Ink on Paper

One of the reasons for starting this web log was to try to capture the design process in both the visual and narrative form. In songwriting, the term for putting lyrics to music is called prosody, and I think it can also be applied to describe how things come to life in the design process.

Ideas spring forth constantly, but at some point, they must be documented. And while it is likely impossible to pinpoint how specific ideas form - that is largely about electricity, or as Tenacious D would say, 'Inspirado' - it certainly is possible to trace how ideas develop over time.

Most often, the documentation begins with a simple sketch of an idea on a piece of paper. Early on in the project, I realized how powerful this was while working with and observing Matt Stevens. As a designer and illustrator, he draws and sketches incessantly. And on many many occasions we hashed out ideas by looking at and refining his luxurious and beautiful illustrations. (See his four part series on JJ's here and other incredible work here)

Tim O'Brien, head of design for our architecture firm, the RBA Group, also sketches for a living. And I observed him get five confused door fabricators on the same page with an ad hoc sketch (below) in an instant. That was powerful for me to witness.

I guess the lesson I learned is to be 'visual' as much as possible. I now take tons of pictures from many angles, capture ideas on paper with ink, and I really work at developing this skill. Doodles are fun, but take some measurements and refine those doodles into something useful for your subject. I think it helps everyone get on the same page very quickly. Find a good pen you like, a small notebook with good thick paper, and take it with you everywhere.

Below is a look at a few crude sketches juxtaposed with pictures of the the finished product. In some cases the time between sketch and finished product was several months. Prosody is all the hard work in between.

Enjoy!

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Utensil and Napkin Caddy
Sketch: Jonathan Luther
Fabrication: Marshall Air Systems/www.marshallair.com

Front Door Pull
Sketch : Jonathan Luther
Fabricator : Matt Ludwig/Ludwig Metals/www.ludwigmetals.com 

Front Door Assembly (Note door pull)
Sketch : Tim O'Brien/The RBA Group
Fabricator : Mr. Doorman/www.mrdoorman.com

'The Drum' Chandelier
Sketch : Jonathan Luther
Fabricator : Matt Ludwig/Ludwig Metals/www.ludwigmetals.com 

Floor Plan  

(Note "Racks" in upper right - these eventually became our hot dog caddies, also fabricated by Marshall Air and pictured below)

Architectural Drawings: RBA Group

Red Ink Alterations : Jonathan Luther and Jon Luther Sr.

Floor Plan:

Hot Dog Caddy:

VIP Mailer

Sketch : Jonathan Luther

Fabrication : Matt Stevens and Brandy Newton

Patio Planter
Sketch : Jonathan Luther
Fabricator : Michael Pearson/Bradley Construction

The Beast

The Crew

POS Training

New lot, three days before opening. 107 degrees.

Tru-Ades in process

WBT Radio

Making White Hots

Opening Day. July 4, 2012

This business is a beast. At 2 PM on July 4^th, 2012, JJ’s Red Hots opened its doors for the first time. As with most things 5 days old, it now seems a distant memory.  A cosmic blur of construction issues, inspections, permits and punch lists. A 72-hour dervish of cameras, press coverage and VIP events. A few missed deadlines and yes, a firing or two. These are the things that will largely be forgotten.

But on that day, in that moment, are memories, both good and bad, that will stick with me for the rest of my life. My family was there to support and encourage me. I got the privilege to see a management team and staff coalesce into one machine, each giving fully and completely to something bigger than themselves. As a culinary professional, I allowed myself to be seduced by and fall in love with this simple, yet gorgeous food being turned out by an inspired brigade. I saw youth in action and pure, unadorned effort on the part of our wonderful crew.  I heard incredible praise from our early adopters many, many times a day. These are the bright spots.

But I also saw a system bursting at the seams. These first days were incredibly (and very fortunately) busy and all the planning in the world doesn’t prepare you for hours of unabated, crushing volume. 3000 or so people came through our doors in the last five days. The reality is, floors and bathrooms get dirty. Product goes out to a table that isn’t exactly right. We are inconsistent. And people wait too long for their food from time to time. 

As one who is so invested in this work – spiritually, physically, creatively and emotionally – it can be especially humbling to see it break down and it positively grates at me.

For those who experienced some of these few weak moments we sincerely apologize and hope that you give us another chance. For those who enjoyed their experience and took the time to tell us, we thank you for your kind words.

And for everyone else – please understand this. Yes, this business is a beast, full of long hours, backbreaking tasks, hot oil and sharp knives. But to us, it is the most rewarding job in the world. Other than getting married and having children, it’s the best thing I have ever done. And we cling to the belief that indeed there is no greater joy than a kickass hot dog. 

We are in the service business – and we will never give up trying to serve our guests the best meal of their lives.

The Whole Night Sky

Saturday, June 9th, 2012.
JJ's Red Hots at night...

Ludwig Metals

Matt Ludwig is one of my closest friends, and also one of my oldest. I met him in 1979. As two youths growing up in Cherry Hill, NJ, we were linked alphabetically in 7th grade homeroom where we sat near each other and heaped abuse on our cranky shrew of a homeroom teacher Mrs. Harwood. Matt is a quiet dude, but he's a funny son of a bitch. We got along well and remained friends. I even married his sisters best friend. We are practically family.

Turns out, he's also a pretty talented craftsman and welder. For the most part, these talents emerged out of necessity, as he needed to protect his vintage Mustang from the crackheads in Federal Hill, Baltimore. So he picked up a welder, taught himself how to weld and built a large medieval iron gate in front of his driveway with large gothic spears on the top. I secretly believe it was his wish to wake up and find skewered crackheads on his gate one day. To my knowledge, he never did. He also built countertops and furniture for his home. People quickly began to notice and thus, his metal business was born. I remember being flabbergasted at his first few pieces. They were meticulously built, industrially sound and incredibly elegant hunks of glass, metal, gears, and other found objects. He grew his business one piece at a time,  and now has more work than he can handle, creating pieces for local businesses, architects and Under Armor, headquartered in Baltimore. (More of Matt's work can be found on his website here: www.ludwigmetals.com)

Of course, when we began to build JJ's, I immediately began to earmark places for him to put his work. Given the history of the building, we settled on a drum fixture for the center of the restaurant to pay tribute to the former restaurant on the site, The Drum. Last weekend, he drove the fixture down from Baltimore and we installed it with my neighbor, Chris Jewell. (also quite a craftsman) I just stood there watching.

Here is a look at how it progressed from the first sketches I made in January. To say I am grateful is an understatement. I am very proud to showcase his work in the restaurant and I hope our customers enjoy this piece as much as we do. Thanks, Matt.

First Sketches....

The Work...