yep, it continues...
Okay, first, some disparate thoughts about the idea from the previous post.
When an order is shipped from a production facility, the person who packs it is to write a happy friendly note to whomever the recipient is and to include that in the box (along with the shipping sheet that shows the items ordered).
The least busy restaurant locations will be in the Diner format as discussed in the previous post. In the busier locations we will have it like BelloPro here in Montreal, where the client orders and pays up front and gets their drink and a tray that they glide along a railing and their order is made on the spot and put on the glass shelf at upper chest level for the client to take and put on their tray, and then they go and sit down. This is a higher throughput method.
For the rambutan wood chips that we burn to smoke the meat, there are sustainable forestry companies in Indonesia to obtain them.
For the dormitory bathroom on the men's floor, have a single toilet stall and a urinal instead of two toilet stalls like in the women's dorm floors. For all of the bathrooms, above the sink and below the mirror will be X number of cubby holes where X corresponds to the max number of occupants of the dorm, so that the staff have a place to put their toiletries.
Access to the dormitories in Asia will be from a common staircase accessible from within the location that a magnetic key card given to each staffer gains them access only to their own dorm room once they reach their floor's landing on the stairwell. During business hours the front door of the resto will be unlocked, during closing hours, the same magnetic key card can unlock the front door of the restaurant.
Access to the dorimitories in India is a little different, it is the same that the entrance is inside the resto, and so staffers will use their magnetic key cards to get in and out of the resto outside of business hours. But to maintain high discretion between the male and female dormitories, their entrances will be far apart. For example, the men's dorm from a doorway on the second floor in-person dining area, and the women's dorm from a ground floor entrance from a door behind the serving counter.
As the production facility is only 250-300m, the production room within will be in a U shape, so that the finished smoked product ends up kind of where the input raw briscuit arrived, as the product is converted from fridge or frozen raw beef briscuit to end product vacuum sealed flash frozen smoked meat briscuit.
I determined that Daikin can be the HVAC solution for all locations (SUIK and resto across all regions) and that Tyco would be the fire resistant sprinkler installer for all locations as well. Both would arrange for the installation team for the duct work and installation of machines for Daikin, and the water sprinkler system for Tyco. A general contractor would be hired in each city to do the work, in the Indian cities it could be the same contractor in a city that has two locations. I would ask the real estate broker to help me discover the general contractor.
During the initial foreman training, we would also develop a foreman certification program that can be used for the future locations. The first run of the certification program could be used for the two week period that JB new foreman go through in the Surabaya location as described below.
Once I have enough locations across east Asia I will offer to have foremen exchanges, I can post in the WhatsApp group that is me and all foreman to ask if any FOH and BOH foremen would be interested in a two week exchange. If there are any takers, we would pair up FOH pairs and BOH pairs to do exchanges. This is a way to promote the community, to share culture, to have each location provide the same quality and service since foremen will learn how things are at other locations. Will need to match genders as they will switch dorms.
I will hire the two foreman for JB a few weeks before the JB location is ready and send them to live in the Subaraya dormitories to receive training from the two foremen that are present there, in this way they can have two weeks of experience to come back to the JB location and to then help to hire the two female FOH and two male BOH to round out the JB location's staff needs. These JB foreman won't need to learn the production facility tasks, but, they can get a visit to the production facility with one of the Surabaya foremen. Here is the training plan for these JB foremen at Surabaya:
🌱 THE TWO‑WEEK FOREMAN IMMERSION PLAN
This is designed for your JB foreman (and later Da Nang foreman) to live in the Surabaya dorm, work in the Surabaya restaurant, and absorb the culture from the inside.
The goal is not “learn everything.” The goal is absorb the founder’s rhythm and learn the system as a lived experience.
🏡 WEEK 1 — DORM CULTURE + BASIC RESTAURANT FLOW
Dormitory Leadership (Daily Exposure)
They learn by living it:
- how to organize rotating cleaning duties
- how to maintain regular cleaning (bathroom, kitchen, living room)
- how to manage shared meals
- how to handle disagreements calmly
- how to restock TP, soap, cleaning products
- how to share the Wi‑Fi password and set norms
- how to maintain quiet hours
- how to set the tone of kindness and respect
This is the heart of your culture. They don’t “study” it — they live it.
