Welcome world, from the Supreme Commander. This is my first blog entry so listen carefully - I may never be allowed to write again. I’m being held in a small 27th floor apartment in downtown Auckland by a beautiful blond woman who only lets me out to build a restaurant in a secret undisclosed location.
I’ve been here over a month and now consider myself a local. Right mate! Sweet as! The first couple of weeks were a little tough, living on the North Shore, having to commute downtown and having no family to bounce decisions off of. Those days are long gone and things have settled down to a mad dash. Adjusting to living in a high-rise apartment is also very interesting.
We are all working hard and it is great to see everyone using and building on their areas of expertise. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked around and said how cool it is to be in this project with the family and our other son, Mike. Things have just fallen into place, it’s uncanny; acquiring the location, the takeover, establishing our professional relations, getting Mike as our kitchen manager, acquiring the company car, living with Malcolm and Janet, stealing Malcolm’s tools and trailer, meeting Andrew & Ed (Vision Interiors) and Graham (Food Design), joining Titirangi, our apartment, the tradesmen, bringing Malcolm on board, people we have met through the restaurant, friends of friends, future friends, good vibes from our friends in the States, the “finding the need and filling it” Mexicali concept and the overall ripeness of Auckland. Talk about different from Bend.
The restaurant construction schedule is on time and hopefully April 1st is achievable. Just after the final plans were on paper I made an executive decision to gut the building and start with a clean palette. That decision increased indoor seating, saved us future headaches, increased the traffic flow and kept us on schedule. Picking Vision Interiors as the project managers is paying off in spades and let the world know that was my LAST building demo project. I’m too old and it hurts, but I love it.
The next couple of week will see the electrical, plumbing, painting and flooring completed. We would like to start putting some pieces of kitchen equipment in by March 12th so we can start food testing. Mike and I will be starting to price out the menu, doing the layout for the POS system, finalizing our purveyors, picking out some small wares and monitoring the construction project for the next few weeks. God knows someone needs to keep an eye on Andrew. I think our plans to expand may happen earlier than we expected. We are really getting some good positive feedback.
I’m going to use MYOB accounting software (please let me know if you know anyone who has used this software) and the Micros 3700 QSR Point-Of-Sale. Accounting in NZ is much easier than the US because you have very few deductions, employee deductions are simple, everything is capitalized and everyone files individual tax returns. The average tax payer in NZ pays 48% in taxes. That includes a top indiviual tax rate of 39%, 12.5% GST of all goods and services and property taxes if you own property. There are no capital gains taxes and conversely you can’t write off business losses. No worries, we get taxed from both countries.
Its great talk to everyone and if I don’t hear from you I’ll assume you are in good health or don’t look at this blog. Pink; get your butt down here. Dana, I miss your spiritual advice and get Murphy this site. DK, were the hell are you and why haven’t we heard from you. Gus, keep the country safe. Wild-thing, keep a spot in the Invitational for BG and I. BG, Titirangi is so great to play and I think of you every round, keep the faith. Tom Day, come with your bro. “The Don-old”, what happened on the trip back from Baja and how is your best friend, George the Great doing? Murphy how’s Texas? Ernie, you haven’t lived until you seen New Zealand. The motorcycle crew, this is the place to ride bikes and I have some great trips planned, I may even import a bike or two. Peter, you need to plan your trip ASAP, we have your room ready. My new e-mail is jb@mexicalifresh.co.nz (by the way, that last bit is pronounced “en-zed”)
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Saturday, February 26, 2005
A Little Lite Housekeeping
Good news everyone! The Blogger people have updated the way comments work. Among the many improvements are pop-up windows for comments and the ability for commenters to fill in their name and web site info—no Blogger account needed. Now there's no excuse for you silent lurkers.
Conor has found us a great Web hosting service called the Kiwi Web Hosting Company. While it may be transparent to most of you, it's a big deal to us. They have very fast, reliable servers that will deliver our Web page to everyone in record time, and they have a very creative billing structure. You actually pay 10% less each year rather than more. The best part is, when you sign up for an account you get free peanut brittle!
Since we now have our very own host, I will be moving our photo albums from the various and sundry places we have been storing them over the past several months. You will see the order of the albums change, and some of the content will be reorganized. I have already uploaded a new album - Logos - so you can see some of the mockups in progress. We all now have new email addresses at mexicalifresh.co.nz as well. We just slapped something up on the Web page to test the settings, but you can check it out at mexicalifresh.co.nz.
