I get those kinds of "compliments" all the time, and I always respond that I want no part of being in the restaurant business. The hours suck, the competition is fierce and the constant personnel issues would be the end of me. I'll keep my 9-5 desk job and cook as a hobby.
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I don’t think I’d get burned out from cooking constantly, but the hours are brutal. I’d miss a ton of family time, and with a couple young boys I’m not willing to sacrifice my time with them.
I do good size (25+ people) cookouts a handful of times of times per year, plus a big event (100+) or two and I love every second...even feeding my stick burner every 30 mins. But those times are always hard. Up all night cooking, tired the next day...not a very useful family member for a day or so. No way could I do that day in day out.
My other hobby/passion is brewing beer, and I get the same comments. That, however, has a schedule that could work with a family. Just need the right backer to come along...Comment
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I'm in the same boat. Everyone says the food I cook is restaurant quality and they tell me every time that I should open a food truck or vending business. But, just like everyone else here, I am not happy with the hours/time it would take to accomplish such a task day in and day out. Maybe, if money was no issue and my children were older it would be a possibility.Comment
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What everyone else said. In your case, however, I think your experience working in the ER would prepare you well for the crappy hours, high stress, and rude customers! And don't even get me started on crabby nurses......Comment
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The restaurant business isn't cooking. It's selling.Comment
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You might want to ask PaulstheRibList about his experience. I believe he's a guy who turned a hobby/passion into what seems to be a p pretty successful BBQ bizz.
Paul's AdventureLast edited by Troutman; September 17, 2018, 09:50 AM.Comment
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I hear all the reasoning for not wanting to be involved in catering and must agree that if it is not what you want to do then it’s going to be a schlep. Just because one is a good cook does not mean they can / will become involved in catering. Catering involves more than just cooking it requires managing and interacting with people amongst a lot of other things.
I was in manufacturing for most of my life and though I enjoyed it (most of the time) it was never a real passion of mine. I used cooking after a day’s work as a stress reliever. I have always enjoyed preparing and serving a meal to people, more than for my own eating enjoyment and believe me I do enjoy eating. I gave up manufacturing in 2016 and decided to get involved in food preparation. I had done a few stints, nothing big and fancy but enjoyed it plenty. I now have a food truck that I prepare around 70 meals a day 5 days a week. I do not have a set menu and prepare what I please. I try to include two or three smokes a week (a new technique of cooking I’m learning) and this adds another motivational dimension to the passion.
It is hard work compared with hobby cooking but I find all the aspects from prep to interaction extremely rewarding irrespective of what the downsides may be and it is not monotonous.
In short I think you have to have certain characteristics to be involved in catering and not only the ability to cook well.
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Yep. I had a guy simply assume that I would cook for a bach party he was throwing. He sent me a text before I left for Alaska about two weeks ago......
"Remember, your cooking for that party the weekend after you get back."
My response......."I don't remember agreeing to do that, but if I decide to do it, it will be $200 + the cost of meat."
His response, "$200.00........For what? Labor"
"Yeah, getting up at 3 am on a Saturday, 12 + hours of labor, charcoal, wood, rubs etc. This stuff isn't cheap to make. $200 is a deal."
Annoying when people just assume you'll give up a Saturday or Sunday just to cook for them. As if you have no other plans to cook or do anything else.Comment
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I've done many events. From 30 to 300 people. Everything is done on my stick burner trailer rig. I'm fully retired now and I enjoy it much more now than when I had to squeeze these cooking events in between work.
Yeah I get told all the time I need to open up a BBQ joint but I get asked more about competition cooking.
I don't competition cook and have no desire to ever enter a comp. I cooked for grad parties every weekend in June this year, a wedding in July plus two family reunions in July a going away party for someone going in the service in August. I'm getting asked to cook at things like deck building parties or house painting parties as well. Don't think I've ever turned down a request. I love doing it and I make a few bucks each time. I'm not going to get rich but I've paid for my rig several times over.
