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jamesogt

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About jamesogt

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  1. If they want to pay me ill send them my details!
  2. Thought I would go full food critic and see how hard it was! 3 weeks after Boris gave the go ahead for dining out I ventured to Rafters in Sheffield. Most Sheffielder’s from the West side of the city will know this gem of a restaurant. Carefully hidden above the Sheffield Window centre, it is an unassuming looking place from the outside. Rafters has 2 AA rosettes, and is listed in the Michelin guide, though it may not hold one of the coveted stars the food is of an excellent standard. Currently their dinner option is the £80 6 course fixed menu, which would put it firmly in the star bracket in terms of pricing. But Sheffield is an odd place for dining. High end restaurants tend to struggle against the Yorkshire adage of quantity over quality. Restaurants come and go here, but Rafters in its current guise has been here since 2013, owned and operated by Alistair and Tom. The restaurant pins a lot of its success on subtly embracing Yorkshire culture, from the personalised Rafters cutlery, Sheffield of course. The addition of the much-loved Henderson’s relish in the butter served with bread (Lea and Perrins is ultimately a swear word in these parts.) They have even taken the opportunity to upgrade all their tables with beautiful solid oak tables from Richard Carr, supporting independent and family run local businesses at times like this is essential. My first restaurant meal, out after the pandemic was a more relaxed brunch in Birmingham. But having seen the protocols that had been put in place there it gave me confidence that the sector was taking this seriously so they could re-open and welcome guests back to their venues. We were booked for dinner on the Saturday evening, so the six-course tasting menu it was for us. No allergies and no alterations needed, though they were offered. We also opted for the wine flight, you may as well let the experts do their job and just enjoy the food and drink as it arrives. Interestingly the Wine on this evening was quite England weighted with the first 2 wines both being from here. A Guinevere Chardonnay from Kent followed by a barrel fermented Bacchus from West Sussex, both excellent accompaniments to their relevant courses. The menu was at our table ready and waiting for us in a uniquely wax sealed envelope, along with our own bottle of sanitiser, this is Summer 2020 remember. What followed were 6 and more terrific courses with interspersed surprises just in case we were still hungry, no danger of that here tonight. The early surprise was 2 perfectly runny quails eggs served on straw, swiftly followed by the Baron Bigod & Broccoli tart, Baron Bigod is Britain’s first unpasteurised Brie to be made on the farm in traditional large (3kg) wheels, ladled by hand with milk from the farm’s French-bred Montbeliarde cows. It is aged to perfect ripeness, with a rich buttery softness towards the rind contrasted by a fresh, lactic core. The French will be jealous… Then followed the perfectly cured thinly sliced hand dived scallop, delicately finished with cucumber and avocado, micro herbs and edible flowers. This was the first introduction of the unique tableware, beautiful handmade pots from Paul Mossman pottery, Paul hand makes every single piece and signs the bottom of each individual pot, plate, bowl. Made just outside of Sheffield in Staveley. Then came one of the more surprising stand out courses, you would wonder what can be done with five small tomatoes, well wonder no more. Isle of Wight tomatoes dressed in elderflower, lovage & hazelnut pesto, spicy salad, multi seed crackers, whipped Yorkshire fettle & tomato & elderflower essence. You may wonder what Fettle is? Well Feta is a protected region within the EU, but you won’t stop a Yorkshireman improvising. Made with whole ewes’ milk, it is handmade and hand-salted for each cheese to encourage the piquant, lemony flavour and slightly crumbly texture. Matured over a minimum of two weeks, the salt infuses the whole cheese. They then hand-wax each truckle to lock in the fresh flavour and creamy texture. The Cornish place, again delicious. Accompanied by a Sauvignon Fume from Germany, finished at the table with a mussel chowder and chive. The meat main course Wortley Estate Lamb, Rump & rib finished on the BBQ, courgettes, basil & artichoke, cooked to a perfect pink with the rib served on the side, meat falling effortlessly from the bone. We finished with a small lemon posset and English Strawberry mousse, in fact I had 2, as my dining partner was starting to struggle. There is a true skill to being to eat an entire menu that may be overlooked sometimes. I did have flashbacks of recreating the Mr Creosote in the Monty Python scene when the Pistachio Macaron arrived, but I battled through. It is worth noting additionally in these unusual times what additional precautions are being taken for both your and the teams safety. Tables have been removed to enforce the necessary social distancing. All waiters wear masks, and the short wine list is available online. The food menu was as mentioned on our table prior to arrival. There was also sanitiser on entry. I felt they had done everything that could be asked of them, though I did feel for the chefs working in the heat with both masks and visors. Some people have suggested that the reopening of restaurants and bars is too risky. I disagree. These places need to be open. They not only are a needed social outlet, but they provide a living for many families across the country and if opened and operated safely they are no more of a risk than when you go to Tesco in my opinion. These restaurants aren’t looking to make a profit for the rest of 2020, they are looking to survive. This means we need to go and support them, and that is fully what I intend to do. Even more so in August when we get the Rishi “Eat out to Help out” scheme up and running. If they are all as good as Rafters then hopefully the future will be bright for those who make it through.