We've made major progress this week: ordered the Micros POS terminals, finalized the equipment list and placed the order, nailed down the final bids and plans for plumbers, electricians, security cameras, sound system, upholstery and cabinetry (joinery here), painting for floor, ceiling and walls. We are also going to do a mural like we did at Baja using a local artist - Hamish. Style will be Diego Rivera-esque. (More on that later). Mike is deciding uniforms, Conor chose a PR company . . . I'm getting tired just reading about everything!
We still have mucho on the listo, but we are knocking things down one at a time. We are anxious for Tyler to get here - March 12th. Malcolm joins us the following Monday, so we have our management team in place. In the next two weeks we have training for liquor licensing (everyone but JB, who says he can't be trained) and food safety training. All are required for our licensing.
It's the weekend and JB and I are golfing while the boys are at the beach. Conor bought a used surfboard. Mike can't wait to start fishing. We are all looking forward to a little bit of R&R.
Conor has found us a great Web hosting service called the Kiwi Web Hosting Company. While it may be transparent to most of you, it's a big deal to us. They have very fast, reliable servers that will deliver our Web page to everyone in record time, and they have a very creative billing structure. You actually pay 10% less each year rather than more. The best part is, when you sign up for an account you get free peanut brittle!
Since we now have our very own host, I will be moving our photo albums from the various and sundry places we have been storing them over the past several months. You will see the order of the albums change, and some of the content will be reorganized. I have already uploaded a new album - Logos - so you can see some of the mockups in progress. We all now have new email addresses at mexicalifresh.co.nz as well. We just slapped something up on the Web page to test the settings, but you can check it out at mexicalifresh.co.nz.
We've made major progress this week: ordered the Micros POS terminals, finalized the equipment list and placed the order, nailed down the final bids and plans for plumbers, electricians, security cameras, sound system, upholstery and cabinetry (joinery here), painting for floor, ceiling and walls. We are also going to do a mural like we did at Baja using a local artist - Hamish. Style will be Diego Rivera-esque. (More on that later). Mike is deciding uniforms, Conor chose a PR company . . . I'm getting tired just reading about everything!
We still have mucho on the listo, but we are knocking things down one at a time. We are anxious for Tyler to get here - March 12th. Malcolm joins us the following Monday, so we have our management team in place. In the next two weeks we have training for liquor licensing (everyone but JB, who says he can't be trained) and food safety training. All are required for our licensing.
It's the weekend and JB and I are golfing while the boys are at the beach. Conor bought a used surfboard. Mike can't wait to start fishing. We are all looking forward to a little bit of R&R.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Connections
I believe we have finally accomplished the impossible. We all have addresses, phone numbers and bank accounts. Yeeee haw! We have had lots of requests for info, so here goes:
| Mexicali Fresh Prince’s Wharf | (09) 307 2419 |
John & Cindy Buell | (09) 377 7691 |
JB Mobile | 021 666 709 |
CB Mobile | 021 750 070 |
CK Mobile | 021 411 193 |
MM Mobile | 021 333 946 |
Mexicali Fresh Physical Address | 137 Quay Street |
Mexicali Fresh Mailing Address | PO Box 105-881 |
Monday, February 21, 2005
Sunday, February 20, 2005
It's a Blank Canvas Now
After the turmoil and uproar of last week, this one has been relatively quiet. The demo guys are gone, the dust has settled, and we only had one day of rampant activity. The cement floor had to be ground down and a float of cement spread over the top, but now it's a blank canvas. We got quite a bit accomplished. JB and Mikey laid out the kitchen by painting equipment layouts on the floor. I wish I had gotten a picture of it, but it was ground off before I could whip out the camera. The structures for the walls are in place, and adjustments have been made for equipment, storage, plumbing and electrical locators.
Conor and I spent the week getting the logo done, printing business cards, and setting up the wireless network in the building. This was, of course, after waiting for a week for the Telecom guy to come in and string the voice and ADSL lines, only to have them cut by the demo guys within one day.* Then another wait for the repairman put us off a few days. We got our new router from the States (thanks, Kitten) and set everything up on Friday. It works perfectly, and our new SSID MexicaliFresh is sending out a wireless signal for anyone on Prince's Wharf who may want to jump online. To my knowledge, this is the first FREE wireless Internet access point in Auckland. We are not sure if there is some reason why businesses do not offer this service to their customers, but we plan to do so unless we encounter some unforseeable problem.
