A New Culture for a New Era in OB

They called it "First Fridays" at Culture Brewing Co. in Ocean Beach.  There was new artwork on the walls for sale once a month & you could grab a pint or a flight of their beer & check it out.  

It was after 6pm, so Kate & I could park on the street & unload the two tables & the electric griddle from my truck.  They saved us a spot in the back in front of their see-through walk-in cooler full of kegs.

(That's me on the far left in front of the keg room.)

The place had a garage-like feel which actually reminded me of where I grew up in central Illinois.  We used to do a lot beer drinking in garages & sheds there, so it was an easy transition for me.  

Also, Tiny's Tavern, an OB staple that I used to go to on Thursdays & shoot free pool at when I first lived on West Pt. Loma Blvd, had recently closed.  It had a lot of regulars who watched football & played shuffleboard, so they were devastated when the owner, Tiny, passed away shortly thereafter.  

Tiny was too young & so were his loyal patrons.  They still had busy lives & had to find a fresh, new watering hole to hang out at.  It was then that a lot of them started going to Culture after work.  The space was big, the beer was pretty good & you could bring your dog in (just like at Tiny's).

Kate & I finally caught up with that group.  We'd been so busy with our day jobs & Mad Munch that we hadn't been around Tiny's much in years.  

They bought a few Cheezers & we swapped some OBCs with the Culture beer-tenders for a few pints.  We all cheers to a new year, a new era & admired the skate & surf artwork hung on the bare concrete walls. 

From the Dorms to the Coast

If you told me in 2003, when I was busy delivering two for $1 grilled cheeses to dorm rooms at Lincoln College, that one day I'd be selling Cheezers on Highway 101 on the California coast, out of a tent, for $6 a pop, I would have thought you were crazy.  

But, there we were, Kate & I serving hot sandwiches to the public on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in November at the Encinitas Fall Festival.

We paid $475 ahead of time to reserve a spot.  With groceries, gas & disposables we forked over close to $800 to be there.  Living in the dorms, a sophomore in college, I don't think I'd seen that much money at once in my whole twenty years of life to that point.

For how far Mad Munch had come, this turned out to be the last one-day street fair that we set up at.  It certainly wasn't the pinnacle of our career in California, but more of a stepping stone to the future.  

The money & new customers that we earned from these all-day setups wasn't worth all of the effort or our time.  Kate & I both agreed that the street fair scene was no longer the best option for Mad Munch.  

Going forward, in 2015, we were aiming to take on more brewery tasting rooms after establishing success at Belching Beaver in North Park.  It felt as if we unlocked a whole new market of customers who enjoyed a nice craft beer or two & wanted a hot & cheesy snack to keep them afloat.

Also, Ocean Beach had welcomed it's first tasting room that fall.  Culture Brewing Company had opened it's doors on Newport Avenue & was attracting a new crowd of singles, parents & dog-owners.  

Kate secured a few Friday night dates there after work, giving us another setup a few blocks from home with customers that could relate to us.

Blue-Collar Grilled Cheese

It was a Cheezer that I'd workshopped back in 2011 at the second Grilled Cheese Taste Test Party.  Three years later, I re-created my dad's chili recipe & put it on the Monthly Special chalkboard.

With crushed up corn chips, a dollop of sour cream & cheddar it was our most unique sandwich creation since Bat Outta Hell.  Perfect for the short days of winter, chili lovers & folks with a hearty appetite, this was one you needed to try for yourself to believe.

That was when I realized, people were looking for either something off the wall or just the, "plain ole" grilled cheese.  

Around this time many other grilled cheese places were starting to sprout up around town- Grater, Cheesy Express, Cheesy Amigos, Bread & Cheese, Ye Olde Grilled Cheese & Tots- to name a few.   Some featured lobster, steak, chicken, Waygu beef, but their menus looked too fancy to me.  And, their prices were too expensive.

People want value- a sandwich that will fill them up, with real, fresh ingredients, made to order at a price that won't break the bank.  

Our menu was for the guy or gal who was running out the door, late for work & forgot to pack a lunch.  Sure, they could probably find a way to make it at home, but they didn't have the time.  And, it would never turn out the same way as we did it. 

Mad Munch was really a blue-collar grilled cheese spot.  My old man worked in a plant for thirty years making parts for earth-moving machines.  By November 2014, I was following his recipe & moving Travelin' Tony's & Bacon Streets at street fairs, markets & bars.   

A Yard Party & A Village Faire

It was a hectic weekend with Halloween falling on a Friday & a street fair on Sunday.  I knew this when we booked it months prior.  But, when you're working a side hustle, you gotta make sacrifices. 

We had left Golden Hill six months ago as sales paled in comparison to Wednesdays in OB, so we'd been enjoying a Saturday off here & there.  

Then, Belching Beaver came calling & we setup our electric griddle there one or two Saturdays a month.  

So when it came to these Sunday street fairs, we missed a few Bears games at Sunshine Company Saloon & went all in.

Friday afternoon, I picked up guests from the airport shuttle in my Guy Fieri costume, dropped them off at the Best Western, loaded up a bunch of ice & went home.  Kate had spooked up our yard using our pop-up tent as an entry way & bought a smoke machine to make things more eerie.  

We ended up with close to two hundred people in costume that night.  My college friend, Brett, even drove down from Long Beach with his girlfriend & spent the night.

It was great party, but we had to kick him out the next day so that Kate & I could butter 25 loaves of bread.  So, we said our goodbyes, I ordered one of the biggest pizzas in town from Giant New York & we got to work.

The next morning, we loaded up my truck & headed 30 miles north to Carlsbad Village to claim our $475 spot next to the beer garden (which was a major plus).           

With around $900 invested, including supplies & gas we served up our Cheezers piping hot from 9am-4pm.  In between the waves of orders, we were jamming out to a cover band on a nearby stage.  That's how I figured out that grilled cheese pairs extremely well with live entertainment & of course, alcohol.  

Much like the OB Street Fair, it was a busy & demanding day.  Though we didn't finish all of the 32 loaves we brought with us, it was a nice cap to a successful weekend. 

The Escondido Street Fair Experience

Another Sunday street fair for Mad Munch landed us in Escondido in mid-October.  It was a beautiful morning setting up just off of Grand Avenue under a row of palm trees.

Kate & I were happy that this fair was both shorter (9:30am-5:30pm) & the fee smaller ($350) than most of the others.  I did the math ahead of time, filled out my "Street Fair Grocery List" & we rolled into town with 27 loaves.  Our overhead with the fee was around $800, a few hundred less than the first three we had already done.   

But, by this point we had mixed feelings about setting up at these giant community gatherings.  Besides doing the OB Street Fair where we lived, we felt that these events wouldn't gain us many return customers or help build much recognition for Mad Munch.  

It felt like a being at a carnival.  There were plenty of banners, but with no personality, just, CORN DOGS, ELOTE, TACOS, BURGERS, COTTON CANDY, in large caps.  It's like we were playing in a game that we didn't know all of the rules to.

And street fairs don't always bring out the best in people.  I think it's the large crowds, being in the sun too long & waiting to be hangry before you decide where/what food to order.

