My First Born

Well this weekend has been full and wonderful, not of the pursuit of restaurateuring, but of the pursuit of happiness.... joy immeasurable.... my baby graduated this weekend (on my birthday)!  And let me tell you this Momma couldn't be any prouder.  Twenty two years of hard work, devotion and perseverance has awarded him a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Out of that has come an honors award for his senior project, second place in the National AMES Senior Design Awards Competition, an LLC with a patented design and interested VCs, and an excellent job with Union Pacific Railroad!  Ok, I'm sorry, I had to gloat a little......

On to restaurants.  Last Thursday and Friday, we got a little excitement about the building permit, but as of today, still no word!  Thursday Bill calls me and says, "Louise, we've got to meet with the landlord!  I've talked with building, there's just a few simple comments, the fire department has some issues that can be cleared up with an extra exit.  We need approval from the landlord."  So in a flurry of phone calls and meetings with the landlord, his superintendent, and the Fire Marshall, I think, ok we should get this thing wrapped up way sooner than I was expecting after my conversations with two other local restaurateurs with horror stories. 

Here's the catch, the architect's already to redraw it up and resubmit, but we haven't even gotten the official comments back.  I'm afraid they'll all change and we'll have to redraw them again.  That my friends cost more money. Ka-ching!  Now I know I went into this with my eyes wide open, and everyone I chose for the team, architect, kitchen designer, and contractor all have years of restaurant experience, and you get what you pay for.  But, there's no preparation for dealing with the idiosyncrasies of small, local municipalities who'll run you around on a wild goose chase.  There's all these rules, codes, ordinances within each department and they're all open to interpretation and preference as to how they're dealt with.  How can the hand talk to the foot?!  The ABC, CEHD, RVSD1, ADA, SABD, RVFD, please!  And yet, each one of them is charging me some hefty permit fees, what a racket! Please people, let me get open so I can make a living.

It costs a lot of money to be a small business owner.  Shop local and support the businesses you love, especially those that give back to the communities you live in. 

Still no comments back from building and/or fire......

Ah, but I have faith!