Get Out & Get the Word Out

I had put in my two weeks at the Inn at Sunset Cliffs & had been working diligently on a flyer for my latest balcony party at my apartment complex.  St. Patrick's Day was on a Saturday that year & it was gonna be the biggest bash we had thrown yet with three different musical acts & Mad Munch catering.

The ink cartridge ran out after I printed over 30 full color flyers to hand out & my boss was starting to ask questions about it.  Here was the final product:   

The best part of any job, in my opinion, is when you know you're leaving the job.  That's when you have nothing to lose & you take advantage of every benefit that is available.  

In this case, it was computer ink & it would help propel my upcoming event which wasn't just a party at my place but another opportunity to get plenty of eyeballs on Mad Munch's grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Filet Before My First Day

"Welcome aboard, Zach," Anna said & shook my hand.  "We'll let you know about driving the shuttle.  We have to run your DMV record but we'll start you at the front desk.  Can you start on Monday?"

"Absolutely," I said trying not to sound overly excited.  "I'll put in my two weeks notice tonight at my other job, so then I'll be all yours."

Anna escorted me out of the office & I went outside to unlock my bike.  Zack stopped next to me in the shuttle van.  "Hey, so when you start?"

"Monday.  Thanks a lot man, I really need this job," I said.

"Alright.  No sweat, man," he said & high-fived me.  "Dude, I'm off in about ten minutes why don't you meet me at the Ambassador's Lounge around the corner?  We'll get a drink to celebrate."

I walked in to the hotel bar on the first floor of the Comfort Inn a few blocks from the Best Western.  There were no windows, a lot of framed mirrors & even a small stage tucked into one corner.  There was only one other person in there besides me & the bartender.  I ordered a Pacifico draft & grabbed a seat at a high top table.

A guy with gray hair & a week's worth of stubble came in with a large brown paper sack from McDonald's.  "Filet of Fish?" he asked me.

"What?  Oh, sure," I said & he handed me one & made his way up to the bartender.  Zack then came in & the guy offered him one also.

"Well, that's never happened before," Zack said, pulling up a chair at the table.  "I never know what to expect when I come in here."

"Still warm," I said & we cheers our sandwiches.       

Be Thankful For What You Eat

Food is something that we all must have to survive.  It is not a luxury or a privilege.  So, don't ever take your next meal for granted.  

Be thankful that you have the means to pay someone to cook you a hot meal.  By doing so, you give them a purpose & the support to make their own living.  It's much more than a simple transaction- it provides sustenance for one & provides a livelihood for the other. 

Be sure to show them the respect that they deserve.  A simple, "Thank You," can mean so much.  Afterall, they are saving you the time & energy that it would take you to accomplish the task.    

Be grateful that you live in a place where food establishments are readily available (literally at your fingertips).  Remember, some folks in this world aren't nearly as fortunate & spend a large part of their day trying to figure out where their next meal will come from.

Keys to a Great Interview

It's funny how nailing an interview is so important to attaining a job, but they don't really teach you about it in school.  Kind of like balancing your budget, shopping for groceries, or doing laundry- every day life experiences that you are mostly "on your own" to figure out.  

Here's a few helpful tips for that I've found useful when going to a job interview:

• Do re-con on the company & the position you're hoping to get hired for.
• Show-up at least ten minutes before the scheduled interview time.
• Find common ground to talk about (not specifically related to the job itself).  It shows you have interests & are a good "people" person.  Companies usually want to hire someone with a great personality, someone who stands out from the crowd, not just another worker.
• Concentrate on making eye contact with your interviewer.
• Try not to take it too seriously.  Just think of it as any other meet & greet conversation you've had with a stranger.
• Talk about past work successes & problems that you've solved or overcome.  They love that kind of stuff.
• Think as if you got nothing to lose.  Imagine you have your pick of whatever job you'd like & that it would be in their best interest hire you on their team.         

These tips have helped me over the years.  I've held many jobs but, I pride myself on the fact that when I get an interview with a company, I've gotten hired nine out of nine times (100%). 

Set Goals to Get You There

After visiting the Southeast San Diego market I knew I had a place to set up & sell my grilled cheeses.  

That was only half the battle.  In order to serve there I needed a grill, a tent, tables, a hand-washing station, a cooler, cheese & bread.  And if that weren't enough, I also had to have to proper paperwork to show my legitimacy:  The TFF (Temporary Food Facility) permit, a Commissary Kitchen, a Food Manager's Card, & a Business Tax Certificate.

I needed a ballpark figure to give me a fundraising goal for Mad Munch.  So, one night at the Inn, I sat down & made an estimate of all of the expenses I would have to pay to get started:

Equipment:

Grill                                                               $220
Tent                                                                  270

Sawhorses & Wood (for tables)                       60

Water Jug (for hand-washing)                         30

Big Cooler                                                       45

Food Supplies                                                 100

Miscellaneous                                                 100 

Total Equipment                                            $825

Permits/Paperwork:

TFF Permit (annual)                                      $497

Commissary Kitchen (monthly)                     200

Food Manager's Exam (good for 5 yrs)           90

Business Tax (annual)                                      53 

Insurance (monthly)                                         75

Total Permits                                                  $915

Extra Cash for Gas, Supplies, Etc.                 $100

Total Target Amount for Startup =    $1,840.00

I spent only a couple nights finding out what I could online & came up with these rough estimates.  Sure, I padded some of the equipment & supply numbers, but now I had a number to work toward.  

