The Unofficial Launch

This may come a bit late, but the Pitstop folks have been going home late. Therefore, no time to add pics....

Here you go:


Full of folks


the folks at the couch


The Yuppies


The Goodies


The Groupies


The Puppies


The Hotties


The Boobies

This is Pitstop Cafe,

where friendly folks and family come together.....

Walk in customers!!

Though today was not as packed as yesterday, we can't help feeling extremely satisfied because we finally had our first walk in customer!

Thank you Shazleen who have been follwing our blog, he even brought friends with him!

There were two great looking babes who came in as well as they were recommended by her friends!!!

A really enormous gratitude to all ye supporters who have been extremely supportive of our entrepreunerial spirit!

kudos to all you... do continue to keep the faith!

any suggestions and comments, any games that you wanna play or order, just tell us! we are more than willing to do our utmost to make Pitstop cafe your home!!!

Timo

Oh give me a home where the buffaloes roam.....

many folks came yesterday and remarked how 'weird' this place looks like.
It seem more like a home to them and most of the folks were like 'helping themselves' to the stuffs at the cafe.

not that we have bad service, but the folks just feel so much at home that some just put the plate back into the kitchen when they are done with the food, pour water for themselves, move furnitures around and some even brought their Alaska husky into the shop!

I was very impressed by how flexible our layout is, the furnitures can really be configured in 1001 different kind of styles. For example, to0 bring this group of 10 really close, we shifted the whole sofa and combined our four coffee tables together.
Yea man, it's really very free style.

It's really like a home, take it easy man.. dun fret..

This is Pitstop cafe, come and have fun!

Folks we need your support,

to make Pitstopcafe,

your homely depot.

Timo

So busy..so freaking busy

as you can tell by now, we have lesser and lesser pictures on the blog.

actually we do have tons of pics to show you folks.

pics of folks having fun, enjoying themselves...

but lo and behold, we were so freaking busy.

The boss is also a waiter, a cleaner, a dishwasher and everything else..

my goodness, the operations really needs some fine tuning, we were all crowding around the counter, blocking one another's path, the receipt printer doesnt work,
the electricity tripped, the pos system become sos, the aircon becomes 'hotcon', the ice hardens, the chef unhappy, everything seem to happen at one time.

Friends, if you read this, do emphathise with us. Today is the second day of the opening, we are going to try it out again. hope that this time round things get better.

It's just not possible that we all work so hard and the day's earning is less than $500!!!

if this goes on, it will soon become PITFALL cafe.

Timo

Before and After

Suppose to show the before and after pics of the toilet. Seem like the photographer is still stuck in the toilet, amazed by the blinking lights...

Kitchen Helper

Standby for countdown...

5...4...3...2...1...blurp.

Some of my friends are asking why there isn't any much of a launch special. Actually we are not officially launch which means we are actually launching it unofficially. So it will mainly be all our nice and supportive friends and families..sound heart warming?

Hopefully this help us get things going and iron out the 1001 little bits and pieces so that we will be able to serve and operate much better!

Waikee is supposed to do some POS system that is supposely able to track all the stuff...still not done yet! I am going to term that at as SOS system and submit it to the list of vapourware for 2005 instead! :P

Anyway thanks to some of you guys who have been dropping comments and sending emails with encouraging words. So if you guys are available today, drop by for a drink on the house ok! See ya and spread the word will you?

today will be a fine day...

Kitchen Helper

Someone please set fire to this bureaucratic society!!!

Im too tired to write

im too disapponted to explain

Im just so disillusioned

frustrated

exasperated

helpless

15th dec 2005

I'll tell you what happened when Im in a better state of mind.

Timo

Pitstop Transport Guide and Map

Pitstop cafe, come from anywhere also can lah...



By MRT:
1.Stop at Raffles Place MRT interchange
2.Exit from UOB plaza 1
3.Walk down to Boat Quay (where the river is)
4.Walk along the stretch of road (Circular Road) behind the shophouses facing the river
5.Look for unit no. 14B.

