http://www.salasrestaurant.com/ en-us Nucleus CMS v3.22 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.salasrestaurant.com//nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://www.salasrestaurant.com/ http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=9 General http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=9 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:08:03 +0000 http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=8
Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Julia]]> General http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=8 Wed, 12 Jul 2006 20:05:59 +0000 http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=7
To Salas', this would cost thousands of dollars. Initial inquiries came back with estimates around $10,000. Ouch.

My understanding of the law is that only certain places will be exempt. Free-standing bars can still allow smoking, as well as smaller offices and workplaces.

We will comply with the law, and go all non-smoking as of Wednesday, March 1.

Hopefully our smoking customers will understand and not feel too inconvenienced.

If you would like to read the law, it's posted on the Oklahoma Restaurant Association's website. That site is www.okrestaurants.com.]]> General http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=7 Tue, 7 Feb 2006 18:28:16 +0000 http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=6
It is a challenge to make improvements without rocking the boat when the boat doesn't need to be rocked. But there's always room for improvement, right? Right?Some people may not think so. We discovered the other day what a fine line we have to walk for customer satisfaction.

In the past, from time to time we have had a problem with our chips being too greasy. We fry them fresh 3 times a week. In the winter, especially, the grease has been a problem because the chips don't drain as well.

After making excuses and trying to modify our procedures with only limited success, we brought in the expert. Yes, we brought in the "Grease Lady". She told us we were using the wrong kind of oil to fry our chips in. She convinced us that we needed to buy a higher quality, more expensive oil that would drain better and not get absorbed in the chip.

She was right. We tried it and got a dry chip. Hooray! Problem solved!

Not so fast. Now we come to the tricky part. What happened first is that we had several customers say that the chip was thicker, tough, and they missed the grease. They swore it was a different chip. We checked the box. Same specs, same company.

After several days of swearing it was the same chip, Tony, who is naturally suspicious anyway, began to suspect that someone had messed up. He knew that the tortilla manufacturor was moving to a bigger plant. After a few phone calls, the other guy admitted he had farmed our order out to a different company. That means they shipped us about 40 cases of the wrong tortilla.

And who knew before anyone else? Our customers, that's who! You people have the most refined palates in the world when it comes to Salas food. Sorry for the inconsistency, everyone. We think we're back on track now, and you'll be happy with our less greasy, dryer chip.

If not, I want to hear from you. Positive comments are also encouraged. Thanks!]]> General http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=6 Tue, 7 Feb 2006 18:12:08 +0000 http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=5
I had a meeting with an engaged (and engaging) couple the other day, and the groom-to-be had a list of questions. Most of them were pretty standard, but one question he asked was one I hadn't heard before.His question was "What are some common mistakes you see people make when they are planning their wedding?

Wow. Great question, Larry!

First, a disclaimer. I'm not well versed on etiquette, and I'm not an expert in ANYTHING. I can only go from what I've seen over the years. Here's some of my thoughts in no particular order...

STRESS. Too many times, I see the bride and her Mom running themselves ragged. To enjoy the experience of being in a wedding is hard enough, but setting up and decorating are huge jobs in themselves. Get help if you can!

NOT GETTING WHAT YOU WANT. When you're joining 2 families, it's hard to find a common ground, whether it's food selection, to serve or not to serve alcohol, dancing, etc. My opinion is that what the bride and groom want should take priority over what anyone else wants.

A TIGHT BUDGET. From a caterer's point of view, it's pretty stressful going into a party and feeling like there may not be enough food. Cook a brisket or get an inexpensive relish tray from the grocery store just in case. Spring for one more tray of sandwiches. This problem is compounded by my next point...not knowing how many people will show up.

NOT GETTING RSVP's. I personally think you should ask for RSVP's. I know everyone doesn't respond. You might even consider calling those people who haven't responded. I know people don't like to do that. Those open invitations at church make it pretty tricky, too. It's better to plan for more than to not have enough food.

WATCH OUT FOR ALL THOSE CANDLES! Silk flowers are flammable. Take it from me, I have the scars to prove it. Candles are pretty but you need to be smart when you place them. Nothing will ruin a wedding more than a smoke alarm and sprinkler system!

THE DETAILS. There can be a lot of little details involved when you're planning a wedding. Buy a book, then read it, or hire a detail person (like me!). You'll be glad you did.

That's all for now. Here's hoping those brides and grooms live happily ever after!]]> General http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=5 Tue, 1 Nov 2005 23:35:31 +0000 http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=4
Our spec has always been 60+. In the past this has been a problem when we try a milder cheese because it won't melt right. We have tried it before because the 60+ aged cheese is very expensive, since someone has to warehouse it for that long.

Anyway, our supplier had trouble with their supplier, and they told us it was no longer available. So for the past several weeks we have used a milder cheese. We had a few random comments, but failed to respond to them. Then on Wednesday Sept. 28 it just blew up. The taste and smell of the cheese was really different and noticable.

That night Tony drove to Dallas and brougt back 400 pounds of cheddar cheese, which is about a week's supply. Everyone's scrambling around trying to make it right (our vendor, as well they should!) and we feel like we're back on track.

Please please please contact Julia if you ever have a problem at Salas'!

]]> General http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=4 Fri, 30 Sep 2005 02:36:20 +0000 http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=2
You no longer can simply walk into any restaurant and enjoy a meal. You see things. I do, anyway.

Tony and I are bad about going to restaurants and comparing what they do to what we do.

Recently we went to Oklahoma City and had dinner at a popular Mexican chain. Two things happened that really caught my attention.

The first thing was that my daughters went to the restroom and when they came back they told me that a toilet was overflowing. I told our server, and saw him tell someone else. Since we were facing the bathroom, I found myself kind of timing them, to see how long it would take them to get someone in there.

See, at Salas', unfortunately we occasionally have plumbing problems. Our so-called procedure is to leap into action, put up an out-of-order sign referring guests to the Cantina bathroom, and get someone to plunge and mop ASAP.

(It's too bad that we have to have a procedure for that, isn't it? This old building just can't handle what we put it through every day.)

Anyway, back to the Ok City place. They never did send anyone in there. I even had to go take a look, in case I missed it. They had a drain in the floor, which helps, but it's still gross. That floor needed mopping, by golly!

The second thing I noticed was a female employee walking through the restaurant. She was carrying glasses to the bar. She was also popping a chip into her mouth.

That kind of cracked me up. Here we were, in a wildly popular place and this kind of loose stuff was going on left and right.

The truth is, things like that always do happen when you own a restaurant. I hired a very nice girl a few years back. After working for a few hours, she decided she needed to sit down. So she went into the Cantina and sat down. Well, we really don't sit much at Salas', so I told her she had to get back to work. A little later she was walking through the kitchen eating an apple she had brought from home.

We have a glassed-in kitchen. There's no eating in the kitchen!

So my point is that is the reason we have managers. When you're dealing with such a diverse group of employees, flaky events will always occur. It's just our job to keep them at a minimum.

Hopefully we accomplish that at Salas'. If we don't I want you to let me know.

Julia

]]> General http://www.salasrestaurant.com/index.php?itemid=2 Tue, 30 Aug 2005 11:04:32 +0000