FOH Foundations (Shadow + Practice)
- greeting customers with warmth
- smiling naturally
- answering questions about MTL
- explaining the menu
- handling QRIS payments
- managing delivery couriers
- keeping the dining area spotless
- bussing tables with grace
- pacing service during rushes
- maintaining calm during pressure
- learning the daily opening and closing routines
This is where they absorb the cadence of your service.
BOH Foundations (Observation + Light Tasks)
- the potato routine (washing, cutting, soaking, drying)
- rye bread slicing (as needed, not stockpiled)
- prepping the line
- cleaning the kitchen
- understanding the fryers
learning the portion sizes for:
- classic poutine
- smoked meat poutine
- smoked meat sandwich
- understanding the flow between FOH and BOH
They don't need to master BOH - they need to understand it deeply enough to lead
Culture + Leadership (Ongoing)
- punctuality
- kindness under pressure
- how to ask staff to help during a rush
- how to give breaks during quiet times
- how to maintain morale
- how to keep the dorm harmonious
- how to communicate expectations without ego
This is where they start becoming a culture carrier.
🔥 WEEK 2 — LEADERSHIP, SCHEDULING, AND RUNNING THE SYSTEM
Now they shift from “learning” to “leading.”
Dorm Leadership (Active Practice)
- assigning cleaning rotations
- mediating small disagreements
- organizing shared meals
- maintaining dorm supplies
- setting the tone of respect and calm
- ensuring everyone feels safe and welcome
This is where they learn how to run a dorm without becoming authoritarian.
FOH Leadership
- running the FOH opening routine
- managing the FOH closing routine
- scheduling FOH staff
- handling customer issues
- coordinating with BOH
- managing delivery flow
- maintaining cleanliness standards
- coaching staff on tone and politeness
They learn how to run the front of house with confidence.
BOH Leadership
- coordinating with the BOH foreman
- ensuring prep is on time
- checking portion accuracy
- maintaining cleanliness
- ensuring fryer safety
- managing BOH breaks
- understanding inventory levels
- placing orders for more stock (with supervision)
They don’t need to be a BOH expert — they need to be a BOH leader.
Operational Leadership
- how to run a shift
- how to handle a rush
- how to maintain calm
- how to ask for help
- how to give help
- how to keep the team aligned
- how to communicate clearly
- how to maintain the founder’s rhythm
This is where they become a mini‑founder for their city.
🧭 THE FINAL OUTCOME AFTER TWO WEEKS
Your foreman returns to JB with:
- the culture
- the tone
- the cadence
- the SOPs
- the leadership style
- the dorm management skills
- the FOH and BOH understanding
- the confidence to train others
- the ability to run a soft launch
- the ability to build a team from scratch
And then they:
- hire 2 FOH + 2 BOH
- train them during soft launch (3 hours/day)
- build camaraderie
- set the tone
- open the restaurant with confidence
This is exactly how your multi‑city network stays coherent, humane, and founder‑led.
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Each restaurant location will have a Wifi connection that is for staff that is accessible across all floors of the building, paid for from the income for the restaurant location. This will get added to the job benefit section of the job ad from the previous post.
I sent to Copilot the blog post I wrote that is previous to this one, and it was suggested that I need to provide some more infromation to dig deeper, so first I decided on the name of these restaurants, they are called 'MTL' which is simple for all of the different languages across all of those countries. It will be in big letters on the front of each location with a neon bar along the top and along the bottom of the three letters. In the same way when uniform t-shirts are made, it will have the MTL logo with a line along the top and along the bottom. Additionally there is a tag line where I have settled on 'A Taste of Montreal' which can be a subtag on the outside of the resto, or, on the wall somewhere on the inside. By being less specific about what is being served, I could add touriere, pouding chomeur and other Quebecois food as options later on.
