Hi to everyone who made it to Thursday's "grand opening" of the Gowanus Yacht Club. I had fun there.

I've spoken to Jim and it looks like we are moving forward w/ Schnack AT Night starting June 21st. Since there will be only owners working (e.g., no employees) that means that we may be able to allow smoking as well. Not sure about that yet.

Another link to us from another BLOG..

Check out http://www.davebgimp.com/whatup.htm

He wrote:
"Yesterday, I went out to Red Hook to visit some friends. Red Hook is like the world's nicest neighborhood. We drank a lot of alcohol, and then hit this place called Schnack, where they serve all these various forms of German sausages and beer. They even had kid's beer for a dollar. It was cool, the place even has it's own blog."

It's a child's portion of beer of course for adults only.. On the new menu it will be called, "taste 'o' draft" ; any draft beer for $1

This Thursday, supposedly no matter what the weather holds, the GYC, Gowanus Yacht Club will open. I'm planning on being there and seeing what happens. We had some confusion today when they picked up our order from Jubilat and I had to go over their and sort things out.

Things at Schnack have been great. I still need to get final permission from all the Schnack Partners, but pending final approval we are going to be hosting Schnack At Night -- Saturday nights in the Summer featuring Hot Dogs, Cold Beer and Deep Disco with DJ Zebra Blood. We hope to kick things off June 21st from 11:30pm to 2:00am; if all goes as planned we will feature a hot dog ($1) only menu + cold beer from $2 to $5. Well, it's not a done deal yet, but keep watching this space for more details.

And other link to Schnack is from www.pokeythedog.com/pinkynicejuice/.

Pinkynicejuice wrote, "schnack -- on union between Columbia and hicks. yummmmmmmmmmy!!! highly recommended: the single schnack burgers (order at least 2); vanilla milk shake, and the sjwoska sausage with sauerkraut and mustard. and cheap too...."

I finally found the link to the NY Press mention of Schnack. Here is what they wrote in their summer guide listings for Eat's and Drinks Hot Dogs section.. They wrote, "Schnack, 122 Union St. (betw. Hicks & Columbia Sts.), Carroll Gardens, 718-855-2879. $. No credit cards. WA. You’re as likely to find a pair of junior high-schoolers on their first date as you would a townie downing hot dogs and beers at this back-to-basics joint. Unwind with an import and a couple of Schnackies—the signature mini-burgers with special sauce—and try to figure out if the kids will make it to first base."

I finally found the Time Out write up on us:

"Schnäck -- Expanding their Carroll Gardens restaurant empire across the BQE, Alan Harding and Jim Mamary (of Patois and the Gowanus Yacht Club)—along with partner Harry Hawk—have gone back to basics with Schnäck. Their motto is "hot dogs, cold beer—it's not complicated." Feel free to stick with just that (beers include German imports Dentergems and Jever), or branch out with the fish po' boy or Polish sausage. The diner decor, low prices and tasty shakes may take you back to your youth, but the spicy pear chutney will snap you right back into 21st-century Brooklyn." Time Out!

I was hanging around Brooklyn last night and stopped into Robin des Bois for dinner. (195 Smith Street, Brooklyn, NY 718.596.1609) -- I know the cheft there, Michelle.  She used to work for Alan at Uncle Pho. I had a great dinner and then on the way out I ran into Mike Daisey, his wife, and some friends! I always enjoy talking with him (He is as lively and entertaining in person as he is in his show!)   I had also seen Mike a few days earlier at Bagels by the Park, and he mentioned he is working on a few new projects. Of course, I invited them down to Schnack.

Tuesday was another fun day at Schnack. During the day Delicious Pictures was shooting video at Schnack for several episodes of Alan's TV Show, "The Real Food Show." It was very exciting for everyone and lots of friends of Schnack who stopped by. Of course, Alan's mom, Nancy, stopped by and she had several scenes. Maybe it was all the excitement generated from having the film crew around, but as soon as they left the place got very busy rather quickly. Thanks to everyone who made Tuesday very special!!

Another great week is almost over. We have been training a new line cook, Doug. Not sure if he will work out yet, but he has been fun to have around the place.. I just left a few minutes ago and he and other other cook, Mike, were planning on a quick set of drinks after work, which is always a good sign.

I was able to speak to a lot of people this week who visited us for the first time. I also spoke to a lot of people who know about Schnack because they went to the Gowanus Yacht Club last year. When you come into Schnack there is almost always an owner around so please don't be shy about asking to say hello. Our #1 goal? Consistently good food!

Thanks for a great week

/hawk

Re: our baseball team:

"Hey all you Schnackers,
For those who played on Friday, we don't need to be reminded of the game's outcome, you may skip to the next paragraph. But for those of you who didn't make it, here's the game recap: Schnack went down fighting in the second game of the season to last seasons division champs Angry Wade's (He must have been Pissed about something, because they scored 23 RUNS against us!). But to Schnack's credit we kept on fighting and scored 18 runs of our own. We started out the 1st inning right where we left off in Game 1, scoring 8 runs. Unfortunately some unlucky bounces, bobbles and drops started to open doors for the opposition. Later in the game someone from Wade's must have switched one of our player's gloves for one with a big hole in it. The loss hurts but we will bounce right back.

Next Game: Monday May 19th 6:30 PM against B61. This should be a great game. We will be playing against some former teammates from the Red Rail and many of our neighbors. Combine that with the close proximity of Schnack to B61 and I smell a Rivalry! This game is being dubbed as the Gowanus Parkway Series!!

