INTERVIEWING NOW!!!! 

Overview:   My operation is a small, home based operation based on a 1/5 acre property in Denville..   Although I've been doing this for a while, only last year I formalized the business. (Became an LLC, got all the right insurance, etc).  I have a full time job during the week, which somewhat limits what I can do.     I usually perform 1-2 Pig roasts/catering jobs per weekend during the season.  Sometimes might even squeak in a 3rd simple job.   Currently supporting the operation: 1 truck, 3 pig roast platforms (cargo trailers containing pig roasters, grills and support gear)...and on occasion, staffer's vehicles.     Looking to keep the equipment moving more frequently, and take on more jobs.    Looking to expand. Looking to pull quality people in.    Desperately looking for affordable new facilities.   Plan to add more vehicles/trailers to the mix, once storage concerns are dealt with.   We're growing.   Sometimes painfully slowly, but we're moving forward (and sometimes backward).    I try very hard to put forth a superior product and exceed my client's expectations.   As such, I demand a safe, clean and professional operation that delivers a product we can be proud of...and that's why I'm so busy! (word of mouth).  

Overview of what I'm looking for:

I have several openings within my mobile catering organization for part time, seasonal help...usually from May to the Beginning of November. 

In a nutshell, I'm trying to grow my business and take more jobs.      I'm looking for food service professionals who have availability on Saturdays/Sundays.    Individuals must be local, have a car/driver's license.  Clean, Neat, Professional, Prompt, Friendly, Intelligent, Sane People who can actually maintain contact and answer emails rapidly...  nonsmokers preferred.        It takes lots of time and energy to train people, so my goal is to have long term employees, not just seasonal help..   My immediate need is for Crew chiefs who can run pigroasts/catering jobs without me.   This takes time to develop, but once there, you're very valuable to me....and to the other assistants that can now be employed!.       Finally, I'm looking for a special individual who can take on a greater role within the organization, along the lines of management.    The management position is not well defined yet, and may take lots of time to get there... but when that right person comes along, I assume things will just come together properly.    (I'm not looking for a business partner though).    Please read below for more details, and definitely peruse my website to get the idea of what we do.   http://www.eddiesportablepigout.com

The nature of my operation makes it tough to offer work for every employee every weekend, but as the business grows, the work will increase.    I keep a roster of a variety of capable employees (about 10-15), and try to keep everyone working as much as possible.  If I work both a Saturday and a Sunday job, 3-5 employees may be working on that weekend.    It'll take time to "develop" employees (measured in months/years, not days)  but the more talented (favorite) ones could work about 10+ jobs a summer, or more.       If I can get the B Team up and running, then obviously there's more work for everyone! (another 2 or 3 people work a job).      This isn't a factory though...I take the catering jobs as they come along...various sized jobs, various places all over the tri-state area.   Customized jobs for unique client needs.     Some weekends don't book at all, some weekends get booked lightly, some heavily..(currently turning away clients though).   But it's usually pretty steady during the heart of the season.      Most employees don't want to work every summer weekend.   By keeping a handful of talented people in the pool and keeping track of everyone's availabilities, I can easily allow you to take your choice weekends off, and work you into the schedule when you're available (and the slots exist).      The key is maintaining communication.  (if you can't return phone calls or emails promptly, then you're probably not a good fit).

I just want to mention that if you have trouble being "on time", save yourself the trouble of getting involved because you'll be gone before you know it.

MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE POSITIONS I'M SEEKING TO FILL:

Food Service Professionals Local or Semi-Local to Denville.  (Truck Owners capable of safely moving a heavy 6x10 trailer gets High Marks!)   My business continues to grow and calls for Pig Roasts come in regularly.    I'm always on the lookout for experienced food service professionals or other interested people to assist with the operations.  Availability on Saturdays/Sundays is a must!  (occasional Fridays too)

1.)  Pig Roast Assistants*.    (Preference is SafeServ Certified Food Handlers).   Generally I'm looking for people with food handling experience, or at the very least are good in the kitchen.     These people will assist the Roast Crew Chief  (Usually me!) with the Pig Roast.  Duties will include lifting, moving, setup of the food service area, pig prep, carving, serving, light food prep (carving melons, etc), dishwashing, roaster cleanup.      Long days, typically 13-15 hour days.   For Pig roasts, it's a Crew Chief (usually me) and either one assistant or two assistants.     There are two types of assistants:

-Full Day:  This is the assistant who's with me from soup to nuts.    Usually departs from Denville with me early in the AM, and sticks around all the way thru the final cleanup back at home, usually around 9pm.    Options are to come with me from Denville, or meet me onsite.    I usually need one person back at home to finish up with the dishwashing, cooler scrubbing and final cleanup.    If somebody else is available, and you've got some evening plans, occasionally you can be released from the jobsite without needing to come back to Denville.  Typically a 13 hour shift...  Meals included.