Our social life has been quite active in the hours we have off. On Friday we had lunch with Ken and Jennifer Horner (friends introduced to us by Hawk & Judy in Bend) and their son Tom who is an attorney here in Auckland. They live about 4 hours away, but came up here to their beach house on Waihike Island for the weekend. We had a blast telling stories and drinking excellent New Zealand wine in the hot sun on the deck at the Ferry Terminal for half of the afternoon, until their ferry was ready to depart for the island.
On Saturday we went to dinner with Bend friends Roger and Sue Kryzanek who are in New Zealand for a month of vacation and little business. Roger is a representative for an international group of social workers and has meetings while they are are. I can't remember the name of the organization, but I'm sure Roger will reply to this post and sort me out. It was great seeing them and sharing our experiences. They are off to the Bay of Islands on Monday.
* Although nobody is pointing fingers, JB was seen in the vicinity of the phone lines with a wire cutter. He earned his new nickname "Sparky" (dubbed by the demo boys) by cutting a few live wires before they could get the switch box turned off. I never knew how loud the pop could be! To be fair, JB insists that he was safe all along because his wire cutters had an insulated handle. Yeah, right.
Conor and I spent the week getting the logo done, printing business cards, and setting up the wireless network in the building. This was, of course, after waiting for a week for the Telecom guy to come in and string the voice and ADSL lines, only to have them cut by the demo guys within one day.* Then another wait for the repairman put us off a few days. We got our new router from the States (thanks, Kitten) and set everything up on Friday. It works perfectly, and our new SSID MexicaliFresh is sending out a wireless signal for anyone on Prince's Wharf who may want to jump online. To my knowledge, this is the first FREE wireless Internet access point in Auckland. We are not sure if there is some reason why businesses do not offer this service to their customers, but we plan to do so unless we encounter some unforseeable problem.
Our social life has been quite active in the hours we have off. On Friday we had lunch with Ken and Jennifer Horner (friends introduced to us by Hawk & Judy in Bend) and their son Tom who is an attorney here in Auckland. They live about 4 hours away, but came up here to their beach house on Waihike Island for the weekend. We had a blast telling stories and drinking excellent New Zealand wine in the hot sun on the deck at the Ferry Terminal for half of the afternoon, until their ferry was ready to depart for the island.
On Saturday we went to dinner with Bend friends Roger and Sue Kryzanek who are in New Zealand for a month of vacation and little business. Roger is a representative for an international group of social workers and has meetings while they are are. I can't remember the name of the organization, but I'm sure Roger will reply to this post and sort me out. It was great seeing them and sharing our experiences. They are off to the Bay of Islands on Monday.
* Although nobody is pointing fingers, JB was seen in the vicinity of the phone lines with a wire cutter. He earned his new nickname "Sparky" (dubbed by the demo boys) by cutting a few live wires before they could get the switch box turned off. I never knew how loud the pop could be! To be fair, JB insists that he was safe all along because his wire cutters had an insulated handle. Yeah, right.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Demo Days
We are nearing the end of our second week of ownership, and are almost finished with demolition. See the photo album on the right called "Demo Days." Mike has more pictures to add, which we will do over the weekend.
Conor secured the domains mexicalifresh.co.nz and mexicalifresh.com and will be posting a splash page shortly. We are honing our logo and will be unveiling that next week. You all will be the first to see it. We found a painter who will do a mural for us similar to what we had at Baja Norte. The lighting guy is awesome, and he and Conor have worked up a plan to wash the outside with warm lights at night.
We have accomplished so much, it's really hard to recap it all. We are so lucky to have Andy, our project coordinator, who seems to be a walking directory of Auckland contractors. We have had issues with banking here. Either we are talking to the wrong people, or Kiwis pay an awful lot in fees for the right to keep their money in a bank. We are all trying hard to remember that we are in a different country and they do things differently here. Depending upon your plan, you could be charged 50 cents for every debit card transaction, or $3.00 to write a check. By the way, you are not issued personal checks for 6 months after you open a personal account.