"Oh, God!" a lady yelled, spitting out part of her Cheezer in the grass.  "What is this?  You ordered bacon?  I didn't want bacon!"

She was yelling at her daughter or a young lady that could have been her daughter's age.  

"Yeah, she ordered a Bacon Street," Kate said when they both looked at us for some kind of answer.  One of the two sandwiches that we offered on our street fair menu.  

"Oh, well I didn't want bacon.  I can't have it." the older woman said in disgust.  What seemed like five minutes of awkwardness then cast a shadow over the whole situation.  Then she said, "I want my money back, this isn't what I wanted."

So rather than explain to her that she was a moron who couldn't read clearly written marker on poster board, we reluctantly refunded her $7 & tossed the rest of her Bacon Street in the trash.  The entire transaction summed up our day out there & our feelings about selling at street fairs in general.

I was just glad we had only committed to only two more of them, one in Carlsbad & another in Encinitas.  Closer to the Pacific Ocean, where presumably, someone wouldn't throw a fit over bacon or spending seven dollars.        

Oktoberfest Frank N' Sidecar

For October 2014, we decided to do a grilled cheese in honor of Oktoberfest.  We soaked bratwurst in Belching Beaver's Rapid Beaver Rye IPA & piled on sauerkraut & muenster cheese, mozzarella & spicy brown mustard.  It was the first time we used beer in a Cheezer & the first time we collaborated with another business.  The result was a delicious sandwich that was unique & fun to eat.

Kate made a great image to showcase our mashup:

We also heard from friends that a bar in Bay Park had food vendors set up outside.  Kate contacted Sidecar & we popped up there.  

Business was decent the few Thursday nights after work that we setup there.  The Frank N Stein was a popular order for patrons watching football, shooting pool or playing arcade games.  

On one occasion there we had an issue with some homeless riff-raff.  A guy drinking at the bar ordered a Cheezer for a homeless person camped out across the street from Sidecar.  He wanted us to feed him for free.

"If you want to buy him a grilled cheese, we'll make it for him," Kate told him.  So he paid for a Bacon Street & then he wanted us to deliver it to him.  

"Sorry, but you'll have to take it over there to him yourself," I said.  "We only take sandwiches to people here inside drinking at the bar."

The guy seemed annoyed but ended up delivering the sandwich to him across the street.  The homeless person never came over to our booth.

I'm all for a good deed & helping out others, but don't make somebody else's job harder in the process.     

Other than that, Sidecar was a nice & easy setup close to home that was worth our while.

Totes MaGoats

I still don't know for sure where the idea came from or which one of us actually thought of it.  

But I do know that Kate created this Facebook post of August's Cheezer of the Month:

The name came from a line in the 2009 film, I Love You Man, that stars Kate's favorite actor, Paul Rudd.  He's trying to sound cool & blurts it out to his friend played by Jason Segel.   

Like the movie, Totes MaGoats was a smash hit.  At the OB market, one of our regulars, who always ordered it without tomatoes & added bacon declared, "This sandwich is so good it's gonna be on the full-time menu!"

And, he was right.  I've been buying the same brand of Chevrin Goat Cheese crumbles in 2 lb. containers made in Wisconsin ever since.  

There's something about that creamy goat cheese mixed with Kate's homemade pesto that took our fanciest grilled cheese & Mad Munch to the next level.  It also spawned other top notch Cheezer staples Pump Up the Jam & Jimmy Pesto. 

Kate originally made her pesto using pine nuts, but when I couldn't find them one week, I bought walnuts instead.  Then, another week I forgot to buy walnuts, Kate made it without: olive oil, fresh Italian basil leaves, parmesan & a healthy dose of minced garlic.  And it tasted exactly the same.  That's how "Nut-Free Pesto" became a thing.    

It's stood the test of time, just like Kate's hard work & drive that's kept Mad Munch spinning round year after year.

Happy Birthday, Kate!  You're the best co-worker-roommate-best-friend-wife a guy could ever ask for, "Totes MaGoats!"

CityFest: That Sounds Fun

"What's the name of your booth?" the guy asked as we pulled up in my truck.

"Mad Munch," Kate said.

"Mad Munch?  Oooh, that sounds fun!" he said & directed us over to our space.

It was around 9am & it was already heating up in Hillcrest.  We had already paid our $415 to set up & my truck was loaded to the ceiling with over 40 loaves of sourdough.  

CityFest had the largest attendance of all of the street fairs that we signed up for at an estimated 100,000 people.  Our plan was to serve over 400 OBCs & Bacon Streets between 10am-8pm on that warm August Sunday.

That was plan anyway.  We didn't plan on being next to an annoying hawker of bottled water, "Get your Palomar Mountain Vodka here!" or to have front row seats to a drag show.  

But, hey, that's what street fairs are all about.  People wearing ridiculous clothes, having some cold beverages & taking a stroll down main street to see what's behind all of the banners.

It was a long day for Kate & I.  We started to pack up around 7:30, having only sold close to half of our 40 loaves.  

When I went to go grab my truck from a spot on a side street, a black car ripped down the main drag at high speed, taking down several tents & nearly hitting a few workers in it's path.  

Fortunately, no one was hurt, but it was a scary moment.  We loaded up as quick as possible & got the hell out of there.       

Cheezers Meet Belching Beaver

"You guys should set up at my brewery," Brit said between mouthfuls of her Katers Taters.  

"What brewery?  Where?" I asked from our tent at the OB market.

"Belching Beaver in North Park," she said.  "It's a tasting room & we have food vendors pop up there on the weekends.  You guys would do really well."  She handed us a business card & told us to let her know. 

At home that night, Kate & I talked about the girl with the brewery's proposal.  We had finished watching the new episode of Modern Family & the hummus we had traded for at the market.  A typical Wednesday wind down after working both jobs.

"I don't know," Kate said.  "Don't we need a permit to setup someplace like that?"

"Yeah, probably.  Let's just go grab a beer there & see if it would be worth it," I said.

Alright.  It would be nice to setup somewhere else on a Saturday.  I'm so over Golden Hill.  It gets worse & worse every week," Kate said.  

The next Thursday after work we drove to Belching Beaver.  Parking was a challenge but we found our way in & ordered a Peanut Butter Milk Stout Float.  A stout beer over vanilla ice cream. 

"Oh my God.  I didn't know you could do this with a beer," I said.

"Yep, our PB Stout is our most popular," Brit said.  "And we do a lot of floats."

"So where would we setup at?" Kate asked.  "On the sidewalk or out back somewhere?"

"Well, usually the food trucks park out back, but you guys' setup is a lot smaller.  We could put you in this corner.  That way people can see it," Brit said.

"And smell it," I said.  "But we can't really do propane in here."

"Oh, ok," Brit said & looked a little confused.  "Well, what if you got one of those panini things & made you sandwiches that way?"

Kate & I both looked at each other.  "I don't think so.  That changes our sandwiches completely," Kate said.  There was an awkward moment of silence.

"Alright, well let me know if you guys are still interested.  I have a lot of Saturday's still open in August."

We went back & forth over it in the car ride home.  I just knew it was a good opportunity & that there had to be a way to setup inside.

