready to show up and get their hands dirty at moment's notice...for the price we were willing to pay, anyway. Finally though, after gathering three quotes from three different subcontractors, we found one. The only problem was that the company had their own set of delays and had to order the proper equipment for our project, thus could not start right away. Okay, not the only problem...

Another problem was (and it still is) that we had to obtain a permit in order to start construction on the system. The engineers used a "short form" application (for small projects) for the permit, assuming ours was indeed a small project (tiny cafe, tiny problems riiiight?). Short form permits take much less time to get approval than long form. Unfortunately, our exhaust (fryer grease) is considered "hazardous" sooooooooooooooo ............. we are currently in line with the other shamed, hazardous exhaust folks (the few, the proud who still believe in deep frying), the long form group - which probably means our application is sitting amidst a stack of other applications waiting to be looked at.

Needless to say, we are upset by the unfortunate turn of events. But there's not much more we can do than wait....well wait, and run an endless list of errands.

Working hard in smallware land

2010-06-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

A trip to E.F. Smith and Son in Quincy.

Tanya assessing the merchandise.

You'll never shop for pots and pans at bed bath n beyond again once you find out about stores like this is Quincy.

Stockpot or cauldron?

No time to sleep

2010-06-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

The closer we get to opening, the more frantic we get. We still don't have an exact date (we are new at this, so cut us a little slack- we want to be open as much as people seem to want us to open)... and yet it's drawing closer. And we feel the pressure. Somehow instead of steadily crossing things off our to-do list, we keep adding items! And the end result- we run around like chickens without heads.

Today Chin and I spent the entire day in the car running errands over what seemed like all of Massachusetts. We got back to the home-front (aka 33 Union Street) and tried to organize all of our purchases. As we unpacked, we thought of more we needed to buy. Too tired and weary of traffic, we called it a day and the Saus team spent the evening putting sticky felt pads of the bottoms of chairs and tables to protect our coveted floors. Then we rearranged our tables to see how we could fit more seating into our small space without our patrons sitting on top of each other. We want to space our tables far enough apart so that you don't have to become bbfs with the people at the next table. Then, as we pushed some tables together to create four-tops, we noticed they weren't all the same height. (The table bottoms can be adjusted to be taller or shorter and we hadn't set them up all exactly the same.) So of course this is a problem that we decide to tackle immediately.

I know this post is rambling, however, it mimics our days. All over the place, nonstop, trying to get tiny tasks done that are so easy to overlook until they are glaring you in the face and you realize all of a sudden- oh god, we're not ready to open. There is so much more to be done than just ventilation! So while we impatiently wait to see how long permits and ventilation will take, we also breath a little knowing we have a tiny bit more time to get our act together. Thank god we have such good friends who help us run our errands when we've reached the end of our rope!

PS. I know this sounds complaining, but we really do love every minute. I think it's sounding like it is because it's after midnight and I can't sleep. Instead I'm making to-do lists for tomorrow. :)

PPS. In my last post, I mentioned getting shelving and how I would leave it to Chin and Greg. Well, Chin and I got shelving together from Home Depot and I put it together (with a little help from friends, of course)... but I felt very accomplished and dexterous. Which is why I mention it (read: brag about it) here.

PPPS. We still need shelving for inside the walk-in. Chin, when are you doing that? Have we measured for it yet?

PPPPS. Greg, we need to call that door place tomorrow. (This post has turned into a to-do list, whoops).

Opening Checklist

2010-06-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

1. Finalize our menu (just last night we were debating adding skewered deep-fried hot dogs. A note to the public: Chin wants to call them wieners. Renee and I stand against it.)

2. Write descriptions for our sauces on the menu (so that when you order Vampire Slayer or Green Monster, you know what you're getting.)

3. Attach table legs to our table tops (easier said than done for some strange reason.)

4. Clean the saw dust off our entire restaurant (everything is covered!)

5. Decorate! (hang pictures, etc)

6. Get shelving for the kitchen and inside the walk-in (it's not that exciting, so I'll leave it to Chin and Greg.)

7. Obtain permit to hand out samples of our waffles (they are so tasty and people have to know!)

8. Obtain remaining permits (certificate of occupancy, health, milk - yes, milk...weird, huh?, etc.)

9. Learn our POS! (we need to connect our POS system and learn how to use it before we can train our staff)

10. Obtain a trash receptacle (apparently good ones are hard to find, unless customized, and cost a small fortune)

11. Hire a staff!!!! (and train them, too)

12. This is a partial list... we are so close to opening but there is still so much to do. We are getting excited!

The sign. Like the Ace of Base song, only better and more literal.

2010-05-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Big thanks to the Boston Sign Co. for creating this. It was a big morale booster for us to see this go up!

Texting

2010-05-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

The following "conversation" (if you call the unintelligible back and forth- a conversation) was between myself and Greg (in case you are out of the loop, Greg is our more silent partner) via late night text message. All parties were sober. I think.

