Business Trip
February 18th, 2010Eye for Pie
I can’t stand it. I think I’m going to run by a pizzeria which is for sale. I know this is silly. I can’t help myself.
Eye for Pie
I can’t stand it. I think I’m going to run by a pizzeria which is for sale. I know this is silly. I can’t help myself.
February 18th, 2010 at 1:22 PM
The pizzerias for sale around here are along the lines of:
180k! You can make a profit if you start selling alcohol!
60k! Hope you can figure it out!
2.5M! You’ll never be able to pay the loan off!
February 18th, 2010 at 1:47 PM
Dude! Seek counseling immediately. Better yet call 9-1-1 and request an ambulance.
February 18th, 2010 at 2:46 PM
I keep looking the ads over, and I really can’t figure out why one pizzeria sells for $200K and another one just like it sells for $30K.
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I think the free pizzeria I found must belong to a landlord who kept a tenant’s pizza equipment. Maybe a good new tenant is worth more than a bunch of used ovens and prep stations.
February 18th, 2010 at 3:19 PM
Be careful, Steve! Pray about it and wait a few days before you make a decision!
February 18th, 2010 at 3:20 PM
I wimped out and decided to pass by on Saturday on my way to church, so I guess I have plenty of time to pray.
February 18th, 2010 at 5:26 PM
Remembering how previous purchases of things Steve swears he isn’t going to buy have gone, I think it’s time to start a betting pool as to how long it will take him to take over this lease. I am staking the month of May (gives him time to agonize over it for a while.)
February 18th, 2010 at 6:40 PM
Steve, I have been following your blog for years. I feel like I know you and I like you. You are talented and interesting writer. Over the last year or so, I have become more and more alarmed as I have watched you ricochet from one project to the next, committing more and more of your psyche and your money. I have an awful feeling I am watching a potential train wreck of self-destructive behavior.
I am a retired physician (anesthesiologist), old enough to be your father. Steve, I tell you if you were my son, I would have you in the office of the best psychiatrist around as soon as possible. Please don’t be offended, I just felt I needed to say something in the hope of preventing a potentially bad outcome.
The comment by Carl Williams has encouraged me to write this note which I should have done sooner. Please listen!
February 18th, 2010 at 6:42 PM
It’s always great to get a pep talk like that.
February 18th, 2010 at 8:21 PM
Permits, licenses, inspections, city and state tax laws, labor registration with Unemployment, labor and industries, dept of revenue, corporate legal fee/time, paperwork, personal guarantee signature for new corporation credit lines, bank fees, checking accounts, labor and revenue and tax, bookkeeping, tax ramifications, corporate duties. And more, plus, make pizzas. Good luck, listen to the doctor.
February 18th, 2010 at 9:51 PM
Allow me to be the little devil on your one shoulder and say, “Do it!”
Or would I be the angel…
February 19th, 2010 at 12:13 AM
I dunno. Seems normal to me for a guy who isn’t supporting a wife and kids.
February 19th, 2010 at 3:04 AM
You guys! He has enough sense to bag it if its not right. Jeez.
February 19th, 2010 at 3:05 AM
THe carnally minded don’t GET it.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:51 AM
(Real Pep Talk)
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Steve, I too, have been following your blog for years. (Note: I think that sounds kind of stalker-ish, not my intent). And to me your projects each seem to build on one another into something larger than the individual pieces.
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I’d follow through on whatever you think is best – a lot of other folks can’t recognize a pattern, or feel comfortable with enthusiasm. And the whole pizza thing sounds like a ‘win’ for everyone involved, even casual passers-by. That scenario seems pretty rare to me.
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Please keep us posted!
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February 19th, 2010 at 7:06 AM
I don’t have quite the age credibility as Charles, but:
Two thoughts: One, if it seems like it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
Second:
You’ve spoken about how you see God calling you and equipping you for ministry, if in some unconvectional ways(heh). And that it seems like your pizza “gifting” is somehow involved? And your church has gone out of it’s way to facilitate that for you?
Might caution to make sure that the pizzeria idea fits into that, then.
I know you meant it tongue-in-cheek, but the phrase “I can’t help myself” is called a compulsion. Like over-eating. Just be careful that enthusiasm doesn’t outweigh discernment.
As a pizza lover, I’m all about bringing more good pizza into the world. Just…be cautious and deliberate.
February 19th, 2010 at 7:39 AM
70% of food joints fail the first year.
If you work at what you love, it is never a job. How long do you intend to love making pizza?
February 19th, 2010 at 8:12 AM
I’ve been following you for years too. I’m not a psychologist, just someone with opinions. Over the past year or so I’ve seen you develop a sense of peace that seemed to be missing from your life for a long time.
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As long as you can avoid getting into some sort of legal imbroglio (workers comp suits, civil suits from someone who burned their fingers on pizza cheese, etc.) and not get harrased by organized crime, I don’t see how this could be too terrible. Seems like all you have to lose is money, and a bit of time.
February 19th, 2010 at 9:31 AM
greg ;
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could that peace come as a result of being ‘Sold out’ or ‘On fire’,
after feeling the breath of God on your neck ?
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February 19th, 2010 at 10:16 AM
Steve- as someone who’s been in 3 or 4 kitchens on opening day, I can say it’s a rush. Menu development, getting kitchens up and running, the excitement of what’s to come- it’s awesome. It’s also downhill from there in a way- it becomes a job of constantly training minimum wage workers, battling vendors and food costs, and making sure more food goes out the front door than the back.
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You’re a smart guy, and you can do it. The most important attribute is having a passion for feeding people; that can you through the rest.
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Personally, I wouldn’t rush into it. There will be more opportunities coming like this in the next year or two. You have an absolutely perfect chance to learn the biz and perfect your craft working out of the church. It’s your culinary school, and your laboratory.
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Having bloviated long enough with your cyber-ink, I’ll say that life is short, and it’s all about getting an itch and scratching it. God will guide you.
February 19th, 2010 at 10:20 AM
Oops- second paragraph should end- “that can get you through the rest.” My bad.