#flattop grill

[fieriframes]

[Turn it over, little pinch again. And there you have it. That's a good-looking pierogi. Another five minutes to the waterfall. Bring them out, let them cool. Toss them on our flattop grill to sear]

[erinnnnn15]

Vegan week 1.

This is my recap to my first week as being vegan. To start, this is not my first round at this lifestyle. I attempted to eat whole foods in undergrad, in a dorm, with no appliances. Let's just say that didn't begin or end well. I lasted about a week and a half and then gave up. This time however, I'm out of undergrad and grad school. I've been a "big girl" for 2 years now, and I'm finally able to support myself financially and emotionally. So this is where my vegan life begins.

My decision to go vegan was last Tuesday, so it was just over a week today. My novio, Mai, and I were on holiday break and typically spending every minute binging Netflix and all of its contents. As we were scrolling after enduring Black Mirror season 2 it dawned on me that one of my students recommended I watch a documentary about health she saw on Netflix. Seeing that we didn't know what else to watch, we searched the video called What the Health.

Now before people argue about it's content and accuracy, I have been on the fence about this lifestyle for a few years, so there wasn't much persuasion in me to not go vegan. After we finished screening the video I looked at Mai and said I'm going vegan tomorrow. He naturally refuted with "just wait until the new year" bullcrap, but I had made up my mind. I knew this was what I've needed to push me over the green hill. And much to my surprise Mai said he'd go vegan with me. If you knew my novio... This would sound absurd and you'd probably die from laughter. BUT he has stuck to his word and I love him for it.

OKAY sounds boring up to this point but I'm writing this to keep myself accountable for the weeks ahead. I know this is a hard choice to make in the Midwest. I don't live near a large city and most of my surrounding area is made up of corn and cows. Being vegan and Mexican is just the cherry on top of it all. My familia is die hard chicharones, carne asada, fresca con crema.. you name all the meat or dairy and my family has it. So anyway let me tell you about the first grocery haul Mai and I took.

Buying the essentials

Finding the best deals

Feeling accomplished

First thing Mai and I had to do was bulk up on the essentials. What I mean is all of those condiments you open the door of your fridge to grab... the mayo, ranch, parmesan cheese, barbeque sauce. Those essentials. We knew consuming whole foods in the middle of winter would be expensive but we didn't consider needing new condiments and milk and ice cream and "fake meat" and spices. We were fairly lost at our Fresh Thyme and we grabbed all of the things on out grocery list there. So this first week cost us a pretty $100+ just on what seemed like not a lot of food.

Alright so this is the next day after our Fresh Thyme extravaganza and we realize we have a lot of groceries but don't have any meals. OMG here is the 24 year old brain. So the second step we took was to actually get out the newspaper and search for the deals at our supermarkets. This is not something I thought I would ever do at 24 years old, but I definitely don't make a ton of money at my jobs. Okay so Mai and I realize most of the things we need to cook are at Wal-Mart. We add a list together on our phones and adventure out to buy groceries, again.

After all of shopping and planning, it's finally time to start cooking. I'm not a huge cook, but I realize my days of just grabbing chick fil A sandwich are over. So here was our week plan

1. Breakfasts

Cinnamon apple oat muffins

Avocado toast

Cinnamon toast crunch

Sweet potato hash with salsa

The Lux Cafe veggie skillet

2. Lunches

Bean tauqiots

Broccoli sesame seed noodles with sriracha

Quinoa and tofu taco salad

Crab cakes vegan style

Flattop Grill

3. Dinners

Veggie pot pie

New Paradigm Black Bean & quinoa burger

Mexican rice

Camella's Italian Bistro

Overall this week has been difficult but already so rewarding. I have no idea if I've lost any weight because I don't really care about the scale. I do care that I've never felt better. I went to the gym at 6 am this morning and am still not tired. I miss the easy coffee run because I love cream in my cafe but I am feeling more alive for sure! I'll update this weekly and see how I feel 6 months from now. 🌱

[fieriframes]

[Toss them on our flattop grill to sear for a couple of minutes until crispy on each side. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What is that? Black pepper ketchup. Ketchup on cheesesteaks? I've never heard of it. I mean, I'm a fan.]

[jenetic777]

Dinner time! Out for awesome buffet-style stir fry.

[rickdesai]

Flattop it Up.

I’ve flirted with acquiring and operating a small business for a few years.  My friend Kal and I were actually on the doorstep of opening a falalfel franchise in Chicago called Maoz, but decided against it at the eleventh hour; not because of the menu though – the falafels are amazing.   Kal has since started an online publication that aims to bring much needed transparency (financial, diligence) to the space.  Check it out at www.thefranchisehound.com.

On that note, I wanted to share one of my favorite restaurant concepts: Flattop Grill.  It’s Midwestern based, so those of you who aren’t acquainted, think Mongolian BBQ but with less emphasis on the meat and more focus on developing a great dish. The setup is simple. Four walls, a self-serve bar where you pile on veggies, gourmet sauces, and meats; and a huge hibachi grill.  Flattop provides ingredients for staple dishes (Kung Pau, Pad Thai, Veggie Woks) , but encourages you to Top Chef your own meals.   The service is friendly and atmosphere is cozy but lively, a far cry from Mongolian’s stadium like feel.

I’ve evaluated many restaurant retailers as acquisition opportunities – both franchised and independent (Flattop unfortunately does not franchise) – and have isolated a few key drivers for a successful chain concept.

(1) Customer Acquisition & Retention.  How do they attract customers and how to do the keep customers – especially in recessionary periods.

(2) Sustainable Financial Model. Do they have manageable rent? Do they lack big salary items (chefs, managers)?  Do they have above average transaction prices? How expensive is it to build out?

(3) Scalability. Is the business dependent on a certain customer demographic?  Does it require a personality (e.g., a chef)? Is the average transaction price affordable across demographics?

In every instance, Flattop meets or passes these tests.  Their Asian/American fusion menu is attractive to most US consumers – just think of the popularity of Asian quick service restaurants in America.  It costs $11.99 for a a giant bowl of food (very affordable) and $13.99 for all you can eat, which is at the lower end of the price range  for dining out consumers, but significantly higher than it’s quick service peers like Panera or Chipotle. The all you can eat option is extremely appealing to college students and twenty somethings.  They have a bar AND are children friendly.  And their prompt yet high touch customer service makes customers want to come back.

They are a simple four wall concept (i.e., small box store) which means lower rent.  There is no need for a full service kitchen – just a prep station – as the cooking is primarily done on the external hibachi.  The low rent and simple decor offsets the one significant capital purchase of black iron ventilation to support the hibachi setup.   The restaurant does not require a an in-house or high-priced chef as it’s the user who selects the food and a salaried employee who fries it.

Flattop can quickly turnover (fill all seats and then refill with new customers) it’s entire store at an above average ticket price.  It has low costs (no kitchen, chef) and a small box space.  Customers get significant bang (and flavor – the sauces are amazing) for their buck.  While it’s not available for franchising (independently owned), I believe it’s replicable and scalable across the US.  Families, college kids on a budget, business professionals, and  friends out for dinner and drinks  all fit as Flattop consumers.   I know I can’t get enough.

Flattop it Up. was originally published on Rick Blog

[damnitydamndamn]

Im my happiest when im around food

[tomhiddlestark-blog]

I THOUGHT MY FAMILY AND I WERE GOING TO FLATTOP GRILL FOR STIR FRY. NOW WE'RE GOING TO SOME PIZZA PLACE INSTEAD. D:<

[thirdeye-visible]

honestly could totally go for some flattop right now

and some roti pratta bread

yummmm