As I've, once again, decided to hurtle myself towards reckless financial ruin, I figured I would at least try to understand what I did wrong when I do it.
The local Border's and Barnes & Noble bookstores have a plethora of food and cookbooks but a dearth of material covering the actual operation of foodservice businesses, leaving the general public in the dark and contributing to the continual shuttering of foodservice businesses every year. With that in mind, I decided to venture into the heart of the city to visit the Baltimore International College's Bookstore.
I went there once years ago and found some helpful books and figured it was time for an update. Nestled in the basement of their business center, the bookstore is hard to find and difficult to access (I had to request a security badge at reception to buzz my way through the doors). As I made my way down and through the labyrinthine passageways and stairwells, I hoped that all this effort would be worth it. Upon reaching the bookstore and perusing its' contents, I was reminded of the one truism that has remained since my college days.
Crickey, textbooks are expensive.
Amidst the choices, I found what I was looking for: Design and Layout of Foodservice Facilities and Food and Beverage Cost Control, two of what looked like excellent texts to bolster my knowledge. Ten minutes later, and a long trudge up a steep staircase, I was back on the street with the sun in my face and the horror of spending over two hundred dollars on two books in the pit of my stomach. For that much money, you bet your ass I'm gonna put these principles to work. So much for that dinner this weekend at Charlie Trotter's...
I'll report more as things progress.