-Half Day:  This is the assistant who drives himself to the job, later in the day.  (Typically within a 1.5 hour radius of Denville).   Usually arrives 2 hours before foodservice, and departs from the jobsite after we're done.   Sometimes this assistant is required back at Denville.    Typical 7-8 hour shift.  Transportation stipends usually offered.  Meals included.

2.)  Pig Roast Crew Chiefs*.     Generally Food Service Professionals (Preference is SafeServ Certified Food Managers).  After some amount of training in the Pig Roast Assistant Slots, you'll be groomed to run pig roasts to my professional standards, without my presence.    The Crew Chiefs will be in charge of running the complete job, to include operating the roaster, coordinating the onsite work, directing one or two assistants, and coordinating the packout and final cleanup..  I'm looking to get my second Roast Platform moving with regularity.  (The B Unit).     Higher pay, of course.  Long day.

3.)  Grillmen:   Some of my jobs require people to flip Chicken Breasts, London Broils, Burgers, Hot Dogs, Shiskebobs, etc.    I'm looking for people who can operate the grills like a professional and assist with all other duties, as assigned.   These types of jobs are usually shorter in duration than pig roasts, but they are few and far between.     Some of my roasts include grilled foods.

4.)  General Assistants:   Some of my larger jobs require general laborers to assist the Grillmen or to help with other duties such as setting up tents, dishwashing, Light duty cooking (cornpot), chopping, or whatever else needs doing.    Also some behind the scenes chores back at home, like pickups/deliveries, and sometimes hardcore cleaning.   The need for this is sporadic...but there. 

5.)  Management:  This position is largely undefined right now.    But if I'm to grow this business, somebody's gonna have to take on a greater role as time goes on..    (I have a full time job and can't give it up).    My assumption is that the right person will materialize and become a great fit for this slot, but it will also take lots of time to get there.  

6.)  Bookkeeping:   The paperwork is driving me up a wall.  I'm barely able to keep up with it.  (I'm a caterer, not a secretary :-) ).    This is perhaps the single most annoying part of my business to me.       I'm giving great consideration to establishing an administrative assistant.   But I truthfully don't know how to take the steps necessary to define this position, since I've been doing it solo for so many years.      It would have to be developed over time. 

*Anybody who fits these qualifications AND can tow my smallest 6' x 10' trailer gets huge bonus points!  

"'B' Roast Manager" Position.

I'm seeking to establish a new position within my organization.    Entitled "'B' Roast Manager".    (I'm the 'A' Roast Manager).    I'm looking for one individual who has the following qualifications: 

1.)  Food Service Professional.  (SafeServ certified..or willing to become Safeserv certified).

2.)  Owns a Heavy Duty Towing Vehicle w/ class III or IV tow hitch.

3.)  Available Consistently Friday Evenings/Saturdays All day/Some Sundays from May to October.

4.)  Somewhat Local to Denville/Northern NJ.

5.)  Reliable, Professional, Neat/Clean, Friendly, Honest, Sane, Team Player.   Non-smoker preferred.

Situation/Problem:

I have one truck, and 3 cargo trailers capable of supporting Pig Roasts.    2 of those trailers sit mostly unused.   Although I have a very capable staff of "part timers",  I'm STILL turning away several clients per weekend due to staff availability issues and logistical shortcomings (towing).     ...A significant ongoing business problem, which needs to be resolved.    (I'm looking at buying another van specifically for this purpose, but I haven't bought it yet).

Intent: 

The intent is to establish a B Roast Team that is consistently available, reliable, well trained, and professional, so I can confidently schedule concurrent pig roasts ahead of time.    Assumption is that the B Roast Manager will make this possible.

Detailed Description:

We specialize in Pigroasts.    Jobs come in from all over NJ (Trenton area, Princeton area, NJ shore area, NNJ area, and even occasionally go out of state).   Generally, the season runs from Early May to End of October..     The majority of pig roast requests are for Saturdays, the rest of Fridays/Sundays.     My schedule fills up very early with the jobs I can run myself (with assistants).    I'll refer to those jobs as "A Roasts".    But the calls continue to pour in.     In response to that, I established 2 more cargo trailers with pig roasters, to hopefully capture additional business.   Despite having an excellent pool of part time casual staffers (friends who dabble in this), I've been largely unsuccessful in putting together concurrent jobs.  (B Roasts).   See   (The B Unit).  So far, I've been unable to establish a B Roast Operation to any level of consistency.   Because  B roast take an unusual amount of coordination, delaying my ability to commit to customers, the end result is I continue to turn down clients and the equipment still sits.    This strikes me as complete and utter failure.

