For the first time in my life, I can say I know how George Bush feels.... Confused. But my confusion is a good confusion. Its not like trying to figure out whether I fucked up Iraq or America worse. I'm just trying to decide on a restaurant concept... and I need your help!!!! So please leave feedback in the comments, have your friends comment, etc!!!
Note: My partner and I looked at Bedstuy locations, but its probably going to be the city... sorry BK. I tried!
Concept 1: Baohaus all rights reserved, Edwyn C. Huang 2009
The idea with this restaurant is a small stand-up joint, probably two tables max. Mainly come in, eat at the counter or take to go/delivery. The menu would consist of Biscuits, Burgers, and Baos.
My partner Giovanna came up with the menu categories and I came up with the name thinking, Waffle House (southern i.e. biscuits), Bao (chinese bun sandwiches), Burgers (from germany, thus bauhaus)... you like? It kinda merges all three. The point isn't really to explicate all three categories, more just, do ya like the name?
Fried Chicken Biscuit Sandwich
Sausage Biscuit Sandwich
Burger with special sauce on martin's potato bun
Chinese Bao (pork and my special beef recipe which is what I made the "show" for!)
Fries
All items would be antibiotic free cause... Confucius says no to antibiotics. Probably $6 burger/biscuit sandwich (big biscuit), $6 for 2 baos... But don't quote me on prices! Just to give you guys an idea
Concept 2: The Spork all rights reserved Edwyn C. Huang, 2009
Everyone knows, I'm in the hood like Chinese wings (credit: Jadakiss). But, you never see good wing spots in the city serving wings with fried rice. And if they do, its shitty fried rice as my boy baer says "has a couple frozen peas, carrots, and a piece of egg floating around with MSG".
The Chinaman don't play dat shit! My fried rice is the jump-off, so, my partner and I were thinking real deal fried rice and wings.
WINGS: Original Taiwanese Street Food Flavor, Spicy Korean, Secret Recipe One (its sweet, family recipe), Japanese inspired Burnt Garlic flavor
Fried Rices: White Pepper and shrimp fried rice (white kind, no soy!), Taiwanese Red Sausage Fried Rice, Omelet Rice, Thai Pineapple fried rice, Veggie Fried Rice
You get a whole thing of fried rice with 5 wings on top for $8. Again, don't quote the price, but that's what we're shooting for.
Lastly, I'm campaigning to include a fried pork chop on the menu, but my partner be hatin on the swine!!! What up with that girl??? LOL. She said no pork on my spork!!!
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT and tell us first, which one you like better. Do you still like the other one or do you like none? AND, WHY? Why do you like one better than other, why don't you like the other, or why do you like/dislike either. Thanks!!!!
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I vote for concept one. Concept one has more diversity in the menu and reasonable pricing, thus appealing to a much broader consumer base. While fried rice and chicken wings are a popular hood dish, they get it cause it's cheap, quick, filling, and good enough. No one is expecting quality with that dish, and while $8 isn't much, it's more than the avg. consumer of that dish will pay, if they can get it for $5 at the shitty corner chinese spot.
ReplyDeleteI'll put up the token vegetarian comment...since you're in the city, there will be a lot of "us". For either concept, you might want to include something "we" can eat.
ReplyDeleteWow!! Both sound freaking amazing. Can you combine the two? The sandwhich idea is brilliant because you cover a wide taste spectrum and provide alternatives to the everyday ho-hum lunch selection. Two bao buns for $6! I'll be there like white on rice!
ReplyDeleteThis is probably not going to be helpful, but I like the name of Concept 1, but I think I'd rather eat at Concept 2. Concept 1's menu seems boring and the Bao sticks out like a sore thumb. But I agree w/Stephane that it is hard to make people pay more for a quality version of a "hood dish".
ReplyDeleteI like to eat food that is good for me. Doesn't need to be vegetarian but there are people in the city that won't walk into a shop unless they can get something grilled not fried and veg not meat. That being said I like the name Baohaus. Maybe there can be something on the menu called the spork. Where's the bbq? I dig concept 1. The menu sounds good and offers people the ability to customize what they want on the chicken bisquit...but I usually order as is. I also dig Confucius and his anti antiboitic chickens. You should also buy honey from this guy for that sweet sauce.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KSTYtS6c3E
prices sound good.
Thanks for all the comments so far! I would point out one thing. Steph, the point of concept 2 is to take something proletariat (for lack of a better term) and give it the time and ingredients it deserves. Plenty of things that were low brow have been successful in gourmet settings such as:
ReplyDeleteRamen joints,
okonomiyaki (japanese pancake, otafuku is super popular),
rice pudding (rice to riches),
bonchon (they charge $20 for a plate of wings),
Burgers (shake shack, corner bistro, the $40 burger),
Cupcakes (magnolia),
Red Velvet Cake (CAKE MAN HOLLA),
Sneakers (Alife),
Cafeteria (west side gourmet comfort food joint).