One thing I knew for sure, was that I wasn't going to get there by staying at the Inn.  It was time for me to find a way to start making some real money I could save up.

Lessons from Higher Learning

My folks shipped me off in a truck full of furniture 4 1/2 hours down the road to Carbondale in August 2003.  It was my first apartment, living with two of my good pals from Lincoln College, DP & Chase.  

Now, I had a job working at the PBS TV station on campus, my own place & a full load of business & math classes to tackle.  A much different outlook from a summer spent without a steady job & living at home with my parents at age twenty.

Looking back, it was an exciting time- everything so fresh & new.  Yet, the classes I had to enroll for that first semester at SIU were also a mystery.  I still don't understand what Calculus & Finite Math have to do with running your own business, but for my Business Science major with a minor in Entrepreneurship they were required courses.  

I got through that first fall with straight "C's" & all things considered, I was pretty proud of myself.  I had heard plenty of tales of students who flunked out of Southern after only one semester.  

A professor at Lincoln had once told our class, "That's the most important lesson of college- learning to finish something.  Well, that & you'll learn far more outside of the classroom that you will ever learn inside of one."   

Marketing Expeditions

The next week I drove to Linda Vista, Alliant University outside of Poway, UTC (University Town Center) La Jolla & North Park to scout out their markets.  I filled out a checklist for each along with some extra notes:

Linda Vista:    Only 6-8 booths with plenty of room.  Cheap prices ($3 average- about half price of OB vendors).  A lot of Asian & Mexican Hot Foods with Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs (TJ Dogs) appearing to be the most popular.

Alliant U:    86'd (market has been cancelled for good)

UTC:    16-18 tents total, with a bigger selection of Hot Foods (Pizza, Oriental, New Orleans food) & mad samples.  I talked to Brian (Market Manager).  Fee = 10% of Gross & he said on a good day most hot food vendors will pull in $200-500 in gross sales.    

North Park:    Only 4 food Hot Food tents.  Market is mostly Produce & Condiments (2 tents with Cheese samples).  Average Price range of around $4-6.  Good vibe overall with good Live Music.  Similar to Kearny Mesa Friday lunch Market. 

The next day I went back out to scope out La Mesa & Southeast SD.

La Mesa:    Nice area with 6-8 Hot Food tents serving Pasties (an Upper Peninsula Michigan savory treat), Fish Tacos & Italian Meatball Subs.  There were also Coffee & Cupcake Trucks set up next to each other.  Average price around $6.

SE San Diego (Market St.):*    Brand NEW start up market (this was week 2).  Only 2 tents.  Met the managers:  Paul (Sausage) & Chad (Non-Profit Veggies).  Got biz card, they said I could set up next week for only $10/week, runs through November, Fridays 3-7pm.  "It's hit or miss on tents/customers," they said.  *Would be a good Practice Market to get my feet wet.  

(Farmers) Market Research

I put $21 worth of gas in my truck & headed over the big bay bridge to Coronado.  I was there to check out Coronado's Farmers Market.  That felt like a good one to start with since Coronado is only 12 miles from OB & I could watch the sunset from one of the nicest beaches in the world afterwards. 

I printed out a check list at the Inn ahead of time:

Market Name: _______________      Date: ____________      Open Hrs: _________

Weekly Fee: _________                   

1. Approximate # of tents?  Customers?
2. Are there Hot Comfort Foods?   Y or N
3. Is there an Eating Section?  Y or N
4. Is the Contact on hand?  Are they Nice?  Y or N
5. What's the Parking Situation (Always a question mark in California)  Easy or Tough?
6. Age Group / Demographic
7. Food Menu Price Range

The Coronado Market was on the bay side next to the ferry landing with beautiful views of the downtown San Diego skyline.  The ferry brought over about 10-30 people every half hour or so pretty much right to the entrance of the market.  I tried to find the contact from my market list (Mary H.) but she was not around & instead I was handed a business card.

Here's what my answers looked like on my first market scout trip:   

Coronado            Tues, 2/21/2012            2:30-6pm     Fee: ?

1. 10 tents
2. No
3. No, but park next door with picnic tables
4. Not Sure
5. Street Parking available walking distance
6. 30s-Seniors
7. No Hot Foods- Only Produce

The market did not look like a fit for Mad Munch, but I did take an amazing stroll on the beach next to the Hotel Del.  The sand there has these golden flecks that sparkle as the tide rolls in.  A real sight to be seen.  As I took down my notes I admired all of the pinks, purples, oranges & blues from an amazing winter sunset.  I felt like I was on the right path. 

