Arks
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 22, 2010
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I've been in self-imposed exile for a couple of months, but have been lurking in the background here about 20 times/day, jotting down helpful tips every day. (THANKS!) Also thanks to Cam with whom I've been in regular e-mail contact. She's been very supportive.
I had a martini after work today and it impelled me to open my big mouth again, so here it is, the latest update from Arkansas.
STILL trying to get "my" building downtown. My offer was accepted, but the building owner canceled the "closing" on the sale. Seems she's getting a divorce and the husband's lawyer told him not to sign the papers until he has time to look them over. My lawyer tells me my signed offer acceptance is a legally binding contract, so I WILL get the 115-year-old building but it may take a while longer.
Based on this, I have the architect coming tomorrow with his crew to measure the building and start the plans.
I've decided my best hope for success is to get a Bed and Breakfast Private Club alcohol permit from the state. This Arkansas permit allows sale of beer and wine only, and only to registered guests. I'm in a dry county. NO alcohol sales allowed except at private clubs. I'm in the largest town in the county and there's no place here where you can get a glass of wine or bottle of beer. I plan to remedy that.
There are two important requirements to get an Arkansas B&B alcohol permit: must serve a cooked breakfast prepared onsite and must have an owner or manager living onsite. I feel this permit is important enough to be worth meeting these requirements since I'll never lure city folk to a dry county in the middle of nowhere otherwise.
So we're building night manager quarters into the plan, and a full kitchen (I'll be hiring a cook and helper. My brother will be night manager/bartender.).
We spent Labor Day studying the recipe section of this forum ('twas fun), and we'll be preparing one recipe a week for the next 7 weeks to taste them and work on presentation. Looking forward to that! We picked "Make Ahead Scrambled Eggs", "Asiago Bagel Breakfast Bake", "Crustless Ham and Egg Tarts", "Upside Down Banana Pecan Pancake", "Baked Eggs Benedict", "Waffle Apple Crisp", and "Easy Egg Casserole that you will use over and over". Also, "Pecan Pie Muffins" will be on the list as a side dish. We'll look for a few more. Need at least one more sweet treat in the rotation...French toast probably.
We picked things that are quick and easy to prepare, and that the forum members said were winners.
I want to offer breakfast 8:30-10:00 with one of these specials every day, in rotation, and also offer every day "2 eggs any style, bacon or sausage, and toast", or selection of hot or cold cereals, yoghurt, fruits, etc. We'll see how it goes. Folks needing an earlier breakfast will get a limited continental breakfast basket.
Walmart carries a good pre-cooked sausage that just needs to be heated, and Sysco has good pre-cooked bacon that just needs to be zapped (microwaved). I've tasted them and they're fine, quick and easy. We'll prepare enough of the daily "special" based on number of guests in-house. If some pick the eggs or cereal over the daily special, leftovers will go to the staff and to my family of five. I picture little or no waste (but I've been called clueless before
).
Since my dream from the beginning has been to have an Irish pub in my place, I'm also thinking of offering an evening pub menu. Just good but frozen stuff (like from Schwann's) that can be microwaved and served easily for folks who arrive in the evening and don't want to go out looking for a meal (not much to offer in our little town...a catfish place, a BBQ place, a steak place, 3 Chinese, 2 Mexican, McD's, Sonic, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, KFC and that's about it). I think being able to offer some wine or beer with a pub menu will be fairly easy and a nice service for the guests (and with the potential to make a nice little profit on the accompanying alcohol sales).
I had a martini after work today and it impelled me to open my big mouth again, so here it is, the latest update from Arkansas.
STILL trying to get "my" building downtown. My offer was accepted, but the building owner canceled the "closing" on the sale. Seems she's getting a divorce and the husband's lawyer told him not to sign the papers until he has time to look them over. My lawyer tells me my signed offer acceptance is a legally binding contract, so I WILL get the 115-year-old building but it may take a while longer.
Based on this, I have the architect coming tomorrow with his crew to measure the building and start the plans.
I've decided my best hope for success is to get a Bed and Breakfast Private Club alcohol permit from the state. This Arkansas permit allows sale of beer and wine only, and only to registered guests. I'm in a dry county. NO alcohol sales allowed except at private clubs. I'm in the largest town in the county and there's no place here where you can get a glass of wine or bottle of beer. I plan to remedy that.
There are two important requirements to get an Arkansas B&B alcohol permit: must serve a cooked breakfast prepared onsite and must have an owner or manager living onsite. I feel this permit is important enough to be worth meeting these requirements since I'll never lure city folk to a dry county in the middle of nowhere otherwise.
So we're building night manager quarters into the plan, and a full kitchen (I'll be hiring a cook and helper. My brother will be night manager/bartender.).
We spent Labor Day studying the recipe section of this forum ('twas fun), and we'll be preparing one recipe a week for the next 7 weeks to taste them and work on presentation. Looking forward to that! We picked "Make Ahead Scrambled Eggs", "Asiago Bagel Breakfast Bake", "Crustless Ham and Egg Tarts", "Upside Down Banana Pecan Pancake", "Baked Eggs Benedict", "Waffle Apple Crisp", and "Easy Egg Casserole that you will use over and over". Also, "Pecan Pie Muffins" will be on the list as a side dish. We'll look for a few more. Need at least one more sweet treat in the rotation...French toast probably.
We picked things that are quick and easy to prepare, and that the forum members said were winners.
I want to offer breakfast 8:30-10:00 with one of these specials every day, in rotation, and also offer every day "2 eggs any style, bacon or sausage, and toast", or selection of hot or cold cereals, yoghurt, fruits, etc. We'll see how it goes. Folks needing an earlier breakfast will get a limited continental breakfast basket.
Walmart carries a good pre-cooked sausage that just needs to be heated, and Sysco has good pre-cooked bacon that just needs to be zapped (microwaved). I've tasted them and they're fine, quick and easy. We'll prepare enough of the daily "special" based on number of guests in-house. If some pick the eggs or cereal over the daily special, leftovers will go to the staff and to my family of five. I picture little or no waste (but I've been called clueless before
Since my dream from the beginning has been to have an Irish pub in my place, I'm also thinking of offering an evening pub menu. Just good but frozen stuff (like from Schwann's) that can be microwaved and served easily for folks who arrive in the evening and don't want to go out looking for a meal (not much to offer in our little town...a catfish place, a BBQ place, a steak place, 3 Chinese, 2 Mexican, McD's, Sonic, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, KFC and that's about it). I think being able to offer some wine or beer with a pub menu will be fairly easy and a nice service for the guests (and with the potential to make a nice little profit on the accompanying alcohol sales).