That said, if you guys can't see craft wings and rice as something you'd cop, I understand! Just let a brotha know!!!
As for vegetarians and healthy, YES, those will be options. Giovanna specializes in healthy natural food so she's gonna hold it down. If anyone has seen a photo of me, you can tell I drink crisco like its gatorade so I can't speak on vegetables or being healthy lol.
ReplyDeleteLove the SPORK concept, I think that pushes me over the edge for the fried wings... tho i think baohaus is a great concept, cuz baos are very portable... might take a lot more work to get that going?
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of concept one is def friendlier to the poor students/just out of college/recession/drunks of NYC. Also for the people starting the restaurant. Concept one is little friendlier to different cultures foods being implemented into one place.
ReplyDeleteI also read the comment about concept two and how it could be looked at as a hood thing and I def agree. Yet it can be turned around, yet the decor of the place is going to have to come with it. Almost all the spots mentioned got that sleek and trendy look. Also, with concept two your going to have heavy haters.
Ok, one alteration i guess.... What if we did the wings on rice for $6 since people think $8 is too higih?
ReplyDeleteCONCEPT 2!
ReplyDeleteMost people don't have a wide pallette because they haven't traveled out of their comfort or they can't afford to try something new. So they stick to what they know.
As a starter because I see this expanding fast, and If you want to get EVERYONE's money and have the spot moving "in and out like a crackhouse" fried rice and wngs are perfect. Lazy folks will even make huge platter orders. If its in Manhattan you won't attract a crappy crowd, it will be the folks who want good, comfort food in their boughois neighborhood. AND, people who love good fried rice, (which is hard to find I like egg in mind) will travel to get a good plate of food...
Oh my god, I'm pretty sure I would eat at Spork everyday if it existed...I love me some Chinese wings... And red sausage fried rice? Sign me up! SPORK, SPORK! Seems a bit more unique of a joint to me than the burger place, although I'd probably sop that up with a biscuit as well.
ReplyDelete-Ivie
Also, i just read the other comments and I figure if I pay $60 for Phillipe Chow which is high quality food, I would be more than glad to pay the $8 for good quality rice and wings. I cook myself and I know that if you know what you are doing you can make it better than the chinese, I put love into my food, so I dig concept 2 I see where you're going with it.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, I'd love to combine the 2 concepts, I like 1 also, but if I had to choose on what would be a fast turn over and could elevate to a bigger situation . There is a fried fish joint in Harlem I have been eating at for 15 years. It is a hole in the wall that is in a basement on 145th and st nick and they have been killing them for YEARS. Its a family and they all own brownstones and drive benzes from a fish joint that simply fries good well-seasoned fish and shrimp. And people come from everywhere to get that for $11. Happily. :)
Concept 1 makes me hungry enough to put some couch cushion change in my gastank and head north. Chicken + biscuits is a win, that can only be trumped by chicken and waffles, which I've only had twice.
ReplyDeleteConcept 2 (But don't love the name)
ReplyDeleteIt's more focused but still allows for diversity, plus Eddie's right - tons of "street food" gets reinvented in a different setting and is mad popular: Banh Mi, burgers, fried chicken, etc.
YES to pork, and I'm a Jew
Koncept Sparkz > Concept Spork
i like the concept of spork but...
ReplyDelete1) keep the name baohaus. no one knows what the f*ck restaurant names mean most of the time anyways, and you can serve up baos one day a week or something. the name is catchy.
2) city stand spot, offer more options that get ppl moving. chicken by the piece, side servings of rice, waffles (simple batter in a waffle press, nothing complicated), biscuits and gravy... as well as big order portions/prices.
check out "piece of chicken" on midtownlunch.com (46th and 9th ave). $1-$2 sides and chicken/fish... long line everyday, take-out only.
i like baohaus more ...just from reading the 2 i like the variation of dishes u have for baos more so than the fried rice
ReplyDeletelike the baohaus name but love the fried chicken and fried rice idea. there's a million of either kind popping up. there are people who pull off sandwiches but not many wings and fried rice places. chinese take out kind of food is a pretty saturated market but it's all the same crappy greasy fake yellow fried rice and deep orange fried chicken.
ReplyDeleteI eat at piece of chicken 4 times a week and they make $$$, they make so much that they closed the huge restaurant on the corner...
ReplyDeleteThe person who owns it is Eddie from the Five Heartbeats...He works in there alot...
Eddie,
ReplyDeleteCheck out this NYT article
http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/one-hundred-things-restaurant-staffers-should-never-do-part-one/?em
i like spork and i am for the concept of simplicity. do one thing right and good, and the people will come for what you're known for. plus a focused menu would def keep expenses down right?
ReplyDeleteYou should become famous for serving the spiciest cuisine in the New York area.
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ReplyDelete