So You Think You Can Cook? Test Your Skills & Open a Pop-Up Eatery

I’ve recently been dreaming dreams of opening my own food store or little eatery. What will I sell? My husband would probably have me dishing out wokfuls of fried noodles, or bowls of spicy Asian-style chicken soup. Or, homemade cherry pie. The inspiration for this wistful fantasy is a delightful summertime pop-up venture in Manhattan’s West Village. The Imperial Woodpecker appeared on Seventh Avenue  just when the searing heat descended upon New York City, with cute Chinese take-out containers cradling Sno-balls. Come Fall, the quirky store will shut its doors and the New Orleans-style iced confections of fluffy shaved ice, a choice of sweeter than sweet, neon-hued syrups, ice cream and condensed milk will be a distant memory.

Pop-ups are battling food trucks for the title of food trend du jour. What makes them so tantalizingly appealing is that they offer a low-risk opportunity to the would-be gastro-preneur itching to get their fingers into the food-retail pie. Ready to tuck in? Here’s a how-to guide on setting up your very own pop-up store.

1. What’s your goal? Let’s get one thing clear, if you’re envisioning your temporary eatery as a money-making scheme, you’re likely going to be disappointed (and yes, that’s a euphemism). Only the most well-seasoned pop-up maestros generate a decent profit. Let me direct you to Alan Philips and his production company, the Guerilla Culinary Brigade . Philips creates theatrical pop-up restaurant experiences that combine gastronomy with hi-drama entertainment, and feature the culinary skills of big names such as Todd English. For a 3-4 day venture, Philips  pumps in as much as $60,000. He targets a 10-20% profit, but admits careless monitoring of the bottom line can erase any profit altogether. So, assuming your scenario is a little more, um, limited , you’ll probably just break even, or, if you’re lucky, you might make enough to treat yourself and a friend, or two, to a really good meal at somewhere other than your own joint.

What’s the point, then? Well, it could be that you’re considering the heavy investment of opening a permanent brick-and mortar restaurant or store, or an online retail site. In this case, a pop-up is a great way of seeing A. whether you’re up to the job, B. if there is any demand for your product, and C. to garner vital feedback on your concept and advice on how your offering can be tweaked and improved. If you already have a business, say an online store that sells treats such as cupcakes, cookies, granola, brownies etc., or you’re a caterer, and you want to create a little local interest about what you do, a pop-up could introduce a whole new clientele to your business. (This is especially handy if you have a lot of stock you need to get rid off – hey, I’m not talking stale cookies, more crates of jams or relishes.

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So You Think You Can Cook? Test Your Skills & Open a Pop-Up Eatery
So You Think You Can Cook? Test Your Skills & Open a Pop-Up Eatery

Pop-ups are battling food trucks for the title of food trend du jour. What makes them so tantalizingly appealing is that they offer a low-risk opportunity to the would-be gastro-preneur itching to get their fingers into the food-retail pie.



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You can choose from the soup du jour or Manhattan clam chowder, then enjoy either a Caesar or house mixed salad. For an entree you can decide between a junior cut sirloin, petite sirloin & shrimp, barbequed ribs or a 24-ounce steak (which is $6 extra).



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Dinner guests at Andre's at the Monte Carlo can start off their meals of with such French staples as a foie gras terrine ($24), escargots ($16) or French onion soup ($13) before ordering their imported Dover sole ($67) or branching out to rack of




Soup Du Jour! Judging a Book by its Cover! | AutismTodayBlog.com

(By Caroline Washington)

 

That saying was told to me as a child, but it’s a saying some of us have forgotten. When I go out with my son in public most people automatically assume that I am a bad mother because Uriah has tantrums in public. My son is a normal little boy in so many ways, but I know that my Child has Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Uriah was diagnosed with Autism in June of 2000. As a mother, I felt guilty because I thought it was caused by something I had done. Of course, now I realize that I couldn’t have done anything to control the Autism. Yet, that doesn’t stop the hurt that I feel. With Autism, I find myself struggling to keep my child’s life as normal and stress-free as possible.

 Like many, I had never heard of this disorder before 2000. It took a neurological doctor to explain that it is a developmental disability. Uriah’s mind works like a two and half year olds. He has little or no speech, he tantrums a lot, which has led to a behavioral problem. As a mother, I want him to experience the same things other kids do, but I find it hard to do so. Not because the kids aren’t accepting of his Autism, but because of the adults. I guess they feel that if Uriah plays with their kids in the park, then their kids might become “special” too! Things like that have not stopped me from taking Uriah out, I just explain to them that Uriah’s brain works a little different from everybody else’s.

In December of 2000, I decided to leave my job to care for him full-time. It hasn’t been easy going from a two income household down to one. I guess, in my mind, there was going to be a system set up to help me financially. I quickly discovered there wasn’t. In the beginning, Uriah had qualified for SSI disability, but when my husband received a raise at work he was cut off.

My son is now in a public school program for special needs children and I keep being told he could use extra speech and occupational therapy, something my husband’s insurance does not cover. I find myself working with flash cards and the like at home, hoping this will help until his Autism Waiver is approved. (I have been told this can take up to seven years). I never regret that Uriah is here, because I realize that my son gives me a purpose.


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Soup Du Jour - Bookshelf

Soup du jour, a musical screwball comedy

Soup du jour, a musical screwball comedy

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Soup du jour, a Romantic musical comedy


Complete Acoustic Guitar Method, Mastering Acoustic Guitar

Complete Acoustic Guitar Method, Mastering Acoustic Guitar

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Taco Soup. Spicy Tomato & Sausage *Mushroom & Bread *Baked Sweet ... Please send all soup suggestions to: chefmike@soupjones.com. Click here for our kids' ...

Soup - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Soup is a generally warm food that is made by combining ingredients ... Evidence of the existence of soup can be found as far back as about 6,000 BC.[2] ...

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Welcome to Soup Du Jour, we make homeade soups, dinners, and gourmet ... In our market, we have frozen dinners such as spinach ravioli, portabello ...

Soup du Jour
"Soup du Jour provides a fresh, frantic take on the match-3 genre of ... Enter your email address to be notified when Soup du Jour is available: ...

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Visit our website at www.soupjones.com daily to see what the Soup du jour's are for the day!! -All of our catering orders include plates, bowls, ...