We have finally found the cheese to use - a white Colby. Mike and I have searched high and low for a substitute for Monterrey Jack, which they don't make here. Colby will do just fine. Mike is master of the kitchen equipment and knows each piece intimately. He and Conor have packed up everything and taken it to the two storage areas we have rented down at the end of Quay Street. It think they will be quite happy when the manual labor phase of this project is over!
I hope to ramble less in my next posting. You get the idea . . . we are all tired but pleased with our progress.
Conor secured the domains mexicalifresh.co.nz and mexicalifresh.com and will be posting a splash page shortly. We are honing our logo and will be unveiling that next week. You all will be the first to see it. We found a painter who will do a mural for us similar to what we had at Baja Norte. The lighting guy is awesome, and he and Conor have worked up a plan to wash the outside with warm lights at night.
We have accomplished so much, it's really hard to recap it all. We are so lucky to have Andy, our project coordinator, who seems to be a walking directory of Auckland contractors. We have had issues with banking here. Either we are talking to the wrong people, or Kiwis pay an awful lot in fees for the right to keep their money in a bank. We are all trying hard to remember that we are in a different country and they do things differently here. Depending upon your plan, you could be charged 50 cents for every debit card transaction, or $3.00 to write a check. By the way, you are not issued personal checks for 6 months after you open a personal account.
We have finally found the cheese to use - a white Colby. Mike and I have searched high and low for a substitute for Monterrey Jack, which they don't make here. Colby will do just fine. Mike is master of the kitchen equipment and knows each piece intimately. He and Conor have packed up everything and taken it to the two storage areas we have rented down at the end of Quay Street. It think they will be quite happy when the manual labor phase of this project is over!
I hope to ramble less in my next posting. You get the idea . . . we are all tired but pleased with our progress.
Friday, February 04, 2005
News From Our First Week
It’s Friday evening and we are all exhausted! It’s been a very eventful and satisfying week for the team at Mexicali Fresh. John, Mike and Conor took possession of the building on Tuesday after participating in all sorts of closing events and ceremonies for the staff and owners of Sierra Café. I landed on Wednesday morning and was picked up at the airport by Conor and John. Auckland is in the middle of a patch of high humidity at the moment, so by the time we reached the parking lot I was sporting a frightening blonde afro reminiscent of Phyllis Diller!
The night before I arrived, the 7th largest cruise ship in the world was docked right outside the door of the restaurant. I missed seeing it, but on Wednesday the QE2 came in. Everyone says it seems merely large after the last one, but it sure looked big to me.
Phil and Carole Frazier from Bend are here now, and shared breakfast with us in the restaurant on Thursday. When we purchased the café, we also inherited several dozen eggs, some cheese, various vegetables and lots of spices. Mike has been very inventive in preparing breakfast for us every morning before our organizational meetings. We are going out to dinner with Phil and Carole tonight and tomorrow night, and we will play golf at Titirangi’s opening day tomorrow. By the way, we had a golf membership in Auckland before we had an apartment – John has his priorities straight.
Conor and Mike are working hard and soaking up every bit of experience and wisdom we can throw their way. We did spend some serious time today making up titles for our business cards. Conor is the Director of First Impressions, Mike is Head Cheese and Tyler will either be Director of Fun or Activities Director. I retain the title I had at my former business, that of Grand Poobah. John has been bestowed the title Supreme Commander as befits his station in life.
The night before I arrived, the 7th largest cruise ship in the world was docked right outside the door of the restaurant. I missed seeing it, but on Wednesday the QE2 came in. Everyone says it seems merely large after the last one, but it sure looked big to me.
Phil and Carole Frazier from Bend are here now, and shared breakfast with us in the restaurant on Thursday. When we purchased the café, we also inherited several dozen eggs, some cheese, various vegetables and lots of spices. Mike has been very inventive in preparing breakfast for us every morning before our organizational meetings. We are going out to dinner with Phil and Carole tonight and tomorrow night, and we will play golf at Titirangi’s opening day tomorrow. By the way, we had a golf membership in Auckland before we had an apartment – John has his priorities straight.
Conor and Mike are working hard and soaking up every bit of experience and wisdom we can throw their way. We did spend some serious time today making up titles for our business cards. Conor is the Director of First Impressions, Mike is Head Cheese and Tyler will either be Director of Fun or Activities Director. I retain the title I had at my former business, that of Grand Poobah. John has been bestowed the title Supreme Commander as befits his station in life.
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