Day 29

HELP. It's once again voting time for the 2011 New York City Zagat Restaurant Survey. Zagat is the one restaurant guide that my restaurant Fetch Bar & Grill, 1649 Third Avenue, New York NY 10128, can't seem to keep a constant listing in. When I contacted Zagat as to why we lost our original listing I was told that Fetch did not receive enough votes. Many of our regular customers insist the getting into Zagat doesn't matter for Fetch does great without their help. I would somewhat agree if it weren't for our mission. For those of you who don't know more than food, more than customer service and somehow more than an overall commitment to perpetual happiness, we at Fetch are also in the midst of a citywide struggle to home countless stray animals that haven't one. Teamed with Animal Haven, a no kill animal shelter, adoption center and sanctuary, we are bringing this issue to the forefront of the community and, well, these pets to your warm, inviting homes. Not unlike these animal, we will remain loyal to you however willing, able and helpful you are to our case, We very much appreciate your ongoing support and hey, sometimes - just sometimes - we too enjoy a good belly rub. To vote go to Zagat.com and register, it costs nothing, by registering you will not only be able to vote you will receive a free Zagat Guide. Once registered go to New York City Survey. Sadly, we are not listed so you must proceed to the end of the page and click on WRITE IN VOTE. http://www.zagat.com/ All votes must be submitted by May 16th, 2010. Thanks so much for any help.

Day 28

It's been awhile since I last blogged. I got bored. It seemed that all I was doing was bitching about someone or something. I have to admit my life doesn't suck. I just have a hard time remembering that. With that said this mother f*#*() walks into the restaurant a couple weeks ago and tells me that my restaurants exhaust is still making to much noise and that he is an agent from the DEP (department of environmental protection) and I was being fined. No badge, no uniform just some punk with an attitude. He informed me that his partner took a decibel reading from an apartment a block away on the 20th floor and that we were over the limit by 4 decibels. I said what the f*&k does that mean he said I'll receive the fine in the mail. Had my exhaust company come and inspect the system and was told that it is working just fine. Haven't received anythin form the DEP yet so I'm assuming someone must be messing with me. I would have loved going to court for this complaint maybe I'll still get the chance. I hope the judge doesn't mind curse words.

Still Day 27

This makes me feel a little better.
Yelp hit with class action lawsuit and the Internet starts to talk - Technology News Examiner

Day 27

Sunday brunch at fetch is one of our busiest days. It can sometimes be up to an hour wait. I was assaulted this weekend by a woman who was convinced that she had been surpassed on the waiting list. This was certainly not the case but this person was inconsolable. During her rant she told me how she has lived in the neighborhood for a long time and that she'd be spreading the word of this situation. That's all it took my friends. The anger that erupted within me was uncontrollable. Your going to attempt to cause harm to my business because you had to wait for a table? In my mind I saw all three of my daughters faces and the effect on business that this woman could possibly have and how financially it would hurt them. I fuckin lost it. Needless to say she probably will not be coming back to soon. She probably won't be near this block to soon. There's a big difference between service and servitude. This is not a line you cross with me.

Still Day 26

Please join me and my restaurant Fetch Bar & Grill in supporting:
The American Cancer Society Taste of Hope:
gala.acsevents.org
Don't miss this opportunity to purchase your VIP ticket for $225 (regularly $250) or a Regular price ticket for $125 (regularly $150)

Day 26

I've never been in any business other than the restaurant industry so I'm wondering if other business owners are critiqued and review on a daily basis. Each and everyday I walk into my restaurant someone is either showing me or tellimg me of a review they've seen or written. This you would think would be a nice thing to here if they were always great reviews. The one I like to here is how your burger was under cooked. It's so nice to see it in writting. I'm honored that some people feel the need to take the time to let others know the they ordered a hamburger and it was under cooked so they had to send it back and wait three minutes to have it returned to their table cooked to perfection. REALLY!