"That's it- we buy an electric griddle!" I said later at home.  "Duh.  I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier.  It's just like in my dorm room at Lincoln!"

Saturday, July 19, 2024, we setup at Belching Beaver in North Park, our first time at a tasting room.  It kind of reminded me of my dorm, with all of the wood paneled furniture & the plastic spatulas.                    

35th Annual OB Street Fair

It was one of our favorite events to attend out of the entire year but in 2014, we would be working it.  From 10am-8pm Mad Munch's would be set up in the middle of Newport Avenue & selling OBCs & Bacon Streets at the OB Street Fair & Chili Cookoff.  

We paid $637 (including a $50 security deposit) for our very own spot #F-34, on the third block from the beach, ironically only a few steps from where our shop is today.  With groceries, propane, paper plates, etc. we spent about a thousand bucks upfront to be there on the last Saturday in June.

After finally getting through all of the extra bread from RB Alive, we decided on bringing only 22 buttered loaves of sourdough to the event.  With an estimated 80,000 people, selling 220 Cheezers with an average check of $7 would net us well over $1500, not to mention drinks & Dirty Brand chips.  

I thought, "If we come home with $500 profit, I'll be happy."      

But, let me tell you it's a stressful way to make five hundred.  It was a long day & many of our friends were boozing & wanted to come chat with us while we were busy.  Kate had even went as far as posting on Facebook, "It's gonna be all hands on deck at the street fair, so don't come at try to chat with us."

A few friends would wave at us & others asked if we needed anything, since we couldn't leave.

"Yeah, actually," I told Gina, "We need more ice."  The health department always likes to inspect all of the booths early on at the street fairs & they always have a hard on for checking temperatures.  On a warm day in June, the cheese temps aren't always below 41.  

By 5pm our stacks of buttered sourdough were depleted.  So, during a lull in business, Kate ran over to Newport QuickStop & bought all four of their remaining sourdough loaves.  Two were even from their own sandwich making stock!

Luckily she brought all of our Country Crock supply from home & the two of us got busy buttering bread in the tent.  

Then came another surge of customers.  With five stages of live music going on in all different directions, there was always one band finishing & another band starting somewhere else.  A regular customer we've had ever since that day called it, "absolute chaos."  And, that's still our nickname for him- Absolute Chaos.     

This wave sunk our new bread supply & this time I rode my beach cruiser to Chris' Liquor (the closest place that I knew sold sourdough) & bought all six of their loaves.  I raced back, we buttered again & rode out the final wave before the sun set on the street fair. 

In the end, we took home only about a loaf of sourdough & sold about 310 Cheezers.  It was our highest grossing set up yet & the event also put our business into plus territory.  We had finally made our money back & then some!

Kate & I went out to eat for breakfast at Shades the next day to celebrate.  I felt like a true business man that next morning, drinking Bloody Mary's & throwing down a big cash tip next to my empty plate.     

The Munch Card

When I first moved to San Diego & lived on Castelar Street I used to ride my bike to the beach a lot.  I always got caught up at the Sunset Cliffs light on West Pt. Loma Boulevard.  Chris' Liquor & Deli is on that corner & has been since the 1950's.  

Anyway, I heard their sandwiches were really good, so I gave them a try.  Whoever told me that was right on!  I ate there when I could & took friends there with me from out of town.  My go-to was the Aztec (Roast Beef, Ham & Turkey with Jalapeno Cheese) on the Onion Roll.  

I grabbed one of their punch cards & tried many different sandwiches (which were all great in their own way) before I finally earned enough punches for my freebie.  I spent a few days tightly clutching my Chris' Liquor punch card trying to figure what strategy I would use.  

Should I go with my fav or explore something wild & different that caught my eye?

That's the freedom & joy of earning a free sandwich at a place you love.

A few years later, after filling out at least two or three Chris' Liquor punch cards, Kate & I decided to employ the same system at Mad Munch.  Our Customer Loyalty "Munch Card" has been a great asset to our marketing over the years.  It keeps people coming back for more.  

Even though we didn't have a brick & mortar location at the time, I still wanted our fans to experience the same sense of accomplishment that only eating delicious sandwiches can bring you.  That's why since 2014, if you purchase any ten Mad Munch Cheezers you get number eleven for free.

Here's what the original card looked like:

We've given away more earned Cheezers than I can count & nowadays we'll put your picture on our wall, with your permission, of course.                

Street Fairs Come Alive for Mad Munch

When we decided to take the leap into setting up at one-day street fairs, the first one I booked was the RB Alive Expo.   It was the first week of June (several weeks before the OB Street Fair), it was on a Sunday, which was still open for us & their website said that it attracted around 55,000 people.  

So, I went to work on a special grocery/checklist for what we needed to bring to sell there.  Here is that list:

As you can see, the fee was $375 to set up there- over ten times what we normally paid at a weekly farmers market.  Also, sunglasses & lawn chairs were not on this new checklist.

Kate went to work on making signs on poster board & a large print, condensed menu, built to crank out the Cheezers faster.  I set up the tent in our yard with the our brand new screen windows to make sure everything looked good.  After Golden Hill market that Saturday we each buttered bread for a couple hours until we had 30 loaves ready (enough for 300 cheezers).

RB or Rancho Bernardo was about a thirty minute drive north & we left around 8:30 so we could get there plenty early to be ready to sell from 10am-4pm.  

That's another thing about these once a year community fairs- driving, unloading & parking your vehicle can be confusing with all of the closed down streets.  Kate & I have gotten into arguments more over that part of setting up for an event than any other.

Our setup looked pretty good I think.

It was slow at first (typical on Sundays) but by lunch time we had a line.  My friend Bennett & his girlfriend, Bree, came down from San Marcos to grab some Cheezers.

"Wow, Zach looks like you finally got your shit together, man," he said & laughed.

"Yep, we're in the big leagues now, buddy," I said.  "You gotta pay to play here.  Not like those farmers markets, those are the minor leagues."

But, when all was said & done, we were back at OB market three days later selling "$1 Off" Cheezers because I over-estimated how many sandwiches we would sell at RB.  It was a tough lesson, but hey, it was our first street fair & a warm up for the OB Street Fair which boasted over 80,000 attendants.

Note: The Chicago Blackhawks jersey hanging in the back of the photo.  We rushed back to Sunshine Co. to catch the end of a Game Seven overtime loss to the LA Kings to win the Western Conference & play in the Stanley Cup Final.

100 Farmers Markets

By the end of April 2014, Mad Munch had been open for a year & set up at it's 100th farmers market.  It was a big milestone at the time & Kate proudly posted about it on Facebook.  To commit to that many pop-up events for an after work side hustle, we both felt like we had a great concept that was really gaining traction.

Sales had improved at both OB & Golden Hill.  We were earning more regular customers every week.  We we getting close to paying off my initial investment.  We were ready to grow & take on bigger challenges.

We signed up to do the OB Street Fair in June, RB Alive Street Fair in May & CityFest in Hillcrest in August.  Each cost over $400 to have a booth but attendance at each was in the 50,000-80,000 range.  You were paying for the large crowd & the hope was to sell as much product as quick & efficiently as possible.

