Zobo's Hobos: Final Day

Yesterday (and the day before) proved to be two huge successes!! Both the students and teachers were wildly helpful, enthusiastic and supportive of my project. In total, Zobo's Hobos Pies earned $419!!! I am currently working on figuring out profits, but I know for sure that I spent around $350 on groceries. The twist, though, is that I ended up using probably a third (maybe even less) of the supplies I bought. Which puts me in a tricky situation when trying to figure out how much money I actually made, and how well this would do as a real-life business. I'm guessing my profits for the two days fell somewhere around $75-$100.... (WAY better than anticipated!!!)

long, busy lines!

teaching my recruits how to cook

As I was unpacking the car for our final day, I had a paper grocery bag with cheese and freshly made bacon. I had spent all morning making it! Suddenly, the bag broke and the glass container with bacon shattered all over the sidewalk :( it was disappointing and tragic. Bacon was the magic ingredient! Luckily I still had leftover bacon from Tuesday, but it was no where near as fresh as the bacon that I had just lost in battle. 

Yet, the day carried on swiftly and we made it through with minimal problems. Everyone helped take the tent and tables down at the end of the day, and helped me load the car :) And once again, all the students were gracious and patient while waiting for their food. It just goes to show that Drew is a bubble of wonderful people, and there's no way my services would be accepted in the real world of food trucking madness!! 

Can't wait to start preparing my presentation for tomorrow...I really, really want an all school presentation.

Also, my facebook page now has 45 likes!! 

GRAND OPENING!

Today was the official first day of business at Drew!! It was insanely successful and simultaneously overwhelming. The students seemed to flock to the tent with excited curiosity. I was so happy that people were interested in my project!!

The day began with a lot of unloading. We had so much supplies shoved into the trunk of my SUV that it took at least 5 or 6 people to unload it. Thankfully, two seniors (Avalon and Shanelle) offered to help me out! Initially, I had planned (and wanted) to run this whole operation on my own. Yet as people offered their help, I realized that I would probably benefit from an extra hand or two....*or four*. 
So I decided to run it just as we had back in Naked Chorizo. I had Avalon taking the orders, I cooked the food, and Shanelle called out and distributed the orders. It felt reminiscent of the organized system we had going in Naked Chorizo. It genuinely felt like I was running my own food truck! 
About 5 minutes in, our services began to come to a crawl. The problem that I had thought about a lot, but not exactly anticipated, had arrived. We had only two hobo pie makers, which was creating a huge back-up in the kitchen. About 10 minutes later we were only two orders in, and the orders were building up quickly. Luckily, nobody was asking for refunds or complaining about how "you shouldn't be taking orders if you can't even serve them" ....cinco de mayo flashbacks. Students were generally very polite and patient with the time it was taking for their lunch!! Yet, 45 minutes later, lunch was coming to an end and we were still only halfway through the lunch orders. We came up with the idea to hand deliver the rest of the pies to the students in class!! So I continued to cook and Shanelle and Avalon were running all over the school, bringing the pies to hungry students. It was actually a great system in the end. 

Some difficulties arose from the wind though, and the propane levels. Wind was constantly blowing our tent and supplies all over the place, which was not fun. Another issue was the propane on the stove ran very low multiple times. We had to change it twice. A third problem was the total MESS of a workspace I had! Maybe it was just me, but there was sauce, various spoons, chards, napkins, etc lying around everywhere and it just about drove me nuts. 
A SURPRISE I had though, was how much leftover food there was. I am actually so happy, because that increases my profits! I was afraid of running out of food today, but I got home with a ton of extra stuff. 

All in all, it was a successful day. With tips, we made $264!!!!! That's more than I could've ever hoped for!! I'm aiming for just as much, or even more tomorrow. :)

Final prep day

Hola Folks!
Today is my final day of prep before I open up shop tomorrow at Drew!
It should be crazy exciting. I'm actually feeling a bit nervous...what if the students don't like them? Or what if the kitchen becomes really backed up and kids start complaining? What if I run out of bread? What if they all end up burning!! Ahhhh
So today I am working tirelessly to ensure that none of these things happen. I took inventory of all the grocery items/other miscellaneous tools I have and the things I need to get. 