  3. 40k (including performance related bonus) I wonder what the real salary is?
  4. It can never work whilst your 2 big competitors are A, A massive national with a manager and B, A freehold. They will be buying beer at around 80p a pint, you will be buying it at nearer 1.50. The rent now makes it look vaguely achievable for a family to run. I mean renting a 3 bed house in Millhouses is over 1k a month. Its all the other costs EI add on, and then the time you'd have to work achieve a nominal wage bill. Plus the fact that rent will be "introductory".....
  5. Page 4, my numbers break down. They didnt add up ! *They have since halved the rent to 10k , I should consult for anyone thinking of "investing" lol. Also adjusted their expectation of income by almost 100k Now.... Typical turnover: £290,000.00 per annum Average rent: £10,000.00 per annum Estimated Capital start-up: £7,800.00 (excl VAT) Then Potential turnover: £378,000.00 per annum Introductory Rent: £20,000.00 per annum Estimated Capital start-up: £25,250.00 (excl VAT)
  6. Sound technician at West St Live I doubt pays 75k a year + expenses. Id fully expect him to stay as long as possible. Lets face it politicians are in it for themselves as much as they claim to be a public servant. Just look at Fiona Asanaya, Kate Osamor and the raft of expense fiddling MP's. https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/politics/news/101472/political-prisoners-mps-who-have-served-jail-time
  7. I do 25k miles a year for work. More at the moment than in the past. I have driven for 25 years. Along with 7 years driving in the US. No at fault accidents, no points. Speeding in the UK is entirely optional, when you drive with an awareness of whats going on around you! I have a Cheetah to let me know where fixed cameras are and Waze which highlights both fixed and mobile, as highlighted by other users. In between that you can pretty much do whatever you like within reason. I drove this week to Portsmouth and back, roughly 8 hours and 500 miles, not one police car (marked) at least. Rarely do I see Police enforcing speed on motorways, and local police have no time to do it other than mobile vans. You would have to be driving like you stole it to get stopped. Of my 500 mile a week average I see the odd van, occasionally leaving Sheffield on the Parkway (always the same spot) and near Ladybower in the lay bay at the end of the straight heading on to Snake. Very rarely at Norton heading towards Chesterfield past Morrisons and also just off the roundabout near the Hilton. On average the fixed camera coming in to Sheffield on the Parkway catches 15 people a day! 550k a year. How, I do not know, it has been there years and often you are lucky to pass it doing 5mph never mind over 40! It is the HADECS 3 that you now have to watch for, these are the fixed Gantry cameras that active when the variable speed limits are in force on motorways, I do see loads of these flashing, but people seem to ignore them! On the other hand in America it is enforced within about 3mph. Local and Highway police will happily stop people all day long. Many times I got stopped there (but got let go due to international licence). They don't tend to use cameras at all as they have much firmer enforcement from actual police. If we enforced like they do it would be a different story.
  8. Its issue is that it is massive! Too big for the area almost. Even if it has 20 people in it feels dead, unlike the Masons in comparison that would feel full. Hopefully Stancils have bought the freehold, look around Sheffield at pubs that have been "free'd" of their tie and floursihed, there are plenty of them.