It seemed like the next logical step for us.  Kate & I had attended the OB Street Fair every year for many years, so we knew that grilled cheese would be a hit.  

I did some recon on some other street fairs & came up with a list to try.  There were many in San Diego County including:  Escondido, Carlsbad & Encinitas.  

We had to get a fire extinguisher, new screen walls with windows that we could serve through.  And, we decided to limit our menu to only OBC or Bacon Street to streamline the experience for both the customer & us.  

I think it took doing 100 farmers markets before we really got the hang of what we were doing.  Neither one of us went to culinary school or worked as a line cook in a kitchen, so we had to learn it on the fly.  After that first year, it felt like we had really accomplished something big & then graduated to the next level.            

Our First Real Taste of Press

We were minding our own business one Saturday morning at Golden Hill when some guy ordered a Bat Outta Hell, our meatloaf & mashed potato grilled cheese.  What started out as the monthly special for October 2013 became so popular that we added it to the regular lineup & it stayed there until March.

This particular Bat Outta Hell would turn out to be one of the most important Cheezers to date.

A few days later we caught wind that Mad Munch had been featured in the weekly San Diego Reader magazine's segment:  "Feast! Restaurant Reviews."  

Here is the complete article: https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2014/feb/04/feast-trying-find-niche-farmers-market/#fastcomments-widget 

Author Ian Anderson admired both our concept & entrepreneurial grit, calling us, "one of the lowest cost businesses I've ever seen."  

"Everything they need to know about business came from running a lemonade stand," read a caption for a photo of our booth setup in February 2014, where it appeared Kate & I were arguing over some element of business.  

It's still one of my favorite early photos of Mad Munch.  

Even though Ian wasn't too thrilled with his Bat Outta Hell, saying, "Honestly it just tasted like filler," I thought he did an excellent job of summing up how our business got started without actually interviewing us.  

I guess Kate's paper plate sign & our menu board that I wired with a clothes hanger to the tent every week, gave him all the info that he needed.  Things are pretty transparent at the markets after all.

It made us feel like an underdog you wanted to root for & we saw a small spike in sales afterwards at both OB & Golden Hill. 

Cheezer of the Month

I don't remember how we came up with the idea, but it was a good one.  

It started out as a "$1 Off" special of the week.  We were just trying to move some product.  I had made these two little chalkboards & they were just sitting in the closet.

Tumbleweed Zonie.  T.H.C.  Those were the first specials that we did.  

People love specials & it creates a sense of urgency to buy before it's all gone.  When I go out to eat, I like to read the special on the "A" board & I'll order it if it sounds good.  There's something personal about the concept, like the cook is talking only to you, saying, "Hey, this is what you should get."

The weekly thing only lasted a few weeks.  We decided it was easier with groceries & advertising (writing & erasing the chalkboard) to do a different Cheezer once a month.  That way, people could get it once or if they really like it come back & order it again.  

Eleven years later, we still feature a "Cheezer of the Month."  I painted a chalkboard on the wall in the shop to honor the "Burger of the Day," from the hit cartoon, Bob's Burgers.  

We get people all the time asking, "What's the special gonna be for next month?"

I usually tell them, if I know what it's gonna be. 

"Who's the Boss?"

"Who's the boss?" a young guy asked us when we were packing up at the end of the OB market.

"Tony Danza," Kate said.

"Alright, well give this to him," the young guy said handed her a flyer.

I normally don't remember all of the sales pitches & flyers that get handed our way but this particular one really helped us out.  It was for a company called Expo Propane, Inc.

At the time I was exchanging one of my two empty tanks each week or so for $21.59 at 7-Eleven.  But, on the flyer, they claimed to have the "lowest propane prices in town" & "no wait" to fill up your tank.  There was also a map on there showing it next to the airport, which I drove past every week to go to Restaurant Depot.  It was worth checking out.

The next Tuesday when I shopped, I stopped by Expo.  It was on a little concrete island between one way streets with a giant white tank that looked like a rocket.  I pulled up & grabbed my empty tank out of my truck.  Mike was super nice (that was the name on his workshirt) & filled up my tank in under a minute.  

"Let's see," he said & looked at the meter & then glanced at a chart from his pocket, "that'll be nine fifty-seven."  I handed him a $10 bill.  

"Oh, cash.  I love cash.  We'll do nine then.  Let me grab you some change."

"Can I get a receipt, too?" I asked.  He nodded & walked over to a little shed & came back with both.  I thanked him, secured my tank in the rear of my truck & got back on the 5. 

It was the first of many exchanges there over the next five plus years.  Sometimes Mike would tell me a joke or I'd be wearing some band t-shirt & we'd talk about music or the Padres.  And, some weeks I'd have to wait for a customer ahead of me & after he filled me up he say, "It's on the house, today.  Keep your money."

Expo is almost a throwback to the old service gas station era right next to one of the busiest single runway airports in the world.  They saved Mad Munch at least $2000 on propane since 2014 & we still go there when we need a refill & recommend it to others.  

It turns out they were the boss, of propane anyway.    

Mad Munch's 1st Cook-Off Competition at Gallagher's

"You guys should enter.  Your menu is creative & fun.  Grand prize is $1000 & we pay for your supplies," Clare told us at the end of the OB market one Wednesday.  She talked so fast it was hard to tell from her hard Scottish accent what she said.

"Ok, well here's my email," Kate handed it to her on a slip of paper.  "Let us know the details & we'll see if we can do it."

"Perfect.  It's during football on Sundays.  You gotta be ready to serve at one.  We'll figure out what date works best for you," Clare told us & walked away.

"What was that all about?" I asked.  I had been busy cleaning the griddle in back of the tent.

"Gallagher's does a cook-off competition every Sunday & she wants us to enter," Kate said.  "We'll see if she emails me or not."

Clare emailed Kate the next week & after talking it over we decided to enter.  The Irish bar down the street from us would pay us $125 a week before our setup date & we would make our most creative sandwiches that day & bring them to the bar to be judged.  

Free food for people at Gallagher's watching the afternoon football games, free exposure for Mad Munch with a samples of our Cheezers & we had a shot at winning a grand.  No risk for us besides not delivering quality sandwiches & keeping them warm enough to be judged.

Kate & I decided to showcase three different Cheezers: Tommy Applewood, Sleepy Pedro, & our special that Clare really liked, the Bat Outta Hell- a meatloaf & mashed potato grilled cheese that market goers had been going wild for.

We needed to feed 50-60 people & spend no more than $125 on groceries with a receipt to prove it & be reimbursed.  The good news was that they had the chafing dishes, plates & napkins taken care of, so that $125 could go strictly to food.

At that time, my weekly grocery bill for Mad Munch only averaged around $100, so this was a big event for us.    

That Sunday morning before Thanksgiving, I gave myself extra time on the griddle & cooked 100 Cheezers (33 of each with 1 extra Bat Outta Hell).  It took me over two hours, while Kate was cutting them in half as they came off & wrapped them up in tin foil.  She loaded them in the empty big cooler & I drove my truck to Gallagher's, parked in back.  We unloaded the wrapped half sandwiches into the warm chafing dishes a few minutes before one.  

