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K.Snyder;1371571 wrote: It seems you have it worked out...

Have you seen kitchen nightmares with Gordon Ramsay?

Love that show, maybe you can get some pointers... :yh_wink


I don't think Oscar's vocabulary needs any help.

Bruv;1371576 wrote: I don't think Oscar's vocabulary needs any help.


:wah::wah::wah:

I loathe Gordon Ramsey and refuse to watch his revolting programmes....

Helping at the Turkish Take-away for years, they are very hot headed people and again, I hated the mad panic they get Into.... There Is just no need for It. Don't they realise how much wasted energy they burn up getting Into useless flapping?

Kev.... We are English... we do everything calm and collected with the Dunkirk Spirit and a stiff upper lip.

I don't like the egotistic foul mouthed bully either.

The madness of a busy kitchen is one hell of a buzz, one of the things I liked about it.

It is totally frantic at times so tempers flare, not much fun at the time, but looking back and what you achieved it's like running a marathon.

I was turned off of his assertiveness at first as well but after watching his shows, to be honest, these people really have no standards, are lazy, and very much risk the health of anyone entering their restaurants to the point of almost certain death. I honestly sympathize with the attitude he's taken after seeing this filth and he's come across as genuinely caring about the restaurant industry.

After accepting these morons deserve some intense criticism I've found myself amused at his tone.

These incredibly ordinary people on Hell's Kitchen have not a finger length of class so yes I find it to be a bit funny when he tells them to **** off because honestly they need to. Great television.

Sure it's quite obvious to me he's reliving his rise to stardom through television but so what? He's funny as hell

Plus I've no problem with Scots like you English do :yh_bigsmi

Only one thing I agree with in that whole thing.

"He's funny as hell"

Not funny ha ha though.

Only one thing wrong there Kev... 'He's funny as hell'..... No he's not and In fact I quite dislike the Idea of him portraying us English In that way.

My resturant will be nothing like Ramsey or some of the dives he makes a mockery of...

No... Mine will have clientele such as this :wah:



Funny! Basil gives Manuel a language lesson - Fawlty Towers - BBC - YouTube

oscar;1371601 wrote: I quite dislike the Idea of him portraying us English In that way.




Psssssssssst.....he's a Scot.....sshhhh

Bruv;1371605 wrote: Psssssssssst.....he's a Scot.....sshhhh


He's still a foul mouthed pig. :mad::mad:

"Hey, you know that Gordon Ramsay guy? He has 3 Michelin stars and owns 3 television shows... A real star he is... He's British you know?"



"Oh yeah, you mean that tall blonde haired fellow?"

"Yeah, that's the guy. A real Brit he is! Determined, dedicated, passionate..."

Yeah, he's a sexist you know?"

"DUMB SCOT'S GIT!!!!!!"

I read the start of this thread and, admittedly, not all of it. My ex is a chef and I'm leery of restaurant ventures as they have a massive failure rate. What I seriously think is that, without a renown chef, you need a unique atmosphere that people will feel drawn to. It has to have good food but the atmosphere is ultimately the make or break.

koan;1371625 wrote: I read the start of this thread and, admittedly, not all of it. My ex is a chef and I'm leery of restaurant ventures as they have a massive failure rate. What I seriously think is that, without a renown chef, you need a unique atmosphere that people will feel drawn to. It has to have good food but the atmosphere is ultimately the make or break.


I agree with everything you have said.

To me the most Important thing Is good food, well cooked, well presented, reasonably priced and a varied selection. Hopefully, that will bring people back. Cleanliness Is also a must,

Getting the right atmosphere Is Important and the furnishings, the lighting and even the background music all help. I want the place to be family friendly and welcoming whilst having standards. It's why I Insisted on white and black linen tablecloth's as an example.... nothing worse than tacky plastic table cloths.

The first Oscar All Day Special has been finalised.

The first months offer will be:

Philli Chesse Steak.

On Ciabatta bread roll, Tender strips of Grilled Rib Eye Steak on a bed of Cos Lettuce and Tomatoe, fried mushroom, melted Provolone Cheese and Dill Pickle.

With a choice of fries or wedges.

Pecan Pie and cream.

£6

oscar;1371649 wrote: The first Oscar All Day Special has been finalised.

The first months offer will be:

Philli Chesse Steak.

On Ciabatta bread roll, Tender strips of Grilled Rib Eye Steak on a bed of Cos Lettuce and Tomatoe, fried mushroom, melted Provolone Cheese and Dill Pickle.

With a choice of fries or wedges.

Pecan Pie and cream.

£6


Now that sounds really yummy...and what a good price.

theia;1371694 wrote: Now that sounds really yummy...and what a good price.


It's a lost leader at that price Theia but believe It not, there Is still profit there.

We are doing a different lost leader each month which we hope will continually attract new customers.

