http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166 Do what you know. That's what business coaches always tell budding entrepreneurs. Don't, for example, try to start your own professional football franchise if you work as a ... a ... I don't know &mdash; a newspaper reporter. Do like Arnie Bella, is what they'd say. She's a local medical biller, but that's neither here nor there. The point is, she loves to cook, and her relatives can't get enough of her crepes. So Bella got a business partner, finance manager and New Jersey transplant Paulyn Mercado. Together they're working to open two adjoining restaurants at 5550 California Ave., just north of Stockdale Highway. Warning: Their ideas for the restaurants are going to make your mouth water, so you may want to eat before reading on. We'll wait... One is House of Shabu, an asian fondue place like the kind Bella loves to eat at in Los Angeles. Picture thinly sliced meat and vegetables dipped in piping hot sauces. Indoor and outdoor seating, beer and wine. The other is Oh Goodness! Crepe 'n Gelato. Sort of speaks for itself, really. No beer or wine, but yes, outdoor seating. If all goes well, the idea will turn into a franchise and make Bella and Mercado rich. Do what you know. That's what business coaches always tell budding entrepreneurs. Don't, for example, try to start your own professional football franchise if you work as a ... a ... I don't know &mdash; a newspaper reporter. Do like Arnie Bella, is what they'd say. She's a local medical biller, but that's neither here nor there. The point is, she loves to cook, and her relatives can't get enough of her crepes. So Bella got a business partner, finance manager and New Jersey transplant Paulyn Mercado. Together they're working to open two adjoining restaurants at 5550 California Ave., just north of Stockdale Highway. Warning: Their ideas for the restaurants are going to make your mouth water, so you may want to eat before reading on. We'll wait... One is House of Shabu, an asian fondue place like the kind Bella loves to eat at in Los Angeles. Picture thinly sliced meat and vegetables dipped in piping hot sauces. Indoor and outdoor seating, beer and wine. The other is Oh Goodness! Crepe 'n Gelato. Sort of speaks for itself, really. No beer or wine, but yes, outdoor seating. If all goes well, the idea will turn into a franchise and make Bella and Mercado rich. en-us <p>Well, arnie bella is one heck of an entrepreneur..smart, creative, and committed!!! Willing to bring in something new and exciting to this town....I am pretty sure this venture will become successful. Congratulations Ms. Bella!!</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_234895 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_234895 <p>Well, arnie bella is one heck of an entrepreneur..smart, creative, and committed!!! Willing to bring in something new and exciting to this town....I am pretty sure this venture will become successful. Congratulations Ms. Bella!!</p> <p>Oh I cant wait to have a taste of that crepes arnie!!</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_234897 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_234897 <p>Oh I cant wait to have a taste of that crepes arnie!!</p> <p>&quot;Do what you know&quot; doesn't mean to open a food establishment because you cook well or that you love a particular type of food.&nbsp; You should know the in's and out's of the food business itself.&nbsp; I know I'm the gloomy gus here but restaurants have a very high failure rate.</p> <p>I worked for a woman once whose dream was to open her own restaurant because she made the best spaghetti sauce west of Italy.&nbsp; In the end, hard work and wonderful spaghetti sauce couldn't over come the eventual lack of business and she ended up going back to working at her real job as a nurse in a hospital.</p> <p>Specialty shops like crepes won't last the long haul but hopefully they will offer other incentives to for people to continue to frequent the shop.</p> <p>I wish them well, everyone loves a winner.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_234904 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_234904 <p>&quot;Do what you know&quot; doesn't mean to open a food establishment because you cook well or that you love a particular type of food.&nbsp; You should know the in's and out's of the food business itself.&nbsp; I know I'm the gloomy gus here but restaurants have a very high failure rate.</p> <p>I worked for a woman once whose dream was to open her own restaurant because she made the best spaghetti sauce west of Italy.&nbsp; In the end, hard work and wonderful spaghetti sauce couldn't over come the eventual lack of business and she ended up going back to working at her real job as a nurse in a hospital.</p> <p>Specialty shops like crepes won't last the long haul but hopefully they will offer other incentives to for people to continue to frequent the shop.</p> <p>I wish them well, everyone loves a winner.</p> <p>I have tasted Ms. Bella' crepes and they truely are &quot;To Die For&quot;</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235017 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235017 <p>I have tasted Ms. Bella' crepes and they truely are &quot;To Die For&quot;</p> <p></p> <p>&nbsp;OH gOoDnEsS!!!! i cant wait to hang out there with my friends... Arnie Bella can really cook good food, and...... i love her mokka-chino!!!!!! yummy!!!!</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235042 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235042 <p></p> <p>&nbsp;OH gOoDnEsS!!!! i cant wait to hang out there with my friends... Arnie Bella can really cook good food, and...... i love her mokka-chino!!!!!! yummy!!!!</p> <p style="text-align: center;">wow.... can't wait for your restaurant to open, i was handed out a card last saturday at&nbsp; the relay for life&nbsp; about&nbsp; your&nbsp; restaurant, and i am a shabu-shabu addict, and its a good thing you came out with this idea&nbsp; to have one here in bakersfield so now I wouldnt have to drive to J Town in LA to eat there....BTW,&nbsp; were you the one serving the mocha&nbsp; drink at the Relay for Life?&nbsp; That was sooooooooooo goood and I came back to your booth twice to ask for the mocha drink. Are you going to serve that at your Gelato shop? Goodluck!