Kate had spread the word on Facebook & I had told some friends to come out for some "free Mad Munch."  We had sacrificed watching the 10am Bears game at Sunshine Co. that morning but most of our crew stopped by for lunch post-game.

People liked our sandwiches & it felt like a success.  Clare gave us the thumbs up & the $125 check from Gallagher's had already cleared.  It was a great way to get people in the door & help some drunks sober up with some food.

Weeks later, we found out that "Notorious P.I.G." won the grand prize money for their pulled-pork BBQ sliders.  "The Master Basters" came in second.                  

Resist the Urge to Buy Stuff That You Don't Need

It's really easy to do when you first start your own business.  You just opened that new business bank account & you gotta spend money to make money, right?

Well, yes & no.

You gotta discriminate where your spending goes.  That first year doing Mad Munch in San Diego, I wanted to print mailers, flyers, T-shirts, stickers, brochures, pamphlets & business cards right off the bat.  I wanted to buy ads in the local paper, in magazines & on the radio.  I even thought about hiring one of those planes to fly over the beach with a banner that read: "Mad Munch.  Eat Great. You've Earned It."

Sure, advertising your product/service is important to "get your name out there."  But, without any initial customers (i.e. sales), all of that investment is gonna come outta your pocket.  You need to find out who & where your customers are before you start throwing money at deaf ears & blind eyes.

Research & development is way more important early on.  Spend your time, money & energy on finding out what the people want and/or need.  Find your unique niche & meet your new customers there.  Get out there & start selling in places with plenty of traffic where you can be seen & heard (& in our case with food, smelled) doing your thing.  

It took us over a year to finally break even & by then we had a pretty good idea of who our target customer was.  They found us under our tent every week, making Cheezers on the griddle.

Like one of our fellow farmers market vendors, Joe once said, "You can put lipstick on a pig.  But, at the end of the day, it's still a just a pig."  

That Work & Life Balance

During the fall of 2013, Kate & I really learned a lot about Mad Munch, as well as living together & working together.  We had Sundays off every week, but we're still doing OB & Golden Hill along with our nine to fives. 

It was a busy time, but I'm thankful for the experience.  I feel that's the only way to tell if you really want to pursue your dream.  If you can wake up, do what you have to do to pay the rent, then push on after hours & give it your best shot every time- that's shows how dedicated you really are.  

Sure, it's easy to throw in the towel, but those who hang around & keep trying to get better every day are the ones who make things happen.  

Even when things go sideways.

We had a roommate that fall who was supposed to move out of our apartment, but when we came home after working a double, he was still there- not paying rent.  He eventually moved out after several reminders, but it was an extra something to deal with on top of everything else. 

There was a Saturday morning when Kate & I got into a big fight (over what exactly I can't remember).  It ended with, "Well, I'm not going.  You can do the market by yourself."  And, so I did.  I wasn't really sure I could do it alone, but I did it.

Months later, we were blessed when a great place to live, right down the block, became available.  It would cost me about $100 more a month than our current apartment (with just the 2 of us now there).  

But, Kate insisted we take it & I'm so glad we did.  "I'll just have to work harder & make more money," I said.  

After we moved all of our stuff down the alley, Kate unpacked everything in our great new place, while I went & did the Golden Hill market solo for the second time.  The market went a bit smoother for me this time around & when I got home, the house looked amazing.  It was a memorable Saturday for us both.

Our First Paid Catering Gig

"How many sandwiches can you cook on the griddle at once, babe?"  Claudia asked.  She was one of the head people at the OB Main Street Association that hired us to cater their lunch meeting.

I knew the griddle top was 24"x 16" & I wanted to sound confident.  "I can do about 6 of them at a time."

"Great.  There's gonna be 12 of us total.  I'll pass around your menu & let you know which sandwiches people want," she said & studied the menu.  "You guys ever julienne vegetables on your grilled cheese?"

A couple weeks later, I was able to take a Thursday off from the Best Western & had all of the ingredients ready to make their Cheezers.  The plan was for me to set up our grill on the sidewalk outside of the OBMA's office on Bacon Street around noon, & make the 12 sandwiches on a list we compiled from an email they send us days before.  But plans don't always go the way they are supposed to.

Kate had a high school friend coming into to town from Virginia that day & asked if I could pick her up from the airport that morning since I was off.  I agreed.  Lauren's flight was to land at 9:30 or so.  Plenty of time before Mad Munch's first paid catering gig.

"Oh wait, there's no room in your truck for her & her luggage," Kate said.  "Why don't we just switch cars that day.  You can pick her up in the Escape, there's nothing in there."

"That works.  I'll just pack the green cooler for the OBMA gig, the grill & the propane,"  I said.  "Claudia said they already have plates & napkins."

"Perfect.  Thanks for doing all of that.  It's month end at work so I can't take off.  You sure you don't need any help?"

"Oh no, it's only 12 sandwiches," I said.  "I think I can handle it."

"I know you'll do great," Kate said.  "Don't forget to bring some business cards."

On Thursday, I picked up Lauren at the airport on time & drove us back to our apartment.  She hadn't been to San Diego in a long time & never to Ocean Beach.  I helped unload her bags & recommended so local restaurants- just like my job at the hotel.

"It's so nice here.  I'm gonna walk down to the beach & check out the neighborhood," she said.

I pulled up to the OBMA office about 15 minutes early to setup a TV tray & light the grill.  That's when I realized the griddle top was in my truck.  At Kate's work.  In Miramar.  About 20 minutes away.

"There he is," Claudia said.  "The meetings about to start.  Let me know if you need anything, babe."

"Sure, thanks.  I just gotta run home & grab something real quick.  I'll be back in 5 minutes."  Luckily, we only lived about 5 blocks away.  There I rummaged through the kitchen & grabbed a couple of frying pans, a cookie sheet & a flat griddle pan.  I wouldn't be able to make 6 sandwiches at the same time but it would have to work.

I hurried back & started on the list.  There were a few Tommy Applewoods, so I dedicated one frying pan to bacon & the other to heating up the turkey.  The flat griddle pan was where I had to assemble the Cheezers one at a time & then let them melt on the cookie sheet.  

It was tedious work before the wind began to kick up about halfway through.  And, then a woman from the meeting (not included in the 12 head count) came out to place an order.  "Do you guys have vegan cheese?" she asked.

"No," I tried not to snap back.

"Well, ok.  Can I just do one with just vegetables, no cheese, then?" she asked.

"Sure!"  I said still in a furious dash of flipping, stacking, & re-lighting the grill.  

It took a lot longer than any of us expected to make lunch that afternoon, but I made it work & kept it as professional as I could.  Nobody's Cheezer got burned & business cards were taken.  It was a great exercise in being quick on your feet when timing is not on your side.   

Reinvesting in Mad Munch

After I had to get the brakes fixed on my truck, I started to question it's reliability.  The last thing we needed was to get stranded somewhere on the way to a market.  

In order to gain peace of mind, I enrolled Kate & I for AAA.  It was only $88.50 for the whole year & it came with free tows up to 15 miles, free battery jump starts & if you locked your keys in the car they'd send someone out to get them back.  It's saved me & my truck a few times over the years.

