T--

Days Until Open

13 days

Setup + Training (Wks 1-2)

31 days

Dry-Run + Soft Open (Wks 3-5)

Aug 26

Grand Opening

Timeline Overview

Jul 14 - Aug 26 - 44 days
Jul 20Jul 27Aug 3Aug 10Aug 17Aug 24
Wk 1
Wk 2
Wk 3
Wk 4
Wk 5
Wk 1 Permits + Setup7d
Wk 2 Bikram6d
Wk 3 Dry-Run + Bar16d
Wk 4 Soft Open 17d
Wk 5 Opening8d
Key Dates
v
GATE: Chef Prasad completes 10 straight days BHAM training
Jul 13 (Mon)
GATE: Smyrna staffing verified (15 FOH AM/PM/MID/Wknd, 12 line, 2 prep, 2 dish)
Jul 20 (Mon)
Permits Secured
Jul 14 (Tue)
Store Setup (3 days)
Jul 15 - 17 (Wed-Fri)
Pre-Training Prep (Chef Prasad, 2 days, Sun closed)
Jul 18, 20 (Sat, Mon)
Chef Bikram + Mitesh Arrive - Corporate Training (5 days, Sundays closed)
Jul 21 (Tue)
FOH Training with Mitesh (5 days)
Jul 21 (Tue)
Bar Training with Daniel (5 working days)
Jul 21 - 25 (Tue-Sat)
Corporate Trainers Depart
Jul 26 (Sun)
Practice Dry-Run + Community Drops Begin
Jul 27 (Mon)
Restaurant Growth Kickoff (3 weeks before 1st soft open)
Jul 22 (Wed)
Soft Open Week 1
Aug 12 (Wed)
Soft Open Week 2
Aug 19 (Wed)
Chef Bikram 2nd Visit (Aug 23 - Sep 2, arrives Sun travel only)
Aug 23 (Sun)
Influencer Dinner (Mon Aug 24 only)
Aug 24 (Mon)
Friends & Family + Invited Guests
Aug 24 - 25 (Mon-Tue)
Grand Opening
Aug 26 (Wed)
Regular Service Begins
Aug 27 (Thu)
Who's On-Site
Chef PrasadSmyrna Permanent Chef (on-site Jul 14 - Aug 28, ongoing)
Prereq: 10 straight days BHAM training (must complete before Smyrna training begins):Jul 14(1 day)Leads Pre-Training Prep (Sun Jul 19 closed):Jul 18 - Jul 20(3 days)
Chef BikramCorporate Chef - BOH Training + Opening
1st Visit - BOH Training (5 days, Tue-Sat):Jul 21 - Jul 25(5 days)2nd Visit - Grand Opening Support:Aug 23 - Sep 2(11 days)
MiteshCorporate FOH Trainer
FOH Training (5 working days, Tue-Sat):Jul 21 - Jul 25(5 days)
DanielBar Trainer
Bar Training (5 working days):Jul 21 - Jul 25(5 days)
Restaurant Growth TeamLocal Marketing + Buzz Build
Growth Kickoff (3 weeks pre-soft-open):Jul 22 - Aug 11(21 days)Soft Open + Grand Opening Push:Aug 12 - Aug 26(15 days)
Corporate TeamGrand Opening Support
Grand Opening Support:Aug 23 - Sep 2(11 days)

Technology & Service Providers - BLOCKED

-/11

Every provider below must be fully set up before corporate training begins Jul 21.

POS / Ordering

0/2

Delivery / Catering

0/3

Ops / Back-Office

0/2

Guest / Marketing

0/3

Facilities

0/1

Week 1 - Permits + Setup + Pre-Training Prep

Jul 14 - 20

Permits secured Tuesday Jul 14. Three days of store setup (Wed-Fri). Pre-training prep led by Chef Prasad runs Sat Jul 18 and Mon Jul 20 (Sunday Jul 19 closed). Everything ready by end of Monday Jul 20 - hand-off to corporate trainers Tuesday Jul 21.

PERMITS

Permits Secured

Final permits issued for Smyrna. Store officially cleared for build-out completion and operational setup.

SETUP

Store Setup Day 1

Everything in its place. Equipment unboxed and staged.

SETUP

Store Setup Day 2

All equipment working. Drink stations built and tested.

SETUP

Store Setup Day 3

All supplies in. Final walkthrough. Store production-ready.