Practice: We don't need no stinkin' practice! And the game is Monday anyway.

I hope to see many of you on Monday. Meeting place outside Schnack at 5:45- 6:00PM. GO SCHNACK!!!!
Jeff."

Alan's TV show, The Real Food Show, is going to be taping again this coming Tuesday at Schnack. That's May 20th. They are shooting the opening night scene for one of the episodes. If you're interested in being an extra, dress causally and show up at 1:30pm.

Today they are taping an episode of Alan's TV show at Schnack.!!

There is another link to us at this BLOG.  They mention us on the May 4th listing, which can be seen here. Otherwise it's been a rather slow week at Schnack, although Saturday was nice and busy. It was an expectedly slow Mother's Day at Schnack.

The first 6 episodes of Alan's TV show start taping this week. On Tuesday (this week and next) they are at Schnack!

A few days ago (well actually in the late evening at about 10:40pm), Gabriella Gershenson from NY Press stopped by to learn a bit about Schnack. We fed her a single Schnackie and she liked it. At some point Schnack will be included in a round-up of hot dog or burger joints. I wasn't familar with her column, but I've gone back and read a few. Gabriella has a nice point of view on interesting food in "the city." You can find some of her older articles here. We would also like to point out that she liked our PICKLES!

More LINKS to the Schnack site:

Great Tuna

And New Burger Joint

Thanks guitarman

We just finished a record Friday night.....we are happy the weather held even though there were forecasts of heavy storms.

We also worked out an arrangement with a few of our customers who wanted Schnack to sponsor a ball team in one of the local leagues. The details will follow but we agreed to do it!

Another really quick week has gone by. The director for Alan's TV show, The Real Food Show, has confirmed that two of the shows will be shot/filmed at Schnack.

I understand we are in this weeks Time Out New York, but I don't have a link to it.

Also last night we had a big group of Yacht Club Fans come in for dinner! I hope they had a great time!

On Friday the Daily News did a nice write-up on us. You can see it here.

A great new week at Schnack. We are working on our next "new" menu. The pork chop is going away and we are adding a side salad.

We are seeing lots of familiar faces come back again and again, including old friends. We also had a visit today from the family who appeared in the picture The Brooklyn Paper took of Schnack. You can see the picture here.

A few members of the family that owns Bagels on the Park and the Gowanus Yacht Club stopped by for dinner tonight; it was really great to see them. They got to pick the records they wanted played (we welcome everyone to pick through our record collection).  We are also seeking record donations! Give your old records a new and happy home!

The past few nights has seen a spike in our post-9pm business, which is really perfect. We encourage everyone to come in late if they want, right up to our 11pm close. Had a few folks come in just for dessert and we welcome that as well. Try a Schnack Brownie with a milkshake, coffee or beer!

A couple of new web links..

Go-Brooklyn just wrote about us.  You can read it here:
http://www.go-brooklyn.com/index.html?html/issues/_vol26/26_15/26_15guide.html

And we have been getting lots of hits from this web forum. It's interesting to read what people are saying.
http://forums.dealmac.com/read.html?f=1&i=1147034&t=1147034

Wow! It's been a few days since I was last able to post. We just came through our second full weekend and our second Monday of operations. We were really busy but we have been working hard in the kitchen to keep the quality high.  Let us know how we are doing when you come in. Let us know if you are reading this!

We did make a major decision today that after 3pm we are not going to be serving the breakfast items,  although I'm not sure how that will translate during the weekends. We are also working on updating the menu. We may delete a few items if they are not popular, and basically work at fine-tuning things.

Well today marks the 7th day we have been open. In many ways it seems like a lifetime! We are now doing delivery with a minimum order of $10, and we are starting to run a few specials as well. It may not last long but Alan has made a spicy pear chutney that is incredible! It's great with veggies, pork, or turkey! Ask for it if you like your food spicy!

Today was a good start to the week. It was snowy and rather bad out, but people found their way to our door and we did rather good business all things considered.

We have decided to start delivery first for lunch and then expand into the evening hours, reserving at first the right not to deliver if we are too busy. But if you live within the few blocks around Schanck and can't stop by for take-out, call and ask if we can deliver.  If we can, we will!

Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. We have had a lot of friends and customers from the Gowanus Yacht Club and Beer Garden stop by, say hi and order a few Schnackies. That's been really great. Also, we have started to see the same faces coming back day after day!

We are now open full-time 10:30 am to 11pm!

Well, we opened 5pm to 11pm on Friday and Saturday, and all day on Sunday.   Many, many thanks to everyone who came in. It got really busy and Alan worked to make sure the dining room was running smoothly.  Jimmy's brother, Paul, and Alan's brother, Jeff, stopped by to visit and got press-ganged into service!! Thanks!!

After 3 days we seem to have a handle on most things. The burgers are selling really well, and the Schanck Cubano has been popular as well. Last night we even did a large takeout order:  12 Schnackies for Lilly of Lilly's Bar. It was the first time we made 12 Schnackies for one order! We have been selling a lot of Milkshakes and Root Beer!

A few other changes -- after a taste test we opted for Mrs. Harding's Cheesecake over Juniors!

Open

The NY Times was in today to interview us and lots of people stopped by to see if we are open..

The good news, today, Friday, we open... :)