"Don't forget to put it on the spreadsheet," Kate said after I signed us up.  "That's an expense & the Mad Munch account should reimburse you for stuff like that."

"Really?  Even though it's for my truck?" I asked.

"Yeah.  You really only drive it to markets anyway.  We should start keeping track of mileage.  I'm pretty sure you can write that off on your tax return," she said.  "That reminds me- you should stop spending your own money on Mad Munch.  We're making enough now that the business can pay for stuff like AAA, equipment & permits."

Let the business pay for the business.  What a concept?  

Ten Times Brighter

For the rest of that first summer of Mad Munch in San Diego, Kate & I juggled three markets every week:  OB, Golden Hill & the Third Avenue/Gaslamp Quarter market on Sunday mornings 9am-1pm.

I liked setting up downtown, walking distance from the convention center & the ballpark.  I knew I'd never hold an office job in one of the tall buildings there, so this was my glimpse to what it was like to work in the heart of a bustling city.

It reminded me of when I did bicycle deliveries for Jimmy John's in downtown Orlando.  A lot of business professionals taking their dogs on a morning stroll, checking out the fares on our one block cluster of tents.  

Not as fast paced or as stressful as OB, Gaslamp market gave us a chance to actually talk to Dave, the market manager.  And, he liked our sandwiches.  "I just want a plain old grilled cheese," he said.  "At the end, when I bring the slip."

The sales there were so-so & one week on the way there, we took samples over to the Hillcrest market.  People were still setting up but that market was already bumping & we wanted to be in it.  

"We've already got a grilled cheese vendor," the market manager said.  We gave him our samples anyway & were put on a wait list (we're still waiting).

So, we kept doing Gaslamp & one week the sales hit an all-time low.  Somewhere under $50, I think.  It was embarrassing handing Dave our slip-  "Ouch," I think he said.

That afternoon when we got home, I told Kate I wanted to quit the Sunday morning market altogether.

"No, we can't quit," Kate said.  "Let's just tough it out a few more weeks until football starts.  Then we'll just be off Sundays for good."

"Ok," I agreed.  Cruise ship season also started in September, which would bring me some extra cash.  I pictured myself waking up later on Sunday mornings, making breakfast & having coffee at our apartment before heading over to watch football at Sunshine Co. with my friends.  

The future was bright.  Ten times brighter actually.

The next Sunday was the final day of Comic-Con, the annual gathering that brings in more than 130,000 people to the San Diego Convention Center.  With the Gaslamp Market only steps away from the entrance, we had a line of super-heroes & swag-bag toting dweebs hungry for Cheezers!

It was our best day yet.  Better than our first day at the OB market.  And, we were more efficient since Kate had buttered all of the sourdough beforehand.

"You guy's sandwiches are like half the price of the food inside of Comic-Con," one of our customers dressed like Wonder Woman told us.  

Price & value, supply & demand.  Location, location, location.  These things are all important factors in business.  But, perhaps perseverance & constantly showing up give you the best opportunity for success.              

Pre-Cooked Bacon?

When we first added bacon to the menu in July 2013, it was a real eye catcher.  After all, we put it on there because the customers were asking for it (I even had suggestions for it at both of my 2011 taste tests).  

Listening to what your customers want is almost a no-brainer.  Even though, they often get carried away & want you to deliver things only they would pay for.  Rare & exotic sandwich additions usually collect dust on the shelf.

But, when you keep hearing the same item over & over you know you've struck a chord & that it's time to give it an audition on the menu.  I learned from SCORE to "keep what sells & lose what doesn't move."

It's safe to say that bacon nailed it's menu audition & has become a mainstay at Mad Munch ever since.  When you go through an average of over 700 lbs of a product in a year, you know you have a winner.  

But, that first summer, I tried to go cheap & opted for the pre-cooked bacon.  My thought was, "it's a better price & you can cook it on the griddle right when they order- it's a win-win."  The customers (& I) though, could taste the difference.

"What bacon do you guys use now?  This stuff is great," my friend Johnny asked a few weeks after I switched to buying raw uncooked bacon.

"It's Farmland.  I buy it in 15 lb. boxes," I said.

"Did you guys use some other brand before, cause this is way better," Johnny said.

I leaned in close to avoid others from hearing, "That was pre-cooked bacon."

"Oh, God- that stuff's the worst."

"I know.  It leaves like a weird red-grease residue," I told him.  "And it don't smell right."

We bought pre-cooked bacon one other time.  It was when our oven quit on us & we had two markets the next day.  I had no other choice in a pinch like that, but now I know why they sell it: In case of emergencies.

Kate & I have spent countless hours on the griddle cooking bacon (sometimes even in my yard) over the years, but somethings are just worth the extra time you put into it.  And, I think our bacon is one of the main reasons people keep coming back to Mad Munch.                  

Coming up with a Business Plan

At the end of my final semester at Carbondale, I had two internet classes.  In 2005, it felt like they were trying something new, or the teachers were just being lazy.  But, for me it was a procrastinators nightmare.  

I had a pretty good attendance record for my in person classes & didn't mind taking notes once I made it there.  But, living in a party house, it was hard to chalk out some time to do the assignments "remotely."  

So, I waited until after Thanksgiving break to get started on the two.  One was Marketing 400-something & the other, Finance 400-something.  Basically I had to create a fictitious business & document a full-on business & marketing plan for it.  

Naturally, I chose Mad Munch, Inc. as my prototype.  However, early on my professor told me that, "Your business is not incorporated so get rid of the, 'Inc.'"  That's how the Mad Munch Grilled Cheezer Co. name was born.  But, I learned so much more than that.  

With my business degree hanging in the balance & my parents calling every week to make sure I was really going to graduate in December, I found a quiet place in the library & wrote my first business plan.  Sometimes it takes your back against the wall to find the answers to all of the questions.

Who's your ideal customer?  What's your niche?  What promotions will you run to gain market share?  What's the size of your market, your demographics?  What percentage will you capture? 

(I ended up with an 82% grade on my marketing plan).

For the financial portion of it I had to do market research online for restaurants in the area to get an idea of how much they were making.  From those big numbers I made projections for Mad Munch & highlighted them in tables, charts & graphs.  

This part was probably the most nerve-racking for me.  Math wasn't always my strong suit.  You had to make it look profitable but not like you didn't need to borrow money.  There were loans, depreciation schedules, a break-even analysis, a balance sheet, along with complex cash flow & income statements.  

By the end of it, I was happy that it wasn't real.  I didn't want anymore stress.  I just wanted to move out, go back home & find an easy job that I didn't require so many numbers.  

And, that's what I did.  I graduated that December, moved back in with my parents & eventually found a job working at a call center helping people register their pool filters for warranties.        

Everyone Needs to Take A Break

The brakes on my truck were about to go out, but all of the garages were closed for the holiday.  

The Best Western was full of people on visiting from the desert asking if they could watch the fireworks from their room, what restaurants were open & how to get to the beach.

I was getting paid time & a half that day & they got us free pizza for lunch.  But still, my patience was wearing thin.  I had worked the last 40 days in a row & about 7 of them were 12 hour days.  I was doing my best to keep from blowing up like a Roman Candle smoke show.  