The next thing to complete the manifesto, is to explain the why of this whole plan. In the previous post was the what and the how, so here is a why:
THE WHY, THE PRINCIPLES, THE PROMISE
🍁 Why This Exists
This project began with a simple desire: to share the foods of Montreal — poutine, smoked meat, and the warmth of its culinary culture — with places that have never tasted them.
But the deeper “why” emerged as the idea grew.
1. To share Montreal’s food culture with new markets
There are entire regions of Southeast Asia where Montreal’s comfort foods simply don’t exist. Bringing these dishes to Surabaya, Johor Bahru, Cebu, Da Nang, Phnom Penh, Chiang Mai, and Luang Prabang is a way of sharing a piece of home — not as a franchise, not as a gimmick, but as a genuine cultural offering.
2. To build a workplace rooted in dignity
Restaurants often run on burnout, instability, and disrespect. This system is designed to be the opposite.
Dormitories that feel like home. Monthly salaries instead of unstable hourly wages. Cross‑training. Clear SOPs. Founder presence. A culture of respect.
This is a restaurant network where people are treated as humans first.
3. To create cross‑cultural exchange
This project is not just about food. It’s about connection.
Staff from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos will learn about Montreal — and one day, some will travel there. Montrealers will learn about these cities in return.
The restaurants become small cultural bridges, linking places that rarely intersect.
🧭 The Founder’s Principles
These are the non‑negotiables — the values that define the company and guide every decision.
1. Treat employees with respect and dignity
Every staff member deserves stability, safety, and a sense of belonging. Dormitories, fair wages, training, and humane scheduling are not perks — they are the foundation.
2. Serve customers at the peak of excellence
Every plate of poutine, every smoked meat sandwich, every interaction must reflect pride. Excellence is not an aspiration; it is the standard.
3. Maintain the highest possible product quality
From curing to smoking to freezing to plating, quality is sacred. If we cannot do it well, we do not do it.
4. Expand intentionally, not rapidly
Growth must never outpace culture. Each new location must be stable, trained, and grounded before the next begins.
5. Build systems that support people, not burden them
SOPs, workflows, and structures exist to make life easier — not harder.
6. Honour Montreal while adapting locally
We bring Montreal’s food with integrity, but we respect the tastes, rhythms, and cultures of each city we enter.
🤝 The Founder’s Promise
This is what I commit to — to the foremen, the staff, the customers, and the cities we will enter.
1. I will be present during the critical phases
Not as a distant owner, but as a founder who shows up, trains, listens, and builds alongside the team.
2. I will protect the culture we create
Dignity, respect, and stability are not negotiable. They are the core of this company.
3. I will build opportunities for growth
Cross‑training, cross‑country travel, leadership development — these are part of the system, not afterthoughts.
4. I will never sacrifice quality for speed
If a location needs more time, it gets more time. If a process needs refinement, it gets refinement.
5. I will build a company worth belonging to
A place where people feel proud to work. A place that treats them fairly. A place that connects cultures. A place that feels like home.
🌍 The Tone of Inevitability
This is not a hypothetical. This is not a dream. This is not a sketch on a napkin.
This is a system. A blueprint. A culture. A network waiting to be built.
The Surabaya facility will exist. The seven cities will open. The staff will live in dormitories that feel like home. The foremen will lead with dignity. The restaurants will serve Montreal’s food with pride. The cross‑country identity will grow stronger each year.
This is happening. This is the future we are building.
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As part of the welcome package to the foremen I would include the page below, it is a one pager that describes the idea.
MTL — A Taste of Montreal
Welcome to the Team — Our Story
MTL began as a simple idea I couldn’t shake: the foods I grew up with in Montreal — poutine, smoked meat, and the comfort that comes with them — deserved to be shared with places that had never tasted them. Not as a franchise, not as a trend, but as something real, something honest.
As the idea grew, it became clear that this wasn’t just about food. It was about people. It was about building something that treats staff with dignity, gives them stability, and creates opportunities that reach across borders. It was about building a workplace where respect isn’t just expected — it’s lived.