1.Stop at Clarke Quay MRT station (NEL)
2.Cross the road towards upper Circular Road
3.keep a look out for a old and large beige apartment call 'Riverwalk apartments' (it has a multi storey carpark with an apartment block on top)
4.Cross the road towards the row of shop houses with '7-Eleven' and ' Candy Bouquet'
5.Look for Unit no. 14B

By Bus
Bus services that stops along South Bridge Road are:

SBS: 51, 63, 80, 124, 145, 166, 174, 197, 162m, 174m, 181m
TIBS: 851, 961

1.Stop at the bus stop right after Elgin Bridge (the bridge right after Parliament house)
2.Alight and turn left towards a junction where you will see Circular Road
3.Look for Unit No. 14B

By Car
Enter Circular Road through Lor Telok or South Bridge Road, nearest expressway is CTE exit from either Mercant Road or Havelock Road.

Public Parking from 5-10pm 50 cents/ half hour and free after 10pm at Upper Circular Road.
Private Parking at RiverWalk apartments are at $2 per entry from 5pm-12mn

By Foot
Just walk and follow any of the above instructions.

By Phone
Call 65355383 and our friendly staff will guide you!

Yes we will be open!

Face with the rules and regulations, there is no other way but to get it done...the service guys are great! They have been drilling and fixing the toilet for almost half of the day. Electrical wiring has to be laid in order to get it working. Oh yes, did you know that even the hand drying equipment is a requirement!?

There is a saying that this whole system is suppose to save water. I am not convince. I been using public toilet (perhaps in the wrong way) and there are so many times that the sensor just start flushing even though i am half way through my business!

Someone mention that doing business is like playing boardgames, you just have to follow the rules. Ya, i can't really say that is wrong but if the government is so called pushing for entrepreunership, then simplify the rules!

Anyway the good thing is that we are able to open tommorrow!! Things are still messy but i guess we will do fine. So if you guys are reading this, why not drop by for a visit tommorrow. We will start at 12pm. Just mention that you read our blog and we give you a nice soft drink FOC ok!

Kitchen Helper

All because of the asshole

The NEA inspection went well for the kitchen section. All was nice and clean..., but (yes there is a butt) it was still not approved because of the toilet!

Yes i agree we do not have a nice high tech toilet that is supposed to spray your ass dry after your business, but we do have a nice toilet like what you have at home. However NEA is not pleased with what they see.

"Where is the blinking light? Will it automatically flush??

So guys this is it...we are currently not approved because we do not have a toilet bowl that flush automatically.

I am appalled! We have such a nice cosy cafe for a small group of nice folks who are gracious and yet till we have met this requirement, it is a no go for the cafe!

I can see the problem. This is because Singapore is a gracious society. So even if you don't flush the toilet yourself, it will still automatically be flush. In this way we can alway be gracious!!! That is so damm COOL! In fact we should have one of this cool gadget in all our home as well! Since we are fixing dropping windows, why not have this auto toilet thing as well. It could make a nice package.

So how much does this cost? Very CHEAP! ONLY at $1300 for the basic set. BUT WAIT, order now ad you will GET and extra pump and pressure system (to make sure all the shit goes there they suppose to go) at ONLY $600. What a DAMM BLOODY GOOD DEAL!

Basic auto flush system: $1300
Extra pump system and pressure system: $600
The disappointment and dismay of 4 hardworking folks: $0
A gracious society: PRICELESS
For everything else there is PITSTOP CAFE

Thats it for now. Got to go and make the necessary arrangements. Do remember that if you drop by, do give the toilet a try!

I really hope the cafe can do well so that soon i can paint the yellow lines outside my door. Customer entering the cafe have to give way to those who are coming out...

Waikee is thinking whether a 555 timer, a 9 volt battery and 2 led might do the trick...

Kitchen Helper

Inspection

NEA othermise known as the National Environmen Agency, is comng down for inspection today.

They really have lotsa requirements, rules and standards.

If the inspection is screwed, then we can't open for business tommorrow.

How exciting.

So much for the nation's drive to encourage entrepreneurship.