I made a checklist of items that need to be pre-cooked and items that need to be refrigerated (or cooler-ed). 
Today I am picking up tables, a cooler, and extra groceries. I just realized that I have a TON of equipment to bring tomorrow, and the only way to ensure success is to have extreme organization. I need to count everything I have, and keep track of where everything is. I have decided to store things like cheese, the bacon, the mushrooms, in tupperware containers I have at home. Just because the cheese packaging is messy and just not organized. I also need to remember to bring utensils for myself to cook with. This includes spoons of various sizes (for portioning) and knives. Also I will need A LOT of napkins. 

Yesterday, I went to office max to pick up a whiteboard for the menu! I also found a real money box, and a BUNCH of order-taking tickets! wahooo. I wasn't expecting to find all of that. I also set up the tent and everything in my backyard to test out the layout of my tent and supplies. 

Some final details include attaching my homemade "Zobo's Hobo Pies" signs to the tent, possibly finding some skirts for the fold out tables, and getting everything packaged up and neat and ready to go for tomorrow :)

Food Tent prep.

Today and tomorrow I will be working on gathering the final materials needed for my tent! On Friday, I was at Drew and I was able to post flyers around the school advertising the business. It's already been pretty effective, as there were many people expressing interest as soon as they saw them posted!
That afternoon I worked at Naked Chorizo again for the night, at a private event in the botanical gardens. It was nice to see my boss again, and she gave me some last minute pointers for the upcoming week.
Today I set up the pop-up tent she lent me in my backyard. It's huge! and perfect! I'm so excited. My parents and I are making a checklist of what we have and what we don't have, and I'm taking today and tomorrow to make sure everything has been checked and secured. I also recruited a few helpers for when I'm working at Drew! I realized that as much as I want this to be a one-man project, it's just going to be a mess if I try to run the Hobo stand alone.
So far, I have a tent, a propane stove, 2 coolers, poster board (for my signs), silverware for cooking, and some food.
I still need to pick up two fold up tables, a money box, a white board for the menu, extra propane, utensils, plates and napkins, and if I can find them, order tickets.

Should be a stressful two days, but once I'm set up and ready to go, Drew school will be plagued with delicious hobo pies!!! (tuesday and wednesday). I'm also thinking about going to Crissy on Thursday....we'll see how Drew goes.

First draft of business plan:

Zobo’s Hobo Pies

Executive Summary:

The campfire classic "Hobo Pie" is as tasty, quick, and affordable as it sounds! San Francisco based Zobo's Hobo Pies: serving up hot, delicious, melty, crispy, buttery hobo pies in less than 5 minutes!

Products and Services:

Menu will consist of a variation of Hobo Pies. Pizza, Pesto, Breakfast, Dessert (s’mores and chocolate/peanut butter). Typical American Comfort Food shoved between two slices of toasted bread! 

Test run: (for dinner of 6 people, many leftovers)

2 loaves of bread: $5.98 (20 slices of bread/loaf…10 hobo pies/loaf)

1 jar of marinara sauce: $2.19

1 jar of pesto: $3.95

1 pack of bacon: $6.99

1 large carton of eggs (18):  $3.69

1 large pack mozzarella cheese: $7.49

1 large pack cheddar cheese: $7.49

1 pack of feta cheese: $7.49

1 tub lucerin butter: $3.99

1 tub land o lakes ‘fake’ butter: $3.29

1 small thing of basil: $1.99

1 pack of mushrooms: $2.00

1 pack of marshmallows: $1.29

1 bag choco chips: $3.00

1 can apple pie filling: $4.99

TOTAL: $63.98 (w/ safeway club card)

need $500 worth of food/supplies for about two days of business.

Also need to take into account: paper plates, napkins, forks, knives, cooler (w/ ice!!!), propane for stove, stove!

One pie: $5

Add-on (bacon): 50 cents? Or 1 dollah

Competitive Analysis:

Doc’s of the Bay

Five Ten Burger

Fogcutter

Go Streatery

Competitive edge:

Pretty unique concept that doesn’t really seem to have been utilized yet.

Quick and easy to eat on the go, also extremely delicious. Kids love it, and its just as easy for adults to love it as well. There’s something for everyone.

Marketing and Sales:

-Facebook (already at 34 likes!!) –use to promote new dishes, post photos and schedule.

-Twitter—same as facebook, but briefer.  Still building audience

-Word of mouth

-Drew school—will promote to students. Sell at drew, where students are looking for good and cheap food.