You are now part of that.
Every MTL restaurant is connected to the others. We’re a network, a family spread across Southeast Asia, all supported by our production facility in Surabaya. That facility is where we cure, smoke, steam, cool, freeze, and pack everything we serve. It’s the heart of our system, and it ensures that no matter where you are — Surabaya, Johor Bahru, Cebu, Da Nang, Phnom Penh, Chiang Mai, or Luang Prabang — the food tastes like Montreal.
But the real heart of MTL is the people who work here.
We live together in dormitories that are clean, safe, and meant to feel like home. We work together in restaurants that rely on teamwork, patience, and pride. We treat each other with respect — not because it’s written in a handbook, but because it’s the only way this works. When you live and work side by side, dignity isn’t optional. It’s essential.
As a member of this team, you’re part of something bigger than a job. You’re part of a community that spans countries. You’re part of a culture that values learning, growth, and shared success. You’re part of a company that believes in doing things the right way — slowly, intentionally, and with care.
And one day, some of you will travel to Montreal. You’ll walk the streets where this food comes from. You’ll see the places that inspired this whole project. You’ll bring those memories back to your restaurant, and your photos will hang on the wall for everyone to see — a reminder that this company opens doors.
MTL exists because I believe food can connect people. It exists because I believe workplaces can be fair and humane. It exists because I believe that when people are treated with dignity, they rise.
I’m glad you’re here. Let’s build this together.
— Phil Founder, MTL
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After JB has trained at Surabaya it will follow a similar hire staff, slow unannounced launch and then grand opening. I will get the Cebu foreman to get certifiied training at JB since JB will have at least eight months of experience by then. Da Nang I will have trained at Surabaya since the Da Nang foreman will do the production facility work at the very beginning as the Surabaya foremen did too.
After I do Surabaya, JB, Cebu, once I reach Da Nang as my fourth location, I will also build a second production facility for the northern part of these countries. So the letter above will show Da Nang as the production facility location for the MTL locations that will source their smoked meat, cheese curds and poutine sauce packets from the Da Nang production facility. The Da Nang production facility will be identical to the one in Surabaya in terms of 250-300m2, U shaped process, smokers, steamers, chill blasters, walk in fridge, walk in freezer. Receipt of cheese curds from a local producer, receipt of beef briscuits from a local distributor.
There aren't a lot of options necessarily for beef briscuit in or near Da Nang, however, Da Nang is a major shipping port and so it is highly probable that I could get Australian beef briscuits from someone who imports them already. There would be plenty of dairy options in and around Da Nang to have them produce cheese curds. For bakeries for the rye bread and potatoes, this ought to be available with Da Nang like in every other city.
This Da Nang facility will then be the source production facility for the Da Nang, Phnom Penh, Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang MTL locations.
Together we put together the Standard Operating Procedures that become the manual that the foreman use at the production facility, I will list all of the SOP titles below:
- SOP A1 — Printing and Applying Curing Container Labels
- SOP RB — Receiving Raw Beef Brisket
- SOP RC — Receiving Cheese Curds From Third Party Manufacturer
- SOP RW — Receiving and Storing Coconut Husk & Rambutan Wood
- SOP 001 — Preparing the Curing Blend
- SOP 002 — Trimming and Preparing Brisket for Curing
- SOP 003 — Applying the Cure
- SOP 004 — Smoking Process
- SOP 005 — Transition From Smoking to Steaming
- SOP 006 — Steaming Process
- SOP 007 — Cooling and Vacuum Sealing
- SOP 008 — Flash Freezing
- SOP 009 — Packing Orders for Distribution
- SOP 010 — Outbound Logistics & Delivery
The SOP A1 has a 1 just in case there are additional administrative SOPs that need to be added. The RB, RC and RW is for the receipt of beef, the receipt of cheese curds and the receipt of wood to use for smoking (could be coconut husks or the rambutan wood chips).
