Never tried to run a serious business so that I don't know all the intricacies involved. I can only see things from the consumer side of the counter. That small butcher shop might have had a legitimate reason to stop making Poor Boys and thus tried to cut his losses. My thinking was, and still is, that he should have absorbed the loss because he was making a greater profit from my impulse buying of his meat selections. If I was the only guy buying sandwiches then I can understand the logic. But there were a lot of such customers.
Then, too, there is a gas station down the street from the small grocery. That gas station has a small food service area, something like a diner that seats about ten people. Their claim to fame is the deli sandwiches they make. I sampled their version of a Poor Boy and it was good, but not nearly as good as the butcher shop. Apparently it was good enough to create competition in the sandwich side of the business and my favorite shop simply cut his losses. Too bad for me. Competition generally has to do with lower prices and that's a huge challenge. If you can't make a profit due to the competition, then how can you react by cutting your own costs? You can't. Thus some services simply disappear due to competition.
Joke of the Day
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Re: Joke of the Day
There is a thousand more things than you know about that goes into running a business, plus tons of legal requirements and reports, etc.
I have the name of the brand of roast beef my local Vic's Deli used to sell. It was the perfect beef, but it only comes in large restaurant size units, and it is more expensive than what the stores charge for beef by a long shot. I guess that is why his Roast Beef Hoagies tasted so good. And they were priced accordingly too. 6 bucks each.
I have the name of the brand of roast beef my local Vic's Deli used to sell. It was the perfect beef, but it only comes in large restaurant size units, and it is more expensive than what the stores charge for beef by a long shot. I guess that is why his Roast Beef Hoagies tasted so good. And they were priced accordingly too. 6 bucks each.
Re: Joke of the Day
The Poor Boy's I am lamenting are $8, but I'd guess at least 8 inches in length. The meats were good, albeit not great, but the condiments that came with the home made bread is what made the sandwich special. I believe they made their own mayo, which was a big favorite of mine.
I never knew there were special potatoes grown in Idaho to be used only for chips and fries. High end delis and fast food places used these potatoes. I've read about a gourmet diner in NYC that is making a killing mostly due to the exceptional potatoes being used. I found out the name of the potato and where it can be purchased. Just one place which is in Idaho. They would sell to me but only if I purchased a 100 pound bag. They prefer selling by the skid load. I almost bought a bag but figured I could not consume even half of it in a reasonable time. The point I'm getting at is that the quality of the ingredients has a lot to do with the success of any business, particularly a food service enterprise.
I never knew there were special potatoes grown in Idaho to be used only for chips and fries. High end delis and fast food places used these potatoes. I've read about a gourmet diner in NYC that is making a killing mostly due to the exceptional potatoes being used. I found out the name of the potato and where it can be purchased. Just one place which is in Idaho. They would sell to me but only if I purchased a 100 pound bag. They prefer selling by the skid load. I almost bought a bag but figured I could not consume even half of it in a reasonable time. The point I'm getting at is that the quality of the ingredients has a lot to do with the success of any business, particularly a food service enterprise.
Re: Joke of the Day
I normally don't like sandwiches of any kind with a lot of stuff on them.
I also HATE Subway sandwiches because they leave the packing house rind on all their meats.
We bought Idaho B-Russets for our restaurant, but only for Bakers. There were not as HUGE as A-Russets.
Later on we bought the same potatoes already dressed and wrapped in foil. In other words they were oiled and salted before being wrapped in foil, the higher price was still cheaper than us doing it ourselves.
For Smashed we bought Yukon Gold. We always did the boiling and mashing ourselves, with butter not margarine or milk.
That was the dinner version, at lunch we used bagged mashed potatoes, but they were real not the fake stuff or dried stuff.
But then our lunch menu was super cheap compared to the fine dining dinner menu. We had a lot of hi-end customers is why.
I wish I still had a copy of our fancy dinner menu for the restaurant side of the business.
We had some customers who came in just to buy things like our green beans in bulk, because we cooked them down almost to mush, hi hi. By bulk I mean the large family pack container, not gallons and gallons, hi hi.
I don't think we ever had to buy 100 pounds of potatoes. Not even when we bought them in the big boxes. The already dressed potatoes were 25 in a flat pack carton. They also had 50 pack cartons, but I happened to like those little flat boxes better.