Two Wheeled Insider Tips

I met up with my friend, Zack in Santee one afternoon in February 2012.  It was a nice warm day & we were riding our bikes on some paved trails in a park.  Getting some fresh air & chatting it up.

"I think I'm technically still on the payroll there but Gavin hasn't put me on the schedule since like October," Zack said.  Gavin was our boss at the Inn at Sunset Cliffs.  That's how I knew Zack.  We worked there together setting up & breaking down chairs & tables for wedding receptions. 

"That's weird they'd just leave you hanging like that," I said.  "Yeah, I've actually been looking for another job.  I just don't make enough there.  Alex & Liz have both put in their two weeks."

"Damn, they're both out, too?  Things really are changing at the Inn." 

"Yeah, it's gonna be weird without them working there.  How you liking it at the BW?" I asked.  We were riding side by side down the path.

"It's great.  I pick up guests from the airport, unload their luggage & drive people to the cruise ship terminal.  The tips are pretty good on cruise days.  I always go home with a wad of cash." he said & slammed on his breaks to stop.  

"Dude, you should apply there.  I bet they'd hire you.  One of the other drivers just quit & it pays more than the Inn."  

I knew the Best Western in Point Loma had ten times more rooms than the Inn & saw way more traffic.

"Really?  I've never drove a van for work before."  

"That don't matter.  You have a drivers license, right?  That's all you need," he said & laughed.  "Besides, when's the last time you got any tips working at the Inn?"

"True.  On Christmas this regular guest gave me $40.  Before that, I don't even remember."

"Well, cruise season is in full swing until May, man.  These old people are handing me fives all day!" Zack said.  He stopped his bike at some bleachers next to vacant a baseball diamond.  "I work tomorrow.  I'll ask my boss about it.  She's cool, I bet she'll go for it- at least give you an interview.  What d'ya say?"

"Hell yeah- thanks, man.  I'm down."

A First Date & A Budget Break

Kate & I started dating around the holidays but it wasn't until Valentine's Day 2012 that I took her out to dinner on an actual date.  We had been hanging out a lot watching football at Sunshine Company & at each others places, but it wasn't until the middle of February that I asked her out to dinner at the Venetian.  I picked her up in my truck & everything.  We sat in a booth, ordered some wine & ate some pasta.  

The food was good, the conversation even better & the bill was fantastic.  Kate offered to split the bill, but I insisted on getting it because that's the right thing to do.  And, I was really into her & didn't want her to think I was a cheap skate.

Later on that night, when I left her place & went into to work my overnight shift at the Inn, I checked my bank account.  It was something I did on the daily back then, & after some simple cowboy math, I realized that I would be pretty broke until my next check, the following Friday.  

I really liked Kate & had no regrets about paying for dinner that night- I was mad that I still couldn't afford to do the things that I really wanted to do (e.i. start Mad Munch up at the markets in San Diego).  

It was a real turning point for me.  

I did some more math with my budget & how much I needed to get the ball rolling with this business & I realized that the Inn at Sunset Cliffs just wasn't cutting it for me financially.  There was no room for growth there & two of my other co-workers were about to leave as well seeing the writing on the wall.  While I enjoyed the job & really valued the free time it offered me to research & develop my new idea, it was time to move on to Phase Two of California.  

Whatever that was gonna be.  

Market Freaking Moves

Back at the Inn one night shift, I quickly found a list of weekly farmers markets on the county's website.  There were times, addresses, contact names & phone numbers.  I made my own list of markets to check out in person.  With my days open, I could pick a date & hit several markets in a row.

Ocean Beach's Wednesday market was really the only one I'd ever been to.  When I first moved to San Diego in 2010, I used to go a lot & do my own self-guided taste test of the tent's offerings.  I'm sure some of the vendors were annoyed by me since I rarely (if ever) made a purchase.  At least I wasn't a double dipper!

We didn't really have farmers market's where I grew up, at least I never went with family or friends into Peoria to go looking for them.  So, it was cool to see a weekly event that brought out free food, live music & plenty of cheap entertainment via people watching. 

I was spoiled growing up with relatives living on farms, with football field sized gardens in their yard stocked with everything from turnips to zucchini to squash.  There were "U-Pick" strawberry farms in June & my grandma was making cinnamon applesauce in October.  My cousins sold sweet corn on the side of the road every fall.

But, none of that compares to the spectacle that the OB Wednesday market was/is.  No central Illinois pumpkin patch or Christmas tree farm could light a candle to that experience.  With that as my lone market exposure, I was excited to get out there see what the others had in store.           

Kearny Mesa Realization

I thanked Robert at the Department of Environmental Health & walked out to my truck with the two packets he gave me.  It was getting close to lunch time on Friday, but I was still tired from working the overnight at the Inn at Sunset Cliffs.  

I reclined the seat back of my GMC Sonoma & thumbed through the papers for a moment.  It looked like it would be close to $600 to apply for an annual permit to operate a food cart in San Diego County.  Where the hell was I gonna come up with that kind of scratch.  Annoyed & defeated, I began to dose off.

