COVID-19: from the restaurant scene March 2020

originally posted by VLM:
(I will need to provide capital to re-open...
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I think this is a critical point: when we can all go out and play again the banks will loan 'restart and rebuild' money only to the biggest players. They have to be pressured to restore a vital and diversified landscape.

I'm sure I've written about this somewhere around here: I had a customer in far Western Pennsylvania so one evening I took a spin along one of the two-lane highways towards Ohio, IIRC. Anyway, what was stunning was that every 5 miles, like clockwork, there was another mall. Every mall had the same mix of stores, all national chains. I looked for a little mom-and-pop place to have dinner and I couldn't find one. I think these malls were built because the developer got enough tenants to pre-sign their leases and only a big chain can afford to do that. It was a blighted evening and I felt sorry for people who lived around there -- I know, some shopping is better than none, but I know it is possible to do so much better.

What would really be great would be open source booking and payment systems (combined would be ideal, but separate is fine). This can't be something hard to do. I once spoke to an Apple exec about getting into this game and he said they looked at it and there wasn't enough money in it. It's fairly low hanging fruit from a programming perspective. It would also help if it didn't have a bunch of irrelevant bells and whistles so that it could operate on low priced internet service.
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Monkey, why is a booking/billing system so onerous? What kind of useless bells and whistles have they forced you to use? (I'm a computer guy so very interested in how people deal with programs, how programs do what they do, etc.)

We have to have an economy that does more than just vacuum wealth upwards
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Amen.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by VLM:
(I will need to provide capital to re-open...
Click to expand...
I think this is a critical point: when we can all go out and play again the banks will loan 'restart and rebuild' money only to the biggest players. They have to be pressured to restore a vital and diversified landscape.
Click to expand...

When we frst bought Rue Cler from my brother even though it was a profitable business we had to collateralize almost all (I think it was 90%) of the loan. We could not get an SBA loan. This will need to change if we want to have independent restaurants as part of the landscape.

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
I'm sure I've written about this somewhere around here: I had a customer in far Western Pennsylvania so one evening I took a spin along one of the two-lane highways towards Ohio, IIRC. Anyway, what was stunning was that every 5 miles, like clockwork, there was another mall. Every mall had the same mix of stores, all national chains. I looked for a little mom-and-pop place to have dinner and I couldn't find one. I think these malls were built because the developer got enough tenants to pre-sign their leases and only a big chain can afford to do that. It was a blighted evening and I felt sorry for people who lived around there -- I know, some shopping is better than none, but I know it is possible to do so much better.
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This will be the future almost everywhere unless steps are taken to help small business.

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
What would really be great would be open source booking and payment systems (combined would be ideal, but separate is fine). This can't be something hard to do. I once spoke to an Apple exec about getting into this game and he said they looked at it and there wasn't enough money in it. It's fairly low hanging fruit from a programming perspective. It would also help if it didn't have a bunch of irrelevant bells and whistles so that it could operate on low priced internet service.
Click to expand...
Monkey, why is a booking/billing system so onerous? What kind of useless bells and whistles have they forced you to use? (I'm a computer guy so very interested in how people deal with programs, how programs do what they do, etc.)
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POS systems can cost a lot of money. I think Aloha with 2 terminals in $12-15K and then you need to pay a monthly fee for the software license.

We use Square now and while it isn't great for a seated restaurant, we make it work because the alternatives seem like flushing $$ down the drain. They are designed for places like the Cheesecake Factory. We use Yelp booking. Between that and Square we pay $500-600 a month just to have them. Neither are great and have lots of features that we don't need.

The technology for this is all well developed, but there is constant software updates (like your iPhone) that don't really add anything useful but you have to update or the software stops working.

Anyway, I think that an open source freely available, bare bones booking and payment software could be produced for a fairly small capital investment. I've never actually developed software or an app before, so maybe I'm wrong but really how hard can it be?
 
originally posted by Brézème:
This will be either the end of a certain focus on financial power or the end of alternative artisan ways of doing things.
A 1984 world where safety is the only concern or going back to real humanist values.

If Rue Clair can't make it, I won't make it. And it will be the kingdom of industrial food and wines (and culture...) made by big international corporate companies.

For me it is a 50/50 gamble. I will do my share for my family, friends and values.
Beyond the fucking virus, it is time to enter resistance against the lowest instincts of the human kind and their political expression.
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Yeah, I'm feeling pretty gloves off these days.
 
originally posted by VLM:
The technology for this is all well developed, but there is constant software updates (like your iPhone) that don't really add anything useful but you have to update or the software stops working.

Anyway, I think that an open source freely available, bare bones booking and payment software could be produced for a fairly small capital investment. I've never actually developed software or an app before, so maybe I'm wrong but really how hard can it be?
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Gods, what a cesspool.

Aloha is owned -- at least, for now, they're trying to sell it off -- by NCR (because they bought Radiant, its real authors, for 1.2B recently). NCR is one of those places where software goes to die.

There are about a zillion open-source POS systems. I found dozens of articles comparing them to each other -- one, I swear, was named TOP 43 POS SOFTWARE, FREE & OPEN SOURCE.

There are several really swampy aspects to POS systems. The first is whether the POS ties you to a payment provider. That can get intensely ugly.

The second is that these packages are trying to be all things to all people. Same software to run a shoe store or a restaurant!

The third is that there is a lot of tracking and reporting in these things... not just totting-up what's on the tickets but tracking the people, tracking the money, zillions of different hardware, add-on mobile apps with alerts, on and on. It's a lot to consider and a lot for any one sw company to handle. (It's like a mini-ERP.)

The fourth, and not the least, is how easy it is for servers to use when the room is full of patrons asking for extras/changes and the kitchen is pumping out plates as fast as it can.