Day 25

I've created my own website chefpowers.com. This version of chefpowers.com is a practice site to see what works and what sucks. The purpose of this site is to be an all inclusive glimpse into the true daily behind the scenes antics of the restaurant business. It's a website you can go to learn what it is I do as an Executive Chef. You'll see what it's like to work in a professional kitchen. You'll read about the front of the house staff and the customers that exist in it. Find out what it's like at the fish market at 2:00am. See where most of New York City's produce comes from and meet the interesting people that surround the Hunts Point Market. Watch how to cook videos and learn restaurant kitchen cooking secrets. If you happen to be a television producer looking for another fat guy cooking show host you can learn about me Adam Powers Executive Chef/Owner Fetch Bar & Grill. If its Fetch Bar & Grill that interests you the site will not only tell you all about Fetch and our mission it will take you to fetchbarandgrill.com. If you are interested in going into the restaurant business and would like some insight into the industry you will be escorted to my blog at executivechefadampowers.blogspot.com. If you are an aspiring cook you'll soon be able to watch instructional cooking videos that will teach you how to prepare true restaurant quality meals in real time at home. I'm attempting to gather as much help out there as I can so please write any suggestions and or ideas you may have to make the future version of chefpowers.com a cool place to come visit.

Day 24

Please excuse my shitty attempts to make cooking videos I'm new to the process and I'm making said videos with my flip camera. Anyway, I had a customer today try to convince me that I should offer unsalted menu items for the elderly. It took fifteen minutes to explain to that customer that you can always ask for no salt. She then told me that I wasn't getting any younger. Do you think she was trying to tell me something? Why is it that you can wait an hour or more to see your doctor but if your burger takes more than ten minutes the fuckin world comes to an end.

Day 23

People often ask me why I put up with so much bullshit in the restaurant business? Why is it so important that I'm here six days a week? The answer is that if I'm lucky, every once in awhile someone will right a review like this one that will make it all worth it.

New York Magazine 2/8-2/14/2010
We consider ourselves 'regulars' at Fetch, having enjoyed its delicious food for many years. Their comfort dishes are soul soothing and all highly recommended. Last night however, Chef Adam added a special to his menu and soon to be a favorite. His adaptation of chili con carne is magnificent: a meaty yet slightly creamy stew with just a trace of spicy heat. It is served Cincinnati style, over spaghetti topped with grated cheddar cheese and minced sweet white onions in a cast iron pot. Three quarters into the meal, I became full but was unable to put down my spoon; the chili is that extraordinary. Kudos, Chef Adam, your chili con carne reaches spiritual eminence.

Thanks Howard.

Day 22

At the front entrance of my restaurant I have a fake would burning fireplace. A woman walked in this weekend and insisted on speaking with a manager. I informed her that I was the owner. She grabbed my arm and directed me towards the fireplace and proceeded to lecture me on the dangers of a gas powered fireplace next to a tablecloth. For those of you who know me it was quite hard for me to not respond with (what the fuck are you talking about lady) I couldn't believe someone would think that I was that stupid. I then explained to her that the fireplace was fake and lit up by two forty watt light bulbs. Unbelievable!

Day 21

Built my own website chefpowers.com this week. Please check it out and tell me if it sucks. Don't really know much about website construction obviously, but thought if I had a place that I could direct people to where they could learn about what I do, it would be just self indulgent enough to feed my ego for the week. :) Joking aside the real purpose is that I need a place that I can forward television executives to where they can check out different info and or video of me and perhaps use me in the future. So, any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.

Still Day 20

Test

Day 20

I work so hard at my restaurant to make everything in my control perfect for our customers. I buy the best possible produce. I select the highest grade meat and fish. I train the best cooks & wait staff I can find. I use organic chemicals to clean. Then, out of nowhere some crazy old lady walks in 10 years after we open and says our exhaust system is to loud. On the roof of my building there are exhaust systems for three different restaurants and a combined total of about one hundred tons of air conditioner-air handlers not to mention the buildings own exhaust system. But, it's me she has to come to. Now my landlord is calling me. WTF!!! It never ends. The glorious life of a restaurant owner. Oh, by the way, thank you Mayor Bloomberg for shutting down the city and all the schools the day before it even snows, I didn't need the business tonight.