Each SOP has a very detailed format, below is an example of SOP 002 to show you what all of the SOPs would look like with their own descriptions.
SOP 002 — Trimming and Preparing Brisket for Curing
Purpose
To trim raw beef brisket to MTL standards and prepare it for
the curing process, ensuring consistent quality, proper yield, and safe
handling.
Scope
This SOP applies to all production staff responsible for
brisket preparation at the Surabaya facility.
Principles
- Treat
the brisket with care and respect — this is the foundation of our smoked
meat.
- Maintain
strict hygiene and food‑safety standards at all times.
- Follow
trimming guidelines precisely to ensure consistency across batches.
- Work
calmly, cleanly, and with attention to detail.
Procedure
1. Prepare the Work Area
- Sanitize
the cutting table and surrounding surfaces.
- Wash
hands and wear PPE (gloves, apron, hair covering).
- Ensure
knives are sharp and clean.
- Set
up:
- cutting
board
- knife
- waste
bin
- tray
for trimmed briskets
- tray
for usable fat (if applicable)
2. Retrieve Brisket
- Take
the required number of briskets from the walk‑in refrigerator.
- Keep
briskets cold at all times — do not leave multiple pieces sitting at room
temperature.
- Work
with one brisket at a time.
3. Inspect the Brisket
- Check
for:
- proper
color
- no
off‑odors
- intact
packaging
- correct
labeling
- If
anything seems unusual, notify the foreman immediately.
4. Unpack and Drain
- Cut
open the packaging carefully.
- Allow
excess liquid to drain into the sink or designated container.
- Pat
the brisket dry with disposable towels.
5. Trim the Brisket
Follow the MTL trimming standard:
- Remove
hard, waxy fat This fat does not render and must be removed.
- Leave
a consistent fat cap Aim for approximately 0.5–1 cm of soft, even fat
across the top. This protects the meat during smoking and adds flavor.
- Square
the edges Remove thin, ragged edges that will dry out during smoking.
- Remove
silver skin Trim away any tough membrane on the meat side.
- Preserve
yield Trim with intention — remove what must be removed, keep what can
be kept.
Place trimmed brisket on the “ready” tray.
6. Quality Check
- Ensure
each brisket:
- has
an even fat cap
- is
free of hard fat
- has
no loose flaps or thin edges
- is
shaped consistently with other briskets
If unsure, ask the foreman for confirmation.
7. Prepare for Curing
- Weigh
each brisket and record the weight.
- This
ensures accurate curing ratios.
- Place
briskets in the designated curing trays or containers.
8. Clean Up
- Dispose
of waste fat in the designated bin.
- Wash
and sanitize knives, cutting boards, and surfaces.
- Mop
the floor if necessary.
- Wash
hands after completing the task.
Notes
- Consistency
in trimming directly affects curing, smoking, and final product quality.
- Work
calmly and respectfully — rushing leads to mistakes and waste.
- If
you are unsure about a trimming decision, ask.
- Treat
fellow staff with dignity during teamwork and communication.
- Maintain
the cold chain: brisket should never sit out longer than necessary.
The next plan is that for the meat processing and then packing process, this would not be linear, but rather, in a U shape with the stainless steel table at the center, in this way the finished product ends up back more or less where it started instead of ending up at the far end of the facility, and so the left tip of the U is where the processing starts, retriving the raw beef briscuit, and the right tip of the U is an open doorway that passes the flash frozen smoked meat into trays or boxes so as to then be placed in the walk-in freezer, waiting to be packaged for shipping.
Once the first 13 MTL locations are done (two each in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and one in Laos) I will accelerate the rate of adding locations in two parallel streams. Indonesia will get new locations in Banywangi, Makassar, Semarang, Solo (Surakarta), Yogyakarta and Vietnam would get new locations in Hai Phong, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon and Vinh. In both expansion plans, foremen or assistants from the two existing MTL locations within the country can move to each of these new locations as they open. For example, a foreman from Surabaya becomes foreman at Banywangi, so back in Surabaya an assistant moves up to foreman to take that person's place.