I also HATE Subway sandwiches because they leave the packing house rind on all their meats.
We bought Idaho B-Russets for our restaurant, but only for Bakers. There were not as HUGE as A-Russets.
Later on we bought the same potatoes already dressed and wrapped in foil. In other words they were oiled and salted before being wrapped in foil, the higher price was still cheaper than us doing it ourselves.
For Smashed we bought Yukon Gold. We always did the boiling and mashing ourselves, with butter not margarine or milk.
That was the dinner version, at lunch we used bagged mashed potatoes, but they were real not the fake stuff or dried stuff.
But then our lunch menu was super cheap compared to the fine dining dinner menu. We had a lot of hi-end customers is why.
I wish I still had a copy of our fancy dinner menu for the restaurant side of the business.
We had some customers who came in just to buy things like our green beans in bulk, because we cooked them down almost to mush, hi hi. By bulk I mean the large family pack container, not gallons and gallons, hi hi.
I don't think we ever had to buy 100 pounds of potatoes. Not even when we bought them in the big boxes. The already dressed potatoes were 25 in a flat pack carton. They also had 50 pack cartons, but I happened to like those little flat boxes better.
Re: Joke of the Day
I don't recall the name of the variety of Idaho potato that I referred to above. They were special and typically used by gourmet style cooks. I'm thinking there was only one farm that grew those babies, but I could be wrong about that. It also seemed odd to me that they only sold by the 100 pound bag, or a skid full of them.
About 90% of the taters we eat are Russets simply because all the stores around here have them in stock, usually. When I can find Yukon Golds, I buy them by the bag. They are better than Russet for mashing but not as easy to come by. There are a lot of look alikes, but none of them come close to the true Yukon Gold type. The most interesting and tasty potatoes are small babies and come in various colors. I like to boil those and serve with omelted butter. Used brown butter once, and they were to die for. I've air fried them a time or two and that's awesome as well. Air frying retains the soft and smooth interior with a crispy skin as a bonus.
About 90% of the taters we eat are Russets simply because all the stores around here have them in stock, usually. When I can find Yukon Golds, I buy them by the bag. They are better than Russet for mashing but not as easy to come by. There are a lot of look alikes, but none of them come close to the true Yukon Gold type. The most interesting and tasty potatoes are small babies and come in various colors. I like to boil those and serve with omelted butter. Used brown butter once, and they were to die for. I've air fried them a time or two and that's awesome as well. Air frying retains the soft and smooth interior with a crispy skin as a bonus.
Re: Joke of the Day
The variety is BURBANK, at least that is the most popular among restaurants.
Idaho Russet Burbank Grade #1 is what is bought by many restaurants.
Also Idaho Russet Norkota Grade #1, only grown in Idaho, and considered the top hi-end restaurant grade.
This is the one that often only comes in 100 pound and pallet loads. But stores do also get it that way, as Grade #2 though.
When I want buttered and parsleyed potatoes, I only use New Potatoes, but they can be red or white or brown skinned.
Tried making my own chips a few times, but it was almost impossible to get them thin enough for me.
I also like potato pancakes made with left over smashed potatoes and onions.
Not so much the kind made with raw grated potatoes, but they are OK too if cooked long and slow enough.
Idaho Russet Burbank Grade #1 is what is bought by many restaurants.
Also Idaho Russet Norkota Grade #1, only grown in Idaho, and considered the top hi-end restaurant grade.
This is the one that often only comes in 100 pound and pallet loads. But stores do also get it that way, as Grade #2 though.
When I want buttered and parsleyed potatoes, I only use New Potatoes, but they can be red or white or brown skinned.
Tried making my own chips a few times, but it was almost impossible to get them thin enough for me.
I also like potato pancakes made with left over smashed potatoes and onions.
Not so much the kind made with raw grated potatoes, but they are OK too if cooked long and slow enough.
Re: Joke of the Day
I think Burbank is considered the best, but some variation of that is what I read about and tried to order. The name was a derivative of Idaho but I'll be darned if I can recall exactly what it was. Some restaurant in NYC was famous for its fries which used these special potatoes, and I'm guessing that is how I found out about them in the first place. In any case there are tons of potatoes that make great fries and a lot of the success depends on the method.