Beep, beep, beep!  The noise startled me awake.  It was a plain white van backing up in front of my truck.  There were several plain white pop-up tents scattered in a semi-circle in the parking lot.  Smoke was billowing out of the side of one of them.  I took a closer look.  They were cooking something.  I got out of the truck to check it out.  

There was a three-piece band playing some folksy sing-song jams with a guitar & a fiddle.  Under one tent a man was offering free samples of local hummus.  Under another, there were three guys busy cooking up street tacos.  A lady was selling tamales for $2 from coolers with a table set up in front.  Another lady was peddling out some necklaces & bracelets.   

I followed the end of a line to where the smoke was coming from.  There a guy was making crepes on a circular hot plate of sorts & the sign read "Made-to-Order Crepes $6."   

"What is this?" I asked a man standing in the line.

"It's the Kearny Mesa market.  Every Friday at lunch they have food & live music," he said.  He was wearing a government looking lanyard & everything seemed pretty legit.

Aaahhhhaaa!  

This was what I was looking for!  There were a bunch of farmer's markets in San Diego- there was one a few blocks from my apartment in OB, every Wednesday.  

Screw the cart- I needed a tent & a grill! 

Nobody Wants a Pre-Cooked Grilled Cheese

Desperate to find money to buy my grilled cheese cart, I decided to look into government funding.  I took Henry's advice & one Friday morning after work I drove to the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health in Kearny Mesa.  I didn't have an appointment, but Henry said that wouldn't matter.

"Hi, um yes, I was wondering if I could talk to somebody about what grants are available to start a food cart?" I asked at the reception desk.

"Okay, well I'm not sure if we have anything right now, but let me check with Robert, he would be the one to ask," she said & got on the phone to ring him up.  I waited patiently with my Mad Munch folder of documents.

"Hey Robert, this gentleman was asking if we currently have any grants for running a food truck."

"No, sorry it's actually a food cart," I interrupted her & pointed at the printout of the $800 Craigslist Ad.    

"Oh, I see," Robert said.  "So you wanna start your own hot dog cart, huh?"

"No, I want to sell grilled cheese sandwiches from this cart.  There's a bar in OB that said I could set up outside & sell to their patrons," I said.  "I was told to come here & see if you guys had any grants or small business loans available.  I need a little extra cash to get started out."

"Oh, grilled cheese?  Wow, that sounds good," Robert sounded impressed.  "Well, unfortunately right now we don't have any grants available, but it sounds like you're gonna need info on a Temporary Food Facility Permit or a 'TFF.'  And, for one of those you'll also have to have a Commissary Kitchen to cook the food ahead of time.  Let me grab you the info packet for both."

He returned with the stapled papers.  "So why do I need a commissary kitchen, again?" I asked.  "I was planning on storing food at home & just grilling on site with my cart."

"No, sorry, it doesn't work that way.   You'll need to store & cook all your food ahead of time at a county approved commissary before go out in your cart," he explained.

"Ahead of time?  Nobody's gonna want a pre-cooked grilled cheese.  They gotta be made fresh, to order,"  I couldn't believe what he was suggesting.  

"Well, technically with a cart you're just transporting the food- like with tamales & hot dogs.  They're already fully-cooked so you're just reheating them for your customers.  So you'd have to do the same with your grilled cheese sandwiches."

"How would I know how many to make?"

"You'd have to figure that out ahead of time," he explained.

Look Out for the "Looky-Lous"

When you open up the doors of your small business you're subjecting yourself to criticism.  Not just on social media (though that seems the most popular these days) but over the phone, & from store walk-ins.  

Many people are quick to compare you to something similar or familiar to them, even though you have no idea of what they're talking about.   

A lot of folks are on vacation, visiting from somewhere far away & have nothing but time to dissect your every offering & give you untimely suggestions.

Others will be vocal about their dietary restrictions, & the discomforts that certain foods may cause them.  We never like to ask, & feel like it's none of our business.  I wouldn't bother my good friends with any allergy concerns unless they were life-threatening, let alone a complete stranger.

Then, you have your typical sales person: an extra perky human dressed in an embroidered polo shirt & nice pants who wants to know why you- a smart business owner, is spending way too much on your phone bill, internet service, credit card processing, pest control, uniform cleaning, etc.

It's what they don't warn you about in business school or when you're about to open your first location.  "The 'Looky-Lous' are coming & they're armed with plenty of unsolicited advice that you never asked for."

It comes from a good place, of course.  Even though they probably aren't going to buy anything to support this endeavor that you've sacrificed your heart & soul into for years.   It's good to know that they know you exist & that your business is on the tip of their tongue.  

God bless their hearts.

Free Time to Reflect

Every few weeks I'd get a phone call from DP who sounded like he was living the summer of his life: working construction by day & throwing raging parties every night at his apartment with Elia in Bloomington.  