Timo

Truly a Dummy's Guide to Pitstop Cafe

After the escalator, you will reach this place:



Walk straight towards the river and you will approach this:



note that it looks really different at night.

turn left and you will see this:



Walk along Macdonald's to the stretch of road behind river.

you will reach one of the narrow five foot way like this,

the first shop should be Moomba and right beside it is TCC



Do not go inside, do not patronise, carry on walking

now, this is the road that you wil see:

It is really congested with cars parked illegally at zig zag lines.

The Carpark attendant also comes once every 2 hrs.

Ignore the carpark attendants, they got nothing to do with you ( taking public transport is good), you should be able to see this building at a junction which say Lor Telok.



Carry on walking until you see a sign on your right that says, 'Circular Rd'



Walk about 100 more steps and you will see this place,



You are almost there, almost like Amazing Race.

20 more steps, and as you look up towards your left, with your head tilted slightly at 43.531 degree.



The red cloth is not suppose to be there and don't panic when you see an Indian sign on the entrance (it belonged to the 2nd floor tenant)

You should see a flight of stairs like this,



This is your final challenge before you reach the Pitstop, burn calories, burn fats, work out, show off or what ever..

I promise you,

greater rewards awaits those who climbs.

Pitstop Cafe, relax and take your time.

Timo

Dummy's Guide to Pitstop cafe?

Alright, here's how you do it:

Go to the local Mass Rapid Transit, otherwise known as MRT; the most common and comprehensive transport in Singapore. Take to Raffles Place, yer know? Where Shenton Way and Singapore River is?

Just in case if you wonder how the train looks like:



note that sometimes the colour of the train varies depending on the advertisers.

it should take no more than 45 mins from any part of Singapore.

Upon alighting, go up the escalator (stairs available also).

As you approach the control station, you will see a sign on the left hand side saying this:



As you turn right to Chulia Street and Battery Road, you will approach an escalator.
Take the escalator.



note that the people on the escalator changes everytime, so don't panic if you dun see the same people as the picture.

Do remind yourself to hold on to the rail of the escalator to prevent from falling off.

As you go up the escalator, you will see something like this:



Turn left, and as you approach this on your left, walk towards it.



Take some Money to spend at Pitstop cafe; alternatively, we do accept masters or visa.

continue walking straight and you will approach this,



note that this shop is expensive in my opinion. $2 photostating one piece of paper!

Turn left again and you will approach this:



Open the door (becareful, its quite heavy), go up another escalator



note that the people on the escalator changes everytime, so don't panic if you dun see the same people as the picture.

Do remind yourself to hold on to the rail of the escalator to prevent from falling off.

To be continued........

Cake eating competition (Watch this space)

Sofa look alike Contest

Yet another Pitstop Cafe teaser!

About a month ago, we bought a pair of sofa, we thought would look good in our cafe.


the idol



and it's evil twin

A month later, we decided to host a contest in tribune to the sofa in our cafe. Even though the participation was expectedly bad, we still had a few brave souls who took part,

irregardless of any dignity or shame.

here you go:



too slim?



too swollen?



too man?



?!?!??!?!?!?


We are still waiting for a worthy entry.

so please, if you feel that your lips resemble our sofa, do submit your entry to pitstopcafe@gmail.com.

In the event that no other participants take part,

I'll rather keep the prize, then to present to these folks!


The jaded judge

This is Pitstop cafe, where everyone indulges in senseless fun!!!!

One night In Orchard Road (Back at this again)

Oooh, is it a Beethoven?


The Pitstop Cafe Parapazzi caught sight of a lonesome girl walking down the quiet streets of Orchard.


Beethoven plucks the leaves

Once again, we followed her closely. what is she doing? Plucking leaves in the dead of the night?


dejected?

We scurried in front of her. Lo and behold, it was our very own Pitstop Cafe Partner , Mumu. Why is she walking alone at night?


another lonesome soul

By now, the Pitstop cafe Paparazzi team has spotted another partner, Timothy.

He seemed bored, he seemed spaced out, he seemed cool but little does he know.......


now who's the beauty, who's the beast?

little does he know, Mu mu sprang up into action and caught him with his Jaw down!

Anyway, do you think some character in this picture looked like the merlion?

Go to the merlion shop near one fullerton and see the resemblance!!!

This is Pitstop cafe, where we are watching...... always watching...

