Jenny: All right, so it's October 30th. We are marching towards our November 15th opening date for Ramen by Ra. In this episode, we are in the home stretch! Woo woo woo, and the countdown is officially on and Rasheeda's final push to open Ramen by Ra is underway. So the paint is still drying, systems are being tested, and the clock is ticking to get open, but not in a bad way. Um, you know, we've done pretty good on your damn timeline.

Alex: Great, I would say.

Jenny: Fast. You've done pretty damn—

Alex: I mean, we shouldn’t jinx it yet. It’s just you're technically not open.

Jenny: It wasn’t five weeks.

Alex: Yeah.

Ra: It was not five weeks.

Jenny: But it was really freaking fast and you should be proud.

Ra: Yeah. That pivot to the OGs—

Jenny: To the OG contractors.

Ra: Was on. It was on.

Jenny: Yep. So tonight, today, we can talk about what has been keeping you up at night, what the final hiccups and things are, what you're really grateful for, and how it's all coming together, when the doors are gonna finally open, and how we had a rager of a party on Monday night.

Alex: We did. It was good. Community is already there, obviously.

Ra: Oh my God, yes.

Jenny: We had 135 of our closest friends come through to get their first sampling of Ramen by Ra.

Alex: And family. Family was there.

Ra: Yes. They came.

Jenny: Your mom—

Ra: She loves you guys.

Jenny: She was so cute. Your mom, you know, she saved a picture from the last, from the first opening? That was the cutest thing.

Ra: Yeah. She's a gem. She's a gem in so many ways. And she loves kids. So she loved your daughters.

Jenny: Yep. They were hanging out all night. I was dying.

Ra: Yeah, she was talking about—

Jenny: She's so sweet.

Ra: She's a gem. And my dad is just—I'm glad he came and he had a good time and he is a kid, so he was very surprised to see that line. They went to Katz and he was like, “Why are all these people in the line?” And my mom said, “Well, wait till we go to Ramen by Ra.” And he was like, “No way.” He was like, “Oh my God.”

Jenny: And it's true. So we had our friends and family launch party for Ramen by Ra and The Build on Monday, October 27th. And literally 135 folks showed up, waited outside on a brisk fall evening to celebrate with you and your new space. How did it feel?

Ra: Liberating. It also made me feel at home. You know, something so special about the space feels aged already, and it doesn't—yes, everything is new, everything's shiny, but the spirit has been there. And I feel like it connects to being able to say, “I live in that neighborhood too.”

And people can walk over and the neighbors were excited and it just feels like it's been there before. I don’t know how to explain it other than that. That’s how I can describe that night. It just felt like we've done this before and this space was perfect for that.

Jenny: Mm-hmm.

Ra: I'm so appreciative of it. That line also felt like we've been here before.

Jenny: Mm-hmm.

Ra: So, you know, seeing regulars, seeing family, seeing friends, meeting new people — it was something that my spirit needed. And also touching food, smelling food, tasting food — it was like a breath of fresh air. And tasting that broth to test it every time. And the aromas… ugh. I want broth now.

Alex: You're selling it. I'm hungry.

Jenny: I'm really hungry.

Alex: Tell us how it felt just physically in the kitchen. You weren't doing the type of service you'll be doing day-to-day. You obviously had a hundred people coming through within 45 minutes. You did an abbreviated version, a little bit of help-yourself, but still a lot of mouths to feed. How did it feel on your end with Brie and Kindu? The flow. We've talked about the flow a lot — how was the flow?

Ra: The flow was great. And there were things we did to hold temps in. That’s what makes the newness of something feel planted — when you can see where to make changes in real time, and those changes actually work for something so small and intimate and fast-turn.

Cooking felt like cooking at home. That’s who I am. That’s how I like to cook. Taking it back to how you were raised — preserving bacon fat, putting extra bacon in the warmer, using familiar tips passed down from your grandmother or aunt.

I love that about cooking, food, and community. And that’s how Brie and I felt — comfortable. When you're comfortable, it becomes a flow. It feels orchestrated.

And then having Kindu in the front — he's the handsome face who can talk to everybody — it felt homey. That’s a great feeling for a guest.

Alex: Exactly what you want.

Ra: Everyone felt that way. Seeing people look up at the arch — someone said, “Look at your light fixtures, they look like an apartment.” I asked the contractors to paint over it numerous times. They were like, “Huh?” And I said, “Yes, paint it — that’s what you see inside an apartment.”