For me though, the summer of 2003 was the complete opposite.  Outside of babysitting my two cousins a few times & helping my neighbor Borsch's family move to Michigan, I didn't have any other income coming in.  The good news was I didn't have any going out either: I lived with my parents & had no car or insurance to pay for.  

I had a lot of free time, something I wasn't used to after my last semester's workload at Lincoln & I was stir crazy most days.  I would go on long bike rides or hikes & cross off the days on the calendar until I moved to Carbondale for my junior year of college.  

While I did take the time to setup my class schedule, find an apartment off campus & get a job lined up for the fall semester at SIU, I missed having a social life living in rural Brimfield, Illinois.

Looking back, though, it was just the break I needed.  It gave me time to reflect at the young age of twenty & shift forward into business classes at the halfway point of my collegiate career.

Who Wants to Give Me Money?

I was on a hunt to find somebody, anybody to let me borrow $700.  I asked around the few friends I had in OB to no avail.  

Looking through my notes, I noticed the two Taste Test Surveys yielded around twenty email addresses.  I came up with a short pitch & attached a picture of the Chula Vista cart to an email that I copied & pasted to all of those connections.  Several people responded but no one was ready to shell out seven hundo.

Then, one night at work, I saw an email from SCORE for an upcoming seminar called "How to Raise Capital to Start Your Own Business."  I couldn't believe my luck!  

But, it was $35 to attend, so I figured I would just setup another free meeting with my mentor instead.  Maybe Henry would be able to point me in the right direction for no cost at all.  I emailed him & he was able to meet me downtown a couple days later.

"The SBA (Small Business Association) is a great source for securing funding.  You can apply online & if they like what they see you have your funds within a few weeks," Henry told me.

"A few weeks?  That won't work.  I need money now!"  I complained.  I was getting more comfortable with Henry.  

"Well, then call J.G. Wentworth," he laughed.  "Because the SBA is a non-profit that works with the government.  And, nothing they do happens very fast."

I felt the cart was slipping away.  Sure, I never had it within my grasp, but it was as good as gone.

"Speaking of government, have you talked to the Health Department yet?"  I shook my head no & he continued, "You should contact them & ask what grants they have available.  Maybe they can help out."

Seven Hundred Short

I drove down to Chula Vista the next day to check out the $800 cart that was posted on Craigslist.  I barely had $100 in cash & coins to offer her.  The cart was parked in her driveway & looked like it hadn't been there very long.  

"Well, here it is," Anna said. 

I think I just wanted to see a cart up close.  Ask some important sounding questions, like I knew what the hell I was talking about.  

"Eight hundred, huh?" I asked.  "And, your ad said that it has all the city permits."

I ran my hands over the stainless steel & tried to visualize what the late night food hustle would look like outside of Winston's on a Saturday night.

"Yep, cash only.  And, yes, it's all up to date with the city," she said, opened a small compartment & showed me the white & blue inspection sign with an "A."

I kicked the tires, swished my finger around the bottom of the sink & opened the mini refrigerator to admire it's cubic depth.  "Well, I have to talk to my partner about it, but it looks like it could work," I said, twisting both knobs of the grill top.  "Would you take six hundred?"

"No, sorry.  My husband & I are pretty firm on eight," she said.

"Alright then, I've seen what I need to, thanks.  I got your number & will get back to you in a few days." 

I shook her hand, climbed into my '92 GMC Sonoma & drove back to OB thinking of anyone I knew there that would be willing to front me seven hundred bucks.    

Finding Your Way In

I took my menu of nine different grilled cheese sandwiches from the second taste test & walked over to Winston's Beach Club one Monday afternoon.  There was nobody there except for a manager named Steve behind the bar.  His salt & pepper hair was slicked back & he had a sleeve of tattoos on each arm.  I showed him my menu & asked about setting up a cart late night.

"Well, we had a hot dog guy that came out for a while, but he got in trouble with the city over permits or something," he said, "so that didn't pan out.  Then, there was a different cart- Hot Diggity Dog, but they moved over to the corner on Cable [Street]."  Steve didn't seem excited about it.

"I'm doing grilled cheeses & I'd be able to setup Friday, Saturday & Sunday nights," I told him.  "People really like my menu, there's a bunch of different options.  And, it's way better than hot dogs."

"Your menu looks good," he said with a nod.  "But, what does your cart look like?  Is it small enough to fit on the sidewalk out front or is it a trailer that would have to park in the alley?"

"Right now I'm in the process of getting a cart.  I'm heading down to Chula Vista tomorrow for this one," I showed him the same printout I showed my relatives the week before.  I still didn't have the $800, didn't know where the hell I was gonna get it, but I today was about finding my way in.  

"The lady claims it has all of the permits.  I talked to her on the phone earlier & she said it's ready to roll."

He nodded at the printout.  "Alright, well let me know when you get it.  Here's my card.  I'll pass your menu along to the owner later this week.  I'm not sure if this is something he wants to deal with again.  At the end of the day, he'll have the final say on it."