So, after lunch I sat quietly in the shuttle van, took a few deep breaths & willed my way to 3pm.  I rode my bike home to freedom & a next day free from work!

Kate & I had never let on to our respective employers that Belmont Park market had been cancelled.  We could've gone to work that Friday, July 5, 2013, but it seemed like a golden opportunity to not work.  I think they now call those "Mental Health Days."

Anyway, we did our usual Fourth of July rounds, bouncing around friend's houses in OB before watching the fireworks on the pier from the sand.  We went home shortly after & I remember getting some of the best sleep in recent memory.

But, that bonus day would not be wasted.  

I took my truck in to get fixed at a garage in Pacific Beach.  Kate followed me there & we stopped at Smart & Final to purchase two new 6-foot folding tables.  Her co-worker, Tammi needed her's back & I recommend the Lifetime brand that we purchased that day for around $50.  We still have them more than 11 years later.

After getting everything in order for the Golden Hill market, we went out to eat at On The Border, a sit down Mexican restaurant chain in Mission Valley.  We had a lovely dinner & then drove out to SDSU to see Fleetwood Mac.  

Seeing Mick Fleetwood banging on those drums & addressing the audience with such enthusiasm made me smile.  And, watching Stevie Nicks, dancing in high heels all over that stage, at age 65, I thought, "If she has that much energy at that age, I can drive a van & flip some Cheezers at 30 no problem."      

Bacon Menu Adjustments

"So, what do you think?" Kate asked.

"It's...alright.  I think it's just a little, I don't know...boring?" I said.  

"Boring?  You think it's boring?  You're boring!" she said & took the rest of the sandwich next door to let our neighbor Steph try some.

-----

After making our last appearances at Belmont Park & Point Loma markets, we went out to happy hour Sunday night at Sunshine Company in OB where we first met.  Over pitchers & Mexican food at the adjacent Livingston's Chicken Kitchen we talked about our next moves for Mad Munch.

"We should do Gaslamp next week," I suggested.  "Dave already said we could if we wanted to.  The fee's only 10% of sales & it's only four hours.  We'd be home by 1:30."  Dave was the market manager for OB.

"Yeah, why not?  It's gotta be better than Point Loma," she said.  "I think we need to change up a few things on the menu too."

"Like what?"

"Get rid of the Wheat & Egg Bread," Kate suggested.  "There's always leftover of those two & everybody likes Sourdough."

"Alright, two less things to buy on the Grocery List, I like it," I said.

"And, we should add bacon.  You've been talking about it.  Wasn't there one you wanted to do with bacon & turkey?" she asked.

"Yeah, a turkey, bacon & ranch one.  When I worked at a pizza place in college one of my favorite pizzas was the chicken, bacon & ranch, but sliced turkey is more sandwich friendly." I said. 

"That sounds good.  So many people ask if we have bacon when they order." Kate said.  "Everybody likes bacon."

"Well, we'll have to up the prices a little bit then, bacon is more expensive," I said.

"No, we should definitely raise our prices.  They were charging $6 for sub sandwiches at La Mesa & our sandwiches are way bigger than that," Kate said.

"Yeah, that makes sense.  And people will pay it," I said.

"And, I wanna make my own sandwich," Kate said.  "The Katers' Taters.  Like a loaded baked potato grilled cheese with bacon, sour cream & chives."

-----

"That's really good," Steph said.  "I would order that for sure!"  Our roommate Zack agreed, "Damn, that's good.  What are those french fries in there?"

"Hash browns," Kate answered & looked at me like I was an idiot.  

And, I was.  Katers' Taters would go on to be one of Mad Munch's top three all-time best sellers.  It's always good to get a second (& even a third) opinion.

Roller Coaster Market Life

"Sorry, guys but unfortunately this will be the last market here at Belmont Park," Brian said.  He was standing in front of our tent, but the speech was well rehearsed.  

It was only the fourth Friday, but the customer base had gotten smaller & smaller.  The market would've been better if it was in the afternoon/evening window instead of the morning.  Brian knew this, but issues over the valuable parking spaces we occupied was ultimately what barred the market in Mission Beach from ever taking off.

There would be no $500 celebration roller coaster ride.  

Kate & I decided to go have a drink & sort things out after we packed up there for the final time.  We walked over to Sandbar & grabbed a belly-table on the second floor.

"I definitely don't wanna go back to work on Fridays," I told her over a pint of beer.  "I've gotten a taste of the good life & I don't wanna go back."  

"Me neither, but what are we gonna do?   I mean next week we have that Fleetwood Mac concert," she said.

"That's right- the day after the Fourth," I said.

"Yeah, we should definitely take that day off," she said & took a drink of her beer.  "Aren't there other markets on Fridays?"

That was the springboard question that launched us into making the most of our afternoon.

We paid for our drinks & left Sandbar.  I used some of our tips to get the truck washed & we headed out to La Mesa, where their weekly afternoon market was going on in a parking lot next to the courthouse.  

It was hot out there, but a decent amount of customers strolled around.  We took a lap & found subs & pastys to be the only hot food vendors.   Suzanne, the market manager wasn't there that day but we left a business card at the main booth & got her contact info.  The fee: 10% of your sales.  Hours: 2-6pm.

From there we headed down south to Imperial Beach, the last beach town before the Mexican border.  Kate had never been to IB & I had only been there once to look at the farmers market about a year prior.  It's a really cool, laid back town, similar to OB but so much farther away from downtown San Diego & everything really.  

The market was in a large outdoor plaza next to the wooden fishing pier.  There were twice as many tents as La Mesa, three times more than Belmont Park & live accordion & Spanish guitar music filled the air.  

A little too many hot food vendors for my liking & the prices were a bit lower than what we charged.  We did speak to a manager who gave us a whole packet on info- over twenty pages.  

"You have to get an Imperial Beach business permit since you'd be selling within the city limits," the man said.  "What do you sell?"

"Hot dogs," I said.  "Have a nice day."

We got caught up in some traffic on the 5 north heading back home when I asked Kate what she thought about the two markets.

"I think you need to fix the A/C in your truck," she said.    

The Tents Have Ears

By the third week of filling in at the OB Wednesday market we found our permanent spot.  It was narrow, squeezed in next to a bush, but we used the bush & the adjacent palm tree to display our menu.  And, we faced a jewelry store that shared walls with a bar on each side.  Over the next six years, we set up there & learned how well drinks paired with grilled cheese.

Jackie's Jams held the booth to our left & Mexican Food were on our right.  When we first set up there I overheard someone in the Mexican Food tent call us, "Chuck E. Cheese."  It really pissed me off, but I bit my tongue.  Kate couldn't understand why their little comment enraged me.

Now, I think back & laugh about it.  We traded our grilled cheese for their fish tacos & burritos nearly every week for years.     

One of the five Sundays that we did the Point Loma market, a woman who worked the jewelry booth ordered a sandwich from us.  I think it was a Sleepy Pedro (Guacamole, Cheddar, Monterey Jack & crushed Taco Chips on Sourdough).