My wife is not a fan of potatoes but she will eat them when I make them. I have made my own chips and was never disappointed by the Russet potatoes I can pick up at Schnucks or Dierbergs. I have a French made mandolin that can slice anything paper thin if I wanted it that way. Chips need to be slightly thicker than paper but not as thick as cardboard. You probably already know that you need to soak the potatoes for quite a while (some say overnight) before frying. Also, drying them out well after the soaking is important. My method is to use a 12" fry pan with just enough grape seed oil to cover a single layer of potatoes. I don't know the exact temperature but I set the dial to about half way which I suppose would be medium heat. Then a single layer of potatoes is fried until just turning brown. I then flip each individual one to brown the other side. This only takes a few minutes and the "brownness" is purely a subjective judgement. It's not a deep brown and not pale but it is just enough to make the slice crispy. The perfectly browned chips are then placed in a basket lined with a paper towel to absorb the oil drippings and then sprinkled with sea salt. It's got to be sea salt to make the perfect chip. Add more oil to the next batch if necessary. I repeat the process until all the chips are fried which is usually two or three batches.
Grape seed oil has a high smoke point which is a good thing but it also adds no flavor to the food. Thus the potato (or whatever I'm cooking in that oil) gets it's flavor from internal sources and not from the oil. The sea salt has a unique flavor to it which is why I prefer it, but there is also an added crunch given the coarseness of the grind. My mandolin can also slice potatoes into shoestrings which I fry using the same method. The shoestring potatoes are about 1/8th inch square which is the smallest blade I have for the mandolin.
My wife is not a fan of potatoes but she will eat them when I make them. I have made my own chips and was never disappointed by the Russet potatoes I can pick up at Schnucks or Dierbergs. I have a French made mandolin that can slice anything paper thin if I wanted it that way. Chips need to be slightly thicker than paper but not as thick as cardboard. You probably already know that you need to soak the potatoes for quite a while (some say overnight) before frying. Also, drying them out well after the soaking is important. My method is to use a 12" fry pan with just enough grape seed oil to cover a single layer of potatoes. I don't know the exact temperature but I set the dial to about half way which I suppose would be medium heat. Then a single layer of potatoes is fried until just turning brown. I then flip each individual one to brown the other side. This only takes a few minutes and the "brownness" is purely a subjective judgement. It's not a deep brown and not pale but it is just enough to make the slice crispy. The perfectly browned chips are then placed in a basket lined with a paper towel to absorb the oil drippings and then sprinkled with sea salt. It's got to be sea salt to make the perfect chip. Add more oil to the next batch if necessary. I repeat the process until all the chips are fried which is usually two or three batches.
Grape seed oil has a high smoke point which is a good thing but it also adds no flavor to the food. Thus the potato (or whatever I'm cooking in that oil) gets it's flavor from internal sources and not from the oil. The sea salt has a unique flavor to it which is why I prefer it, but there is also an added crunch given the coarseness of the grind. My mandolin can also slice potatoes into shoestrings which I fry using the same method. The shoestring potatoes are about 1/8th inch square which is the smallest blade I have for the mandolin.
Re: Joke of the Day
I believe there are extended cultivars of the Burbank variety, but what they are called I have no idea.
I like Pringles myself and have discovered a way to make them, not exactly the way they do of course.
But I can get them as thin as theirs with a little effort. I couldn't do if Debi didn't have this weird type of silicone parchment paper. Trouble is, it's a pain in the arse to make them by hand.
Pringles quality control has gone down considerably as their prices go up. One can no salt, another way too much salt, etc.
I like shoestring potatoes if they are soft. Crunchy is OK for eating like a dried snack.
I used to have an old steamer from when we had the restaurant, but it finally burned out, and due to its age, no parts for it anymore.
I like Pringles myself and have discovered a way to make them, not exactly the way they do of course.
But I can get them as thin as theirs with a little effort. I couldn't do if Debi didn't have this weird type of silicone parchment paper. Trouble is, it's a pain in the arse to make them by hand.
Pringles quality control has gone down considerably as their prices go up. One can no salt, another way too much salt, etc.