PREP

Pre-Training Prep Day 1 - Chef Prasad

Chef Prasad leads. Sauce identification + tempering. Marinations. Veggie cuts. Naan and bhatura dough started.

REST

Day - CLOSED (Sunday)

Store closed. No training, no prep. Sundays are closed throughout training and soft-opening period.

PREP

Pre-Training Prep Day 2 - Chef Prasad

Chutneys, lamb cut down, marinations continued. Final prep readiness check - all prep done, all supplies in. Hand-off to Chef Bikram for corporate training starting Tuesday Jul 21.

Week 2 - Corporate Training: BOH + FOH + Bar

Jul 21 - 26

GATE: Training will not begin until (1) Chef Prasad has completed 10 straight working days of training in Birmingham, AND (2) Smyrna staff is verified at full requirement - 15 FOH covering AM/PM/MID/weekends, plus 12 highly experienced line cooks, 2 prep, 2 dish. Once cleared: Chef Bikram leads BOH Tue-Sat (5 working days), Mitesh runs FOH in parallel Tue-Sat (5 days), Daniel runs bar Tue-Sat (5 days). Sunday Jul 26 closed.

BOH

BOH Training Day 1

Chef Bikram leads BOH.

FOH

FOH Training Day 1 (Mitesh)

Mitesh leads FOH.

BAR

Bar Training Day 1 (Daniel)

Daniel leads bar program.

BOH

BOH Training Day 2

Chef Bikram leads BOH.

FOH

FOH Training Day 2 (Mitesh)

Mitesh leads FOH.

BAR

Bar Training Day 2 (Daniel)

Daniel leads bar program.

BOH

BOH Training Day 3

Chef Bikram leads BOH.

FOH

FOH Training Day 3 (Mitesh)

Mitesh leads FOH.

BAR

Bar Training Day 3 (Daniel)

Daniel leads bar program.

BOH

BOH Training Day 4

Chef Bikram leads BOH.

FOH

FOH Training Day 4 (Mitesh)

Mitesh leads FOH.

BAR

Bar Training Day 4 (Daniel)

Daniel leads bar program.

BOH

BOH Training Day 5 - Final Sign-Off

Chef Bikram finalizes BOH. End-of-training certification before dry-run week.

FOH

FOH Training Day 5 (Mitesh) - Final Sign-Off

Mitesh finalizes FOH. End-of-training certification.

BAR

Bar Training Day 5 (Daniel) - Final Sign-Off

Daniel finalizes bar program. Bar team certified.

REST

Day - CLOSED (Sunday)

Store closed. Corporate trainers depart. Sundays are closed throughout training and soft-opening period.

Week 3 - Dry-Run + Community Drops

Jul 27 - Aug 11

Extended practice dry-run for FOH and BOH (Jul 27 - Aug 11). Daily community food drops to neighboring businesses, Sundays off. Sharpen execution before soft opens begin Wednesday Aug 12.

SIM

Dry-Run Day 1 - Multi-Station Flow

Full-service dry-run. Multi-station flow under pressure.

OUTREACH

Community Food Drop

Tasting station outside during lunch. All training food delivered to neighboring businesses.

SIM

Dry-Run Day 2 - Full Menu

Full menu rotation. Full ticket flow.

OUTREACH

Community Food Drop

Outdoor tasting station. Free samples for the neighborhood.

SIM

Dry-Run Day 3 - FOH/BOH Coordination

Full FOH/BOH coordination. Track ticket times.

OUTREACH

Community Food Drop

Outdoor tasting station. Build buzz, collect emails.

SIM

Dry-Run Day 4 - High Volume Mix

Push speed. High-volume mix.

OUTREACH

Community Food Drop

All dry-run food delivered to neighbors.

SIM

Dry-Run Day 5 - Full Rotation

Friday-night intensity. Full rotation.

OUTREACH

Community Food Drop

Outdoor tasting station. Keep the buzz going.

SIM

Dry-Run Day 6 - Saturday Volume

Saturday-volume simulation. Speed + accuracy.

OUTREACH

Community Food Drop

Weekend tasting station. Higher foot traffic.

REST

Day - OFF

Rest day. Recharge before extended dry-run continues Monday.

SIM

Dry-Run Day 7 - Targeted Weak Spots

Replay weakest stations. Tighten timing and handoffs.

OUTREACH

Community Food Drop

Outdoor tasting station. Restart the neighbor cadence.

SIM

Dry-Run Day 8 - Full Service Sim

Full lunch + dinner simulation at game speed. Real ticket times tracked.