Day 19

Today I'm going to talk about mobile food permits. You need a mobile food permit if you want to have food/catering truck on the streets of Manhattan. For years I've wanted to buy a beautiful truck and travel around the city with great food. I have several concepts that I believe would thrive on the streets of New York. I've attempted to get one of these permits, but was be denied by the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs. I was told that they were only giving these permits out to veterans. I find this hard to believe due to the types of trucks out there and the people that are running them. I could care less who owns one of these trucks but I'm pretty sure that if you not American and don't speak a word of English you not a veteran. Then I did some more research and was told that most of these mobile food permits were rented out by veterans. But trying to find a veteran with a mobile food permit is impossible. Whats so frustrating to me is that these trucks are popping up all over Manhattan and I cant for the life of me figure out how there doing it. Someone has to be getting paid off. If anyone out there knows something I don't please let me know.

Day 18

It was a great outlet to talk live on the radio today. Thanks Erik Hastings 77 WABC your show rocks.

Day 17

Finally someone has the balls to let speak my mind on the radio. Sunday, February 7, 2010 on WABC AM77 between 3:25pm-3:45pm. The topic, how websites like Yelp and publications like Zagat claim to be reviews and votes by the people for the people are actually for the MONEY. How is a restaurant that's not even open in Zagat. MONEY! I was told by an advertising exec from Yelp that they control how a review hits their website. They told me word for word the more I PAY the more they PLAY. I'll fuckin knock that guy out. I have nothing against a business trying to make as much money as they can but, when it hurts other peoples businesses by allowing and controlling votes and or reviews either for or against in the process someone needs to speak up. Its feels like a shake down.

Day 16

Just talked with a friend of mine who spoke today AGAINST the Department of Health's new idea of letter grading restaurants based on their health inspections. These letter grades would be place on the restaurants storefront. Pretty sure that's what the Nazi's did to the Jews. I'm Jewish so don't think I'm being antisemitic. This will put people out of business. The city needs fix the inspectors not the restaurants. If you fail based on actual findings you deserve it. But to almost fail because of an ice scoop not placed properly is BULLSHIT. How about a letter grade for the senator who thinks this would be a good idea. How about a letter grade for the Mayor. How about a letter grade on the office door of every doctor based on how long you have to wait. How about a letter grade for the company's selling products with ecoli. By the way Fetch would most definitely receive an A.

Day 15

I have to vent some more about Zagat, Yelp, City Search and most other types of these supposed open voting or reviewing website or publications. Its unbelievable to me that these people make millions of dollars selling the idea that what they do is fair & impartial. First of all who said it was ok to open up these votes to the public to begin with. Its hard enough to succeed in the restaurant business without some asshole who comes in drunk at three o'clock in the morning and is asked to leave then gets home and decides to right a bad review. I want to let ever one know that I am constantly being approached by the people who run these websites and publications to advertise with them. Their pitch says that they can remove any bad reviews and control the number of people who see my restaurant and that the more i spend the better my reviews get. They hold all good reviews until you pay. As far as Zagat is concerned they say that in order to get in to their book you need a certain amount of votes. That I know for a fact is complete bullshit. You see I put it to the test. I asked my regular customers to vote and print out a copy of their vote. If they brought in that copy they got a free drink. I got 300 votes. I guarantee that's at least 250 votes more than 90 percent of the restaurants that are in Zagat today. But yet the Zagat people are rich and I'm still flipping burgers.

Day 14

Today I would just like to further prove that websites like YELP are bullshit. Fetch recently got several reviews dated in January saying how they sat outside and blah blah blah bullshit.  We don’t have outdoor seating in January. The reviews are fake.

Day 13

Just signed up for the 5th Annual Taste Of Hope, Wednesday April 28th, 2010 sponsored by the American Cancer Society. It's a fundraiser for about 800 people and it raises about $175,000 a year. It's gonna be a great night. We'll be cooking along side of some of the top restaurants in the city. I'm honored to be asked.
I've been looking at new locations for another Fetch. It amazes me that Manhattan is the only city that the landlords have not felt the recession. They're still so fuckin greedy. I have made really fair offers on several locations just to be ignored. Unbelievable!

Day 12

Busy Saturday night and I have all the busboys jumping over the refrigeration tech cause again the fuckin lowbow(cooler) is broke. You see most in this business would just wait till Monday when it's slow and the repairman could take all the time in the world and it wouldn't cost half as much but it's a fuckin cooler and those people are disgusting. So I'll spend the money and get it fixed right now. It will only cost one of my kids their education. But, it's all for my customers.