Me: Another "slogan"... You need some eats, we got some frites!
Greg: Lol. We open in May, frites on the way.
Me: Show it who's boss, slather it in sauce.
Greg: I am struggling with rhyming waffle, which ain't so awful.
Me: Get a waffle, better than a falafel.
Me again: Or!!! Try our liege waffle, it's a huge jawful!
Greg: Groaning out loud.
Me: Try the nutella. It's our top sell-ah.
Greg: Share our RILF with your MILF.

End of conversation. It ended so abruptly, I know. Just like this post.

First waffle batch at Saus

2010-05-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

We recently purchased a 40 qt mixer, used, from a restaurant equipment store in Quincy and wanted to test it out. Hey, it was priced the same as a brand new 20 qt mixer so why not? After a little dusting, cleaning, and assembly, we put the baby to the work. Here are a couple photos from that day:

Asad, Renee, and Greg breaking up some softened butter into small chunks while Chin and Shira look on:

Chin mixes in the dry components of the dough under Shira's keen eye.

Fans and followers all atwitter, and we haven't even opened yet!

2010-04-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

The Saus team is astounded by the buzz that the (soon-to-open) restaurant has been generating over these social media platforms. Our facebook page, twitter account, and blog have joined as a trifecta to ceate a micro community of social media savvy food nerds (in other words, people who are a lot like us). Having this community is conducive to our goal of becoming a kind of user-contributed local eatery. We have created a menu and have a store experience in mind that we would want as food explorers, so why not try to make it a place others want to come to as well. For example, one of our twitter followers (we know him as @gregmurph)asked if we were planning to make samurai sauce (a popular accompaniment in Belgium), which prompted us to experiment with a sambal-oelek/mayo fusion. Our samurai sauce turned out to be delicious, so we're going with it.

Facebook has also been a great way to gather feedback from 'fans'. Recently we asked everyone to help us name our sour cream and chive sauce and the results exceeded our expectations. We got 30-some ideas for names that we had to make it a vote.

Of course we will not be able to satisfy everyone. The idea is to try to make everyone happy, and when that can't be done, to mitigate a bad situation as best as possible. Either way, we desperately want to serve you guys and provide a phenomenal experience, but more than that we want to be your place. This is the dream, I think, of every restaurateur.

Check out our deep fryers!

2010-04-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

I just wanted an excuse to post a picture of our brand spanking new deep fryers that were delivered just this week. Woot woot.

The Finish Line

2010-04-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

In honor of Marathon Monday (and for those of you out there who are unfamiliar with the significance of this day in MA, it's a day when locals come out to cheer on the runners of the Boston Marathon whilst drinking, carousing, etc. Oh and it's also Patriot's Day...), the team is considering our own race to the finish.

We are at our last mile, we are exhausted, we are feeling accomplished, but also like our legs are going to give out. We clearly see the finish line, yet it seems so far away. The metaphors can really go on and on...and on and on. What I am trying to say is that the team is so close to finishing build-out, we're making our final purchases and final touches, yet still have a number of steps to complete before we can actually serve food.

Once the construction is set, we must have an inspector come in to evaluate our space for a Certificate of Occupancy and also to sign off on a Health Permit. We are a bit terrified. What if we need to drastically change something that ends up taking weeks? We don't think there are any potential hazards in the space, but with this team - anything could happen (I mean hey, no one thought Saus could happen and here we are!)

Anyway, we're so nervous. We just need you guys to keep cheering for us a little longer as we "run our last mile" - I know, I can't help it, I talk in cliches in my sleep. After all, when this project is done, the new project begins - and it's all about you guys and providing you with a fantastic food experience. See you at the finish line. (Number of times the word "finish" was used in this post: 6)

A short story about counters

2010-04-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

The Saus team is excitedly waiting for Wednesday- the day our handcrafted counters arrive.

Our woodworker/expert craftsman (I really don't know what to call him), Adam has been keeping us as in-the-loop as possible, given that he is making these all the way in Indiana, PA (aka, middle of nowhere).

Funny story, I recently went to dinner at a new restaurant in Boston, Stoddard's. Dinner was amazing (they aren't really open yet, so it was a limited menu). However, what struck me was how we (the Saus team) were children compared to them and what their budget must be. The interior was astounding. The piece de resistance: the massive, gorgeous bar- meticulously and intricately handcrafted in Manchester, England, like a hundred years ago. No joke. It sat in a museum for a while because it was too big for the original restaurant it was made for. When you see it, it's easy to see why. Of course, my first thought was, "Our counter tops are handcrafted in Pennsylvania! They are being imported.." But we all know, it's not really the same ball game.

Anyway, back to Saus, Adam sent us a third round of photos of our counters. They are turning out beautifully! Here are a few- notice Adam in some of the pics!In the last photo, our counters are wrapped up and getting ready to come to 33 Union!

Also, a last word in, while our counters may not be as spectacular as Stoddard's bar (I'm not bitter...), they are so us. Not only in appearance (style wise, matches our personalities and Saus's), but also in construction.

