Restaurant search

[joed617]

Sure will Debi, I'll post with directions..

Joe

 

[joed617]

Hi Daun, Eeeck, yard work.. we live in the city so no mowing, planting .. I wish I was open on St Pat's day.. the streets were mobbed.. I knew there was some red tape but didn't know it was waist deep. lol

Joe

 

[joed617]

Hey Richard, we are on the home stretch but it seems to get longer and longer. I'll be posting pics when the place gets a li'l more cleaned up.. and we move the equipment back into the kitchen.

Keep the faith,

Joe

 

[monty]

Heya, Joe!

Looks like it is all coming together fast! April cannot possibly come soon enough for me! I am looking forward to walking through your front door! Best wishes for smooth sailing from here on in!

Cheers!

 

[joed617]

It figures.. lol the Architect has been on vacation all week and is comming back tomorrow. So I lost a week .. I ordered the new hood, the guys are comming to clean the vent tomorrow <they have to cut cleanout doors into the existing duct work> Makes me wonder given the age of the duct work and how long it's been there if anyone ever cleaned it out? Still looking for a plumber, They come by and never get back to me .. <any helpful hints Rodger>? Other than that we are still moving forward .. Time to get going.. by the way I really hate painting and it looks like I'll be painting again today ..

Joe

 

[tonto1117]

Joe, I really admire you determination and paitence!!!! This thread should be turned into a book so folks considering this know exactly what their in for. My hats off to you and your wife and family....this has really been a long haul.

 

[monty]

Joe, I really admire you, your wife and whatever family are involved! Remember that it takes a lifetime of reality to follow a dream! I am in the same boat and rowing hard beside you!
God Bless!

and

Cheers!

 

[bud's bbq]

Hi Joe, Bud here. Tonto and I do the Q here in West Michigan. Been reading through this thread and what an inspiration.....you have gone througth the torments of the damned. Lived and worked in NYC 15 years ago and they didn't make it easy to add a room on your house let alone what you are battling. As Tonto mentioned, we are trying to get Sox tickets and plan a trip to Boston later in the Summer. We'd love to stop by for some victuals! Good luck and God speed.

 

[deejaydebi]

Hmmmmmmmmmm

Maybe a mini gathering in Boston for the grand opening?

No pressure there Joe!

 

[monty]

Oooooh! Food for thought, Debi! Smell the smoke already! Or is it the thought process? I'll get it figgered!

Cheers!

 

[tonto1117]

That would be tooooo coool. Count us in, daughter lives on Long Island and make it there all the time....Boston is just a quick hop, skip and a jump away.

 

[joed617]

Hey Tonto, It's been a very long haul. Thanks for the "hats off" It's starting to read like a book. hmm "The pit falls <no pun intended> of opening a bbq restaurant". No matter how much research you do there is always something.. BTW the patience is wearing thin. read the story of the guys that came to clean the vent on sunday.

Joe

 

[joed617]

Hi Monty, It's been myself, my wife and son doing the work, We do have a master electrician that come in on weekends.. but we pull the wires and he wires the box and outlets. I think I need a smaller boat to lighten the load. laugh ..

Joe

 

[joed617]

LOL, no pressure at all Debi, Compaired to what's We've been through this sounds like a piece of cake. I think a mini gathering would be cool. BTW Debi, I got a stainless steel 6 faucet beer tap.. new on e-bay.

Joe

 

[joed617]

Hey Bud, So you're the "better half" ducking .. How did you become a sox fan <if you are> after living in NYC? Just shows you have some class <kidding> Would be great to meet the folks from here. This thread has gotten HUGE. The laws concerning food and food prep, food saftey course <I scored a 93%> now we are almost set for the alcohol course, I have to remember to sign up. We got the ok for the beer and wine license in Boston now we have to wait for the state to check out background. Then if I haven't commited a felony or killed anyone in the process of opening this place <kidding> the chances are good we'll be approved.