I like shoestring potatoes if they are soft. Crunchy is OK for eating like a dried snack.
I used to have an old steamer from when we had the restaurant, but it finally burned out, and due to its age, no parts for it anymore.
Re: Joke of the Day
Pringles are popular but not the kind of food I prefer. They are made from some kind of potato paste, which in the final analysis has a real potato base. But it's not the same as slicing up the actual tuber. Who knows what they put into Pringles aside from the potatoes!? Mom's old fashioned mashed potatoes could not be beat. I tried to match her style, but never quite got the same results. I've learned how to roast potato wedges so that they end up being something like large frenched fries with a crispy outer skin on them. Baking, or air frying, is way better than deep frying. Uses a lot less oils too.
Mom also would make potato pancakes that I cannot duplicate. They were not the same as latkes but were browned with crispy edges. For some reason I can't master the browning technique and the pancakes end up undercooked or charcoaled. LOL
Mom also would make potato pancakes that I cannot duplicate. They were not the same as latkes but were browned with crispy edges. For some reason I can't master the browning technique and the pancakes end up undercooked or charcoaled. LOL
Re: Joke of the Day
Pringles have dried potatoes in them, as the number 1 ingredient.
Yellow corn flour, and rice flour are the next main ingredients with some salt and wheat starch at the end of the list.
I try to avoid as many fried styles of potatoes as I can. But sometimes it takes a fried potato of some type to kill the urge.
The German Lutheran Church at Ballas and Manchester Road, had an annual potato pancake supper for as many years as they have been there. I suppose they still do. The roast beef they served was the best I've ever eaten too.
It's a sit down deal where they line the cafeteria style tables up with all the dishes they have prepared, so you can pick what you want and eat until stuffed. That''s one of the things I miss about back home!
Yellow corn flour, and rice flour are the next main ingredients with some salt and wheat starch at the end of the list.
I try to avoid as many fried styles of potatoes as I can. But sometimes it takes a fried potato of some type to kill the urge.
The German Lutheran Church at Ballas and Manchester Road, had an annual potato pancake supper for as many years as they have been there. I suppose they still do. The roast beef they served was the best I've ever eaten too.
It's a sit down deal where they line the cafeteria style tables up with all the dishes they have prepared, so you can pick what you want and eat until stuffed. That''s one of the things I miss about back home!
Re: Joke of the Day
That Lutheran Church pancake supper sounds awesome. The only equivalent I can think of are breakfast pancake affairs generally sponsored by some church. There are a couple of such affairs each year here in O'Fallon but I've never been to one to see what it's like. The few I went to up north were good meals but nothing spectacular. One church in particular had a great pancake recipe and only two or three would be enough to hold my hunger for most of the day. LOL The other free food event I've attended has to do with St Joseph's Day, the 19th of March. On that day people who celebrate have an open house,literally. Anybody on the street can walk in, eat a meal, and enjoy the ambiance. Donations were not required but most people did leave something for the cook who spent most of the previous year preparing for the event. The last one I attended was in the '70 at the home of a Ukranian (yes, Ukranian) family back in old Chicago. The event was well known but lost popularity when the price of food started heading skyward.
OK on the Pringles formula. I never was a fan of dehydrated foodstuff. Even the fruits which retain a lot of their original moisture don't taste the same after re-hydration. I guess that's why I'm not a dedicated fan of Pringles. I can taste the difference.
OK on the Pringles formula. I never was a fan of dehydrated foodstuff. Even the fruits which retain a lot of their original moisture don't taste the same after re-hydration. I guess that's why I'm not a dedicated fan of Pringles. I can taste the difference.
Re: Joke of the Day
I've lived south now for just over two decades, and I know all the olde tymers who were the glue that held all the events together are long gone now. So I don't know what it would be like now, or if they even still hold it. Families are not like they were back in the good old days.
Debi and I went down to the Greek Orthodox Festival our first year together. We would have never went, but we were invited to go with two other couples who said it was great. Actually, not much there I cared to even sample, hi hi. But what I did eat was great.
Debi buys WISE brand potato chips by the case. They are excellent chips! Not as greasy as Lays.
I got hooked on Pringles 40 years ago. But I usually only eat 4 to 6 of them at a time.
