A LEAP OF FAITH - TIME TO LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG ...

[SandyB]

If you  folk may remember , I posted  some time ago an article   about"  in the area we live "  ..  I posted the eateries  existing and failed .. at the time  one of the eateries was Frangipanis ..   It was initially opened by Sonja , she started off well  but got tired  due to various  domestic  pressures and issues ... she  sold  it  to  two of the  employees , they continued the business but ran it into the ground .. it closed  abruptly in june this year , with  many unpaid acccounts to the current  property owner ..  he  had plans in place to  renovate the building and  build  it up to double storey ..  I suppose  the  current owners saw the writing on the wall and  decided to do the dishonourable thing ..   Paul  used to work there till the abrupt  closure ,,, here pics of the old premises ..

[SandyB]

Ok the story continues ,,, I  have had my eye  on this place  for the last  2 half years ,, but knew the  lease would end  and that renovations were in the  pipeline,, so  to invest then would have been foolish .. so  left it ...
When  the  abrupt closure happened ,, I mulled over things for a while ,, then asked Paul who working there had all the inside info to pull together a financial plan ,,  duly  done  we  considered ,, and then i took the LEAP ... approached Shahid the owner  and asked  if I could take over the lease and   bring  frangipanis back to life  and its original  intent ,, He was more than happy  with my proposal and the   business plan ...  so for the last fewmonths we have been  working away at it  very secretly ( only a few good friends  knew ) ...  Paul had to in the meantime  work with the contractors regarding  interior layout etc ,,  Well its now at the point that   we take occupation  1st  December .. We  have in the meantime  been  hunting bargains for  movables  etc ,, a lot  ordered  ready for delivery  early  dec .. and  one side of the house looks like a damm store room ..  Key staff  already  sorted  etc ..
The gist of the  move ,, I have  inherited money sitting in investment account drawing puny interest and tax ..   I have my own  personal  pensions  etc  so why not  do something different  with the money ?? according to the  business plan it will work  especially if we offer the best , a fresh new  venue ( kitchen suppied  compliment of the  porperty owner ) its a gift  that if  I did not  take this chance would regret  for the rest of my life ...  I will continue  with my  well enough paid job  which will sustain the home and  Paul  will manage  the  venture , all I  want is a reasonable return ...  and yes being a business I  can do a lot more with  legally  reducing tax load ..
Its been difficult ,, keeping an open mind , knowing  that I'm taking a chunk out of a  financial "safety blanket " and putting  it out to risk .. but then  life  is about taking  chances at times ,, and  so far this chance  seems pretty sure to  reap benefit  for all concerned ..  I attach pics  of the now almost  completely renovated building ,, a fresh new colour outside ,,  incidentally  its the colour of  my home  and the interior colour  is the same  as  the  home as well .. my  theme was  to bring the  restful energy of  my home into the business ,, well there is a twist ..  everybody that has so far walked in has said  ,, " this place has  such a nice happy feel about it .. same colour but a different energy to it ... suppose its the karma  attached to it ..  I will be chronicling the progress  from now on so keep your eyes peeled .. its gonna be stunning ...  Fragipanis " from home " here we go !!  wish us luck .!!
December month  is  there for  set up , the  key staff ,, chef  and FOH  start then  and its hard work for them  setting up , any  type of work  necessary ,,  and getting menu together suppliers   sorted  etc  , and   so that when we open  early  january we hit the runway  with no skidding ...

PS  the downstairs  is our venue and the upstairs  is out for seperate  rental as  either  residential but preferably  office or studio space ,,,

[Michele Alexander (Voden)]

 

Sandy - why am I not surprised!

It sounds like a great opportunity and listening to all of your culinary visits over the past 3.5 years you are sure to know what will work and what won't! As for atmosphere - it sounds like you've had great compliments already!

Wishing you and Paul all the very best with your new venture, I know you will both make a huge success of it and one of these days we'll be reading about Frangipani's in the Food&Home magazines!

[Michael Alexander]

Good Luck Sandy!

Rule no 1 in Business..... DON"T TRUST ANYONE!