The New B Roast Manager will lead a team to run Pig Roasts all season.    Here's a list of what you can expect:

Night Before:  (Estimated 1-2 hours).     Potential Assistance with Shopping.    This might include runs to Wharton NJ (Costco, Meat Supplier, Green Grocery).    Will include packing out, some light administrative duties.      Some or all of this may be handled for you though.  (I'll always try to accommodate your availability).   

Day Of Event:   (12-16 hours.. dependant on drive time and pig size).      Early AM, Arrive to Denville, collect crew and final supplies, load out.   Drive to Jobsite, arriving 2 hours before the pig goes on to 1.) park and unload the trailer 2.) get the roaster charcoal hot.   Then prep the pig for roasting.  Roast for usually 7 hours, dependant on pig size.    In the mean time, set up food serving area, and continue prep.   Prepare Crew Lunch.   When the pig's ready, arrange fancy presentation.  Then carve and serve the pig, and attend to the food line.    Shortly thereafter, the cleanup and breakdown is initiated.   The roaster is thoroughly cleaned, leftovers are managed, Dishes are "road washed", equipment is broken down and packed up.  (usually takes 2.5-3 hours after pig is presented to vacate scene).    Drive back to Denville.   Back at Denville, manage final cleanup, to include dishwashing/sanitization and cooler scrubbing.  (another half hour or so).     During the events, there's some lifting and moving (sometimes heavy), lots of dishwashing, and lots of little chores.  Usually, there's about 2-3 hours of down time while waiting for the pig to roast.    Usually Casual attire (An EPPO T Shirt), but some corporate events call for collared staff shirt and long black pants.  

Day After:   (2 hours)  Restock/Reload/Clean/Maintain the Trailer in preparation for the next weekend.      Also potentially done for you.

I'm trying to maintain a fun, casual atmosphere with this.     But I won't try to pull the wool over your eyes...it's hard work at times.  I have to be honest....I'm looking for something very specific with respect to the type of person I allow into my operation.    There's not that many people I'd trust to do an "Eddie's Portable Pig Out" roast without me.     The most promising candidates are the ones who'll stick around for a while, since training people gets old after a while.    This is why I'm avoiding very young people for this slot..  Preference is older, more established folks (married, School teachers, older folks, young retirees, local homeowners, Post College age folks).      I'm hoping for long-term relationships here for selfish reasons...It's much easier for me onsite if you know what you're doing!    

Oh, by the way, this is a licensed and insured operation.   Workman's Comp for employee protection.    Everything on the books. 

All employees will be asked to sign a "Non-Compete Agreement".  The essence of this is to protect my business.   I'm trying to avoid training somebody to become my direct competition.. 

Payment:   Well, that's not an easy answer.    I try to pay as a minimum $10.00/hour to unskilled laborers...   Target is at least $15.00/hour for the typical worker.      More as you gain more experience and become more valuable to me.   Currently, some of my higher paid professionals are in the $20/hour range.    Crew Chiefs get even more.      Sort of a floating scale.  Kinda based on "what's right".      Some jobs pay more, some jobs pay less.    Frequent tips come your way too.    My current staffers never once complained about the pay.  Usually cash the day of the event, sometimes check.   Sometimes, it may take a day or two to catch up with everything, and I'll have to pay you a day or two later.   I've never burned anyone yet, and I don't plan to.  Even if a client screws me over, I don't intend to make it the problem of an employee.

Transportation $$:    Usually you'll meet at my house for a job.   Sometimes, you'll have to meet us onsite.    I try to kick in a few extra dollars for gas if you have to drive to an event location.     For people who tow, I compensate very reasonably.

In general, I want you to be well compensated for your efforts, your time spent here be worth your while, and you to actually enjoy doing these events..  I've learned that if I cheap out with payment to the crew, it ultimately doesn't serve my operation well:  If crew is unhappy, I'm unhappy.  Unhappy crew means higher attrition...which is a gigantic headache for me.  Better I should pay you well, so you stick around longer, which builds your experience level and ultimately provides my clientele with more professional services.

Me as a boss:   Well, I'd like to think I treat people fairly and professionally.  I'm generally a nice guy and I think I make a pretty good boss.  I try to maintain mutual respect between my employees and myself.  I think of my employees as kind of a second family, or sorts.       The only time I ever become a raging asshole is when jobs go sour, due to an employee's actions.    Lateness to a planned job start is amongst the things that push my buttons.  Particularly low tolerance to whiners.   

 If interested, or if you know of somebody who might be interested, please contact me at 973-627-2722 or email me at eddiezucker@optonline.net   

Thanks and Happy BBQing!
Eddie Zuckerman
Eddie's Portable Pigout, LLC
http://www.eddiesportablepigout.com

973 627-2722

Please Call (973) 627-2722 to Discuss Your Event.  Usually 6pm-10pm, Weeknights.  Please leave a Message otherwise.   Also be sure to mention the potential date(s), estimated headcount, location, and the nature of the event.     Thanks!

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