Our smallest locations will have three levels with the ground floor for the restaurant and kitchen, and the two above levels for the two dormitories. At our moderate locations, it would be four floors with the ground floor the resto and kitchen and the second floor in person dining, with the two dorm floors above. At the busiest locations, the restaurant service will be like Belle-Pro so not a lot of FOH staff are needed, so the same four floor setup would be used.
With respect to the MTL staff getting visits to Montreal, it would still be in year 3 of the location with foreman A and a staffer, and year 4 with foreman B and a different staffer. In the initial years they would go to a hotel for the week, but as the number of locations increase, and so the number of employees that get to go increase, I would buy a house in an urban part of Montreal that has four bedrooms and put two bunks in each. This house would then be used for every visit that MTL staff do when they visit Montreal which very much lowers the expense. For trips in the winter, have a variety of winter coats, scarves, toques, gloves that get stored in the house. Eventually hire a concierge person who becomes a Montreal based MTL employee who greets these MTL staffers at the airport, guides them to the house, takes them on tours, gives them free days, takes them to Canadiens, Alouettes or Victoire games and so on.
Based on how successful an MTL location is, the MTL location can sponsor, once or twice a year, a community activity or event to get soft advertising for the MTL location. The foremen will work together to decide if this is possible and then decide what they will support. Perhaps 1% of sales will be set aside to populate the fund from which the foreman can do the sponsorship.
Once the 12 east asian MTL locations are all up and running, and I have been traveling between them pretty regularly to provide founder visits and to check up on everything, I would post a job description for a regional manager for east Asia that I would advertise to all of the foremen across the 23 locations.
The regional manager would do the traveling between all of the locations that I had been doing, do reporting by country, and report back to me if there are any escalations that the manager cannot handle. Here is a job description for the regional manager role:
⭐ MTL Regional Manager — Internal Posting (Service Role)
This is a support position, not a top‑down management role. The purpose of this role is to serve the foremen, protect the culture, and ensure that every MTL location has what it needs to operate smoothly.
🌱 Purpose of the Role
The Regional Manager exists to:
- support foremen
- maintain standards
- ensure safety and maintenance
- solve problems before they escalate
- protect the MTL culture
- keep the rhythm calm and intentional
This is a service role, not a command role.
🧭 Core Responsibilities
1. Regular Visits to Each Location
The manager will periodically visit every MTL location in their region to:
- walk through the restaurant
- inspect the dormitories
- inspect the SUIK (if applicable)
- check HVAC, fire systems, and equipment
- observe cleanliness and workflow
- meet the foreman in person
- ask what support is needed
These visits are supportive, not evaluative.
2. Foreman Support and Escalation Point
The manager will:
- receive regular reports from each foreman
- receive escalations when something cannot be solved locally
- help foremen get what they need
- coordinate repairs, replacements, or contractors
- ensure foremen never feel alone in solving problems
The manager is the first line of support, not a boss.
3. Maintenance and Inspection Scheduling
The manager will maintain a schedule for:
- HVAC servicing
- fire protection inspections
- electrical checks
- plumbing checks
- dorm safety checks
- SUIK equipment servicing
- building maintenance
And ensure these inspections are completed on time.
4. Culture Protection
The manager will:
- reinforce the MTL way
- support dorm dignity
- ensure calm, respectful environments
- help foremen maintain staff culture
- encourage exchanges between locations
- coordinate with the Montreal visitor house when needed
This role protects the culture, not enforces rules.
5. Communication and Reporting
The manager will:
- keep simple, clear notes
- update the owner when needed
- ensure foremen feel heard
- ensure problems are solved quickly
- ensure no location drifts away from standards
Communication is light, human, and supportive.
🌏 Regional Structure
There will be two Regional Managers:
One for East Asia (Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand)
One for India (Vizag, Guntur, Vijayawada, Tenali, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam)
Each manager supports only their region.
