Jason in Dallas wrote:

> Smokey John's here in Dallas makes a sandwich with sliced brisket,
> chopped mystery meat, sliced ham and yellow cheese that's incredible.
> Yes, I said cheese. There are sesame seeds on the bun which I believe
> to be key.

I'd thought about adding cheese; personally, for that kind of sandwich I'd
like to have it with cheese. Who knows, if cheez whiz can make it in Philly,
maybe it'd gain a following here.

> But as someone coming from years working, developing and managing in
> food and beverage industry I gotta warn you quality will not take you
> as far as you might believe. It's a hard racket to make it in the BBQ
> business and few and far in between are the financially successful
> joints that actually serve good Q also.

That I believe.

> Smokey John's in Dallas is fantastic but the dude sure ain't getting
> rich. Colter's and Dickey's and Tony Roma's are making money hand
> over fist while serving terrible Q. To make it in the biz you must
> first get lots of people in the door which you can accomplish
> partially with quality. Then you must not be afraid to charge high
> enough prices. Then you must keep costs down, and this is a lot
> harder than it sounds. Finally, you gotta keep your employees from
> robbing you blind which I'm convinced is the cause of at least 1 in
> 10 restaurant failures. Giving food away without your permission
> counts as robbing you by the way.

Absolutely. That's one of the first items I addressed in my business plan:
having a good fiscal plan in place and keeping a tight control on overhead.
I have spent countless hours looking at what is done in successful
businesses that share my same model. Those businesses all share components
that are similar *management* styles and policies, as well as strict
*financial* policies, and quality control.

Since you have experience in the industry, don't hesitate to pass on
anything that you think will help my business. Feel free to email me. I
value input from those who have the experience.
Dave