A note from Adam about how they were constructed:
"Your counter tops were engineered to appear like they are 3.5" thick, but are in fact partially hollow. 40% less material was used in the execution of your tops, than that of traditional edge-grain butcher blocks. For the walnut trim around the burlap, parts of each walnut section are engineered from thinner pieces of wood to appear longer and thicker than they actually are. By using the drops and edge cutoffs from the walnut boards, I've used all material that would be considered "waste" to extend the walnut trim columns to their required lengths. I've extended sections of trim by adding in mortise and tenon joints between sections."

Thus, it makes it more beneficial cost-wise, but it's also kinder to the environment. We use less wood, have less waste and kill less trees!

This is why Adam is amazing, he COMPLETELY incorporated the soul of Saus into his work. See some of his other work at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/noelfales
(He does the wood items, not the clothing. That is his talented gf, Noel.)
He also has a website, but it's still under construction. Check back later when it's complete.
http://www.arcwds.com/

Food Safety Training

2010-04-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

Today we completed Unit 1 of our ServSafe online course. The entire class is estimated to be between 7 and 10 hours long. We learned all about pathogens, viruses, bacteria, and other toxins related to foodborne illnesses. While technically only one of us is required to have a ServSafe certification, we all decided to train for it - including Greg, who is the financial guy and Asad, our investor and 5th partner.

We learned all sorts of fun facts. For instance, to remember the elements that help pathogens grow and make people sick remember FATTOM, or Food, Acidity (lack of acidity contributes to pathogen growth), Temperature (41-135 degrees F is considered the DANGER ZONE), Time (pathogens grow after 4 hours), Oxygen, and Moisture.

We also learned less interesting and obvious facts, such as there is no smoking in the kitchen, open wounds must be covered when handling food (unless you want to give new meaning to 'blood sausage' or 'blood oranges' hardy har har), and if you use a knife to cut a raw chicken, you can't then use it to cut an orange.

And that is a summary of Unit 1. So the next time you decide to apply the 5 second rule, just remember that you could potentially be exposing your food to physical, chemical, and/or biological pathogens.

saus is famous (ish)

2010-04-07T07:08:00.001-07:00

Ok, so it's my birthday (and about to be 80 degrees today in Boston) so this post is going to be a short one. Saus was not only featured in the Boston Globe (with oh-so-flattering pic) but Boston readers apparently are enjoying the article!

We are #6 most emailed! So thanks to everyone for supporting us, this is a big deal.

Aaaand here's the proof that we are #6 And of course, the link to the article:
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2010/04/07/serving_a_side_of_social_media_with_their_frites/

And I got notice that while I was typing this short post, we jumped to number 4, but I'm anxious to get out of here for now, so I'm not re-posting the new evidence!

When we're not blogging about it...

2010-03-30T12:33:00.001-07:00

These past few months have been exciting, terrifying, stressful, delicious, fun, and exhausting. All the planning that has occurred over the year has turned into executing those plans in just a few short months, and now...weeks. We have selected some vendors, bought equipment, finalized our menu, purchased our point of sale system, and racked up some bills doing so. We have been to Home Depot and back maybe six times to buy necessary fixtures for our contractor. We spend our days off in the kitchen preparing our menu or on the phone, coercing and collaborating, whether it be to get a gas meter installed or to set up a meeting with a beverage distributor. We talk to our lawyer, our contractor, our building manager, and twitter followers more than we do our closest friends.

All this and still so much more to do and more to buy, for that matter. I would like to say that we have become wise to the little obstacles that have the potential of becoming big hurdles (i.e. unexpected leaks in the basement), but we will find out.

So what's next? We will be spending our time now preparing for the operation - everything from staffing (and all things tied to it - workers comp insurance, payroll services, scheduling, etc.) to testing our equipment (I can't wait to see the magic that happens with 225 lbs of frying capacity).

Say Cheese!

2010-03-29T08:55:00.001-07:00

This weekend the Saus team met for a, wait for it- it's so glamorous, photo shoot! We not only took pictures of our food (give me sexy, give me saucy, give me crispy! Work it, wooork it!), we also took team photos (for the website).

With two girls on the team (myself and Renee) you can imagine the impending chaos. "I look fat in this one." "Look at my chin! Has it always been that big?" "No way we are using this one, I look awful. Am I sneezing?" "I look soooo faaaaat!"

Chin was the voice of calm in the storm. "You both look fine." (Then seeing our mutinous faces)- "No, you two look beautiful." He may have gotten smacked.

We did a series of ideas. Us standing next to each other smiling at the camera, us standing next to each other laughing at Chin being ridiculous, us looking at a pterodactyl in the distance (Renee's idea). Then we took some of us eating frites, and somehow that turned into a ridiculous circus.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is to get you all amped for our coming-soon website and the mystery photo we choose. (Hint: it may not be a conventional smiling-at-the-camera photo...)

Aaand to unveil this beaut. It is a picture of us, looking at pictures of us.

The Saus team + friends, analyzing the photo shoot pics.

Can we move this counter again?

