Ready....Set....

And we are READY...finally!  After so much preparation and TALKING about this damn thing opening, it looks like it's all happening on THURSDAY.  September 1st sounds like a nice date to bring this thing full circle.

I've used this picture a million times, but this is the first time we had the cart in our possession.  

It's mind blowing!

Trav and I have given up EVERY single Saturday for the last year (and lots of Sundays...and many other weekdays sprinkled throughout as well) to work on this cart.  Having "real" jobs has definitely made this journey interesting.  We have learned the value of hard work and seeing something through to the end...(but really, as a business owner, there is no end!!)

The Masterpiece

Do you like our sign?  Well, just like (almost) everything else, it's homemade.  We went to Home Depot and got the cheapest piece of recycled wood we could find.  Then we used pictures from our phone to draw out a "cookie cutter" shape of Oregon in pencil. (Ummm...this step definitely took the MOST time)

Then we primed and painted it white.

Then we taped off a border.

Painted the border GREEN of course...

Then put the finishing touches on it.

The best part about this whole journey, hands down, is how much fun we've had.  From the actual construction (in rain, wind, snow, sweltering heat, more rain, freezing rain, sleet, you name it...), to picking out our vendors and farmers, painting it in the pearl and filming our journey, to road trips everywhere imaginable, to learning how to "pickle" and trying different recipes, to family pow-wows and brainstorming sessions...ALL OF IT HAS LEAD UP TO THIS DAY!  It has been so worth it.

We are here on official Grillery business y'all!

Flying Colors!

WE PASSED OUR INSPECTION!!

Cheers to us....

Now the real test...How's the food??

Sometimes...

...life throws you a curveball.  And you know what, you gotta just go with it.  When things seem unfair, upside down, inside out and backwards, there is usually a reason.

Sometimes, the reason is simply to test your resilience.

I'm still working on this...

Moving right along...The Grillery is GREAT.  Things are really coming together and we make progress every SINGLE day. We've gotten to the good part where we get to pick out and buy all the fun stuff for our kitchen.  DING DING DING...this is where Heath comes in... our favorite places so far are The Goodwill (omg, you can find GREAT kitchen stuff there...seriously, GO!), Pitman, Hong's Restaurant Supply, and City Liquidators...FUN!  Everything in this store either fell off a truck somewhere, or was imported from a foreign land.  ITS AMAZING.

Hidden Treasure in SE Portland

We also enlisted help from friends (ahem, Suli) to help us transport our cart to a temporary location to test out all of our equipment...

Following the grill down the streets of PDX

Make room for US!

We now have power and water and working appliances....YAYYYEEEE!  It is really coming together.  Can not WAIT to serve up the GOODNESS that is undoubtedly going to come out of this bad boy.  Thanks to all who have shown your support during this crazy time... WE APPRECIATE YOU!

STILL HAVING FUN NO MATTER WHAT!!

Eeeeekkkkkk!

Sooooo....we think we found our spot.  Like, our location.  Like, the place we are going to be SERVING THE FOOD WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR THE LAST YEAR!

PLEASE PREPARE FOR TAKEOFF!

This is just so exciting!  We were put on a wait list for some of the more desirable lots around town.  It's really a "pick your poison" deal because some places are great for lunch, some are better for late night, and some aren't really that great for either.  There are also a ton of factors that go into picking a place.  Obviously LOCATION, but also, the surrounding carts (i.e. competition), foot traffic, nightlife, ATM's available, shade, power sources...and the list goes on!!

Happy Grillmore on 3rd and Washington

Might take a few pointers from them, but don't necessarily want to be next door.

(ya know what I mean?)

And also not trying to "pioneer" our own spot...quite yet.

(11th and Washington)

We really want to be accessible to the cart any time during the day, so downtown makes the most sense.  We set out to find a place that will be great for lunch and late night diners, so the location we found has a healthy mix of both.

Not yet.  Gotta put the deposit down before the big reveal!  Stay tuned and be ready to come to the grand opening VERY soon!

(Look at us now, OH!)

Quick Question..

...is this a politically correct name for a pickle?

Exciting things happening with The Grillery...stay tuned for all the updates!

Almost there..

Health Inspector Gadget came again yesterday, and we are right on track.  After the annoyance of having to change up the whole game plan with our water tanks, we finally found something that works.  (And wouldn't you know it, we like it much better..)

We do the most RANDOM things...like traveling to God knows where, to a garage sale, to find a water tank that should work...

Ummm...they didn't work, but I did pick up a $2 cooler!

Seriously...the things we do in the name of The Grillery!  I was SUPER bummed about not passing the first inspection...super, super bummed.  So we had to really crack down and find some tanks that would work in place of those barrels.  A new water tank is roughly around $200...and we needed 2.  So we started scouring craigslist, the internet and garage sales because, frankly, we don't have that kind of money.

This (not a great pic, but whatever..) is the GREY water tank mounted UNDERNEATH the cart

And THIS is the FRESH water tank now inside the cart under the sinks.

Having this huge tank inside the cart really isn't that big of a deal considering that would all be dead space anyway.  The fresh water tank fit with inches to spare, so it was meant to be!

Now that our Plan Review and Pre Opening inspections have gone well, we just need to set up at a location and have the inspector come and see the cart fully operating to get licensed.  We are waiting to hear back from a couple locations and then we're gonna start grillin' up some tasty sliders!

LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL SHE IS!!

The Mission...

When we set out on this journey...(omg, it's almost been a year?!), we really wanted to do things right.  Come up with a unique business model, be environmentally responsible, and utilize all of our resources to save as MUCH money as possible.

John helping me draw the cart w/ chalk

Here is a list of things we've gotten donated or purchased recycled:

• Counter tops (w+k)
• Formica (Habitat for Humanity Re-Store)
• Sinks (The Rebuilding Center)
• Paint (co-workers, friends)
• Flooring (PREM)
• Cabinets (The Rebuilding Center)
• Insulation (w+k)
• Wood for walls and ceiling (w+k, The Rebuilding Center)
• Windows (Builder's City, The Rebuilding Center)
• Refrigerator (Joey)
• Grill (food cart vendor)
• Logo (Brad, w+k)
• Screws, nails, staples, cement, glue, silicone, etc (Joey)
• Labor (FRIENDS!)
• TOOLS (Joey, Kent, neighbors, friends)

My point is...YOU CAN DO IT TOO!  We all have so many resources around us, and the only thing you have to do is ASK.  We definitely have spent a TON of money on all the little things (they add up!), but the things we've gotten donated have been a LIFE SAVER!  Thank you to everyone who has helped us with this mission...

Window Trim Before..

Window Trim After...(we love green)

Also, if you glance up on that last picture, you can see the latest addition...the fan to the hood.  Trav spent countless hours getting that thing just right, and the health inspector gave us a "thumbs up" for making it work!  We're still plugging away...