bake - January 2013 - 36

HELPFUL ASSOCIATIONS
• The Retail Bakers
Association (RBA)
“Like our hood man, he knows all the
contractors that work in restaurants
and he can usually lead us to somebody
who does good work at a fair price.”
Gary Polletta Sr., co-owner of Edgewood Bakery
The Polletta family has owned Edgewood bakery
for 23 years and have contractors for various needs
that they have always used and trust, but sometimes
new things come up and you don’t know anyone
who does that specifi c kind of work. “Anytime there
is something new, we call people who are in the
trades,” Polletta says. “Like our hood man, he knows
all the contractors that work in restaurants and he can
usually lead us to somebody who does good work at
a fair price.”
Protect yourself at all times
Unfortunately, and like all areas of business, hiring
others to do work that you simply can’t do yourself
means there’s a chance that you will be taken advantage
of, but there are some precautions that you
can take. Asking the right questions before you hire,
setting up payment schedules for work completed
and paying close attention to the work being done all
protect you from incurring extra costs and ensure that
you get the project completed.
Getting more than one estimate is a given, and money
might represent the most important piece in your
choice, but it’s not the only factor. Baylor suggests
at least three to four estimates and asking the right
questions. “Ask them, ‘What type of projects are you
working on now?’ If they say, ‘I’m building a 6000sq-ft
house,’ you know your project is not going to be
a priority.” Ask them if they use a lot of sub-contractors
to do the work. For some this might be fi ne, but if
not, it must be considered. Baylor prefers the person
she hires to be there doing the work.
To keep costs in check, pay as you go. “Once they’ve
fi nished the electrical part, give them a check for
that,” Baylor says. “I’ve had one of my contractors
price things a la carte.” Ask your contractor for a
36 < JAN 2013 | bakemag.com
• The Southern Retail
Bakers Association (SRBA)
• American Society of
Baking (ASB)
• National Restaurant
Association (NRA)
• American Culinary
Federation (ACF)
breakdown on costs rather than one number. If a
contractor balks at that type of price breakdown,
remind them that you may need more work at some
time in the future and referrals lead to a lot of new
business, she says. Remember that you are the
customer and be strong in your negotiations. You
don’t have to hire a contractor who won’t work with
you on pricing structure.
“The biggest thing is to make sure your contractor
understands what you want, and get it in writing as
to how it’s going to be paid for and when it’s going to
be paid,” Polletta says. Also, ask about guarantees up
front and get those in writing, as well. “You don’t want
to wait until it’s done and then say, ‘By the way, do I
get a guarantee with this?’”
On-site, in mind
The only way to ensure the contractor lives up to
the agreement is to see the work being done. “I had
to be there. It’s laborious,” Baylor says. When Baylor
couldn’t be on-site at all times she made it a point to
make routine visits, assess the work and ask questions
about it. “Don’t just hire someone and wait until they
say, ‘Okay, we’re all done.’ Owners need to be on-site
as much as they can,” she says.
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