FWIW, I got the impression that Floreant was a decent open source POS, partly because they focused only on restaurants.
 
originally posted by VLM:
.... there is constant software updates (like your iPhone) that don't really add anything useful but you have to update or the software stops working.
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Speaking of vacuuming wealth...
 
I've posted this elsewhere and it isn't a particularly well written piece, but it really hits home as I am hoping to re-open but so many other friends just won't.

A couple of things to let sink in:
"independent restaurants employ more than 10 million people"
"75 percent of independent restaurants are likely to never reopen"

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www.nytimes.com
 
originally posted by Zachary Ross:
Nathan, have you yet applied for the Paycheck Protection Plan? Does it apply to Rue Cler?

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bench.co
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Thus far, my understanding is that banks are only accepting applications from existing account holders. Our bank has not started accepting applications as of right now. I plan on applying as soon as I am able although I can't say I truly understand what I'm signing up for but I don't feel there is any choice.
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
Nathan, you may want to read this https://ny.eater.com/2020/4/6/21210...tection-program-loans-mnuchin-nyc-restaurants
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I never had any faith that this administration, or any Republican administration or Republican controlled Senate, would do anything to help my business.

I have a comfort level of the amount of savings I'm willing to dip into to re-open the restaurant. If that doesn't look like it will get it done, Rue Cler will probably be over.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
Nathan, you may want to read this https://ny.eater.com/2020/4/6/21210...tection-program-loans-mnuchin-nyc-restaurants
Click to expand...

I never had any faith that this administration, or any Republican administration or Republican controlled Senate, would do anything to help my business.

I have a comfort level of the amount of savings I'm willing to dip into to re-open the restaurant. If that doesn't look like it will get it done, Rue Cler will probably be over.
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I'm sure many here would help if, when the right time comes, you did a bit of crowdfunding.
 
Well, the aid packages passed thus far, and the one currently being discussed, were mostly initiated by Democrats and, for what its worth, follow the recommendations of liberal Keynsian economists. If you want to fault the Republicans (and feel free), it would be for the hypocrisy of opposing stimulus packages in the face of the 2008 financial crisis, when they weren't in power, and spending quadruple that amount when they are and know they will be held accountable. Regardless, I'd look to get the loans to keep your employees on payroll if your eligible for them.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
Nathan, you may want to read this https://ny.eater.com/2020/4/6/21210...tection-program-loans-mnuchin-nyc-restaurants
Click to expand...

I never had any faith that this administration, or any Republican administration or Republican controlled Senate, would do anything to help my business.

I have a comfort level of the amount of savings I'm willing to dip into to re-open the restaurant. If that doesn't look like it will get it done, Rue Cler will probably be over.
Click to expand...

I'm sure many here would help if, when the right time comes, you did a bit of crowdfunding.
Click to expand...

i second this.

you feeling better O?
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
Nathan, you may want to read this https://ny.eater.com/2020/4/6/21210...tection-program-loans-mnuchin-nyc-restaurants
Click to expand...

I never had any faith that this administration, or any Republican administration or Republican controlled Senate, would do anything to help my business.

I have a comfort level of the amount of savings I'm willing to dip into to re-open the restaurant. If that doesn't look like it will get it done, Rue Cler will probably be over.
Click to expand...

I'm sure many here would help if, when the right time comes, you did a bit of crowdfunding.
Click to expand...

i second this.

you feeling better O?
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Much better, almost 100%, thanks for asking. Nothing like having a dedicated and asymptomatic doctor in da house.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
Nathan, you may want to read this https://ny.eater.com/2020/4/6/21210...tection-program-loans-mnuchin-nyc-restaurants
Click to expand...

I never had any faith that this administration, or any Republican administration or Republican controlled Senate, would do anything to help my business.

I have a comfort level of the amount of savings I'm willing to dip into to re-open the restaurant. If that doesn't look like it will get it done, Rue Cler will probably be over.
Click to expand...

I'm sure many here would help if, when the right time comes, you did a bit of crowdfunding.
Click to expand...

i second this.

you feeling better O?
Click to expand...

Much better, almost 100%, thanks for asking. Nothing like having a dedicated and asymptomatic doctor in da house.
Click to expand...
Wonderful.
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
Nathan, you may want to read this https://ny.eater.com/2020/4/6/21210...tection-program-loans-mnuchin-nyc-restaurants
Click to expand...

I never had any faith that this administration, or any Republican administration or Republican controlled Senate, would do anything to help my business.

I have a comfort level of the amount of savings I'm willing to dip into to re-open the restaurant. If that doesn't look like it will get it done, Rue Cler will probably be over.
Click to expand...

I'm sure many here would help if, when the right time comes, you did a bit of crowdfunding.
Click to expand...

i second this.

you feeling better O?
Click to expand...

Much better, almost 100%, thanks for asking. Nothing like having a dedicated and asymptomatic doctor in da house.
Click to expand...

excellent!
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
Nathan, you may want to read this https://ny.eater.com/2020/4/6/21210...tection-program-loans-mnuchin-nyc-restaurants
Click to expand...

I never had any faith that this administration, or any Republican administration or Republican controlled Senate, would do anything to help my business.

I have a comfort level of the amount of savings I'm willing to dip into to re-open the restaurant. If that doesn't look like it will get it done, Rue Cler will probably be over.
Click to expand...

I'm sure many here would help if, when the right time comes, you did a bit of crowdfunding.
Click to expand...

i second this.

you feeling better O?
Click to expand...

Much better, almost 100%, thanks for asking. Nothing like having a dedicated and asymptomatic doctor in da house.
Click to expand...

Great news! Kudos to the doc.
 
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