  9. My thoughts are it is a slightly more sympathetic "Theme" Irish bar. No it isnt full of Irish old men drinking Guinness, but neither is it covered in Bright Green Orange haired Leprechauns as O'Neills/80's stye Irish bars were. I have been a few times now and it is always busy, the bands on the weekend are also decent. It seems to have attracted a fairly mixed bag of customers from 18-60! Pretty much a cross section of similar people that West St Live has. Either way it is a massive improvement on what was there before banging out bassline chav tunes!
  10. Closed after shifitng assets to their spouse.....hmmmmm
  11. You are still liable for council tax, on top of business rates. They also won't collect bins from business premises, thats another £600+ a year......The numbers still leave enough for 4 staff including yourselves....
  12. Its real issue is being on a lease that is not sustainable. It can't compete on price, the base of any business! https://www.eipublicanpartnerships.com/run-a-pub/pubs/pages/millhouses-sheffield.aspx They have removed the Rent amount and the "Potential Turnover" as they are usually laughable! But I had already used a while ago..... Potential turnover: £378,000.00 per annum Introductory Rent: £20,000.00 per annum Estimated Capital start-up: £25,250.00 (excl VAT) Note the word potential! £1600 a month in rent, plus business rates and utilities. And there is a note that they plan to increase it "This pub needs personal investment of time, effort and skills to realise its potential. Our vision for this pub is a business capable of sustaining a rent of £33,000.00 per annum." So they will want almost 3k a month if you start doing well. On a tied lease, so your GP will be circa 50% at best. (Most bars run nearer 80%). 378k is 7.3k a week, well there is not a prayer that business is taking a grand a day. 1000 a day at an average £3.50 a pint 285 drinks a day. I reckon it would do well to do 5k a week in its location. Maybe 260k a year, minus VAT leaves 208k. Half is profit. 104k. minus rent (at the lower rate) and utilities 36k ish leaves 68k. And you haven't paid any staff yet or taken a wage yourself! You can now afford to pay 4 people on NMW. Sorry but as with a lot of enterprise leases the numbers won't add up. Look at the Ranmoor also currently available. A pub with a much better reputation in a better area.... https://www.eipublicanpartnerships.com/run-a-pub/pubs/pages/ranmoor-inn-sheffield.aspx Potential turnover: £395,000.00 per annum Guide Rent: £30,000.00 per annum Estimated Capital start-up: £14,500.00 (excl VAT) They also want you to sign up to this (please allow 3 hours for a full read!) Which basically means you run the pub for them and are liable for a myriad of things. If that was the case and it made money it would be part of the managed wing and they would pay you 25k+ to do it. SEction 5 for those that get that far! https://www.eipublicanpartnerships.com/Documents/sample-5-year-rpt.pdf Maintenance Service Charge: £798.00 (Seven Hundred and Ninety Eight Pounds) per annum plus VAT Cellar Cooling Only: £309.00 (Three Hundred and Nine Pounds) per annum plus VAT Heating and Boiler Only: £489.00 (Four Hundred and Eighty Nine Pounds) per annum plus VAT Health and Safety Compliance Service Charge: £1,177.00 (One Thousand One Hundred and Seventy Seven Pounds) per annum plus VAT 5.4 Insurance Rent You must pay Us the cost that We spend in insuring the Property described in clause 37 (Our Insurance Obligations). 5.5 Deposit Your deposit will be £[XXXXX] (AMOUNT IN WORDS) and We may ask You to increase this sum under the terms of clause 5 (Deposit). You must pay Us the deposit when You enter into this tenancy. 5.6 Decoration Fund You must pay £[XXXXX] (AMOUNT IN WORDS) plus VAT per annum to be put towards Your decorating obligations and this will be applied.
  13. This has come around again! Rank Leisure and Grosvenor Casino Sheffield will be donating along with Birtwistles butchers... 40kg Potatoes 20kg Carrots 20kg Parsnips 20kg Sprouts 40kg Turkey 450 pigs in blankets 6kg of stuffing We hope everyone has a great day
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