Back when I got hooked on them, they had Pringles Hearty, which had a unique taste, but not quite like a double-done chip.
Although I love Pringles, I can't stand any of the other brands of that type of chip available out there.
But as I said, Pringles quality control has really gone downhill, so even those I don't eat many of anymore.
Debi and I went down to the Greek Orthodox Festival our first year together. We would have never went, but we were invited to go with two other couples who said it was great. Actually, not much there I cared to even sample, hi hi. But what I did eat was great.
Debi buys WISE brand potato chips by the case. They are excellent chips! Not as greasy as Lays.
I got hooked on Pringles 40 years ago. But I usually only eat 4 to 6 of them at a time.
Back when I got hooked on them, they had Pringles Hearty, which had a unique taste, but not quite like a double-done chip.
Although I love Pringles, I can't stand any of the other brands of that type of chip available out there.
But as I said, Pringles quality control has really gone downhill, so even those I don't eat many of anymore.
Re: Joke of the Day
I don't buy many potato chips of any sort, but when I did the best were from Jays. Jays were made in Chicago so that they were sold just about everywhere. Down here it's Billy Goat kettle cooked chips and they are in fact excellent. The frying process isn't the same as Jays which makes Billy Goat a much more crispy chip. In fact they are too hard to enjoy sometimes. Having said that, I prefer Billy Goat chips over all others when making a coating for baked salmon. The idea is to spread honey mustard over the fish then coat it with potato chip crumbs. It's an excellent way to prepare salmon regardless of which chips you select. There is something about that extra crispiness that ups the eating experience a notch. Jays are still great, but not easy to find in the STL area.
Up north many of the suburbs would have an annual "Taste of ..." weekend during the summer. Chicago had a massive event downtown but due to the size of the crowds we never attempted to go to that one. The ones closer to home were not particularly outstanding, but many of the local restaurants had booths with their best foods to taste. It was a very good way to see if we wanted to patronize a given eatery after the festival. We found a few great spots that way.
Up north many of the suburbs would have an annual "Taste of ..." weekend during the summer. Chicago had a massive event downtown but due to the size of the crowds we never attempted to go to that one. The ones closer to home were not particularly outstanding, but many of the local restaurants had booths with their best foods to taste. It was a very good way to see if we wanted to patronize a given eatery after the festival. We found a few great spots that way.
Re: Joke of the Day
Years ago we used to get Jay's Potato Chips in large metal drums. Still have a few of those drums we use for storage.
St. Louis used to be super big on eating festivals. Loved nearly anything that landed in the category of things we liked.
But none were ever good enough for us to drive all the way into the city to their restaurants.
We had plenty of super great places in the county back then, some of which were drive to get to also.
St. Louis used to be super big on eating festivals. Loved nearly anything that landed in the category of things we liked.
But none were ever good enough for us to drive all the way into the city to their restaurants.
We had plenty of super great places in the county back then, some of which were drive to get to also.
Re: Joke of the Day
I think those Jay's Potato Chip canisters are now collector's items. They are as rare as hair on a frog. LOL
I can appreciate you not wanting to drive into the big city of St Louis for a good dinner, regardless of how good it was. We lived about twenty-five miles west of downtown Chicago and had the same idea. There were some world class restaurants there, but getting to them and finding a place to park was a challenge. When we were younger we did in fact make the trip to some famous restaurants and night clubs, such as the now closed Empire Room at the downtown Hilton. Looking back I am totally impressed that we did such things because now just going into town for a meal is somewhat of an effort. LOL
I can appreciate you not wanting to drive into the big city of St Louis for a good dinner, regardless of how good it was. We lived about twenty-five miles west of downtown Chicago and had the same idea. There were some world class restaurants there, but getting to them and finding a place to park was a challenge. When we were younger we did in fact make the trip to some famous restaurants and night clubs, such as the now closed Empire Room at the downtown Hilton. Looking back I am totally impressed that we did such things because now just going into town for a meal is somewhat of an effort. LOL
Last edited by yogi on 09 Aug 2023, 18:30, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Joke of the Day
The few we have are rusted around the bottom and have a few dents in them.
We also have the same size Charles Chips cans, in the same condition.