Day 11

Checking new blog setup

Day 10

Day 9

How can you eat at a restaurant that has a dirty bathroom. It's for sure that if a restaurant has a dirty bathroom the kitchen is worse. We've been open for almost ten years now and our bathrooms are just as clean as the day we open. These are the important things behind the scenes that make this business so glorious. :)

Day 8

No matter how hard you try to create a good work environment and treat people with respect someone always fucks you. I had a guy who had worked for me for five years made great money and today just didn't show up. No call, nothing, what is that? Who does that? Welcome to the restaurant business.

Day 7

Legalized drug dealers is basically what we are. If you think about it, many of the restaurants that have closed over the years have done so because their owners used their own product. I'm talking about liquor of course. Didn't any of them watch Scareface. It's simple, you never endulge with own stash. Well it's not really all that simple, I had to learn it the hard way. It took me almost twenty years to make up for that mistake. I had fun don't get me wrong. I have very few regrets. I wouldn't be where I am today without that lesson. Where am I today you may ask, well I'm working six days a week busting my ass and loving mostly every minute of it. But it's mine.

Day 6

One of the keys to a successful restaurant is how to deal with the sometimes not so successful service. I look at the occasional under-cooked burger or the too spicy Bloody Mary as openings to create a new regular customer. You see its all in the correction of the problem that really makes the difference. The secret or the skill is all in how you make these corrections. The answer you"ll have to pay me for. Just kidding. In my experience customers just want to be treated as if they were family or friends. What would you do if your mother sent back her burger. Thats the answer. Treat the situation as if it was your mom. You'd not only get the burger fixed you do it with love. If you can make a stranger feel truely cared for, they're yours forever.

Day 5

I hate people who get paid for talking or writing about food who have never spent a day in a professional kitchen. I have earned the right to wear this chef coat. I paid my dues. I can walk around the front of the house wearing this coat if I choose. I have spent the last 25 years in this business working my ass off. I turn on Martha Stewart today and there they are the bloggers getting paid. Having their cook books published. WTF!!!

Day 4

What most don't realize about owning a restaurant is that if your lucky enough to be successful at it you can be graced with an incredibly large extended family. Like a family there are good times and bad, happy and sometimes terribly sad. This post is to acknowledge the terribly sad. I lost one of these extended family members recently. Over the past few days I've listened to many people tell the story of how this person left us and their opinions about that story. But, what I think people are forgetting about is that a great person is gone and the hows and the whys of this death aren't as important as remembering or discussing the person. My friend, my extended family member was a kind, generous and loving soul who will greatly be missed.

Still Day 3

I think the fun part of this blog is about to be unleashed. To really understand this business you have to go behind the scenes. Who works in this business? Where are they from and what are they doing when no one is watching? I can't tell you how many times in my 20 something years in this industry that a staff member has said "I should write a book". A book came out called Kitchen Confidential and anyone in the business who read it knew that it wasn't really about the confidential parts. What really happens when the lights go dim and the kitchen closes? When the drinks get cheaper? Where does everyone go when they leave? I can tell you they rarely go home. At least not their own home. This will be the story that know one has had the balls to tell. It will be told daily. Some days will be exciting and adventurious other sad and lonely but it will be real. Enjoy>

Day 3

Unbelievable!!! Twice they have been here to fix the ice machine and still it does not work. Another $100 to buy ice. What most people don't get about the restaurant business is that this happens almost every day. It doesnt matter how much you've spent on top of the line equipment it always breaks down at the worst possible moment.

Day 2

Today started with a broken ice machine. The company said they would show up first thing but, as usual still waiting. The company that repairs my exhaust system for the restaurant is trying to screw me by not fixing correctly and telling me that i should replace the whole system for $25,000.00. The flood last week from the tenant above us that came pouring into the dinning room is causing the hard wood floor to buckle. Doesn't the restaurant business sound exciting.

Still Day 1

I think this blog will talk about what it's like to be in the restaurant business on a daily basis. For those of you thinking about getting into the business you might want to listen closely.

Day 1

Not sure how this works. Today is a test to see what happens. Who will see this I have no idea. What it will be about also no idea.