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Urban Chez in Madison. (Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - About two months after Urban Chez launched to the Madison County community, owner Warren Siao noticed something was off based on his projections for the New York-inspired eatery.

Food costs were in the 75-percent range, when they should have been around 25, and labor was 98 percent, when it should have been in the 30s. The kitchen was inefficient, and parts of the restaurant were still unfinished.

Siao, a first-time restaurant owner, admits he "jumped into it a little too fast without really getting all of the details nailed down."

"I closed it down before we got deeper into the hole," he told AL.com. "And we regrouped all of our staff. We took our menu, we did a deep dive into it to see how it looked and why the numbers were not coming out right."

Looking to reopen in November in the Promenade Point shopping center, the 2,800-square-foot Urban Chez has been empty of customers for months as Siao and General Manager Rebel Judge work to reorganize the restaurant and bring in new partners who have previous culinary experience.

Crowdfunding through Kickstarter

They hope to do that through their new Kickstarter campaign, which aims to raise $25,000 by Oct. 31 -- enough to sustain the business for a while until things hopefully take off. Kickstarter, which reported $480 million in online pledges in 2013, gives individuals and companies the opportunity to "crowdfund" for creative projects, big or small.

Since 2009, the popular website has attracted 7.2 million "backers" who have pledged $1 billion, funding 72,000 projects. Kickstarter runs on an all-or-nothing principle, meaning a project does not receive any money if the fundraising goal fails.

"It's a little bit scary because you want to say this is how much we'd like to raise and this is how much we need, but at the same time, it's like the Rubicon," Judge said. "If you don't cross it, you see all those folks who were willing to help you, and it kind of all goes away."

But Judge and Siao feel confident they will garner enough support to help jumpstart the now-closed restaurant once again.

During its short reign in Madison County, the restaurant was named one of AL.com's Best Eats (So Far) of 2014. Although their food went over well with customers, Siao said they have revamped the old menu by throwing out the dishes that didn't sell and keeping the ones that were popular.

They also plan to add more daily specials, catering, salad options and local craft beer choices.

The patio, a late addition at Urban Chez, wasn't finished when the restaurant opened in April, but Siao and Judge plan to add umbrellas, a covered enclosure and other features to the outdoor space. Urban Chez will also extend its weekend hours and feature live entertainment.

The restaurant's 17 employees were forced to find other jobs after the closure in June, but Judge said most of the staff members have plans to come back when Urban Chez reopens this fall.

Bringing in the community

"The restaurant market in Huntsville/Madison in the summer is not the best time to open a restaurant," Judge said. "Had we known that and had we talked to more experts in the area, we probably would've waited until August to open up."

At the time this story was published, the Kickstarter campaign had about $650 in donations. Money raised will help fund patio/kitchen improvements, portable outdoor heaters, kitchen equipment, TV sets, beer mugs with Urban Chez's logo, two portable point-of-sale handsets, catering supplies and more.

Siao said they chose crowdfunding instead of traditional investors because "we built this place" around the community. Everything -- from the website to the decor to the artwork on the walls -- was made possible by local individuals and organizations.

"We want to bring the community to come and partake in this so we can keep that feel," he said. "Otherwise, it will just be like any other chain restaurant, just like any other restaurant out there."

To check out the campaign, visit tinyurl.com/qetp4l3.

Updated at 10:05 p.m. to clarify the restaurant has a Madison address but is in Huntsville-annexed Madison County.