 How it began.
I moved to Pocatello in 1996 and was just looking for a job. I typed up a simple 1 page resume and hoped to get a job as a waiter or a line cook. A no-brainer. For some reason I could'nt get a job right away. When I finally did land something, it was as a prep-cook at a pretty bad pseudo-Italian place. I lasted 3 weeks and then I told them I had to leave. So I was again with nothing to do. My spouse and I went out for our evening walk and went by a small bagel shop that had just gone out of business and there was a letter on the door from the owners thanking everyone for their patronage and a contact number for business calls. So on a whim we wrote down the number and called up the owners. They told us that they closed and were filing bankruptcy and that their equipment had been repo'ed, but that the bank was hoping that someone would make an offer on it. The business owners also still owned the lease. So we make an offer on the equipment we could use and the owners turned over the lease to us for keeping them from bankruptcy. We were financed on used equipment that we got for a small percentage of the cost of new equipment- basicall a turn-key restaurant. We started with 11 tables, a tiny counter and 44 seats. In 1998 we took over the storefront next door to our first location, remodeled the dining rooms and expanded the kitchen. The second dining room seats nearly 200 people. Our restaurant now seats 225 people.
Our orginal location is in a corner street level of a 2 story office building built in 1914. 12' ceilings, lots of glass, lots of light. It was originally was a bank, and we still have a bank vault in our dining room, giant door and all. After 1940 the bank closed was divided up into 4 different storefronts. Our corner was a real estate office for many years. Where our second dining room is located was a Rexall drugstore, and on one wall is an entirelly intact soda fountain, with 22 seats on the counter. We don't run it as a fountain (sorry, I know I should but I'm out of energy to do it right) but we do seat lunch customers there. I also have 2 basements- practicall unlimited storage. We also have a spacious kitcken with ample counterspace. Our kitchen area had 2 triple sinks and another triple sink behind the counter But nothing is perfect- and our one mortal imperfection in an otherwise perfect setting? NO GAS! Yup. I have a p1#ce of $3it electric range, Its commercial, but ya know you can't do much with them. You have to remember it was a bagel shop and all of their appliances were electric. So that is where our menu comes from.
Being faced with either getting a gas range, install a hood, fire supression system and everything else to pipe and vent the range and the fact that would cost a TON of money, my spouse suggested I do something easy like make soup and bread since that was one menu we could make with the range. It does have a good convection oven. So that was the start- I would make 4-6 soups a day 3 different breads, a few cold sandwiches and a couple of salads. I ran it the first year with the help of a couple of kids who bussed and washed dishes and a janitor. our restaurant hours are Monday thru Friday, 10:30 am to 6:00 pm and Saturdays 11 to 3. The menu has changed over the years. We now have 6-8 soups a day, 4 fresh breads, cookies, brownies, lunch specials, and other seasonal and specialty items like cheeses and chocolates. Our main clientele is businesspeople, and also a lot of traffic from the local university. Our prices range from $4.50-$10.00.
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What a relief! To find out after all these years that I'm not crazy. I'm just culinarily divergent... | 
09-28-2002, 06:07 PM