🌟 Who Should Apply
This role is ideal for foremen who:
- love helping others
- stay calm under pressure
- understand the MTL culture deeply
- enjoy traveling
- enjoy solving problems
- are good listeners
- care about staff dignity
- want to support the whole network
This is not a promotion to “boss.” It is a promotion to guardian.
🔥 Founder‑Level Notes
Phil, this job description does exactly what you want:
- It prevents hierarchy
- It prevents corporate creep
- It reinforces culture
- It empowers foremen
- It keeps the system human
- It keeps the rhythm calm
- It positions the manager as a helper, not a controller
And because you’ll post this only to foremen you personally hired, the applicants will already understand the spirit of the role.
When the time comes, you’ll choose the right people — because you’ll know them not from résumés, but from years of shared work, shared conversations, and shared culture.
Expansion to India
First we would go to Visakhapatnam (Vizag) to build a production facility of 500-750m in the outskirts, and then two MTL locations within Vizag, one in Dwaraka Nagar which would be large busy and very high traffic and another in Siripuram which is a premium high end. The production facility will begin with three smokers, three steamers and three blast chillers, larger walk in fridge and larger walk in freezer and larger wood storate, but essentially the same design as the two production facilities in east Asia, just bigger. We would find a buffalo briscuit distributor and so would do the same 37 day start that Surabaya did at the very beginning so that we can figure out the best way to handle this different meat, what cure recipe to use, the smoke and steam durations. There are dairy options in Vizag to get them to do cheese curds. I would hire a production facility foreman from day one since this is a bigger operation and the amount of smoked meat needed would be big likely much more quickly. The same SOP from east Asia could be used. Once the production facility is doing its test runs, I could pay for travel for a few foreman from east Asia on tourist visas for a few weeks to help with the cure recipe and to taste test the smoking result.
I would buy the two properties more or less at the same time, focusing on the DN location first, so that then the gut the building team can work on DN and then go over to Siri soon after, so in the same way the HVAC team would do DN, then Siri, then the fire sprinkler first in DN, then Siri and then the general contractor work for the bulk of the work which takes longer, so I don't mind if Siri is dormant during this period, so that we can launch DN with the 37 day launch with two foremen who work in the production facility for three cycles, and train up on the restaurant location. A difference here is that for the DN location we would have these two foremen hire 4 each of FOH and BOH (instead of 2 each back in east asia) so that on Grand Opening day there are 11 of us (including me).
All Indian locations will be four story buildings, level 1 is the restaurant and kitchen and office and mechanical room and bathrooms, level 2 is more dining space and more bathrooms, level 3 is male dorms and level 4 is the female dorm. All of the dorms will have two bedrooms that each have 4 bunks for a max of 8 people per dorm. In India they may be more particular about dorms with men and women, so even though I have them on separate floors, if possible, the design is to have the employees access them from different staircases from the ground (or second) floor.
For all of the building purchases, including the production facility, need to hire a local real estate agent as they do not have listings like we have in Canada. Through searchs in street view it never seemed like any property was available, but if I have a cash offer from my initial 100M$CAD, this ought to be good to let potential sellers know that I am a serious buyer. Some of the buildings may have residential residents, in those cases I would need to give them sufficient notice that they need to leave.
Given the state of the surroundings based on my street view viewings, likely the first step will be to clean up the exterior landscape, paint the building a new colour, scrub the indoors, paint the indoors, and only by then, begin the work of converting it to the smoked meat prep like it is in Surabaya. I would do the same thing of having a 'dirty' side at the receiving / shipping door and a HVAC side where all of the work is done.
Once the DN location is done, I will draw the two foremen for the Siri location from the DN staff, and these will hire four each of FOH and BOH to do a soft launch at the Siri location. Next will be a location at Vijayawada (Vijay) and then a location at Srikakulam, in order, 8 months apart like we did in east Asia, foreman offers made to DN and Siri to populate these new locations.