<span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><br type="_moz" /> </span></p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235050 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235050 <p style="text-align: center;">wow.... can't wait for your restaurant to open, i was handed out a card last saturday at&nbsp; the relay for life&nbsp; about&nbsp; your&nbsp; restaurant, and i am a shabu-shabu addict, and its a good thing you came out with this idea&nbsp; to have one here in bakersfield so now I wouldnt have to drive to J Town in LA to eat there....BTW,&nbsp; were you the one serving the mocha&nbsp; drink at the Relay for Life?&nbsp; That was sooooooooooo goood and I came back to your booth twice to ask for the mocha drink. Are you going to serve that at your Gelato shop? Goodluck!<span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><br type="_moz" /> </span></p> <p>I've tasted Arnie Bella's crepes, sure is like Parisian crepes! Really Oh Goodness yummy!!!!!! Goodluck!</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235088 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235088 <p>I've tasted Arnie Bella's crepes, sure is like Parisian crepes! Really Oh Goodness yummy!!!!!! Goodluck!</p> <p>Ins and outs??? Spaghetti sauce? What the heck is this person talking about???? DUUUUHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Business is a risk and is not a perfect science.. so keep your figures to yourself coz hey &quot;NO GUTS, NO GLORY!!!&quot; What ugly planet did you come from? Lemmeguess...hmmmm nevermind you might cry!! SO MS Bella dont mind comments like this because these just epresent this word---JEALOUSY!!! Bwahahahaha.....Good day!</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235343 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235343 <p>Ins and outs??? Spaghetti sauce? What the heck is this person talking about???? DUUUUHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Business is a risk and is not a perfect science.. so keep your figures to yourself coz hey &quot;NO GUTS, NO GLORY!!!&quot; What ugly planet did you come from? Lemmeguess...hmmmm nevermind you might cry!! SO MS Bella dont mind comments like this because these just epresent this word---JEALOUSY!!! Bwahahahaha.....Good day!</p> <p>ritch31- Jealousy has nothing to do with anything here...Duh!</p> <p>More than 50% of restaurants FAIL within the first year of existence. I'm sure the crepes in question here are fantastic; so thin as to be nearly transparent, so light, they float off the plate, so flavorful they're sought the world over.. that being said, this is a risky time to open up a specialty shoppe. I hope that the rest of the menu is just as deserving of praise.</p> <p>I wish you all the luck in the world ladies.</p> <p>spamcode: EGG RA</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235353 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235353 <p>ritch31- Jealousy has nothing to do with anything here...Duh!</p> <p>More than 50% of restaurants FAIL within the first year of existence. I'm sure the crepes in question here are fantastic; so thin as to be nearly transparent, so light, they float off the plate, so flavorful they're sought the world over.. that being said, this is a risky time to open up a specialty shoppe. I hope that the rest of the menu is just as deserving of praise.</p> <p>I wish you all the luck in the world ladies.</p> <p>spamcode: EGG RA</p> <p>ritch, it's obvious that you have a personal stake in this new business but c'mon.&nbsp; This is a public blog and comments here WILL be commented on.&nbsp; It's also apparent that you are fairly young with little business experience or you would have understood the comparison I made about the spaghetti sauce and the dream of opening a food establishment.&nbsp; The point is, just because people tell someone they make the best _______ (insert food product here) doesn't mean that will translate into a successful business in the long run.</p> <p>Your not understanding &quot;the in's and out's&quot; is another example of you reacting emotionally rather than logically.&nbsp; In a food establishment, if one has never worked in it, thre a rea&nbsp; lot of factors the average person doesn't know yet (portion control being one of them.) &nbsp; It's recommended by any financial advisor that people go to work in a particular field before investing in a business of their own.</p> <p>Having said what I did above, and adding to it here, please note that I wish them well.&nbsp; Your comment about jealousy also shows a lack of maturity since I'm not sure what you think I would be jealous of.&nbsp; Hopefully, your family member will be a huge success and overcome the risks that all new businesses encounter, restaurants being one of the riskiest.</p> <p>Mine was not a personal comment but rather a business fact.</p> <p>ps...with a lack of restaurant business itself, a good idea would be to hire people who ARE experienced in that field.&nbsp; It's not hard to learn but alone, it can be costly.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235356 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/MoneyTalks/26166/#c_235356 <p>ritch, it's obvious that you have a personal stake in this new business but c'mon.&nbsp; This is a public blog and comments here WILL be commented on.&nbsp; It's also apparent that you are fairly young with little business experience or you would have understood the comparison I made about the spaghetti sauce and the dream of opening a food establishment.&nbsp; The point is, just because people tell someone they make the best _______ (insert food product here) doesn't mean that will translate into a successful business in the long run.</p> <p>Your not understanding &quot;the in's and out's&quot; is another example of you reacting emotionally rather than logically.&nbsp; In a food establishment, if one has never worked in it, thre a rea&nbsp; lot of factors the average person doesn't know yet (portion control being one of them.) &nbsp; It's recommended by any financial advisor that people go to work in a particular field before investing in a business of their own.</p> <p>Having said what I did above, and adding to it here, please note that I wish them well.&nbsp; Your comment about jealousy also shows a lack of maturity since I'm not sure what you think I would be jealous of.&nbsp; Hopefully, your family member will be a huge success and overcome the risks that all new businesses encounter, restaurants being one of the riskiest.</p> <p>Mine was not a personal comment but rather a business fact.</p> <p>ps...with a lack of restaurant business itself, a good idea would be to hire people who ARE experienced in that field.&nbsp; It's not hard to learn but alone, it can be costly.</p>