Market Research

Our visit to Economy Restaurant Equipment was postponed until Monday because of staff in-service training. Chef Larry gave us a short lecture on planning a kitchen, the things you need to think about: essentially, food flow, people flow. Remember, "a freezer is a black hole," so get a small one. And you want to design so that the waiters come into the kitchen as infrequently as possible, "if at all." ("Oh, it's definitely 'us vs. them'".)

We did two written exercises on profit and loss statements, calculating subtotals and percentages and getting more familiar with the template P&L document, which is set to the NRA (national restaurant association) standard, starting with Food and Beverage Sales, decreased by Food and Beverage Expenses to get Cost of Goods Sold. My classmates were astounded to hear that they'd have to pay royalties to play music in their restaurants, even if it was just music off their personal iPods.

At 10, we were dismissed in order to do site surveys. Andrea and Andy met Derrick and I in front of the Office Depot in Emeryville, then we took a short driving tour of the vicinity. We stopped at the site and peeked through the cracks in the curtained windows, excitedly talking about the changes we'll need to make to our plans now that we've all had a chance to see the place. "I wish there was someone here to let us in," Andrea said.

Then we took a drive through the 'hood. First, under the freeway (across the Clty Line) and into Oakland, where it was a mere block and a half before we saw a lady of the .... morning, actually. Those lucite heels are a dead giveaway. In the other direction, we drove past recently erected condominium complexes, all metal railings and angles, "now selling in the low $700s." We cruised through the Bay Street district, which Derrick compared to Santana Row, but I had to tell him that Santana Row is far better, family loyalties being what they are. We drove north on San Pablo for a few blocks, and I pointed out the card room, which possibly deserves mention in our report as an "indirect competitor." We circled the Pixar campus and concluded our tour at Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe, in order to get a first-hand look at one of our direct competitors. Andy was annoyed that the orange-haired pigtailed waitress called Andrea "babe," but didn't give him the same courtesy. We analyzed the restaurant's Q factor: all the edible items that are provided to the diner at no cost. While there's nothing in the way of amuse bouche, the table is cluttered with sugars (five kinds), honey, mustards, ketchup, salt and pepper shakers and tabasco, green and red. "That's a lot of money on an annual basis if they're not accounting for it," Andy said. He hasn't been sleeping through class.

On our way back to the car, we passed Rudy's kitchen entrance, where a dozen or more empty cardboard boxes cluttered the stairs, overflowing onto the sidewalk. "At CityLine, we will have a box flattener," Andy noted. He's in charge of the labor scheduling. He and Andrea headed back to the City, where they both work restaurant shifts this afternoon and evening. I dropped Derrick off at MacArthur BART, and now I'll continue working on my recipe pricing.

Happy Friday!