Just a Pitstop Cafe Trivia.....

Obviously not all the blog entries were written by me!!!!


i look at you, you look at me

Can you folks identify which post is wrtten by who?


it's really damn messy

And send it through the DAMNED comment at the bottom of the post!!!!

a)Tim
b)Waikee
c)Evelyn
D)Mumu

Which are the blogs that these people posted?

You get it correct, meals and games on the house...

trust me, you can't do it....

Touch down!

Yes,yes! The flight carrying all our games had arrived! I just got a call from FedEx and guess what? The games will be delievered to our shop at around 4pm today! I am so excited...we have really spend quite abit to get a couple of nice games to get started.

Blokus, Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, Puerto Rico, Apples to Apples, Guillotine, Bang...and so much more!

Sound familiar? We have tried these games and they were really fun! There are still many other games to learn and play. It seem like christmas has come early for us and we will be "unwrapping" the presents later. Will keep you guys updated on the nice games that we have...

Rush Hour

This week gonna be really busy! We like to start the cafe on 16th December which is basically this Friday. All of us are giving namecards to our friends, letting them know the location of the cafe.

Yeah for those who are reading this, our cafe is at 14B Circular Road, just behind Boat Quay. Currently our signboard is still covered by a red cloth and we hope we can reveal it on the 16th!

Lots of stuff at hand. NEA will have to come down to approve the setup. Food supplies has to be ordered. The games are still on the plane to Singapore. There are still missing pots and pans...We still have not got the serviette yet. hmmm we got toilet roll though... just kidding! I could go on and on, but for now i gotta go an check out the installation of the expresso machine...

Have you read this blog?

Yeah, that is a rather lame title for this post. But i am really curious if there is anyone reading this blog?

If you have read this blog, why not drop in a comment. I really like you guys to join me in this journey of building a cosy haven for everyone to have great fun.

Drop an email to pitstopcafe@gmail.com and i promise a nice treat for you when you come over ok?

she is stress...so freakin stress..

we wanna hire folks! any aunties or any folk's mums or friends or whatever wanna work as a kitchen folk? call us!

This is Ang Kay Heng

Indeed his name fits his persona well,

when some alcohol makes his face swell.

Ang ku kueh, or Damien Ang,

This is the guy who transform this little piece of junk



into an exciting space of funk.

Remember his name is Ang,

a denizen of pitstop cafe (the place of fun)

For in some corner he lurks,



feeling comfortable in his own piece of work.

Our deepest gratitude to Ang

A friend whom we got to know from the bunk.

A great business done.....(not as simple as it sounds)

while whistling in the toilet, I decided to pen my thoughts about the decision of starting such a cafe business.

Doing business needs some effort and time yer know

Man, I could have done a great deal of things with that kinda money. I could sell handphone covers, I could open a stationary shop, sell bubble tea or even open a pub. But why did I freaking choose a boardgames cafe?!?!??!

ah.... my other self surface once again

back in the days of my depraved childhood, when I looked like this,



Nobody wanted to be my friend, no girls liked me and no one liked to play with me.

boo hoo hoo

I yearned so much for people to come to my house and played boardgames with me, I'll be able to show them all the toys I've got and we can have a nice meal prepared by my mum.

but lo and behold, nobody is very interested in me, neither are they interested with the exciting activities that I have planned for them.

I grew up feeling deprived of friends, thirsting for playmates and seizing every opportunity to invite friends over to my place for a party.

yea man, be my friend leh....

well, not that I know what are my other partners' intention of having such a cafe, but I hope with this cafe and the atmosphere that we have created. I hope that all my friends will be able to use this as a meeting place for them to catch up with each other and have an enjoyable time together. As for me, I'll be able to fulfil my long awaited fantasy of having a cafe full of friends partying and chilling, have a nice home cooked meal and also rounds of boardgames that I have so missed out during my childhood.

ah..... finally, I'm able to let it all out! time to clean my ass and publish this post-in-the-toilet.

Business clinched

Who is This?

First customer?

A short post, really it's very short, trust me lah.... why don't you believe me? Do I look like someone who lie? oi oi... don't like that lah!

