It's an idea that has turned into a reality.
"We wanted to bring some dishes to abilene, some of our favorite dishes, that' we've had across the country that we couldn't get here," said Jim Jackson, co-own of Abi Haus.
But that dream came with a price.
"There's a lot of permits that you have to get, there's a lot of approval you have to get throughout the city. Just a laundry list of things that you have to stay on top of," Jackson explained.
Coordinating with the contractors and the city has made it difficult at times, the most difficult part being the wait to open.
"It's frustrating for us with the city sometimes because, you know, we have 24 employees that we're hiring and we want to get them in working as soon as possible," Jackson said. "But on the other hand, the city has multiple projects going on. We're not the only thing going on in abilene right now."
Some set-backs have been getting the building, which is from the 1800s, up to modern day code.
"Originally we were going to have the bar was going to be upstairs. But due to handicap access we had to bring everything to the first floor," he explained.
And having everything ready to go, but just waiting for the city's okay.
"A lot of things are in place, but not hooked up. So no water works, no drains are hooked up."
Which has created more frustrations.
"Obviously we're not generating any revenue for those three weeks. We still have rent, we still have bills to pay," Jackson said.
But the two aren't giving up on their dreams just yet.
"It's frustrating for us to balance, you know, the waiting with the anticipation that everyone has," said Jackson. "And we're just trying to stay positive."
Abi Haus owners said they are hoping to open mid-October.
"We wanted to bring some dishes to abilene, some of our favorite dishes, that' we've had across the country that we couldn't get here," said Jim Jackson, co-own of Abi Haus.
But that dream came with a price.
"There's a lot of permits that you have to get, there's a lot of approval you have to get throughout the city. Just a laundry list of things that you have to stay on top of," Jackson explained.
Coordinating with the contractors and the city has made it difficult at times, the most difficult part being the wait to open.
"It's frustrating for us with the city sometimes because, you know, we have 24 employees that we're hiring and we want to get them in working as soon as possible," Jackson said. "But on the other hand, the city has multiple projects going on. We're not the only thing going on in abilene right now."
Some set-backs have been getting the building, which is from the 1800s, up to modern day code.
"Originally we were going to have the bar was going to be upstairs. But due to handicap access we had to bring everything to the first floor," he explained.
And having everything ready to go, but just waiting for the city's okay.
"A lot of things are in place, but not hooked up. So no water works, no drains are hooked up."
Which has created more frustrations.
"Obviously we're not generating any revenue for those three weeks. We still have rent, we still have bills to pay," Jackson said.
But the two aren't giving up on their dreams just yet.
"It's frustrating for us to balance, you know, the waiting with the anticipation that everyone has," said Jackson. "And we're just trying to stay positive."
Abi Haus owners said they are hoping to open mid-October.
