Recent content by pcuezze

I’ve Been there. I’ve learned to trust no one. Even the best employees will steal. I think after 5 years, I have nipped the pure cash theft in the bud by using the POS actively. But just recently I caught one of my best employees pouring free drinks (which is silly because, as a bartender, she...

Or at least a good starting point for a commercial batch. We want to have a biscuit-centric brunch so I’m looking for a very solid formula. Thanks in advance.

I’m thinking of making an investment to switch from Full Service to Counter Service. It would require about $10k in investment to move some walls etc. At least half of my competitors have this type of service. You would pay, sit down with a number and wait. It would be self service soda fountain...

I graduated Law School in 1999, practiced in house at Sprint for 3 years, then started my own practice. I burned out in 2009 and saw an opportunity to fill a need in our neighborhood. Lots of people ask me if it was longtime passion of mine to open a restaurant and it was NOT. It was a business...

We grind our own sausage and, last week, the grinder just cracked and stopped working. We ordered a new one and it will not spin. We tried our pelican head and have the same issue. It turns briefly and then stops though the main mixer still spins. After some digging, we discovered that the...

I don’t know about a gene, but experience is very helpful. Dough performs radically different in differing temperature/humidity conditions. Additionally, scaling does not always yield the same results. So, even if you control the basic variables (water temperature, ingredient weight, etc.) it is...

I’ve used Repeat Returns for almost 5 years and we love it. It is a combination of loyalty and e-mail advertising (through scheduled e-mails and push notifications). They are extremely responsive when I need to do a push e-mail (I did one yesterday that was a rush and it went out in a couple...

I’m on my 3rd used prep table in 5 years and deeply regret it. Everytime I have someone come out for a repair, I think to myself - “this is the last penny I’m going to put into this hunk of junk”. I highly recommend taking George’s advice and paying extra for a new table. On this topic, does...

After almost 5 years, the poly on our oak bar top is in need of being re-done. It’s gotten sticky and difficult to clean so I’ll have to belt-sand the old poly. I’d like a harder finish this time but I’m also concerned about the amount of down-time for the bar. I’ve used Cabot marine grade on a...

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I’m hoping George can clear up something I’ve always wanted to know - hood requirements for solid fuel appliances. For instance, if I have a wood burning char-grill next to a fryer or pizza oven, am I to understand that there must be a separate hood for the grill...

We messed up. We made it right. The guest was ecstatic. And then she tipped my server $4.00 on a comped bill ($80 bill plus a cake we bought for her husband). Here’s the exchange for your amusement. What is wrong with people! I know I have to take the good with the bad, but sometimes you have to...

Sorry I’m not familiar with I-65, but in Chicago, I think Piece Pizza and Pequods will give you some interesting tastes of great pies in Chicago. Piece is New Haven style with a brewpub. Pequods is an experience (burned mozzarella in the crust SOOO good). Those may not be the absolute best, but...

Pricing is tricky and there is some disagreement. Obviously, you first need to know your cost for a pizza. This requires precise portioning and you must take shrinkage into account. It is time consuming to build a pizza ingredient by ingredient while carefully weighing and recording each one...

One more random tip. It can be VERY difficult to tell these types of pizzas apart in the oven. Buy a metal engraver (about $30) and engrave numbers on each pan. Write the pan number on the ticket. That way you know exactly which pizza is in which pan. I got this tip from somebody else on the...

First, congratulations. Your journey with deep dish sounds somewhat like mine. I’d really need to understand a little more about your procedures to answer your questions. What types of pans are you using? What is your bake time? Are your pies Chicago with sauce on top? How many seats do you...