My office is stacked with boxes of boxes. Cookie boxes. And menu covers. And check presenters. How did this happen? It’s because you can’t print one of anything. Or even 100. More like 5,000.
You think I’d know this. I grew up in the printing business. My grandfather owned a printing business on Callowhill Street. [...]
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These days you can’t turn on the radio or TV without hearing someone talking about change. I love change – I find it exhilarating. But, the truth is, for most people, change is hard. I’m not talking about politics here – I’m talking about a change at the restaurant.
For the first four years, Alison at [...]
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After months of selecting sauté pans, coordinating colors and worrying about wiring, we are finally beginning pre-season.
The next baby step is inviting friends and family to try out the restaurant. These are people who have been with us throughout our journey and are willing to work with us as we break in our new staff, [...]
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A lot of things that appear to be easy are really complex. Like the restaurant reservation system. We’ve been doing it manually at Alison at Blue Bell for the past 5+ years. Occasionally we have someone waiting for a table, but I think for the most part we have it down to a science.
Now [...]
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Posted in Uncategorized on August 15, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Whoa, so much is happening so fast. This week we poured the floor in the kitchen and basement. It took eight guys four days to mix the material, pour it, let it dry, sand it and buff it. Then make sure it was pitched correctly for drainage. It really looks awesome. Pouring the flooring was [...]
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Posted in Uncategorized on August 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It’s obvious to me that the people working on this project – from the electrician, Augie, to the tileman, Sam – care about this project as much as I do. I feel pretty lucky to be working with so many talented people that are really thoughtful about the finished project.
I really like tile – [...]
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On hiatus. If you’d like to be notified when we resume, email me at alisonatbluebell@mindspring.com and write “blog” in the subject line.
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Are you sick of soffits? I am. But, it is all part of the process. If opening a restaurant were all about food, it would be easy. But, this is hard stuff. It gets harder everyday – just when I think I have it figured out, I get a curveball. Like the ventilation system for [...]
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I love to read cookbooks. I can read a recipe and taste it. I can put flavors, textures and tastes together in my head. I can taste things without actually tasting them.
I wish that ability translated into being able to visualize interior design. But, it doesn’t. I just can’t look at a 3” by [...]
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I met with the architect again today. I’m really happy. I like the design and think we’re getting there. It is exciting! It looks like everything will flow well. Next, to ensure that traffic flow will be efficient, the architects will make the blueprint into a 3-d model. That will also help us determine if [...]
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