2010-03-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

Being the newbies that we are, we are having a fun time of it trying to build the restaurant. Between communicating with the contractors, laying out exactly what we want, and getting everything properly inspected, we are like tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum (except there are more than 2 of us to get the job done..three stooges maybe, plus an extra stooge??)

Let's go through a few examples of our "misadventures" of getting the space built.

1. We may or may not have moved the counter 3ish times. To be fair, the counter wasn't built all the way, just the aluminum underpart was nailed to the floor. The first time it wasn't out far enough from the wall, then out too far and took up too much valuable floor space, then who knows. But the contracting team may hate us...

2. In trying to get our gas meter installed, I first had to find out what a BTU load was and then tell National Grid what our BTU load is. Then they had to come and install our gas lines (but not the meter) and then the city has to come and inspect it and tag it. So, who calls the city? National Grid or us? We assumed National Grid and kiiiiind-of waited for a while. Then, after probably too much time, I called them to verify and of course found out we had to call the city. Now the question is, who do we call??? WHO IN THE CITY? dum-dum-dum.. oh wait, dumb. We'll get there.

3. ... I shouldn't go on.

Good news is, we are learning and the space is progressing, thanks to our patient and knowing contractor.

Here are some pics of the "progress."

Here is our 4 burner stove. We promise to clean it before we use it to cook!
Here is the upstairs interior as seen from the front of the space.
Here is our bathroom. It will be as is, no changes!
Here is the upstairs interior again- this time as seen from the back of the space looking out. Notice the railing right in front of the camera... this is the infamous counter that was moved so many times. It looks good there, no?

Saus Tasting Take Two

2010-03-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday night we had our second official Saus tasting. 32 people turned out to taste 28 potential sauses. Each attendee gave ratings, written comments and suggestions. You know the turn-out is good when you run out of frites for dipping and resort to little pieces of baguette. Then you know you're just desperate when you run out of frites and baguettes and start opening boxes of Ritz Crackers. Overall, the feedback was great though. Thanks guys! Some early favorites were Cheddar Duvel Ale Sauce, Caramelized Onion Sauce , Roasted Garlic Mayo, Curry Ketchup and Hot Saus. Shout out to Saus' photograher Andrew Ong for the photos of the tasting.

Counters

2010-03-22T07:17:00.001-07:00

Our artful woodworker (for lack of a better word), who is building our counter tops, table tops and our burlap wall (it's going to be so cool!), sent over some progress-report pictures of our counter tops being made. Don't worry, they won't be all splotchy when they are installed...

New Question

2010-03-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

We got some really insightful responses to the last post, so I'd like to thank everyone for their thoughts. Good rally.

However, I was apparently misleading. When I asked about soda preferences (regular coke/diet coke/etc versus more rare or imported varieties), it wasn't really an either/or scenario. My bad.

We will definitely be having coke/diet coke/sprite/whatevs in a soda gun behind the counter. That is a definite. What I was trying to gauge was people's interest in paying more for unique soda brands. So far we are looking at a "micro-brew" all natural soda line, as well as a few European brands of soda and sparkling water.

Ok, so, new question:
In my research I found one brand in particular from Belgium. Perfect, right? Well I assumed it was soda. I recently found out that it was actually a juice company. It has cool flavors like apricot, pear and mango, but it is juice. Do you think juice is a good inclusion on our beverage menu? Will people be interested in Belgian juice to wash down their frites? Or if you are already gorging on indulgences, will you just want to enjoy a fizzy drink?

Pop Quiz

2010-03-04T09:17:00.000-08:00

The last few days I have immersed myself in sleuthing. I am trying to track down some very unique (read- hard to find) sodas for Saus.

To compliment our Belgian menu, we want to serve up some authentic Belgian sparkling juices. Unfortunately, while we've found the perfect company, they are rare within the U.S., so getting them into Saus is proving to be a challenge. (But after working our butts off to open a restaurant -something none of us have done before and therefore didn't know where to start-, we know how to approach a challenge.)

And to compliment our classic-ly American side at Saus, we want to serve some American classics like root beer and ginger ale micro-brew style. While significantly easier to find than Belgian soda, finding people who distribute these "micro-brews" to Boston is still proving to be a challenge.

Anyway, what this long winded introduction is all about is I want to know if I'm wasting my time. Are you guys interested in seeing rare (and extremely tasty) sodas (and probably pay a tad more for them to accommodate the importing costs) or would you just as happily order a coke/sprite/whatever to wash down your frites?

Speak up!

Dust sets off fire alarms?

2010-02-22T11:30:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of our space as of Thursday the 18th of Feb. Doesn't seem like much yet but the contractor had just started construction early that week. Funny story though, just earlier the same day I took this picture, I had come to the space at 9am for a standard food supplier meeting. Parked directly outside the space was a fire truck with its lights flashing. And in-front of the building was a large group of people I could only guess were employees from the offices above us. It goes without saying I was a little nervous, and the siren/beeping coming from inside our space wasn't relieving any stress. Thankfully when I got into the space I found out an abnormally large amount of dust in the air from all the cleaning was the cause of panic. Just want to also note our contractor was happily handing out free pens to all the firemen as they were exiting the space!

