G Manifesto tip of the week 9/21/05: Base of Operations
Base of Operations (restaurant that you have on lock down)
Importance…conduct biz…..get the red carpet rolled out for you when you are with girls….etc
The first thing you must do with a Base of Operations is to find the right place. You’re going to want to be here at least 3 times a week, so having it close to your house is important. It should be high-end but not too high-end that it’s stuffy. You want a place that’s suit friendly. If you don’t have one of these restaurants in your neighborhood, then you need to move where you live. It’s important to play up the ethnic angle. If you’re a blond German guy, then a place that serves strudel and schnitzel might be good. If you’re Cuban, then a Cuban bistro is perfect. Italian trattoria’s or good French brasserie’s always work.
Locking the place down
You first want to go on a Tuesday or Wednesday night (Fri and Sat are very hard to lock down, and Monday night they are still serving the seafood from the Thursday delivery). Roll in solo and suited down (hand crafted Italian suits are best). Start by sinking your hooks into the bartender. He is the hub of the restaurant. Grease him pretty heavy and find out information like who the owner, chef, owners wife and Matre’d are. If the chef and the owner are the same person, then your job just became easier. Make sure you get the right bartender…not the one who works Tues night and Sunday brunch…that’s not your guy. You want the one who works Tues, wed thur fri and sat nights, the guy who runs the show. Then get the owner, chef, owner’s wife and Matre’d on lock. You want the kind of status where they call out your name when you walk in and give you two kisses on the cheeks.
Now start bringing in business associates in so they know your promoting the spot. Make sure you handle the bill (even if you have to collect money from the slobs you rolled in with, this way you come off as the juiced up money man). Now start bringing in girls with you. Different types: blonde so cal girls, fly Latina girls, rich daughters, Cajun girls, exotic dancers, and Hungarian gangster daughters….even fly in model girls from south beach. This will exploit the symbiotic relationship between Restaurateur and G Manifesto practitioner. The Restaurateur will love having a well dressed gentleman with a fly girl sitting in the bar when people walk in and you’ll love the off-menu dishes, pro-bono drinks, and discounted bills. The side benefit to this is the girls you are taking will be very impressed considering the last date she went on, her boyfriend took her to Chili’s for the Mushroom Jack Fajitas. Now your turning her on to Sicilian Pesto Crepes or Rollmop de sole farci au ragoût de homard, kohlrabi cuit à l’étuvé au Riesling, réduction au Côte Rôtie………………. which is, of course: Rollmop of filet of sole stuffed with a ragout of lobster, Riesling braised kohlrabi, Côte Rôtie reduction. Mind blowing. Plus, your expanding the horizons of many “culturally challenged” girls by showing them the two kisses greeting.
Take care of the owner: give him a Zippo or a nice cigar every now and then, and a good bottle of booze around Christmas time. Never cash for the owner. Cash for the matre’d, hostess, and bartender.
Now you have the run of the place. You can now use the place to leave or receive messages, exchange envelopes of money, plan a jewelry store heist, or figure out how you are going to deliver votes to a politician. You can also use the place to work on side projects like backroom poker games, loan sharking, bookmaking or labor racketeering. ……The Rest is Up to You.
Michael Porfirio Mason
AKA The Peoples Champ
http://www.thegmanifesto.com