[SandyB]

Mike ,,, Mmmm  .. dont trust ... my credo .. a certain amount of trust ,, going to be  once  we get the big picture  of margins  working on  profit incentive  for staff .. believe its the way to go  , ,, but then  some folk do not see the big picture ,,  so its all a wait and see .. I  believe what one puts out comes back ..  my safeguard is Paul , he too has the profit incentive and opportunity to buy in more  shares ,,  he  has  extensive  management experience in  various venues including CTFM ,,  and yes  can be a  mistrusting  b... tch  had enough knocks in life to teach that one ..

[Barbara Eia (Brownless)]

Sandy this is fantastic, wishing you all the best in your new venture...and i know you will make a good go of this, the place looks fantastic and i am sure the inside will be just as good if looking at the pictures of inside your house is anything to go by..

I wish you all the very  best of luck but i am sure you do not need it....

[Mike Voden (RIP)]

A bold move Sandy but here's wishing you the very best in your new venture

[Diana Rudd (Boehme)]

   Great Stuff.
Am's we gettin an invite for the Grand Opening?  OR  Am I just gathering the troops?
Let me know a date....don't know why I read the 3rd Dec  .... So Richard when you read this thread looks like January.
Congrats Sandy and all the very best.  xxx

[Delia]

Hey Sands, awsum stuff, well done    - nothing ventured nothing gained.  Yes, life is about taking risks, we'll never know if something's gonna work unless we try.  You have the voomah, right thinking and social skills to make it work. I'll defos pop in for a meal once you're open. I can just picture it being the perfect place for all seasons, dunno why but the place all cosy like springs to mind -  a crackling fire roaring in the fire place, warm bowls of hearty soup steaming away, gluwein, soft chatter in the background amongst friends and families......all the good things in life.
 

[Patricia Lotte]

I like it .. I like it ... I like it ... Good on you Sandy and best of luck  You must let us know where it is so that when we do come to SA we can pop in.

[Paul (Pepe) Freemantle]

Hi Sandy, this is great news. You did the right thing and said the right thing. If you take the first step in Faith, the rest will follow. I wish you all the success and only the very best.

[SandyB]

went  in this afternoon to try out  the dimmable energy savng light bulbs I had bought ,,, thought it appropriate  to take  some pics (  I do need some because as things  stand certain parts ie Kitchen only expected  15th Dec completion  and possibly serving area  will  not be entirely  completed , so when i visit the attorney for signing of lease I have to have reduction  of rental  according to floor space I do not have  use  of ,, fact is   we have stuff being delivered from  friday 3rd ...  so  although taking occupation 1st  for set up .. will be hindered and inconvenienced )

[SandyB]

more  you can see the kitchen door  in the pic looking in from  disabled entrance

[Bertie Horak]

 
Great stuff, Sandy!  Even with the venue being "unfinished" in your pictures, I already get a very good feeling looking at the pics!  It does look like a place with great energy and positive vibes.
Congrats once again, I can't wait to pop in and see for myself.

[SandyB]

Apart  from  the  last minute hassles occuring ,, telephone line delays ( TELKOM )  contractors  hashing  some of the kitchen fitments ,, yes we  will survive ,,,  we have had a truly humbling experience ,,, put  advert for  waitrons and kitchen staff  ,,  hell man  inundated with phone calls , and CV's .. and yes one realises how many people are out there desperate for work ...  thank goodness I did not have to deal with it .. that was Pauls job ... by last night  he  actually cried   from emotional overload when he realised how many folk are out there desperate for a job .. ok many  not seeming deserving ..  but it was a whole mix ..
Now we are taking a  big leap of faith ,,,  counting on the fact that we  have the ideal spot ( a corner ) ..  lots of goodwill and yes the economy will  turn ...  we are blessed .
to those not so blessed and the article that still angers me  re  the R 40 Million  of lotto money squandered  on the  youth conference .. how many infrastructure jobs could that monet have created ?? how many more  poor and  disposessed  ??  the elderly  ??  how many  battered womens shelters /??   care for  aids orphans   ... how  much to animal care  charities ....  and here we forging ahead with a venture   and yes gonna have to pay tax to these palukkas ???   dont mean to spoil the energy  of  whats here   but yes  my conscience screaming  ..