Next is to build a second production facility in Autonagar, Gunter, identical to the one in DN. Similarly an MTL location in Brodipet, Gunter. The Gunter production facility will be able to use the SOP detailes from the DN location, so a long testing is not needed. Offers will be made to foreman and assistance of the previous Indian locations to become the foreman of the Gunter location, including for the production facility. Buying sooner, but opening every 8 months are three more locations, one in Tenali and two in Vijayawada. In Vijay, a busy 4 story is needed in the NW Benz Circle location and a 3 or 4 story locations is needed for Kanuru.
I would offer foremen exchanges across all India locations like I did in east Asia; in the Whats App group I have of Indian Foremen I simply send a message if anyone is interested in a two week exchange to a different MTL location. If two females pipe up, we schedule the exchange, if two males pipe up, we schedule the exchange. As in Asia, in the year 3 and 4 of each Indian location, one foreman and one staffer gets a trip to Montreal where the subsequent year it is the other foreman and a different staffer; then in subsequent years the foremen pick two staff to go and eventually every staff member gets a trip. The two people from an Indian location must be of the same gender.
The trips to Montreal, once the Indian locations send some, will be planned such that there are always a mix of east Asian and Indian staff so that the can compare their experiences. There is no easy way to do this through foremen exchanges as India can't exchange with east Asia.
I would not need a head office in Montreal, but I would hire an accounting firm to help with the fact that I am receiving royalties from all of the MTL locations that are overseas and have expenses like for the house and for the flights for the MTL staff. I would also engage with a global Insurance company to insure all locations (SUIK and resto and house in Montreal).
CAPEX and Finances
I had Copilot help me take educated guesses at the total CAPEX cost for all of this, and it comes to just under 35M$CAD. This includes all of the SUIKs in east Asia and India, all of the MTL locations in east Asia and India and the house in Montreal. It would end up being more than this as this value was calculated in today's dollars, but it could take 15-20 years to progress through all of these locations with a new location opening every 8 months. I suggested earlier in this post or the previous that I would allow for 100k$CAD per resto location to help the location get through the first year, but it is unclear that all of this amount would be needed. But if it was needed, this would be in addition to the 35M$.
Repeatedly I worked with Copilot to test P/L based on the expenses and the expected traffic we would get. The basic poutine has a high markup as two out of three ingredients are inexpensive and the cheescurds produced in these locations, ought also be not too expensive. The smoked meat is expensive at the beginning as each briscuit has to divide the fixed OPEX of the production facility, but once the SUIKs have ramped up to full production, the cost per briscuit will drop significantly.
I would set up a Canadian parent company that would own the house, would receive the 5% royalties, would use those royalties to pay for the flights of the MTL staff, and would use the royalties to pay for some of the meals (mostly food provided in the house) and having the MTL staff themselves pay for some of their meals. These royalties could also pay the salary of the concierge I hire to help with these MTL staffers visiting. This would be the MTL Canada company. There would be MTL Asia Holdings in Indonesia and MTL India Holdings in Andhra Pradesh that each would receive management fees from the locations across their region. At first the MTL locations won't be charged any mangement fees, but once they reach a certain set of parameters, I will begin to get the management fees as I will be the regional manager until I elevate one from the foremen. This fee will be used to pay for my flights to move around the various Asian locations. The 5% royalty will go direct from the MTL locations to the MTL Canada parent company again, only once the MTL location is profitable (based on a specific set of criteria).
Eventually when I have perhaps 12 Asian locations, I would elevate a regional manager who would then begin to receive the management fees as salary and as money to be used to pay for flights to travel to the different locations. Similarly once the Indian locations are pretty much all set up, I would elevate a foreman there to be the regional manager.
Both regional managers, if they have the budget to do so, can do marketing of various kinds, including getting social media influencers to go to a MTL resto location and try a poutine.
Finally, with me fulfilling regional manager for the first 12 locations, and for an elevated foreman taking on the role of regional manager afterwards, we both would sleep in the dorm room of an MTL resto location when visiting. This gives me time to engage with the staff members, and gives them a chance to interact with me, founder. Only if there is no room in the dorm would the regional manager stay in a hotel, but this would be good news as only if the resto is doing extremely well would they need to have full staff.
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