fall

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

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!

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.

Mastering the Art of Simultaneous

So we have our LOI signed. We have a lease in our hands. We have a stack of permit applications, all asking some kind of impossible question or using jargon that is foreign to us restaurant novices. For instance, do we serve PHF's (potentially hazardous food) or non-PHF's (non potentially hazardous food)? I feel like this is a trick question. "Do you intend to kill your patrons? Yes or No?" Luckily we have Trish, our attorney extraordinaire, because these applications are hurting my brain.

These next few weeks will be spent coordinating all of our engineer contacts: the architect is in charge of aesthetics and will provide CAD drawings and a materials list, a kitchen supply engineer who will help us plan our kitchen layout and corresponding electrical and gas outlets, the mechanical engineer who will design a ventilation system based on how our equipment is placed, the kitchen plumbing guy who will configure our plumbing based on placement of sinks, the kitchen electric guy who will take the kitchen plans and install the electrical components of the kitchen, the non-kitchen plumbing guy who will plan pipes for our bathroom, the non-kitchen electric guy who will engineer a plan for lighting fixtures and what not, a sign builder (don't be fooled - this is a long process of about 2 months - the plans for a sign must go through the Boston Redevelopment Authority for approval then to the Inspectional Services Dept.) and finally our contractor who will take everyone's plans and build them out.

(Really, I made it sound more complicated than it is, since our contractor will be coordinating most of the efforts of these men and women himself)

And while all of this is going on, we must cultivate our menu and make decisions around products, packaging, staffing, and other misc. things that involve decision-making. And while all of that is going on, we must continue to work at our industry jobs for a meager sum, barely scraping by but inheriting invaluable information and experience in exchange.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist including the ever so banal "mastering the art of..." in the title of this post)

A little stitious

We've been pretty silent for a while. And I don't know about my colleagues but for me, it's a combination of being ridiculously busy and a weird feeling of not wanting to jinx anything.

We have made progress. The LOI has been signed. Which means we can start our permitting process on the space. And we will sign the lease soon.

When this first happened, it was such a relief and at the same time- stressful. I didn't want to announce it too much in case our permits didn't work out. I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious.**

So I was fairly tight lipped about it. (Except for the tiny toast with my friends- even the toast went a little something like, "Lets not get too excited yet though. We haven't had any permits approved. No one start thinking this is for real yet." Drink.) However, the time had come to post about it. Now our focus is permits, gas lines, and starting construction.

On a different note, I've ended my time at my PR internship and took a job at a restaurant to gain some practical experience. I've learned a few things so far.

1. Gas lines are dangerous. The fire department will ax your door down if they suspect a leak, so treat that with a serious respect.
2. Employee training isn't something that should be half-assed.
3. Customers ask specific questions about the food, employees should know what everything tastes like.
4. I am not strong enough to fill the ice in the soda machine.
5. I do not know what to look for in a fake id.

I know I've learned more. But I'm too tired to continue thinking about this job on my day off.



** Name it!

Progress

Progress. Why is it taking so long to complete a post about all the progress we are making (which we are, thankfully)? I think it's because there is more interesting material around the errors, woes, and setbacks that come with an undertaking such as ours. The triumphs are more difficult to write, because we haven't officially achieved them or learned from them for that matter. The best we can do now is give a short update:

Food: Chin is collaborating with a talented chef to create our final menu. We will discuss further if and when Chin ever decides to join Saus blogdom. We are planning a tasting for anyone (of you 3 out there) who is interested, so let us know -- you can help us decide what to include on our final menu.

Location: We are thisclose to securing a Letter of Intent with the property owners (fingers crossed...if you take anything away from this blog it should be this: anything can happen). But if we do get the LOI signed, we can begin applying for permits. By the way, as our lawyer advised, we first checked with the Inspectional Services Department to make sure the area is zoned for food retail (I suggest completing this task first if the space in question was not previously used for food) . By the way, our lawyer is incredible, so please contact us if your business seeks excellent counsel and we will be happy to point you in the right direction).

Design: We have enlisted the help of a soon-to-be-architect (finishing studies at the Boston Architectural College) who recently spent over 3 hours in our maybe/hopefully/if-it-doesn't-work-out-we're-screwed/potential retail space taking measurements, which will soon result in floorplans, which will be handed off to our contractor. But we didn't hire Brandon solely based on his CAD skills. He is a creative interior designer dude, who will hopefully bring "flavor" to the non-edible aspects of our space (although I hear delicious, Willy-Wonka-esque edible walls and lighting fixtures are the latest trend in food - or was that just another news story on lead paint chips?).

So, on an ending note I would like to express the team's ongoing commitment to progress - not only of our business, but of this blog.

Courtesy of guest blogger, Melissa Kenyon

There once was a man from Nantucket, he wanted McDonalds but F*** IT, I'm going to Saus where Tanya's the boss and he never ate one more mcnugget

**Note: we are not, nor are we trying to be, in direct competition with McDonalds... Also, Chin and Renee are also bosses

Enjoy