Hello! It’s almost July can you believe it? I sound like my mom when I say this but… every year seems to go by faster and faster. I’m overdue on an update for you guys because I was selected for jury duty over the past two weeks – but I’m thankful I was called now instead of a few months from now when we will be ready to open!
I have a LOT of updates for you guys and positive progress to report. For those who don’t follow along with us on social media here is a detailed highlight reel.
Our design and proposed build out was submitted to the San Diego Department of Environmental Health on June 1. This was the one piece of our puzzle that always held a bit of worry for me, because plan submission sort of happens in a vacuum. You don’t get to sit across the table from the reviewer and explain your concept or how your operational procedures are structured… so it’s a good bit of crossing fingers, hoping the reviewer understands the concept and that you followed all the requirements, and admittedly saying some prayers that they like cats!
We received our first round of comments back from the health department this past Wednesday and I was stunned – only 7 comments! Each being fairly basic inquiries requesting more detail on exhaust fans in the bathrooms, making sure we file a certain form for a FOG (that’s industry lingo for a grease trap, sometimes required if you are serving dairy and other liquids that contain oils or fats), asking us to confirm that our turbo chef oven doesn’t require an exhaust hood… etc. etc…
That was it! No changes to our design! No added restrictions or limitations to our cat lounge! I straight up did a happy dance on the steps of the shiny new courthouse downtown while on break from the trial.
Running a simultaneous path, we submitted the same design and build plan to the City of Vista on June 13. They informed us they are super busy right now with a lot of projects in queue for review, and to anticipate their response time to be delayed more than usual. We’ve been told we should have their first round comments back by July 18. I had hoped for a shorter turnaround time, but this is a good reminder for me to relax, enjoy the process and trust that all pieces do fall into place in their own right time.
So let me get to what all this means and our next steps. Once we receive first round comments back from the City, we go into the “Delta 1” phase with our design. This means our food service and architectural team incorporates all the revisions and info requests from the Health Department, the City of Vista, and our property owner into the design and the updated drawing package is then resubmitted to all parties for a secondary review.
Pending the City’s comments, we are currently scheduled to begin demolition of the space week of July 16, following a hazardous material survey (making sure there are no materials currently onsite that contain asbestos) scheduled to take place next week. And then we will swing the first sledgehammer to start the process of converting the space into Cat & Craft!
I understand if this is a lot of boring detail. ‘Where are the cat pictures!?!’ you say. Trust me I get it… but it’s important to give you some insight into all that goes on behind the scenes when it comes to starting up a new business. I totally understand why ‘Coming Soon’ signs tend to stay up for months.. there are a lot of rules and regulations to wade through before you can open doors – or install doors in our case!
One more thing – we have an awesome sign in the works! I’m really pleased with how our logo looks on the building and when I got our first proof my heart sang. It’s so rewarding to to see something you’ve wished for, envisioned and dreamed about for years begin to take shape. Not for me, but for the benefit of every cat and every person who enters our space, and the community each of you guys is helping us create.
I hope each of you enjoys as happy and safe 4th of July. How great is it that we live in a nation where we all have the freedom to pursue our dreams and create good things… I’m grateful for that and grateful for each one of you.
With Love and Light,
Caroline : D