Maximum Diner

This is a book about a dream. The dream of running a restaurant. In Uckfield, East Sussex. Well, okay, Uckfield didn't actually appear in the dream. But for Chris Nye it was the perfect choice: a small town, but not too small; a town with a rising, young population that was literally crying out for an American-style Diner; a town without a McDonalds. So here is the story of how to make it big in Uckfield. How to find the right premises (if not quite the right location); how to hire teenage staff with vital teashop experience while giving work experience to a haute cuisine chef; how to cater for customers who pop in at 11.20pm on a Friday night, flexing their tattoos after they've been thrown out of the pub; how to avoid paying VAT on a Big Max and fries; and why you should never, ever, hire an Elvis impersonator on the cheap. Oh and how to deal with McDonalds, when they suddenly realise they need an outlet in Uckfield after all. Maximum Diner is a tale of all this and more. Read it and laugh. And keep that dream alive. For this might all happen to you.

Ever thought of opening a small town restaurant? Maximum Diner will make you think again. And howl with laughter... -- Chris Stewart, author of Driving Over Lemons It's about eating and it's funny. What more could anyone want? -- Jo Brand It is humorous, light, eventful and endearing as it tells of the dreams and pitfalls of opening an American-style diner in Uckfield. I loved it. -- Sarah Broadhurst The Bookseller

Christopher Nye was born and raised in West Sussex. His childhood ambitions were to become a Zulu, and then a diplomat, but thwarted by poor A level grades he settled for a course in hotel and catering management at Leeds Poly. His subsequent career ranged from sculpting celery on a Caribbean cruise ship to running the crepe stand on Brighton pier, before he hit on the plan of bringing his unique Diner cuisine to the people of small town Britain, starting out with Uckfield... Christopher currently lives in Lewes, where he works as a freelance journalist (oh alright, and as a taxi driver).

This is a book about a dream. The dream of running a restaurant. In Uckfield, East Sussex. Well, okay, Uckfield didn9t actually appear in the dream. But for Christopher Nye it was the perfect choice: a small town, but not too small; a town with a rising, young population that was literally crying out for an American-style Diner; a town without a McDonalds. So here9s the story of how to make it big in Uckfield. How to find the right premises (if not quite the right location); how to hire teenage staff with vital teashop experience while giving work experience to a haute cuisine chef; how to cater for customers who pop in at 11.20pm on a Friday night, flexing their tattoos after they9ve been thrown out of the pub; how to avoid paying VAT on a Big Max and fries; and why you should never, ever, hire an Elvis impersonator on the cheap. Oh and how to deal with McDonalds, when they suddenly realise they need an outlet in Uckfield after all. Maximum Diner is a tale of all this and more. Read it and laugh. And keep that dream alive. For this might all happen to you.

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