"Well, thanks for your time, Steve," I said & shook his hand.  "I'll follow up with you later this week."  

  

Look for Funding All Around to Find Out

I went back home to Illinois for the holidays in 2011 armed with a some Craigslist printouts of several food carts & trailers for sale.  The plan was to pitch the idea to my folks & other relatives at a Christmas party to see if anyone would be interested in backing my grilled cheese operation.

"I've done a ton of research & even hosted a couple of taste tests," I told anyone who would listen.  "The response was great & I know there's a demand for a late-night grilled cheese cart.  I can make some serious money, but I just need to buy a cart first."

"How much do they run?" my grandpa asked.  

I showed him a printout with a used hot dog cart in Chula Vista. "This one's only $800 but it already has the necessary County Health Permits.  So, that would save me some time," I said.

"Where would you set up at?" he asked.

"There's this nightclub in Ocean Beach called Winston's & they've had a hot dog cart outside before & he cleaned up, but he recently moved," I said.  "So, now it's available.  I just gotta go talk to 'em."

"Well, Zach.  It sounds like you're on the right path & I know you're gonna work your ass off on it.  I hope it works out for ya.  Good luck," my grandpa said & walked back into the living room.

Later after my relatives all went home, I showed the the ads to my dad.  "How much do you got to throw down?" he asked.

"Like $100, but I'd pay you back the rest," I said.

"Yeah, right," he laughed.  "I've seen how you budget your money.  If you really wanna do this you'll find some way to do it on your own.  Cause I'm not gonna give you any more of my money."

Back Home Again in Central Illinois

"Where are you, Zach?"  My mom handed me the portable phone.  I was still in bed.

"Hello?  Who is this?" I answered.

"It's Timothy with Vector.  And, you're supposed to be here with your 'A-List' of contacts."

"Sorry...Timothy, I'm not coming in today or back ever.  You see, I'm not really cut out for this sales thing, so I'm out.  Good-bye."  I clicked the phone off, put it down on the night stand, & rolled back under the covers. 

"So, was it a Pyramid Scheme, like I thought," my mom asked.

"Yeah, they wanted me to make a list of all of my relatives who need new knives & then go to their house & make a whole presentation pitch," I said.

"Well, there's other jobs out there,"  she said & set the Journal Star classifieds on the night stand.  "You can't just sleep all day.  Follow up on some of these."

It was June 2003, & I'd been home from Lincoln for almost a month & still couldn't find a job.  Brimfield was a country town of around nine-hundred people & without a drivers license or my own car it was hard to find work without either.  A couple prospects went all the way to an interview but that was the deal breaker for both.

"What the hell's goin' on man?  You still living at home?"  It was DP.  He lived about an hour away in Bloomington.  "Why don't you move in with me & Elia?  We got a spare room for ya & it's a party here every night.  Only $350 a month."

I stared down at my oatmeal at the kitchen table.  I was still in my pajamas.  "No way, man.  I wish I could, but I'm flat broke.  I can't get a job anywhere.  I even tried to sell knives door to door, but I quit after a day."

"What?  You a door-to-door knife salesman?" DP laughed for a good thirty seconds.  "Wow, that does suck.  Well, if you change your mind let me know.  I gotta go.  It's my turn to play beer pong.  See ya, later man."   

The IRS Gets a Taste

A few days later, I applied on online for an Employer Identification Number.  When you start your own business you have to have one of these through the IRS in order to file your annual tax returns.  

That is another thing no one tells you about running your own business:  Say good bye to getting money back on your tax returns.  When you work for yourself you pay the Board of Equalization an Estimated Tax, which is basically you guesstimating what your sales will be for the next quarter & sending out a check to the IRS.  If you under estimate, you'll have to pay more & if you over estimate you can roll it over to the next quarter.  Just another bill to worry about, no big deal.

Applying for it was really easy online & within a few days the IRS sent me a letter in the mail with my brand new EIN number.  It's like a Social Security Number, but for a business.  

At the time, I hadn't made a single sale yet, so I didn't owe them anything.  Instead I spent most of my spare time looking online & on Craigslist for a food cart & a place to set up Mad Munch in OB.     

Facts & Fictitious Business

The Chicago Bears lost a nail-biter to the Oakland Raiders, but several of us at Sunshine Company in OB weren't ready to call it a day.  I ended up helping Kate carry a beer-pong table down Saratoga Avenue to her apartment next to the beach.  We were on a roll & I ended up spending the night at her place.

The next morning, she dropped me off at my apartment on West Pt. Loma Blvd.  She was headed to work at a plant nursery in Miramar & I was hopping my beach cruiser to ride downtown to the County Building to file Mad Munch as a Fictitious Business Name.  It was step one in making my grilled cheese business into a reality.  

For $30, I filled out Form 231, they gave me a receipt & a list of eligible newspapers to publish a statement that would make this fictitious name a fact.  I stuffed the papers in my backpack, & rode on home to take a nap before my night shift at the Inn began later.  At work, I selected the cheapest newspaper in which to publish a statement saying that "Mad Munch," was indeed my business.  (If you look in the classified section of most newspapers you'll find a plethora of Fictitious Business Statements.

