Sam Kidd's thoughts on business

I can't believe how many days it has been since I updated the blog. The days have just been flying by since we opened Sam and Dan's. The official opening, on the 4th of July, went really well. A big thanks to Fuzion for helping out with the launch as well. The weather for the day was bloody shocking but still we had a great turn out and everyone was kept happy with their free Hot Dogs and Donuts we were serving along with a glass or 2 or wine as well.(Now before another person says it, we do realise that Donut is the American spelling of Doughnut. We had a long debate about this, but we thought people are so used to seeing the American spelling of it on TV shows and the fact that it's really an American product in the end. So we have decided it's spelled DONUT in Sam&Dan's)

So what's been happening since we opened, well we have had a leak in our Donut machine we have had a Bain-marie unit that was overheating and all sorts of teething problems that you always run into when you open something new. Thankfully none of these have been too bad at all and we are now
well under way with most of the small bugs worked out now. (I hope)

We have been having a great response from people coming into the shop and everyone has been really complimentary on the Hot Dogs, thank God, other wise we went into the wrong business. I still can't get over that loads of people have never tried the American mustard, they all think that it is English mustard that is on the dogs. Once we twist their arm them to try it they really like it. You just can't have a dog without mustard, it's just so wrong.

The other side of the shop, the Donuts have been the real surprise for us I guess. We got the machine in not knowing what sort of demand there would be in Cork and they have been going really well. We often get people in saying they were walking by and the smell was just killing them so they had to call in to get some donuts. The only problem I have with the Donuts is for me to stop eating them. I'm having to use unreal restraint when I'm in there not to just test (one as quality controller) every 2 mins.

Also I would like to say a big thanks to the team we had construct the shop I would give my fully recommendation to these guys. If anyone is looking for a team of builders and supplies to start their own place at a great price try the guys below:
The builders&painters and the whole Project was managed by a really nice guy Denis McCarthy 086 2778428
The sparky was M-Power Electrical 087 6536419
The Kitchen was with Quipman 021-4210433

I'm sorry for the lack of updates and new photos but the last week has just been one of the hardest weeks ever for me.
Sam&Dan's is now open and trading to the public!! I can't believe it myself, I thought we would never get there.
I'm a bit up the walls at the moment trying to get all the small things sorted out so I will post a more detailed blog later on.

In the short time below are a few pics from the shop. I also have a few more photos on my flickr page.

Yesterday was manic inside the new Sam and Dan's shop, at one stage we had 9 people working away in there and space is tight with the kitchen sitting in one corner.
Yesterday, the counter we have running around the shop was finished off, all that is left now is to have it varnished a few times.

The back store room was worked on and all the holes patched up. The ceiling throughout the shop was also painted. We then had the hoods for the kitchen installed and all the steel work on the walls behind where the kitchen will go finished off as well.

Now we just have the painting of walls, Kitchen to be installed, and the second fix of the electrics to be completed and also jacks to be plumbed in. We are hoping (praying) to have most of the work completed by Tuesday so we can open during the week.

We also have our first shipment of Hot dogs arriving from Germany tomorrow as well, I have to say I wish we were finished with the construction in the shop, because we have stuff stored all over the place such as, bar stools, donut machines, donut mix, T.V's. Ahhhh so much to get sorted and so little time.

Work in Digital Crew is manic as well at the moment I was in Galway on Friday looking at the new Galway webworks building, we are doing the website for it, nice place all very modern. 

The days are very long at the moment with trying to do loads of Sam&Dan's work during the day along with Digital Crew and AREA51  trying to get all my written Digital Crew work done at night. Still I have to say I am enjoying but also finding it a bit stressful too.

Below are the latest pics from the shop.

Just thought I would quickly upload some new photos from the new Sam and Dan's shop before I head off to bed.
You can see the steel walls are nearly all up on the left hand side of the shop and the wooden counter top is in the process of going up as well.
Tomorrow the steel is going to be finished along with the counter, and then the mirrors above the counter top go in as well.
Also the kitchen comes into the shop towards the end of the day.
So i hope the photos i upload tomorrow might actually look a bit more like a real shop, and is now
another step closer to becoming the first Sam and Dan's shop!

I have be meaning to update the photos and fill you in on what is going on with Sam&Dan's but finding time to sit down and write a blog post has been very hard to come by.

Work in Digital Crew at the moment is crazy as well, every man and his dog is looking for new sites
or application to be built. We even finished a pretty cool internal app. for Lidl Ireland in the last week.

Any how as you can see below Sam&Dan's still looks like a bomb went off. So much for the builder saying most of the work will be done by Tuesday. There should be big changes made by Friday this week. I would be hoping that the shop will be pretty much ready to rock and roll by next week. (fingers crossed)