Lesson of the day: Dust can set off fire alarms, and if that happens, hand out free pens

Who could have predicted that we would become potato experts?

2010-02-08T18:29:00.000-08:00

We are currently in the process of locking down the perfect potato for Saus pommes frites. So far we have experimented with Massachusetts Reba potatoes, Idaho Russets, and Yukon Golds. The Rebas were great because they come from a local farm and yielded delicious frites, alas are too small. The traditional Russets work well, but we want to be as locally focused as possible. The next phase of experimentation is with Maine russets, but we have been hearing that the potatoes are too wet due to the nature of the soil there and would therefore make it difficult to create a crispy exterior for our thick cut frites...we'll see.

33 Union Street gets a face lift

2010-02-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

Kind of... Not really... Ok, the interior of Saus might look slightly worse for the wear.

As you may have seen on Facebook, Renee, Greg and I tested paint samples. Or more accurately, we all went to a paint store and debated, considered and finally chose 5 different colors to try on our walls. A brightish blue, a lighter blue, an orangey yellow, a lighter yellow, and a neutralish olive green. Then my artistic side took over and I went crazy on our walls.

After painting all the colors in natural light, I moved to the back of the store and painted them in artificial light. We then discussed which colors we liked and which ones we hated. We kept in mind that the color we choose has to enhance our space, match our furniture/overall decor and be consistent with our branding.

We may not have fallen in love with a color yet, but we did make progress on deciding which direction we want to experiment in next. And I wrote SAUS on the wall really big.

Day successful.

Sneak Peak

2010-01-20T11:41:00.000-08:00

So this may be old news for some of you, but at Saus we will have a fairly simple menu. The menu will consist of frites, Belgian liege waffles, and deep-fried eggs. No joke, deep-fried eggs. As in, crack-open-a-raw-egg-into-a-deep-fryer type of egg.

Here is the kicker! To make things interesting- we will have over ten staple, made-from-scratch, savory dipping sauces customers will be able to choose from. And that's not even including our house-made mayonnaise or house-made ketchup or chili-infused malt vinegar. For all the cheese fans out there (I'm sure there are a few), we have a tasty Cheddar and Duvel Beer sauce in the works. For BBQ fans we have a Red-Eye BBQ sauce (made with a little touch of coffee). And the list goes on...

To wrap this post up I leave you with a picture of our waffles. I know a lot of you wonder how our waffles will be different from the Belgian waffles you are used to. Lets just say you need to try them. Especially slathered with our home-made Nutella sauce.

Secret's Out

2010-01-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

So our "mystery restaurant" isn't really a mystery anymore. Not since Where to Eat in Boston or Grub Street.

However, we never really did our "big reveal" on the blog. So here is what we are, in our own words.

Saus is a Belgian street food joint, meaning our main menu items are pommes frites (Belgian French fries) and Liege waffles (totally different from what American's think of as "Belgian waffles"). These two foods are very common on Belgian street corners- usually served from carts in metro shopping/tourists areas. Think of them as New York's hot dogs and pretzels.

As our name suggests (Saus is Dutch for "sauce"), sauces are our specialty. The pommes frites are served with a variety of dipping sauces. Traditionally, in Belgium, their frites are served with Fritessaus (which is kind of like mayo). So as a nod to Belgian tradition- a lot of our sauces are mayo-based. Except we play with different spices and herbs, creating sensational (and thanks to Chef Corey) flavor creations. We also make non-mayo based sauces such as cheese-based sauces (Cheddar Beer) or a BBQ sauce. And to keep with the American tradition, we also have ketchup based sauces.

And here is the best part of Saus (I think, anyway): all of our sauces are home-made, from scratch, from fresh ingredients, everyday. Even our mayo and ketchup. However, I'm not discussing any more specifics about the sauces as our menu isn't completely finalized (we will tweak probably until the day before we open) and we need to keep some mystery alive...

Our Liege waffles, in keeping with the Sausy-style, are also served with a selection of sweet sauces. Again, won't say much more... yet.

Our approach to Saus is very eclectic. It is Belgian meets classic Americana with hints of the exotic. We don't want any sauce to be boring, but we want some to be comforting, familiar flavors. Basically, we are pretty sure we have something for everyone.

Feedback

2010-01-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

We at Saus love to hear what you are all thinking. Here is what one loyal reader wrote in:

Dear Saus Blog: Since health resolutions tend to be popular in the beginning of the year, are there are healthy Saus options that will allow a customer to enjoy your delicious food selections without breaking the calories bank?

Dear Valued Reader: Our food is made all in-house, from scratch, all trans fat free and with no-high fructose corn syrup. Nothing is processed or has additives. We believe food should be all natural. While our food may not be "low fat or low cal," we are certainly a healthier option than other quick-serve options. We will also take your valued feedback into account and create some sauces from yogurt rather than mayo for "figure-friendly" options! Happy New Year!

...approximately 3 minutes later...

