Flying And Dining, LLC

The Restaurant Race

Four restaurants. One goes first.

Restaurants were my first trade, and I have four restaurant ideas I want to open someday. I can only open one at a time. So they're racing, and every merch order is a vote.

Nothing is guaranteed but my word. I'm giving it.

Founding Crew standingsEngines running
  1. --Catch & Not Release
    0
  2. --Captain's Wings
    0
  3. --Smoking Hole BBQ
    0
  4. --Flying & Dining Cafe
    0

Nobody's on the board yet. The first order takes the lead.

Pick a team

The field

The Shack Fund

Catch & Not Release

Concept illustration of Catch & Not ReleaseAI concept image

Dockside crab shack

On the water, a short walk from KJWB

Crew

0

In the fund

$0

See the fund →

The Wing Fund

Captain's Wings

Concept illustration of Captain's WingsAI concept image

Wings, fried twice

Just off the field at KJWB

Crew

0

In the fund

$0

See the fund →

The Pit Fund

Smoking Hole BBQ

Concept illustration of Smoking Hole BBQAI concept image

Barbecue out of a hangar

In a hangar on the field at KJWB

Crew

0

In the fund

$0

See the fund →

The Cafe Fund

Flying & Dining Cafe

Concept illustration of Flying & Dining CafeAI concept image

Three meals on the field

On the field at KJWB

Crew

0

In the fund

$0

See the fund →

KJWB, Ward Field, is a made-up airport, named for my grandfather. None of these restaurants has a real home yet. That's part of what the Race decides.

Picture it

What I'm racing toward

None of these places exist yet. Every picture below is an AI concept image I made to show what each one could feel like. The people aren't real either.

AI concept image: Mallets out on the porch, Catch & Not ReleaseCatch & Not ReleaseMallets out on the porchAI concept image: Basket lands, Captain's WingsCaptain's WingsBasket landsAI concept image: Brisket by the pound, Smoking Hole BBQSmoking Hole BBQBrisket by the poundAI concept image: The window booth, Flying & Dining CafeFlying & Dining CafeThe window boothAI concept image: Smoke over the hangar, Smoking Hole BBQSmoking Hole BBQSmoke over the hangarAI concept image: Biscuits at dawn, Flying & Dining CafeFlying & Dining CafeBiscuits at dawnAI concept image: Crab cake on butcher paper, Catch & Not ReleaseCatch & Not ReleaseCrab cake on butcher paperAI concept image: Crews after the last leg, Captain's WingsCaptain's WingsCrews after the last legAI concept image: The bushel hits the table, Catch & Not ReleaseCatch & Not ReleaseThe bushel hits the tableAI concept image: The $100 hamburger, Flying & Dining CafeFlying & Dining CafeThe $100 hamburgerAI concept image: Lit up off the field, Captain's WingsCaptain's WingsLit up off the fieldAI concept image: Pit crew, Smoking Hole BBQSmoking Hole BBQPit crew

All images are AI-generated concept art. Tap one to see that restaurant's fund.

The rules

How the race works

  1. 1

    One order, one crew member.

    Every merch order for a restaurant adds one Founding Crew member to that team. A hat and a hoodie count the same.

  2. 2

    The leader goes first.

    The restaurant with the most crew is the one I try to open first.

  3. 3

    Every team keeps its own fund.

    The profit from a restaurant's merch goes into that restaurant's fund. Each fund has its own public ledger, so you can see every dollar in and out.

  4. 4

    Eight years, then I pay it forward.

    If a restaurant hasn't opened within eight years of its first dollar, its fund either rolls into the leader or goes to an organization that gives culinary school scholarships. If none of them open, it all goes to the scholarships.

The fine print

  • Buying merch is a purchase, not an investment. You don't get a share of any restaurant, a return, or a refund if one doesn't open.
  • It isn't a donation either, and it isn't tax-deductible. You get the merch. The restaurant gets the profit.
  • Founding Crew is for bragging rights. It doesn't come with free food or any promise of one.
  • The funds are run by me through Flying And Dining, LLC.

Pick a team. I'll see you at the table.

Jeff