I only know how to create post in the blog and nothing else..




all ye folks help me! teach me how to make this blog look nice!

One week more... (The philosopher stoned)

As the day to the opening draws nearer, I sense the impending danger, the dark clouds of gloom are looming over my head. Somehow I just can't imagine this place filled with people...

looking at the place again, feelings surges up my ass.

We have been pratically loitering around the five foot way of circular rd everyday, people have been wondering and I caught them bitching about why these young folks keep pacing up and down, could they be doing some sort of illicit activities.

To be very frank, patience wore some of the folks thin.

1.the coffeeshop uncle, in a bid to check out what we were up to, offered to deliver drinks up to our store.

2. the nasi padang store kids were so curious that they sneaked up and peeked at what we were doing.

3. even more neighbours were gathering infront of our signage, discussing and bitching about whatever...

well, they have all their rights to be curious.

I was thinking to myself again, I don't recall seeing many bosses of the pubs down at the site everyday. Am I being too free? why am I always at the shop bringing things from Ikea, sending them for refund and buying back their stuffs again?

like one of the many Ikea quotes 'the fact that you do certain things yourself, help bring prices low!' Well, no money what to do? In fact, we had to even peel the carpet of the floor from the previous tenant by ourselves in the hope of slashing down some of the renovation costs.

only to realise that the contractor could do it for us free.

Dunno leh, dunno whether if we are doing the right things at all man... thank God that I am a student, have all the time in the world after exams. I and Mumu find ourselves in the shop everyday from 9 to 9, when we are back home just feel so stoned that we don't feel like doing anything at all.

well, I hope all these contribute to our 'success'. (you know how those successful businessmen always claim that they had sleepless nights, waited hours outside the client's doorstep and so on and so forth.

Dunno leh, my thoughts are just as fragmented as this post now. So many things in my head, so many things to do, so little time. I really dunno if it is worth the effort.

tell me man, tell me people, tell me is it worth it?

Home is where the heart is (back to basics)

The renovation is almost done, and I have not been on the blog for quite awhile. It was almost surprising and amusing to learn that some folks actually did read through our blog!

The facade of the cafe is near completion, just lacking the veins and arteries to pump blood into the whole body. But wait a minute,

someone says this piece of slop looks like a home!

We immediately flew the shareholders in by fedup express and held an eternity long conference about this response that was given to our cafe.

damn that folk who made such a remark.

But after a long intense boardroom meeting, we had decided to have a press conference with all ye curious folks who wonder why the cafe looks like a home.

The PR managers speak

Tim: We were in great shock when the cafe turned out very different from what we perceived initially. We realise as most folks prefer to remain in their comfort zone, a conventional woody and natural tone of colours, complete with cake displays and 'coffee bean' chairs and tables would immediately connote the kinda ideal cafe that everyone conceives.

Mumu: In my humblest mumu opinion, we decided to be adventurous and go with something more vibrant and exciting. Instead the cafe is colourful and 'childish'. In fact, I wouldn't be surprise if people feel that it is like a kindergarten!

Tim: We want people to move out of their comfort zone. There is no ideal of how a cafe should look like. We hope that we folks are always prepared for changes and adapt to them as society is also constantly changing. Though it certainly does not conform to standard cafe interior designs, we have tried our best to maintain a very 'homely' feel. A cafe that does not look too exclusive such that it excludes and discriminates people, yet it maintains the sense of 'privateness' and 'security' an individual enjoys at home. Our aim is to make people feel cosy, make people feel at home. Our decor, our homecooked food, our games and in fact, our whole ambience is to allow people to enjoy the comforts of a home in the heart of the CBD.

Mumu: On top of that, our vibrant and exciting colours makes one feel happy and at ease. It connotes a sense of childlike innocence and also certainly brings back a sense of nostalgia with people who remember the days when we have fun without having to be bothered by homework, project deadlines, meetings and office politics.

Tim: All in all, I feel that we just hope to make people feel comfortable, feel comforted and feel at home.

Mumu: Sorry, let me add on. I am a mumu, so I don't lie, you must believe what i say.hihi

Tim: ?!?!?!?!

end of press conference