Dear Reader and Friend: I did some immediate follow up research to your question and found an answer from our menu developer. His highly professional response: "yeah I got a pimento yogurt sauce in the works"

2010

2010-01-05T11:20:00.000-08:00

New year, new goals, new resolutions.

Saus's new year's resolutions:

1. Open!!!
2. Make friends with our neighbors (you know, so we can borrow some sugar)
3. Make Boston fall in love with us (this one is 2-fold: 1- because we have a complex and want to be liked, 2- because we want to be profitable; even though we love what we do, we have to own up to the fact that we are a business)
4. Lose weight (aka, trim corners where we can, not be spending where we don't need to be spending so that we don't sink)
5. Get creative (from finishing up our space to designing our website- who's tired of looking at this boring blog template? We want to be unique and innovative)
6. Stay true (to ourselves as partners/business owners, to our clientele- which has yet to be established- and to everything Saus has come to mean in the past year, not to mention staying true to our mission and branding values)

(7. Come up with a better slogan than "Sausy!")
* it's not reaaaally our slogan- we just say it a lot

The Working Capital Debate

2010-01-05T10:00:00.000-08:00

Working capital is the money you keep in reserve in case you can't pay your bills with profit. The debate around working capital is whether to keep it around or not. When we set out to raise funds, we included in the amount the dollars we wanted to keep around just in case (we calculated the amount as three months of rent + extra for other expenses such as inventory and other fixed costs).

What we discovered was that most restaurants don't keep reserves. They respond to a lack of cash by paying vendors aggressively when times are good, and then delaying payments when times are rough. They borrow money when they have to, they send staff home for the day, etc. None of this is fun to do, but it's a measure that has to be taken sometimes.

But why set yourself up for taking such desperate measures when you could simply put a little bit aside for such times? Well think of it this way: you are a restaurant owner and after a couple months you finally make a nice profit - you're going to pay your bills, and then give the rest to your investors. At that moment, the logic is that the investors are more important. But what have we learned from the master (the master being Danny Meyer for those of you who don't know our team)? Investors should come last when making decisions, after employees, customers, community, and vendors. The idea being when you concern yourself primarily with employees, then customers, etc. etc. there is a positive ripple effect that will benefit investors.

Our concluding opinion: desperate times call for desperate measures, but cutting your employees or not paying vendors as a response to lagging funds should be avoided.

Looking Back at 2009

2009-12-27T10:44:00.001-08:00

I was just reading our old posts, more specifically those pre-January 2009, and I laughed at them. We sound like such amateurs! We still are, but I mean - it's kind of pathetic. We were stressing out about late night licensing, thinking it would cost us money and lo and behold one year later, we have license to stay open until 2 and didn't have to pay an obscene amount for it! In January 2009, we were researching merchant services (credit card processing) and I can tell you now that it was WAY too early to be looking into that. In early 2009, we were having the debate about local produce and STILL are.

Some great developments since then:

1. I wrote a post in December 2008 about my parents and how they couldn't understand why in hell I was starting a restaurant and didn't really take me seriously at the time. Well one year later, they are investors, they ask me about it all the time, and I have even overheard my mother talking to one of her friends on the phone about Saus.

2. We have funding!!! I'll be honest - we had no idea how we were going to raise enough money to start a year ago. Today, while we are still looking for more in order to be well capitalized, we have enough to start and that's pretty substantial.

3. We have a location!!! I'm just going to say it - getting the spot we did was incredibly fortuitous. We found it by accident and at the right time. Furthermore, had it not been for the property manager, Rawly, who really digs our concept, enough to plug it to the owner of the property, we probably wouldn't have it. He was a strong advocate for us and we thank him for that. And thanks to our realtor, John Brennan (he does commercial and residential and rentals so ask us for his number) who worked hard to get us the space. But what was learned from this is that there are advantages and disadvantages to any given location. Just make sure there is consistent foot traffic and is in some sort of urban (or suburban) cluster of book stores, offices, bars, or restaurants for example. Also what makes it a good fit for you? For one upscale burger shop owner I know, he wanted to be between two Whole Foods because he wanted to capture the same kind of market with an interest in quality, all natural ingredients.

4. We can stay open late!!! I remember when we stressed so much about not being able to stay open late, but I just want to say to our past selves: "duh, it's because you were looking at the wrong places, (Newbury St., for example) of course you're not going to be able to stay open late!!!!"

5. We have a menu. Chef Corey and Pastry Chef Shira have created a masterpiece...it's a first draft masterpiece, and I personally have tasted only a few items on the menu, but the menu is exactly who we are and what we want to accomplish with Saus. On that note, I say first draft because we want to host a blind taste test where you guys tell us what you think of the menu before we finalize it.

I know it's early...

2009-12-22T10:29:00.001-08:00

but happy holidays from Saus!

Success

2009-12-17T11:56:00.001-08:00

Renee was successful yesterday. Saus was approved for it's food license! We can feed the public!