I'm talking with the food service company I buy most of my meat from about doing contract cooks for them. That would be a couple times a year at food shows and for customer requests. They are trying to figure out a way of doing it without making me a actual employee. There's a catering company that did my sons wedding (my wife put her foot down and said I couldn't cook for any of our kids weddings) that said they would bring me on anytime I wanted to join their team. I'm just not sure how deep I want to get. I have my eye on another large trailer mounted stick burner but I would have to be willing to go deeper than I think I would want to to justify another large rig.
For now I think I want to enjoy retirement for awhile!
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I've had my wife and others tell me I should open a buffalo wings restaurant, and had lots of compliments on my pulled pork and ribs, but I would never want to take either to more than a hobby level. As you say, that would turn it from something you do for fun into a job. Sure, I'll take on the occasional "big smoke" and do a bunch of butts for an event, but I sure don't want to do that day in and day out.
I'm a home brewer, and many of my friends in my local home brew club (Rocket City Brewers, formerly the Madison Sobriety Club) have gone pro. For a small place, Huntsville has a huge number of small breweries. I think its a creative outlet for all the engineers and rocket scientists, but going pro is a daunting task, and runs the risk of bankrupting your family before you ever turn a profit. IF you evert turn a profit that is.Comment
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If I were to win the lotto or something like that and never needed money again I would probably open a restaurant. No way I would want to open one if I depended on the income.
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So I have cooked at several competition where the general public is served for donations that are collected. I have come to believe free brisket is "the best brisket anyone has ever eaten". Generally people are quit forgiving when food is given to them.Comment
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Lots of good thoughts here. The pursuit of any entrepreneurial enterprise is fought with the unknown, risk, hard work, frazzlement, disappointments, employees not getting it, customers with problems, unexpected problems, no assurance of financial reward. You get the picture.
It is also a platform for creativity, productivity, joy and achievement. And financial reward! If you are a learner of your customer, the path of future wants and your trail to meet that in a profitable manner. If you take your personality leanings and harness a business to them in a way for you to sustainably lead a team and work great. If you don't melt under the pressure. If you enjoy the challenges, rather than get angry and loose energy in them. If you can tolerate the risk. If you can learn the wisdom necessary to learn when to reach harder, when to pull back, when to adjust direction.
It's not for everyone, to be sure.
Today, actually, I was wishing I had not pulled the trigger on the restaurant idea. Then an hour later, I was back to #RockOn status.
I am looking forward to having a bunch of projects finished, rather than in process. My other business has been in construction, acquisition and development mode hard for the past 3 years. I think I'm 6 months away from all significant construction being completed. The rib shack will be on-line by then. And my home addition should be done too...I'll be bored!!
I am not cooking at home very much in the past year, compared to before the Food Truck. But I am standing outside my trailer regular like, talking to dozens of people each time about the food, how we cook it, and all the fun stuff involved. And I get TONS of smiles when I have folks telling me how much they enjoyed it and can't wait to come back. That part is SUPER FUN! That's a great part of why I'm taking these steps forward.
PaulComment
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Before my Mother passed on, she warned me of the stress and long hours that would come with the opening of a restaurant.
She said, "Billy, you don't want that, honey."
And... she was right, I don't need the stress.
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After many promptings from friends and customers to open a restaurant, and working with JL Smokehouse here in Phoenix, I have decided against it for the above reasons.
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Instead, I am looking into supplying various Smoked Meats for rhe local break trucks that abound here.
There are probably hundreds in the Metro Phoenix area that sit and sell food in parking lots.
That would make the "Resteraunt" part of it THEIR headache, and up front, I would make them aware that they would get product on an occasional basis, with no scheduled deliveries.
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Still working full time, so this is still in the planning stages.Comment
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I'd rather cook from my house and have them pick up the prepackaged pans than open a restaurant.Comment
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