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Tag: bookstores (Page 104 of 107)

Getting your money’s worth.

June 19, 2012 / / 0 Comments

There are some who will take me to task about the Roger Clemens court case, and my contention that the government wasted millions of dollars (according to an article in the Seattle Times) trying to convict the former star pitcher of lying to them about alleged steroid use. A jury found him not guilty, which is not necessarily the same as innocent, but might as well be as far as prosecutors are concerned.

Where is the victim of the crime?

Originally, the inquiry was based on allegations against Clemons and other major league players who were said to have used performance-enhancing drugs. Some of those, like the supplement slugger Mark Maguire admitted to have taken, were readily available at health food stores. Not illegal.

Athletes do a lot of performance-enhancing activities, but the difference between ethical and otherwise appears to occur when the player obtains an advantage through ingesting some chemical or additive. Again – who is the victim? The sport of baseball? The fans? Other players?

Did steroid-using players really have an advantage when other athletes had the same access and may well have participated, but never fell under the spotlight?

Is it up to Congress to referee the nation’s sports activities? Why are our tax dollars being spent on hearings in the first place?

There is no question that Roger Clemens was a force to be reckoned with in the sport of baseball. Whether he finds a spot in the hall of fame depends on whether voters will weigh his player statistics against the drug doubts, which will linger despite the jury’s decision.

Much like the case that prosecutors brought against one-time presidential candidate John Edwards, the trial ended with a failed prosecution after years of investigating and enough money to fund teacher salaries across numerous school districts. Clemens angered members of Congress who believed he lied to them. Edwards lied about a mistress and was charged with diverting campaign money to cover up the affair.

In both cases, the victims of the purported offenses aren’t clearly defined. Society, maybe?

At some point, common sense should have come into play. Regardless of the verdict, there is a possibility that the cases against the two men simply weren’t proven to the satisfaction of the jury.

All that money spent to teach a lesson, one that didn’t even stick.

You can read more about the steroid-baseball connection in Kirk Radmonski’s book, Bases Loaded.

Rounding the turn…

June 18, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Increasingly, I’m being asked – when will the Bistro begin serving? I had expected it to be before now, to tell the truth. If it was a horse race, we might be approaching that home stretch. Unlike the feverish final dash of the thoroughbreds, I’d rather make sure the finish line is greatly removed from the starting point.

I remember driving down Main Street here in Broken Arrow, not too long ago, and passing by an elaborate sign that promised a restaurant was going into the attached building. It seemed forever before they finally opened their doors. It was much the same with another Main Street restaurant that had a good deal of publicity leading up to their eventual opening.

It just takes time.

To do it right, the plan has to be laid out, gone over, dissected, re-thought, and laid out again. Otherwise…

The Tulsa World is today reporting the demise of a south Tulsa BBQ restaurant that had opened its doors only six months ago. Of course, there are countless reasons that could be behind their decision to shut down the operation, and they might have drawn up their business plan with laser-sharp precision.

Only they know, for certain.

In the case of our anticipated enterprise, I’ve just enough experience in food service to know expectations, and I’m trying to make sure that what people hope to experience will be close to what will be delivered.

Part of that is creating a smooth operation that won’t keep people waiting. No matter how good the food is, the waiting time quickly figures in – just watch any of the Gordon Ramsay restaurant makeover TV shows. The reality program almost always features a service disaster, where guests are fidgeting in their chairs wondering if the food will EVER arrive.

As the bookstore building is pretty long, the walk alone from the kitchen in the back to the tables and register in the front takes some time. Sure, I could sprint. Back in the day.

The practical alternative is to determine how best to reduce those long hikes and minimize as many delays as possible.

That’s part of what is going on at this stage, while approaching the starting gate.

I’ve learned that the approach is still being delayed by – one more thing. As soon as I believe that every required item is in the building, another item pops to mind. The next time you visit a restaurant, look around at all the things required to get your meal on a plate in front of you – even if you don’t visit the kitchen and its own specialized collection, there are numerous things close to your table: salt and pepper shakers, knives, forks, spoons, and napkins. Plates and bowls. Glasses.

Cleaning and sanitizing materials – that squirt bottle the waitress uses to wet the table or cleaning towel isn’t just filled with water. It’s a special solution to kill off germs.

There are sugar packets, and sweeteners. Look around and someone is carrying a to-go box. Plastic ware for carry-out meals.

Believe me, that isn’t the entire list. But it is a portion of what I have remembered so far. It’s been over a decade since I stocked a restaurant, and even then it wasn’t from the ground up.

I have a running list of items that I am working on scratching off. When it is all in place, I want it to be for the long haul, not a six-month run.

My personal axiom goes something like: Success achieved is directly proportional to the number of problems solved before they occur.

Here’s to solutions!

Meanwhile, books are being offered and sold and all is well in the world.

Cases, Showcases, Platters, and Plates.

June 5, 2012 / / 0 Comments

I accepted the first delivery of restaurant-related items this morning, boxes of to-go cups, straws, plastic-ware, paper napkins, and such. I was also the deliveryman, given that I’m still what some call the “owner-operator.” All that means is that if something requires attention, it has to come to my attention and then find its natural spot in the order of priorities.

Of continuing importance in the daily agenda is getting the food service established. Having achieving lift-off in the form of Health Department approval, I can now make those purchases that I was holding off on – those boxes that came in through the back door this morning, for example.

There were great intentions for Monday.

Those intentions were laid out before Sunday, when I had to finish emptying the storage units of the final holdings, to avoid paying another month’s rent. Among the last of the moving day castaways was a four-foot glass display showcase, firmly mounted on a wooden base – no casters.

Some serious thought went into the planning to get that beast into the old van, single-handedly.

Needless to say, I wrestled with it long enough and slammed the doors in triumph, only to watch a fellow park in the last space in front of the store as I approached. I imagine I was a sight to behold, hunched over a two-wheeled hand-truck, trying to balance a glass beast at an angle that would allow me to move it while keeping it from crashing to the sidewalk.

Glass showcases are best moved on a furniture dolly. Didn’t have one.

It is sitting in the office now, as was I for some time, trying to recover.

One of the fun things about moving most of your possessions from one place to another is coming across mementoes that had been forgotten. There was a bookmark in a Tulsa People magazine from the year 2000, and when I opened it up, there was an article about Paddy’s restaurant – which many of you recall as an earlier chapter of mine.

I remembered the flattering story, written by a former radio co-worker of mine, Pat Kroblin. I enjoyed re-reading her kind review. I had forgotten the photograph that accompanied the story, which I’ve scanned into this post. More than a dozen years later, it isn’t as clear as it once was, but it is nice to see the presentation of the different menu items. Of course, there was extra care given for the photographer, but I was always proud of the plates that came out of our kitchen.

One of my axioms has always been, “People eat with their eyes first,” and if it doesn’t look attractive, the taste has a strike against it from the start. We had some tasty items at Paddy’s and this archival photo reminds me that it almost always tastes better when it is pretty on the plate.

I’m working on getting those plates, even now.

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