Joe

 

[joed617]

The Cleaning of the vent story or "saga"

I hired a company to give me an estimate on cleaning the vent, The hood isn't installed yet so this was easy for them to inspect. I got a price of 950.00 to do the job and had to sign a contract. The hood contract states "The vent will be cleaned to code 96 of the NFPA." and that there is alot of grease build up in the vent that has to be scraped and sprayed with chemicals and steam. to access panels cut in and a drain plug. I signed the contract and faxed it back to them. They came this past sunday to do the job at 3pm. 3 men were there for 5 hours and worked maybe 3.5 hours on the job. They were upset that the vent was REALLY thick with grease. I said that's why I hired the company to come clean it. They were disgusted and one of the guys went into the basement and turned the water down to a trickle. Then they told me that the water pressure was too low. They had already started the cleaning and just had the straight trunk left to do. They called in anouther truck <the owner of the company> and he didn't know they turned the water pressure down. I had the building owners key and went into his space to check the water pressure, sure enough it was good .. I told them they could run a hose from there.. To make a long story short they stopped working. Didn't clean up after themselves, I have grease on my new walls, puddles of grease on the floor. Buckets of grease on the smoker. So yesterday <monday> the guy who bid the job called me and we had a nice long talk. I toild him that someone turned the water pressure down and nobody from his crew would admit it. I told him why would I turn it down when I want my vent cleaned. My son said one of the guys went into the basement and was looking up at the water pipes. So I gave the him the guys name. He said he would follow up on it and get back to me. This was a 20 minute phone call. Here is the kicker. I didn't get a call all day when i got home I had an e-mail from the company saying that it would cost another 970.00 to finish the job. So I wrote back and told him I have a contract signed and the fax number/date and time stamped when i faxed it to his office. I told him to call me on the phone or have the owner call me to straighten this out. Not to mension my wife bought these guys cold drinks and my son supplied them with cigarettes. To make a long story short they didn't finish the job they started, they new there was heavy grease when they came and inspected it to give me a quote. So now I have to deal with these folks today. I'm not a happy camper and would never recommend them to clean a dog house at this point. So they started he job, cut in one of the 2 access panels, left the place a mess that my son has to mop up the floor. We tracked grease into the dinning floor area and into our cars. BTW I am a member of the Massachusetts restaurant assoc. and thats where I got these people, from thier web page so if the job is not completed this week and done according to the contract I will be making a few calls. <Also it's good to have a brother that's a lawyer in the family> Just another day in the life of "The pit falls of dealing with incompentent companies" nuff said.. will keep you up dated and I'm not going to pay another 970.00 to get the vent cleaned when i have a contrat that states the price of 950.00 .. that's more than double the estimate.

Joe

 

[tonto1117]

OMG.....I'm not even sure what to say.....my blood pressure went up just reading this and I can't imagine what your's is(you probably should seriously check it) !!!!!!!! Will it never end???......seems like the fates should cut you some slack already.I sure hope these a**holes step up and do the right thing, maybe a nicely worded letter on your brother's law firm stationary at least might make them think. I'm so sorry for you Joe, let us know what happens.

 

[pigcicles]

Joe, I don't think I could take that... maybe it's time for some southern justice.. gut shoot 'em and make them walk to their hanging - smile when it's over and serve iced tea

Good luck with the contractors

 

[cajunsmoker]

Try talking to your local plumbing/health inspector. They usually can't recommend individual company's but they normally have a list of companies that do the type of work you are looking to have done. That usually will keep you from having any future problems with the inspectors as they know what the reg's are and how to implement and or get around them

 

[joed617]

I spoke to the owner of the company and he's not going to finish the job. So I called the massachusetts restaurant assoc. and talk to the president and told him the story. I also said that if this is the type of people that they have on thier website it's not making the assoc. look good at all and what's the use of being a member because I thought that this assoc. could be trusted to have proffessionals listed on thier web site. So, The president is going to call them and have a talk. He also gave me some names of other folks that do this type of work, I made the calls and will NOT be paying for the work that wasn't completed. <Yes Tonto, I am boiling.. it's the Italian blood in me> I called another company and told them the same story and they were shocked. Guess I'm going to the food trade shows in April as well as the restaurant shows and I'll put a good word for this compamny that did me so well. BTW the owner of the company .. a real **&^ hole .. He basicly said lets not point fingers on who turned the water supply down. Like that was my plan to screw them up so they couldn't finish the job I needed to have done. <rolling eyes here> .. Reminds me of the Blues song "If I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all." But it won't get me down, I have to finish this and get it open <now by the end of april of beginning of may> will be getting another estimate to finish the cleaning job.

Joe