Common Victualler License Hearing

2009-12-16T08:10:00.001-08:00

Hi All,

As you know from Tanya's previous post, we had our CV license hearing today. I was joined there by Greg, and our awesome attorney, Trish Farnsworth (if you want to start a restaurant or local business, she is seriously the best).

So before the hearing, you are given a list of other restaurants and businesses (such as fortune tellers) that are appealing to the license board that day. Everyone gets about 5-7 minutes to present their case (we saw everything from new food licenses to liquor licenses to moving from one location to the next and extending hours). The room is set up so that the board sits at the front, facing an audience (almost like a classroom) and when you are called you come to the front where there is a table and a microphone (it's very Senate hearing like).

When we were called to the front, Trish first explained that we were applying for a CV license and that the team had experience in food service, and showed them our two letters of recommendation (this helps, especially if it's from reputable sources - ours were from Joanne Chang and Bill Galatis - doesn't get any better than that). We showed the board our menu and renderings of the space. They then asked us questions around the menu and our hours (we applied for a 3am license at first, but settled on 2am). Then they asked if anyone was in support or opposition of our license and someone from the mayor's office stepped up and declared his undying support for Saus and it's 2am license. Thankfully, no one was in opposition. That pretty much concluded the hearing. The board makes their decision tomorrow. Fingers crossed everyone!

Food

2009-12-15T12:41:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is an important day for Saus. Tomorrow Renee is presenting to the city of Boston in attempt to get our license to serve food! So needless to say, she is a little stressed (and the rest of the team is happy it's not them...)

Anyway, fingers crossed for Saus! We want to be able to make our delicious menu for all our prospective patrons.

Also, check out our flickr and facebook page!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sausboston/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Saus/238583967305?ref=nf

Sneak Peek

2009-11-23T11:28:00.001-08:00

Renee posted the pictures of Chin taking down our ceiling- the "befores."

Here are pictures of the possible "afters."

We are so excited by the initial concepts of what Saus might look like that we wanted to share them with everyone.

Why Working in a Restaurant Generally Sucks and What We're Going to do About it....

2009-11-22T15:56:00.001-08:00

I think we can safely say that most people see restaurant positions as dead-end jobs. Parents point to cooks in grease laden aprons dutifully hovering over their grill or fryolator, and say to their children, threateningly: "See what will happen if you continue to bring home C's, you'll end up flipping burgers". Even the employees themselves are aware of the limits of their job. They'll quit without a blink of the eye in the case of something better coming along - whether it's "a real job", an acting gig, or even a job at a nicer restaurant that pays better. That's just the way it is. There is a mutual understanding between restaurant employers and restaurant employees, where the employer does not expect the employee to stick around for a measely rate (or measely tips depending on the kind of restaurant) and the employee does not expect much from the employer either. In other words, there's generally an expiration date that's not far off. Oh and not to mention that it's hard work (yeah really...you try standing on your feet, running around, dealing with rude customers, and getting burned by frying oil daily) for not a lot of pay.

Now, let's talk about the importance of the word "generally". Restaurant jobs generally suck. Do they have to? Not at all. Danny Meyer, who is arguably the most successful restaurateur of our time (some background info: he owns many popular dining establishments in NYC including Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Shake Shack, etc.) attributes his success to his philosophy of employees first and profits last. And of course it's easy to adopt this philosophy and even preach it, but the trick is in practice. To practice it takes patience, it will cost you, and will require you to abandon greed. In the end, it yields positive results (and monetary results too!). In-N-Out Burger is another great example - they pay thier employees a minumum of $10/hour, in addition employees get free meals, benefits, etc. If you have ever been to an In-N-Out you know that the service is unusually good. Does it pay off? Absolutely. Employee turnover at In-N-Out is well below the industry standard. But paying employees slightly above average is not the only answer to the turnover problem. Chin works at Flour Bakery and is perfectly happy. Why? Because good effort is recognized and acknowledged. It's that simple. Whether it be an incremental raise after three months, free pastries at the end of the night, or a holiday party - these are all things that say: "I know you work hard, and I appreciate it." Here's the funny part, though - employers don't have to go to great lengths to make their employees work hard. As wise Greg said the other day: "people will work hard because it is in their nature to do so." But it's up to the employers not to take that for granted.

To conclude, Saus hopes to practice what we preach. Our mission with Saus is to create an experience so positive that even the most discerning customer will return with friends in tow. We should strive for the same positive experience with our employees. We should constantly be asking: "would you ever subject your best friend to the work you do at Saus?" The answer should be an affirmative yes.

Saus is growing up

2009-11-20T08:12:00.000-08:00

Seeing the business come together is teaching us all surprising lessons. I don't think any of us realized how linked every part of the business is. To add just one menu item we have to think not only about additional ingredients we need to buy, but also how it's going to fit in in our production process. Does an additional employee need to come in in the morning to prep for this item? Do we need additional equipment to make it? How will this all affect out budget? Does the taste fit in with our market? How do we price it to cover costs but to fit the wallets of our market?