Kate didn't make it into work that day.  She turned around after she dropped me off, called into work & went back home.  I only know because she texted me about it later after we exchanged numbers & I gave her shit about it.  

She also told me days later that she would do "anything" to help me start my grilled cheese business.  I didn't believe her, but she wasn't joking.  I can also say that ever since we started doing Mad Munch together (Spring 2013) she has never once called out of work.

Exit Interview

"I really stuck my neck out for you guys," Mr. Snodgrass said.  "And you go & bring booze into the Student Center?  Into the kitchen, for cryin' out loud?"  For some reason, I was the only one he wanted to talk to in his office, the next day.

"Look, it won't happen again.  I wasn't even there.  I was out on delivery," I tried to reason with him.  "Pat doesn't even work for us.  I don't know why he was even there."

"There's nothing I can do here, Zach.  My hands are tied.  This came down from Dean Remsler, himself." he said & paused to catch his breath & lower his voice.  "The simple fact is we gave you guys a shot & you blew it.  It's unfortunate, for everyone involved, but Mad Munch can no longer continue here at Lincoln College.  I'm sorry."

I took a deep breath.  Snodgrass definitely wasn't going to budge.  

"Yeah, me too.  I quit my custodian job for this & now I got no job at all," I said.

"Well, look at it this way.  You guys can keep the sales that you did make last night & since the three of you were not drinking, you won't get suspended like Mr. Tumpayne & Mr. MacDonald," he said, excused me, I shook his hand & walked out of his office.

Well, that was the silver lining, I guess.  My parents would have killed me if I got suspended.  That & I would be graduating in about three weeks.  

I was still pissed off at Pat & what could have been in the Student Center.  I didn't see him after his suspension & I'm not sure if he graduated.  By then, I was ready to get out of there, move back home & get a real summer job.   

Grand Opening Finale, 2003

Something didn't look right.  I came back from delivering Marlo his usual Pepperoni Pizza, when I saw the backs of Bobbo & Steve, the security guard, in the kitchen.  Next to them, was our friend, Pat.  

What the hell was he doing in there, I thought?

"C-mon, guys what's the big deal?  I'm twenty-one & I don't even work here," Pat was explaining to Bobbo, the Head of RAs (Resident Advisors).  Bobbo was handing him a pink slip (write-up) as I rushed through the side door.

Yuri saw me first & took me aside.  "Dude, they're shutting us down.  Pat's dumb-ass comes in here with Big Mac drinking beers outta red solo cups.  DP was trying to give 'em the boot but we got a rush & somebody must've narced us out!"

A big lump got caught in my throat & I began to feel nauseous.  

"He's got nothing to do with this!" DP was pleading his case to Bobbo.

"Well, then why's he in the kitchen?" Bobbo said.  "There's no booze allowed anywhere & you know it, Darin."  Steve nudged Bobbo with his radio in hand. 

"Snodgrass said to pull the plug on it," he said & then yelled out, "All right, everybody- we're shutting this thing down right now.  Time to go home!"  

Steve turned off all of the griddle knobs & killed the lights.  I stood by the kitchen door trying to process everything that had happened.  Steve leaned in close to me & said, "Mr. Snodgrass said he wants to see you in his office first thing tomorrow, young man." 

Our grand opening night felt like a dream- a bittersweet taste of actual restaurant life, that went really well until it didn't.  And, now I had a nightmare meeting with Snodgrass to deal with on top of it.

All because a couple of our regulars got bored drinking in their room that night & wanted to go somewhere else.  But, the problem with drinking at Lincoln was that you didn't have many options of places to go.  And, because of that & my friends' blatant disrespect for Mad Munch's boundaries, we were shut down yet again due to alcohol on the premises.

The Return of the Cheezer...

"Mad Munch presents: Taste Test Survey No. 2...The Return of the Cheezer"

I took my second swing at hosting a "Grilled Cheese Party" on the balcony of my OB apartment in mid November 2011.  Around 5pm, the grill was lit & so were many of the party-goers.  

This time I was cooking with gas (propane) & brought to the table many more non-cheese ingredients.  I offered ham, pineapples, avocados, diced tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, taco chips, canned chili, Rotel & made my own spinach artichoke dip.  I fashioned a cold table out of an Igloo cooler to stock all of my cheeses & toppings.  

I handed out my new surveys & made about 6-8 sandwiches for each new Cheezer (9 total), slicing them up bite size so everyone could get a taste.  The samples went fast & only 9 surveys were recovered (I passed out more than 20).  Maybe because they were the last two served, & people were a bit more tipsy, I don't know, but "Travelin' Tony" & "The Donnie Special" were the crowd favorites.  One guy demanded bacon be included on every Cheezer.  

Kate showed up with a group of her girlfriends from down the street.  I knew her from hanging out at Sunshine Co. watching Bears football together.  It was the first time she tried my grilled cheese sandwiches.  Her & her friends gave rave reviews & were still talking about it at the next Bears game.