-Go to crissy field…lots of runners, bikers tourists, and a good open space for me to set up at. Low chance (I hope) of me getting busted for not having a sellers, business, or health and safety permit. Hey, at least I have a food handlers license!

Management: one man job!

Challenges:

-Cost

-Sole-ownership means A LOT of work. No employees!! 

Future development:

-Cart, or truck?!

-Expand menu, include more gourmet options (focaccia, brie and pear, pb and j, more spices)

-More locations!!!

-Off the grid!?!

-Expand to LA and beyond

-Hire more employees

Week 2: Day 3

The taste testing went fantastic last night! I got to practice a ton with the hobo pie makers, which was helpful because I discovered that one of them cooks much differently than the other. (One is cast-iron and the other is aluminum). I'm going to look into purchasing another cast iron hobo pie maker, because it cooks the pies much better and far more evenly. 
Aside from the actual tools though, I also got a good taste (no pun intended) of what the menu is going to look like! We decided as a group that bacon is an essential ingredient. We tried it in the pizza pie and the breakfast pie...it was amazing. We tried a lot of combinations, and ultimately came up with a list of the best ones. The shining stars. The cake-takers. 

Pizza Pie: pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, basil, and bacon
Pesto Pie: pesto sauce, feta cheese, and sautéed mushrooms
Hobo Breakfast: egg, cheddar cheese, and bacon
S'mores: chocolate and marshmallow
Delicious Decadence: chocolate and peanut butter (messy!!)

pizza pie!

Not only did we try savory pies, but we tested out various dessert combos! Some of the favorites included chocolate and marshmallow, chocolate and peanut butter, and....get ready for it....chocolate, peanut butter, jelly, and bacon. The last one is probably not going to go on the menu, because it was extremely messy. But it was deliciously decadent, let me tell ya.

s'mores!

All in all, we decided that the bacon should be an add on, because not everyone eats meat, and if the pie comes with bacon already, I would only be losing money if people asked for it without bacon. So bacon is an add-on to any pie (including dessert) for 50 cents. 

Week 2: Day 2

I've been working steadfastly on the Zobo's Hobo Pies enterprise! I emailed Mr. Ledyard and Cuddeback yesterday, and they have confirmed with me for next week. Which means I'll be doing business at Drew School on May 21-22!! I'm so excited, and the Facebook page I created is getting more and more "likes" and recognition.
Tonight, I am having an official taste test dinner. I have invited my family and friends over, and I am going to just be whipping up some of my potential menu items for them to try. This way, I can get some honest feedback, and I can also practice consistency. Many people are unaware of it, but in the restaurant business, one of the most important factors when it comes to preparing food is consistency. If a customer returns for a dish they had in the past, they are expecting to receive that exact dish. Same taste, smell, portion and appearance. So it is vital that I practice actually cooking the hobo pies, and portioning the same amount of fillings, cooking them the same amount of time, and maintaining a consistent, delicious taste among all of them. 
In order to prepare for tonight, and next week, I made a trip to Safeway to check out the prices I'm looking at. I would go to Costco (it's cheaper, and they sell things in bulk), but I don't have a costco card :( 
So I bought materials for only tonight; this means I bought everything I would need food-wise for next week, but just a smaller amount. I bought enough materials for 6 people, and my total came out to $63.98. Thank goodness for my safeway club card, because it saved me around $10!! To be perfectly honest, I probably purchased a little bit too much food anyways. Which is good. I'm in the price range I was expecting to be in. 
Zenia also emailed me her business plan today. She said herself, though, "This should help you get started. As you read this you will see my menu had changes as well as my locations etc.. Financials definitely changed. Keep in mind when you create a business plan it is never the one you use.  There will be many more." 
So far in creating my business plan, I've estimated that the groceries alone should be around $500 for two days of business (a.k.a. the two days at Drew). This excludes paper plates, napkins, forks, knives, cooler (w/ ice!!!), propane for stove, etc...so we'll see! it's going to be a pricey endeavor, but if I make any profit at all, I'll consider this entire project a huge success. My next steps are to take photos of my test run tonight, to post them to the facebook page tomorrow. That'll really get people excited!! I also need to design a logo and possibly look into purchasing a few more hobo makers. 
That's all for now...talk to ya all soon!