It has been an exciting, exhausting, surprising, and life-changing two
weeks.

First, I have to say thank to all who have sent e-mail messages and
well-wishes through the newsgroup. There is no way that I have time to
answer each individual message. But I thank you all; you are a wonderful
group of friends.

For those who attended the grand-opening, I was so very touched by the
generosity of your time and friendship. I had a wonderful time getting to
know the folks behind the signature lines. Believe me, everyone that came
is a stellar person that you all would be glad to know. I wish that I had
had more time with each of you. Yes, even those in that special place that
only booze can take you :-). Big Jim and Chef Juke helped keep things
on-track for the huge number of customers that showed up for the grand
opening.

The days are long, and the customer list is growing daily. I anticipate
that we will be averaging about $1800.00 per day in sales per day as things
begin settling down to normal. That is more than three times my initial
projections for the first six months. We have had to add additional staff
and they are terrific. I had to fire one -- Ben -- who turned out to be a
schmoozer/know-it-all/ general, all-around-irritating little s***. He
decided he was too good for kitchen clean-up..... I decided Dave's
Pit-Smoked Bar-B-Que was too good for him.

We have made several adjustments to everything from menu items to kitchen
layout. Chef, you'll be happy to know that we have a expeditor/ food
assembly set-up that is fast, efficient and safe.

We have developed a large and loyal following already. I have enjoyed
getting to know my customers, and I love welcoming the many new guests that
walk through the door each day. I just wish I could spent far more time
doing it rather than be in the kitchen.

The barbecue is wonderful. I hesitate to toot my own horn, but I marvel at
what comes out of that Ole Hickory. I've been able to meet the demand, but
I am amazed that production 'Q comes so close to what I produce at home.
Tonight I have 22 butts and 16 briskets going for the full day tomorrow. In
the morning I'll add 22 racks of ribs and 16 chickens for the lunch and
afternoon crowd. At 1:30 pm, I'll put on another 20 racks and 20 chickens
for the dinner crowd.

Trust me when I say to those who are dreaming of opening a 'Q joint: What
you imagine it will be like, is as different as apples and aardvarks from
reality. Planning and building the joint has little relation to running a
restaurant. I am enjoying it, but it has taken tremendous adaptation and
determination to make this new role work and become a success. It will be
some months to come before I feel I will be out of the "newbie" stage.

Big Jim, you da man. Our family and friends love you. I owe you more than I
can say. I call you soon.

Chef Juke, I'm glad you aren't charging me a consulting fee :-) As with
Jim, we all love you up here. You really helped me to iron out the big
rough spots with the kitchen.

--
Dave
Dave's Pit-Smoked Bar-B-Que
http://davebbq.com/