Mad Munch's First Flyer

I made a flyer by taping a physical photo to a printed Microsoft Word document.  The photo of my friends & I getting written up/Mad Munch getting shut down in my room came from a roll I had recently developed at Walgreens.  I had to wait until the next day to pick it up.  

It was the first flyer I ever created & I thought it paired well with the new menu for the Student Center.  Note: We had to switch our phone extension from 6606 (my dorm) to 312 (the cafeteria).  

DP, Yuri & I handed out many of them & posted the rest around campus.  There was a buzz in the air & most people could not believe we were gonna run Mad Munch, Inc. from the school's cafeteria- the three of us included.  But, finally that Monday in spring 2003 arrived & we each borrowed aprons from the school & fired up our new griddle.

There were a few people waiting when we opened the door at 10pm & I'm proud to say that the phone rang a few times with orders.  I walked a handful of deliveries over to Heritage & Carroll Halls, while DP & Yuri manned the grill & took the walk-in orders.  Things were going better than I had hoped, until around 1am.         

"Well, look at what we got here?  If it ain't Lincoln's best restauranteurs!" our friend, Pat said with a jolly laugh. 

Try to Find a Menu Balance

Your menu is the most important document in a restaurant.  

You have as little as one page (or only a few) to show everything you've got & what sets you apart from the competition.  It's sometimes their first impression of your business.  Onlookers will spend less than 30 seconds scanning your creation to see if it's worth spending their money on you or not.  

Too many words can dilute & confuse a prospective customer- when you confuse, you lose sales.  While not giving enough explanation can leave a lot of question marks for the reader.  

Your list of offerings for sale must find it's own balance of info, content, & white space in order to get your message across.  The business major in me may argue that the Balance Sheet is the most important doc, but that is not on display for everyone to see.  

An attractive menu that purveys your message, is properly priced with intriguing items, & calls out for action will lead to more sales.  And more sales will make your balance sheet stronger.     

Prep is 90% of the Final Product

Armed with friends' comments on a Facebook post, previous taste test survey results & advice from a SCORE mentor, I went to work on a "New & Improved" menu.  I focused on jazzing up my grilled cheese lineup with some tasty combinations & catchy names to make it easier for testers to recall.  I was determined to blow people away with my creations.    

After over a week of experimenting on nothing more than a frying pan & an electric range, I was able to come up with nine sandwiches that were very different from one another.  I modified my first survey & printed out my new lineup on the opposite side of the paper.

I asked to borrow my neighbors propane grill to save time & crank out the grilled cheeses.  It would save me time & I could see if it was indeed any better or worse than using charcoal, taste-wise.

To get more feedback, I got on the horn & called a few friends that I knew from watching the Chicago Bears every week at Sunshine Company.  The guest list was set to be more than double than the last survey party.  

The stage was set, groceries purchased & new surveys/menus printed out.  Here's what that original San Diego nine looked like:

Making Moves for the Student Center

Mr. Snodgrass got back to us & said that we were "on our own" when it came to stocking up groceries.  The school was providing us with free power, water, trash & a nice space to run our operation, so they felt we had a "pretty good deal."

DP, Yuri & I decided to keep similar hours that we'd had in the dorms.  We also added $1 Hot Dogs & a 1/2 lb. Cheeseburger to the menu.  Besides our new digs, we weren't changing a whole lot at Mad Munch, Inc.  Things would change to my afternoons.  I quit my custodian job that I'd worked at since August.

"Sorry, but my friends & I are opening our grilled cheese restaurant in the Student Center & I won't have enough time to keep cleaning," I told my boss.  She wasn't too worried about losing me.  There were a handful of other high school kids who helped her out anyway.

We made a trip to Wal-Mart to stock up on supplies & were all ready to go live in the Student Center on Monday night.  I typed out a new menu in the computer lab to hand out in the meantime:      

 

Inspiration from Cheezer Space

I finally joined Facebook in the Fall of 2011.  I was tired of hearing about it all the time & figured sooner or later I would have to.  

At first, I posted pictures of the beautiful Southern California coast, then some older photos from college, to give them a home for all to see.  Every Friday, I would write some witty quote I had stumbled across.  That's when I started gaining comments & I realized the true value that Facebook had to offer.

Not only was it a great way to reconnect with old friends from back East, it was also a way to get some good feedback.  

After meeting with Henry at SCORE downtown, I was hellbent on recharging my menu; giving it numbers & fun, vivid descriptions.  Like the ones attached to the Jimmy John 's sandwiches I had labored to create for almost a year in 2009.

One day, I typed out a simple question on my Facebook wall: 

"What's on your favorite grilled cheese that you make at home?"

After only a few hours, I was flooded with plenty of inspiring fire power to build Mad Munch's "New & Improved Menu" for the Taste Test No. 2 Party.  I printed out that page & still have that special answer key that started my creative engine, getting the whole operation rolling into drive.