"You can just put it on my chair," she told Kate after she paid & then strutted away in her high heels.  Kate got real hot about that, while I only found it mildly annoying.

"It was her tone about it," Kate told me as I made her sandwich.  "It's like she thinks I'm below her."  I ended up taking the sandwich over & handed it to her.  She didn't even say, "thank you."  

Entitlement is something that has no place anywhere, in my opinion.  Especially when you spend a large part of your Sunday hoping for customers & don't even break $100 in sales.   

We told Brian that day that we were quitting the Point Loma market.

"Why?  You guys are one of my best vendors people ask about." he said.

"We're just not making enough money out here.  I think were gonna try a different market on Sundays."

Work Hard, Listen & Learn

Kate & I worked every day in June 2013.  If not at both jobs, at least one or the other.  At one point I counted a streak of 41 days without a full day off from either of our jobs.  

We thought it was the best way to jump into Mad Munch & figure out what the hell we were doing.  And it was a good way to fast track our learning but, working that many hours can burn you out.  

I burned one customer's Cheezer at Golden Hill- it was so black we had to throw it out & refund his money.

But we also picked up some great advice along the way.  A vendor next to us at Golden Hill made smoothies & she often would trade with us.  Her name was Marisol.

"You guys should put your cheese & cold stuff into some kind of bin or cooler," Marisol said one week when she was looking over our back table.  "The health department will write you up for having it out like that."

She also gave some valuable insight into the operation.  

"Usually it takes about five or six years of doing markets before people save up to get a store."  Marisol had learned that from Steve, her boyfriend, who was retired & who came at the end to help her pack up the van.  Apparently, he had opened a few stores from market concepts over the years.

"It may seem like a lot of work, & it is, but you just have to take some time to relax when you can," Marisol said.  "Just go home, put your feet up & watch some TV.  Anything to let your mind wander for awhile."           

Friday Lunch Next to a Roller Coaster

My favorite part of doing the Belmont Park market was that Kate & I both had Friday off from our other jobs & we were able to sleep in.  Normally we both got up around 6am & were gone before 6:45.  But, on this Friday we didn't have to leave until 8 or so.

We were also excited to hit the ground running on a market that was just starting out.  People love new events & it seemed like Mission Beach after Memorial Day would attract plenty of vacationers.

When we arrived in front of the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster, Brian directed us to our spot in the shadows of the historic attraction.  

"If we break $500 today, were riding the roller coaster afterwards," I said.

The setup was much easier than OB, with a lot more space in between tents & we had a designated parking spot for vendors right across the street.  I had stocked up on bread & cheese Thursday before to kickball & we were ready to rock three of Brian's markets in a row.

"What is this?" we got asked a few times by people walking into the park.

"We sell grilled cheese," I told a confused family of five.  

That turned out to work in our favor at Belmont Park.  There were a lot more families & when they went inside & saw the prices for a cheeseburger or tacos, they realized they couldn't beat one of our $4 OBC grilled cheezers.  And, the $1 ice cold cans of Sprite, Coke & Diet Coke were a hit on a warm day.

It was slow at first, but things started to pick up as lunch time neared.  We got a few construction workers & some teenagers who worked at the amusement park.  We had a short line of people waiting but this time we were ready.  Kate had buttered bread the night before & it saved us a substantial amount of time.  

But, time was not on our side in Mission Beach that day.

"Alright, guys we gotta cut it soon." Brian was walking around telling all of the booths.  "We gotta be all packed up & outta here by 1:30.  They need this parking lot all clear.  Sorry, but they're real adamant about it."

We were forced to turn off the grill & turn people away.  I'm sure if we could've stayed open for another 30-45 minutes Kate & I would've been riding that roller coaster.  

Oh well, I thought.  Next week should be better & we have the rest of the afternoon off!

OB Market Debut

My truck was loaded with bread, butter, cheese, ice, drinks & Dirty Chips when I left work early on June 5, 2013.  Kate met me at home & we drove the three blocks to Newport Ave. & saw Dave at the barricade.

"Who are you guys?" he asked.

"Mad Munch," I said.

"Mad Munch?" he barked back.

"The grilled cheese people," Kate yelled from across the passenger seat.

"Oh, right.  You guys are my fill ins," he said.  "Follow me.  You'll be in front of OB Shell Shop."

He directed us to our spot for the day- a small area on the sidewalk.  We would have to maneuver our tent between someone else's tent & a bush with a planter's box around it.  "You guys are here.  You can't leave your truck, so you'll have to unload & go park somewhere else."

We thanked him & started unloading everything from the back of my truck.  At the other two markets I always left a few items behind to grab if I needed them, but this one was different.  Kate's co-worker, Tammi, had let us borrow two 6-foot fold up tables (one for the front display & one for my cooking ingredients in back).  It fit in the truck easier & under bright red table clothes looked a lot better.

"What are you gonna do about the truck?" Kate asked.  "Just park at home, right?"

"Yeah, than I can just ride my bike back & lock it up somewhere close by," I said.  

We got the truck emptied & everything positioned.  I find that it's easier to put things down where you want them to be for the market, so that way you only move it once.  But, when it's your first time at a new location you must figure out on the fly how you want to set up.  

The most important placement is the grill.  You put the grill in a bad spot where the wind can easily put out your burner flames, you'll have an uphill battle all day.  

"Hey guys!  Look at you doing OB now." my friend Kris asked as we were setting up.  "Get your Cheezers, here!"  He was the one who had helped me at Mad Munch's very first market at Golden Hill.

And when the two of you both came from your day jobs that you don't particularly care for & are trying to setup in a foreign spot, the last thing you need is to make small talk with a heckling friend.  

"Yep, we gotta get setup so I can move the truck," I said.  He offered to help, but I turned him down.

"We got this, thanks," Kate said.  

There was a bit of arguing about placement that day, over what I don't recall, but we were able to light the grill & make our setup look welcoming.  When I returned & locked up my bike, I saw Kate talking to some people at the front table.  People I didn't recognize.  They were customers.

"Here," she handed me a scrap of paper that read:  -OBC    -KAHUNA    -DONNIE

We were on the board before four o'clock & the orders just kept coming.  Kate would take the order, hand it to me, I would butter the bread & make the sandwich on the griddle.  After we got backed up, she started buttering bread between orders which only made the line longer!  

A good thing, if we weren't surrounded on three sides like a display at the zoo.  I felt like our customers (many of whom were our friends) & people passing by could sense our panic & urgency of being slammed.  I would later learn that this was called "being in the weeds," & I did feel somewhat to that effect.

Kris leaned over to me at the back table, "Dude, you guys should butter the bread ahead of time," he told me.  I thanked him & handed him his OBC when I finished.  It was actually one of the first & few great suggestions that would come from anyone over the years doing Mad Munch.

Dave handed us our market slip after the sunset around eight.  "How'd you do grilled cheese?" he asked.

"Good," I said.  "That's all of the bread we got left."  I pointed at the last four slices of egg bread.

"Great.  Just pay Claudia on the way out.  The fee is $35."

I went back to grab my truck, Kate counted the money in the cash box, paid Claudia & we loaded up everything & drove home.  It was a good day but we'd need to make some adjustments going forward.