OUTREACH

Community Food Drop

Outdoor tasting station for neighboring businesses.

SIM

Dry-Run Day 9 - Cross-Station Polish

Cross-station polish. Lock recipes, plate specs, ticket pacing.

OUTREACH

Community Food Drop

Outdoor tasting station. Maintain neighbor buzz.

SIM

Dry-Run Day 10 - Speed Drill

Dedicated speed drill. Cut ticket times, lock handoffs, tighten expo.

OUTREACH

Community Food Drop

All dry-run food delivered to neighbors.

SIM

Dry-Run Day 11 - Full Rotation

Full menu rotation at Friday-night intensity. Track misfires.

OUTREACH

Community Food Drop

Outdoor tasting station. Push word-of-mouth into the weekend.

SIM

Dry-Run Day 12 - Saturday Volume

Saturday-volume simulation. Hit projected covers. Real-time feedback loop.

OUTREACH

Community Food Drop

Weekend tasting station. Highest foot traffic.

REST

Day - OFF

Rest day. Recharge for final dry-run stretch.

SIM

Dry-Run Day 13 - Final Polish

Final cross-station polish. Lock every recipe, plate spec, and ticket pace. Pre-flight before soft opens.

OUTREACH

Community Food Drop

Outdoor tasting station. Final community buzz before invite-only services.

PREP

Reset + Heavy Prep

Deep clean stations. Restock and heavy prep for Soft Open Week 1 opening night Wed Aug 12.

Week 4 - Soft Open Week 1

Aug 12 - 18

First soft-open week kicks off Wednesday Aug 12 with Industry Night. Invite-only services with controlled covers. Real guests, real-time adjustments, daily recaps.

SOFT OPEN

Soft Open - Industry Night

Invite-only industry night - other operators, chefs, FOH leaders. Full menu execution. Feedback collection.

SOFT OPEN

Soft Open - Neighbor Night

Private dinner for neighboring businesses and residents. Thank-you for build-out support. Tasting-style service.

SOFT OPEN

Soft Open - Partners Night

Private dinner for partners, investors, and key stakeholders. Highest execution standard. Leadership on floor.

SOFT OPEN

Soft Open - Saturday Invite

Invite-only soft open at Saturday-night volume. Push speed under pressure.

REST

Day - CLOSED (Sunday)

Store closed. Sundays are closed throughout training and soft-opening period.

PREP

Soft Open - Recap + Prep

Mid-week recap. Fix bottlenecks. Heavy prep for Tuesday invite service.

SOFT OPEN

Soft Open - Friday-Style Invite

Invite-only soft open at Friday-night intensity. Controlled covers. Full menu rotation. Daily recap after service.

Week 5 - Soft Open Week 2 + Grand Opening

Aug 19 - 26

Chef Bikram 2nd visit Aug 23 - Sep 2 (arrives Sunday for travel only - store closed). Influencer dinners run Mon Aug 24 only (Aug 25 is F&F without influencers, Aug 26 is Grand Opening with no influencer seating). Friends & Family + invited guests Aug 24 - 25. Grand Opening Wednesday Aug 26.

SOFT OPEN

Soft Open - Lunch Service

Invite-only lunch soft open. Lunch ticket flow. Speed under daytime volume.

SOFT OPEN

Soft Open - Dinner Service

Invite-only dinner soft open. Full menu. Push consistency.

SOFT OPEN

Soft Open - Friday Invite

Invite-only Friday-night soft open. Full menu rotation. Daily recap after service.

SOFT OPEN

Soft Open - Saturday Invite

Invite-only Saturday-night soft open. Higher volume. Track ticket times + misfires.

REST

Day - CLOSED (Sunday) + Chef Bikram Arrives (Travel)

Store closed. Chef Bikram lands for 2nd visit (Aug 23 - Sep 2) - travel day only, no service. Influencer dinner moved to Mon Aug 24.

SOFT OPEN

F&F + Invited Guests + Influencer Dinner

F&F + invited guests dinner with influencer seating mixed in. Storytelling, brand presentation, content moments. Full menu, full hospitality.

SOFT OPEN

Friends & Family + Invited Guests (No Influencers)

Second F&F + invited guests night. No influencers - keep the room focused on execution and final adjustments. Reset + prep between services.

OPENING

GRAND OPENING

Smyrna is live. Full go-live. All hands on deck. Leadership on floor. Corporate team in house. No influencer seating today.