When we originally started talking about our concept, we could think in the abstract. We could come up with brilliant, unique ideas that would drive our market crazy. Now we need to think practically. We still need our brilliant ideas (our money makers if you will), however, we need to think in business terms as well. We need to think of costs; we need to think of our production process; we need to think of execution and our market. There are so many moving parts to the business and they all need to sync up perfectly. In short, we are growing up as business people.

I am reading a book about small businesses. One of the ideas presented is that there are different "personalities" in every person. There is a creative side, an organized practical side, and a do-er side. (I am really simplifying the concept here because I don't want to drone on and on about it.) Right now, I think the team is honing our personalities. We have moved from the creative to the practical, which I think was a natural step for us. I think I can speak for us all when I say we are enjoying this learning process that we are going through. We are still striving to execute all our ideas and make our dream restaurant, but we realize that we need to address every adjustment that would be needed to make to the business to accommodate everything. No decision is a small decision, as they are all connected. Phew, no pressure...

Taking Down the Ceiling

2009-11-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

Today Chin and Greg took down the ceiling tiles of our soon-to-be-space. I have included some before pictures. Can't wait for the afters!

A year in review/a day in the life

2009-11-06T11:03:00.001-08:00

Yesterday the Saus team had a busy day. The day's back to back meetings compelled me to think to a little over a year ago when we were all working together at our fabulous software marketing job and compare to what we are doing these days.

A year ago:
http://sausinc.blogspot.com/2008/11/brief-note-about-our-day-jobserformer.html
...waltz into the office late, gchat, facebook, a little work, office workouts, gossip, coffee run...

Yesterday:
Spend the morning with my email. Email from wholesaler, email from web designer, emails from teammates.
11:3o- The Saus team splits up into 2 groups. Chin and I had a meeting with a produce wholesaler at our space. Renee and Greg had a meeting with the sign guy.
After our meetings, we all meet up to discuss the decisions we now have to make and share what happened in our respective meetings.
1:30- Meeting with the kitchen equipment guy. We go through the list of equipment we need, look over our kitchen floor plan and get an itemized list of equipment and the estimates.
After that meeting, we all head back to headquarters (Greg's apartment) to discuss our plan for equipment (since the estimate was a TAD over what we had budgeted..)
4:00- Meeting with insurance guy.
From 4-7:30- discuss insurance options and interior design.
8pm- Meeting with possible investors.
10pm- We visit the space to see how much lighting we need for our sign.

Get home at 11pm.

I think the comparison is comical.

fall

2009-10-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

It's getting to that time of year when I get obsessed with the season's flavors- ginger, pumpkin, apple, nutmeg, cinnamon, pumpkin... mostly pumpkin. Pumpkin coffee, muffins, pancakes, cookies, cupcakes, even just toasted pumpkin seeds. It's the time of year when I start thinking about how to incorporate the seasonal flavors that I love into Saus. I know I posted about this this time last year, but I get unreasonably excited.

While we are cracking down on getting everything done to open- contractors, electricians, plumbers, decorators... I let my mind wander and start planning next year's fall menu. Just call it forward thinking!

And since fall reminds me that winter is just around the corner, I start thinking about my favorite winter flavors as well.

Since my team will read this post and know I'm not working on things I'm supposed to be working on, know that my next post will be updating you on all the practical and current things I need to do. At least I made some productive phone calls today...

Signs

2009-10-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that acquiring a sign for your business is a lot of work? I recently met with Bryn from Boston Sign Co. to start planning for our signage. He asked when we anticipated opening. I told him maybe late January or February. He replied that I was calling him just in time! Four months to complete a sign? Jeeeez. He said that he has had folks call him a couple weeks before opening for a sign....a feat that is practically impossible.

So here is the sign process: 1. Meet at location where measurements are taken and a general assessment of the exterior is made. 2. Render preliminary drawings. 3. Visit sign studio and get an idea of materials, etc. 4. Final drawings are made. 5. Submit drawings to Boston Redevelopment Authority - must be approved by them. 6. If rejected, back to the drawing board, if approved 7. Submit drawings to Inspectional Services Dept. for a sign permit. 8. Have sign(s) installed.

So the next time you are in the market for a sign, start early.

just smell this!

2009-10-09T08:28:00.001-07:00

There are times I don't write because there is nothing to say. Other times it's because I have so much to say, but more to do. This is one of those times. My to-do list has been never-ending and there was no time to write. Which I regret because I've been working on some really fun things.

The other day, Chin and I toured a local wholesaler that we are considering buying from. First we were shown the produce level. It was a giant chilled warehouse filled to the ceiling with fresh produce. We had to keep out of the way of those driving trolley things with lifts.

Then we were taken up to the spices and specialty cheese level, where I fell in love. Not only do I want to shop there all the time for my own personal use, Chin and I met the most enthusiastic employee there. He was in love with food and his job and everything. He gave us the most whirlwind tour of the cheese room-- having us smell, touch and dream of the possibilities. Then he moved us through the spices, telling us where he got them from, how he tracked down the rare and the exotic. Again we were smelling, dreaming... It was fantastic. I wish we had brought our chef. It would have turned into an amazing brainstorm.