Also cans from popcorn and other things we've managed to collect over the years.
When the gals were cleaning the garage before my move down here. They must have had over 100 old blue tinted mason jars with zinc bands and lids on them, porcelain on the insides of the lids, the rubber rings were of course dry rotted.
A neighbor stopped by to help, and they said the knew someone who would buy about 1/3 of the canning jars we had.
On those blue tinted with the zinc bands and lids, they paid Debi's mom two-fifty each for them, and 50 cents each for another raft of older style jars, then only a dime each for most of the rest. All total, they made over 350 bucks just from selling the jars in the garage, hi hi. Made the day for Debi's mom, hi hi.
When I was staying in Oak Brook (Hinsdale area) I drove down to the Chicago Yacht Club for lunch and dinner quite a few times, because I could eat there for free on my bosses tab. Only thing is, you had to get dressed up for dinner, hi hi.
There was a small restaurant in Hinsdale called Gerber's. They had a filet mignon steak that was great, and only 5 bucks. We called it their toothpick special, hi hi.
We also have the same size Charles Chips cans, in the same condition.
Also cans from popcorn and other things we've managed to collect over the years.
When the gals were cleaning the garage before my move down here. They must have had over 100 old blue tinted mason jars with zinc bands and lids on them, porcelain on the insides of the lids, the rubber rings were of course dry rotted.
A neighbor stopped by to help, and they said the knew someone who would buy about 1/3 of the canning jars we had.
On those blue tinted with the zinc bands and lids, they paid Debi's mom two-fifty each for them, and 50 cents each for another raft of older style jars, then only a dime each for most of the rest. All total, they made over 350 bucks just from selling the jars in the garage, hi hi. Made the day for Debi's mom, hi hi.
When I was staying in Oak Brook (Hinsdale area) I drove down to the Chicago Yacht Club for lunch and dinner quite a few times, because I could eat there for free on my bosses tab. Only thing is, you had to get dressed up for dinner, hi hi.
There was a small restaurant in Hinsdale called Gerber's. They had a filet mignon steak that was great, and only 5 bucks. We called it their toothpick special, hi hi.
Re: Joke of the Day
You have a way of bringing up memories I long forgot that I was keeping in storage. I've been to the Chicago Yacht Club as a guest of one of its members. Say what you want about Hewlett Packard, but they had some extraordinary sales reps taking care of their Motorola account. One of our reps was with HP for dozens of years and wasn't too far from retiring. All the HP test equipment we used in the factory was purchased through this rep. I guess that's how he was able to buy a yacht and join the club. LOL One fine summer weekend he decided to invite all the Engineers he was dealing with to sail Lake Michigan and party hardy til the sun came up the next morning. I made it to the club but didn't take him up on the offer for a boat ride. All I can say is that it all looked fabulous. He no doubt wrote it all off as advertising expenses. Back in those days you could do such a thing without being audited by the IRS.
I recall seeing those tinted Mason jars way back in my youth. Mom did a lot of canning and no doubt she had a few of those jars.
I recall seeing those tinted Mason jars way back in my youth. Mom did a lot of canning and no doubt she had a few of those jars.
Re: Joke of the Day
Commercial grade HP stuff seems to work great, but the home market stuff is mostly garbage. I know, been burned bad by HP many times.
My boss was a member of many places, the Yacht Club was just one of them.
He was member of places in Memphis, and several in Florida, plus St. Louis of course.
My boss was a member of many places, the Yacht Club was just one of them.
He was member of places in Memphis, and several in Florida, plus St. Louis of course.
Re: Joke of the Day
You are right about HP in that they made their claim to fame selling commercial equipment way before they got into the home computing market. I've not had much trouble with their hardware, but their software stinks like an Iowa pig farm. I knew a gal that worked at Best Buy. They loved their HP rep as well because he was always doing extra things for the sales staff. When notepads first became available from HP they gave every sales person in that Best But store one free for "evaluation" purposes. I might buy a notepad some day, but it would not be from Best Buy. They are on the bottom of my list of big box stores.
Re: Joke of the Day
You've heard me complain many times about the various HP products I've owned that just flat out didn't work right, or at all in the case of my last two major purchases of their products. And both of these were the top-end of home and office items too.