OT - Anyone here own a restaurant?

There is one at Fayetteville (AR) Drake field that seems to struggle and
is not open on Sundays.

I always think these things should be open both weekend days.

Isn't that nuts? There are precisely two days for a restaurant to make $$$
on breakfast, and so many of them choose to be closed on half of them.

Close Monday, if you must -- but never Sunday morning.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

The cafe sort of European style with _real_ coffee and real cups.

Amen to that. It's got to be real coffee, or nothing.

(And I don't mean the $3 per cup Starbucks stuff. To sell a cup of coffee
for $3 is worse than selling a bottle of water for a buck -- you're catering
to ignorance, IMHO.)

After floundering around the first year with local suppliers, I now get the
coffee we provide to our guests (in our delivered-to-the-suite continental
breakfast) from an outfit in California that specializes in excellent
coffees. It comes in filter packets that our guests use to brew their own
fresh pot (all of our suites have full kitchens), so they only drink the
freshest, best coffee available.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Is there an
over supply of good steak restaurants around you? Think of it. Can you
give (within a millisecond) the recommendation of (one place) where you
would go for a slab? If not, the nitch is still available to be filled.

Strangely, no. The only place in town that serves steaks is for sale right
now.

Remember, Iowa City is the "anti-Iowa". Everyone here (thanks to the U of
Iowa) is young, wealthy, and active. Places that serve healthy food (read:
small portions) are plentiful. Places that serve a good slider and eggs are
non-existent.

I personally think that, given that market hole, a restaurant that filled
that niche would be a runaway hit. Especially with the Wal-Mart crowd.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I see a need for a dual restaurant. One, with a low profit margin, going
with the cheep burger and breakfast all day, more like a grill. Another
"fine food" with the killer atmosphere and fancy food, to suit the high
rollers that fly in for a fantasy weekend. Also, the people around town
that want to spend for the suite and/or a great meal, anniversary dinner,
or whatever have their night spot, and you get a higher profit margin.

We also want to make the first floor available for banquets. Banquet halls
are in very short supply in Iowa City, for some reason.

As I see it, you need to purchase that land. There is no other buy that
can give you the possibilities like attached land can give you. For that
plot, all you can say is location, location, location! g, and it does
not come available, every day.

Absolutely. I see that land as key to our future business -- to the point
where if we DON'T get the land, we may as well close up shop. (Depending on
what would be built there, of course...)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Just curious Jay, I have no idea what the economy in IA is like, what
kind of money are we talking about?

The Monk

Jay Honeck wrote:

Amen to that. It's got to be real coffee, or nothing.

http://www.badass-coffee.com/index2.htm

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

Jay Honeck wrote:

It's a university town. Unemployment is non-existent, everyone works for
the Gummint, and there are lots of underworked, over-paid people that have
time on their hands, yet eat out every meal.

But *your* customer base is mostly from elsewhere and doesn't fit that profile.
You should figure out what they are likely to want and try to provide that. You
are also in a unique position to match your hours of operation to the arrival
times of most of your guests, or perhaps provide room service at odd hours. I
still have unfond memories of checking into a hotel in Savanah five minutes
after the restaurant closed.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

Jay Honeck wrote:

We also want to make the first floor available for banquets. Banquet halls
are in very short supply in Iowa City, for some reason.

In that case, you might collaborate with some local organization. Here, many
fraternal orgs (like the Knights of Columbus) rent out their meeting halls as
banquet halls. Perhaps you could do the reverse.

There's also a diner in Edison, NJ (called "The Pines" for some reason not
involving trees that I can see) that does exactly what you have in mind. Most of
the money comes from being a typical New Jersey diner, but they have room for
banquet hosting.

Jersey diners are real phenomenae. Large meals, lots of selections, reasonable
prices, and open long hours. Don't know how they do it.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

("George Patterson" wrote)
But *your* customer base is mostly from elsewhere and doesn't fit that
profile.


I suspect 83% of his restaurant traffic will be local townsfolk.


Montblack

("Flyingmonk" wrote)
Just curious Jay, I have no idea what the economy in IA is like, what
kind of money are we talking about?


One example:

http://www.quadcommunitypress.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&subsectionID=9&articleID=1971
"Aviation-themed restaurant eyed for airport"
[Info and numbers for a new cafe and event center being built at (ANE)
Anoka-Blaine Airport, MN]

http://www.flightlineltd.com/
The "new" company putting it all together. Stock available at $1.00/share.

Craig Schiller has run Golden Wings Museum/Banqutes business for 6 years and
helped organized the National Air Tour in 2003, along with being involved
(usually in charge) of many other aviation related endeavors - organizing
the Collings Foundation (B-17, B-24) at ANE, getting four Tri-Motors over to
Oshkosh in '05, President of 'Discover Aviation Days Open House' at ANE,
etc.

He also works for/manages:
http://www.historicaviation.com
Historic Aviation publication

www.AircraftOwner.com
"Place your Classified ad or Photo Listing in Aircraft Owner"


Montblack