Jenny: To the landlord who paints the window shut — you're like, “Do it.”

Ra: So someone noticed it! Yay.

Having platters out, doing communal passing, being able to walk around and hug guests — I wanted to see what that felt like. I didn't want Ramen by Ra to feel stiff in any way. And it doesn’t. It feels familiar.

Jenny: What are the final things you’re checking off the box before opening? We’re about two weeks out.

Ra: Putting a backsplash in the back. At Bowery Market we didn’t have one because the walls were plaster — easy to wipe. This space is limewash — great for aesthetic, not great for steam. So we’re getting an antique black-mirror backsplash. Helps the look, and also helps me see what’s going on behind me.

Jenny: Then you can see in the mirror.

Ra: Yes, and I feel more comfortable with that.

Alex: Was that a learning from friends and family?

Ra: Yes. We turn around a lot. I thought instantly — we need a mirror.

We’re also getting our gate installed. We had a temporary short gate, but the full eight-foot gate finally came. We got tagged on the window the day before the photoshoot.

Jenny: On your brand-new storefront??

Ra: Yup. We painted over it. And installed cameras — two outside, two inside. Alarm system too. Now I can sleep at night.

Jenny: Were these expensive add-ons?

Ra: The gate was very expensive. It was $400 plus $400 shipping. I was like — $800 for a gate? But otherwise I wouldn’t sleep at night. Backsplash tiles are around $470 a box plus install. Worth it for function and peace of mind.

Jenny: And the heaters?

Ra: They got stolen.

Jenny: Mmhmm.

Ra: At first we had HVAC above the door. But once I started cooking for photoshoots, the space got muggy — we needed the window open. So we moved the HVAC, added baseboard heaters closer to customers. We wouldn’t have known that until we cooked.

Jenny: This is why you did your month. Has it been a full month?

Ra: Construction stopped two weeks ago — so it’s been a month and change. By the time reservations start on the 15th, it’ll be closer to a month and two weeks.

Jenny: And how are we feeling on cash?

Ra: Good. I got a grant! And applied for another. Cash flow is steady — around $25K. We haven't touched the business Amex. Construction debt is on other cards. Food and beverage will go on Amex for clean accounting.

Jenny: Rent started October 1?

Ra: Yes. And I'm already paying back the debt. That's why reservations opening on November 1 matters — a few days of bookings covers the month.

Alex: So you’ll book two weeks out.

Ra: Yes. Our projections: $3,000 a day. Rent is $3,700, so if I make my month in a day — we’re good. I padded $5K to cover all monthly expenses. If we make $5K in a day or two — perfect.

Jenny: Incredible.

Ra: First two weeks of reservations brought in $18K. If we open earlier or later, that grows. Add window and merch — and we'll comfortably hit $40K a month. Kindu says shoot for $50K.

Jenny: At $40K, how fast can you pay off debt?

Ra: Six months.

Jenny: Amazing.

Ra: Pre-orders make it possible. At Bowery Market, we opened in December and were out of debt by the following February.

Alex: When does the morning window open?

Ra: Thursday. We tested giving out free ramen cups to understand volume. Next week we'll do Square pre-ordering. This week — just open the window and see what happens.

Jenny: How did running the window feel with seated service?

Ra: Great. Brie handled baos and the window flow while I ran the counter. She needs to answer every question — who we are, hours, how to get in — because everyone is curious.

Jenny: And no electricity issues?

Ra: We tested everything. The mini oven outlet only pulls one appliance. So we alternate. Tea has to go on a burner. We figured out which burners to assign.

Jenny: How are you taking care of you now that you’ve shifted into service mode?

Ra: I slept all day yesterday. It was great. I thought today would be short, but it wasn’t — media, exposure, everything. Tonight I'm treating myself to Miss Lily’s. After Sunday service we went to Vics like the old days — felt familiar.

Sleeping helps. Rituals help. And silence.

Jenny: Next reservation drop is December 1 for December 16–31. Then December 15 for January. And merch drops in December?

Ra: Yes. Nat is shooting it. We’re doing gift boxes — ribbon, mistletoe. People loved the merch during friends and family. December is perfect — holidays and our anniversary.

Jenny: Anything else you want listeners to know?

Ra: Thank you for the love and support. We’re grateful for all feedback — improvements or praise. Pre-ordering lets us understand our business in advance and stay strong as a small business. We want to feed you all. Sip soon.

Jenny: Slurp soon.

Alex: Slurp soon.

Ra: Thank you.