The menu's are going off to the printers In the morning and tonight we sat down to the guest list for the opening night,

The kitchen Is being fitted this week and we are painting and fitting new lighting also. We should have an opening night In 3 weeks now.

Ok folks... Please excuse the mess.

The place Is being painted, new lighting etc etc going In so these are the before pics.

Ist Is the first level where most likely the breakfasts will be served to attract the truckers and passing trade In the mornings once we get going.

Left hand side. Door to an office.

Attached files

2 nd pic Is taken from the resturant level looking up to right hand side of the breakfast area. Showing bar In the middle.

Mr Oscar is standing around looking busy... errr not.

Attached files

oscar;1371649 wrote: The first Oscar All Day Special has been finalised.

The first months offer will be:

Philli Chesse Steak.

On Ciabatta bread roll, Tender strips of Grilled Rib Eye Steak on a bed of Cos Lettuce and Tomatoe, fried mushroom, melted Provolone Cheese and Dill Pickle.

With a choice of fries or wedges.

Pecan Pie and cream.

£6Do you buy your ingredients from local farms?

K.Snyder;1371733 wrote: Do you buy your ingredients from local farms?


It's something we are looking at Kev.

We have looked hard at suppliers and last night we decided to make our own burgers rather than buy them In. OK It's going to be more work and preparation but how nice to put on the menu 'Home Made 100% beef burgers'? great for kids... no additives.

The best steaks are from a supplier who hangs his beef for a minimum of 3 weeks. There are local farms around here and we will look into what they have to offer... again.. how nice to put on the menu... 'Local reared beef'?

So.....you are going up market.

Hope you have a spell checker on your menu.......sorry.

Bruv;1371737 wrote: So.....you are going up market.

Hope you have a spell checker on your menu.......sorry.


You know me too well :wah:

Mr O did take the liberty of asking the printer to proof read and make any amendments as he also knows me too well.

Wish you lived a bit nearer... would love you to come to the opening night.

oscar;1371743 wrote:

Wish you lived a bit nearer... would love you to come to the opening night.


Who me ?



Sat in the corner grumbling about the service, the size of the portions, the heat of the peas.......the loud manageress/owner ?

Bruv;1371756 wrote: Who me ?



Sat in the corner grumbling about the service, the size of the portions, the heat of the peas.......the loud manageress/owner ?


Yeah You but with the Mrs of course. If she couldn't make It, I'd even supply The Daily Mail for you to sit In the corner tutting over.

You know those clubs that you'd never join because you'd never join a club that would have you as a member?

When is this opening?

Pictures are great.

flopstock;1371777 wrote: When is this opening?

Pictures are great.


We are looking at around the 25 th of this month.

The walls and the bar have to be painted and new lighting put In but that will only take a few days. Kitchen is being re-furbed but I have all the equipment ready to go In. I will get some more pics when It's all finished.

I am exhausted.....

Last night we had a dry run and Invited 40 teenagers along for a buffet.

The actual resturant Is still to be painted and new lights to go In but I got my alcohol licence Friday.

It started off rather formal and by the end of the night It was positively raucous. The music got turned up to the max and there was some serious boogying going on to Desmond Decker. We ended up turning all the lights off and moving the tables to make a dance floor.

The bar did well and I sold out all the bottled lager I got In and by the end of the night, I was selling shots. Over 18's with ID of course !!!!

Still,It was good experience of dealing with a large crowd all at once and they enjoyed the food, that's the main thing.

What's happened? Did you open eventually?

What reminded me of this was we have a restaurant that's been part of our town for all my life. It closed down recently because the owners wanted to retire and obviously there was no one to take it over. Another younger couple a few months later decided to make a go of it so they gave it a paint of magnolia (very imaginative) and placed plastic wipe down blue and white squared table clothes on the tables. And that's it, they made no effort to lighten the place by painting a very dark bar area a lighter colour and make it more appealing. They carried on with those evil metal tea pots that don't pour, the one plus side is they also kept the old mugs and cups and saucers which were of a sensible size. Most cafe's nowadays seem to follow the fashion for those awful wide mouthed cups, bit like soup bowls where your tea or coffee is cold in seconds :wah:

Myself and my family supported this new venture but slowly watched it go down hill, too many kitchen staff when they had a dwindling lunch clientèle. No idea why they lost so much of their lunch trade as it was an incredibly popular place for the over 60's to eat, being on the flat and close to a car park making access really easy. The two new owners appeared to want to just be hosts and not do the groundwork, preferring to get loads of staff in which was silly really, surely that comes when you've run it a few years and built up your business?

Now closed once again the restaurant just sits there, everything is still on the tables, the awful table cloths, salt, pepper and bottles of vinegar, the menus and the sugar bowls are all still there looking like at any minute it could just re-open. No sign on the door thanking customers that did support them with an explanation of what went wrong. It's like they just shut up one Wednesday and decided not to return :wah:

It's now become a pipe dream of my brother my sister and I that we'll take over the place and get it running again, making improvements and changing the menu about, it's all pie in the sky but it's nice to imagine what we would do.

Funny, I was thinking of this thread recently and thought of updating It.

Much has happened since.

I had a business partner.... a guy who was a friend of a friend and must stress nothing to do with my Turkish pals.

We got right to the pint of signing the lease and signing contracts and It all started when one night he told me It would be far easier to bank all the takings In his account. errrrr scuse me ?????

Just before we were due to open, we had a finance guy come out to get us to sign the finance on the whizz bang electric pizza oven. During this meeting the finance guy Informs us that he would agree the finance In my name only but not my partner's.... hmmmmm bells began to clang.

Then we got to dealing with the lease and fuel bills and suddenly he wants everything In my name only. Big Ben started to chime.

To cut a very long story short, I had him Investigated.

Turns out, he opened 9 resturants, and had 8 declared bankrupt. Each time, he just changed his name and went around the corner and opened another one.

He actually had the brass neck to be peeved that I had looked very closely at his dealings.

I went back to my bank and told them the truth of what happened and was gobsmaked when my business advisor told me he thought I had enough experience to go It alone.

So back to the drawing board with the costings. We sat down and decided that we would do a delivery service only for one year and then look for a bigger premises for a resturant.

I found a new suitable premises for the delivery service and we started to set about taking out the lease.

Ironically, I got a call about a week ago to tell me that my business partner had just declared himself bankrupt at the 9th resturant and surprise surprise, he had moved everything two miles and opened a new one under a new name.

This loophole In the law really needs to be closed. I had a close shave...

So did you take out a lease?

Good job you found out when you did. There's certainly some untruthful characters about.

Betty Boop;1401264 wrote: So did you take out a lease?

Good job you found out when you did. There's certainly some untruthful characters about. It was a bit complicated... he already had the lease and I was buying Into that lease but everything was In place. I had new kitchen equipment going In, the resturant was decorated, the signs made, menu's printed, we'd even opened for a couple of private parties.

I came so close to being ripped off big time. We still lost money because we had spent so much out, even the tableclothes and cutlery but no-where near as bad as It could have been.

At least going It alone, I won't have that again. Still, what doesn't break you makes you stronger.

oscar;1401267 wrote: It was a bit complicated... he already had the lease and I was buying Into that lease but everything was In place. I had new kitchen equipment going In, the resturant was decorated, the signs made, menu's printed, we'd even opened for a couple of private parties.

I came so close to being ripped off big time. We still lost money because we had spent so much out, even the tableclothes and cutlery but no-where near as bad as It could have been.

At least going It alone, I won't have that again. Still, what doesn't break you makes you stronger.


You're going to go it alone then?

Betty Boop;1401298 wrote: You're going to go it alone then? Will be, Yes.... will pm you with the finer details .... all the time there's the remnants of ( for legal purposes) what I believe to be a mad old stalker lurking here.

oscar;1401305 wrote: Will be, Yes.... will pm you with the finer details .... all the time there's the remnants of ( for legal purposes) what I believe to be a mad old stalker lurking here.


Blimey. ok.

This guy thinks he's going to strike it rich in an industry as unforgiving as any while he's claimed bankruptcy 9 times in the very same field? I doubt anyone is questioning how many attempts he's made but what is of concern is his expectation that he'll get a different result from the same means.

K.Snyder;1402047 wrote: This guy thinks he's going to strike it rich in an industry as unforgiving as any while he's claimed bankruptcy 9 times in the very same field? I doubt anyone is questioning how many attempts he's made but what is of concern is his expectation that he'll get a different result from the same means.


I actually believe It's like a culture to them. I was tipped off also that I'd never find a supplier while I was associated with him and he had to pay cash for his supplies.

It seems they open resturants, pay no bills for as long as they can get away with It and then declare themselves bankrupt before the bailiffs come In or some-one serves a winding up order on them. Then they just change their name and start again. It's a loophole here that our Government really needs to put a stop to.

oscar;1402157 wrote: I actually believe It's like a culture to them. I was tipped off also that I'd never find a supplier while I was associated with him and he had to pay cash for his supplies.

It seems they open resturants, pay no bills for as long as they can get away with It and then declare themselves bankrupt before the bailiffs come In or some-one serves a winding up order on them. Then they just change their name and start again. It's a loophole here that our Government really needs to put a stop to.Sounds like a clever homeless person. I wonder how long he can subside on cheating the system.

K.Snyder;1402391 wrote: Sounds like a clever homeless person. I wonder how long he can subside on cheating the system. Oh no, he's not homeless.. I know exactly where he lives and where his family live.

His brother has also been declared bankrupt various times... It's not bankruptcy by hard luck or misfortune... It's a game plan.... It's actually pre-meditated fraud.