[Insert clever title]

Wow this semester is OVER already!?!? Times flies when you're stressed, lol. So I had 3 jobs this semester; RutgersZone, Quad 3 Prez and Student. All 3 required a lot of attenetion and time. It was hard in the beginning but I'm glad I did it. It was a challenge nessecary for my growth as a person. It taught me about time management and responsibilty. As managers, we were all presented tasks from Matt that made us step outside of our comfort zones. These tasks were meant to challenege us, but he knew we could handle it and 'rock it' as he says. haha. He was great with that, and he helped each of us along the way. I feel blessed because I was given this oppurtunity. This is an experience that not everyone will get and I love being a part of it. So to every crew member, all the managers and Matt thanks for making me better through this experience.

Phylifa Moore =)

First Semester Reflection

RutgersZone managers and staff survived the first semester of business! In reflection, we have had some successes and some failures. At the risk of sounding nostalgic, my experience is largely attributed to the crew members whom have kept the energy alive. Teamwork is the essence of what we do here. Some managers may disagree and say customer service or creating an experience, but in my opinion those two goals are unachievable without teamwork.

I have never worked in and WITH a large group of people for more than a constrained period of time. Being a RutgersZone manager has given me this experience, allowed me to take risk, fail, and succeed.


Also, I have never managed anyone before. I am thankful for when crew members work to there utmost potential while on duty, because it allows for me to focus on my specific duties as a manager. I am thankful for the involvement of the staff outside of "shift work", because I can observe the growth of their communication skills, operational skills, and overall self esteem. And oddly enough, I am thankful for the crew members that have made mistakes for me to correct. Their mistakes have given me an opportunity to practice reprimanding, correcting, and building a one-to-one relationship with them. There is something extremely personal about when a person makes a mistake. He or she becomes very vulnerable to their manager. Each person reacts in a different way whether it is defense, pity, apology, or silence. Each situation has allowed me to test myself in this role. And let us not forget that I also report to a manager. Living through enteractions I have with my staff helps me be a better employee to my boss.

One more semester left for me & lots to do!
Chat soon.
Becky

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas..... Already?!

Hi all! I can't believe that it's already December - where does the time go?! Things are wrapping up at the Zone for the semester and (oh joy) finals are on the way. It's really weird to think that this semester is coming to a close so soon. I feel like I just started my senior year a few weeks ago! This past week the managers were able to get together for an end of the semester manager dinner which was really nice. Things have been crazy for all of us so it was a nice diversion for a few hours - with good food and good people! There's nothing better than group get togethers, especially so close to Christmas. It makes you thankful and happy to be surrounded by great people everyday - and i'm happy to have them as friends as well as co-workers.

See you next time,
Lisa


P.S. - Shout out to Sam B. and Bridget, the amazing crew members on duty right now!

Christmas Time is here!

....I feel like that song and Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" jump-start my Christmas spirit. However this year along with Christmas spirit I have a bit of worry. We are an ice cream shoppe. How can we sell ice cream during the coldest months of the year when people want warm pie and hot chocolate? That is my dilemma and task as promotions manager. What will make people want to buy a product that contradicts their desires to be warm? Just a little venting question for you readers out there (there are readers here right?).

Phylisha =) [aka Phylifa]

Thanksgiving Celebration with New Brunswick Charter School

Hey Y'all - Ashley here :) I am writing to tell you about our second community service event. This one was not only successful, but so special.

As you might know already, my position at the RutgerZone is manager of Outreach - part of my job is to develop community service/volunteer opportunities for my staff and I to organize and participate in. The RutgerZone is not only a place of employment or a place with games - but it also serves as a learning experience and a stepping stone for the students that work here. Around October I had been playing with the idea of having kids come to the zone for a special event. With the holidays coming up, it was the perfect opportunity to put this idea to reality.

I got in touch with the family coordinator from the New Brunswick Charter School, Ana. I gave her my ideas and vision for the event - to have a traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner for children who may not often get a chance to have a full dinner or time to spend with their family. We finally decided it would be best to have whole families come to the event.

Ana and some of the staff at the school nominated about 14 families to come to the event. And what a success it turned out to be. The families arrived on Livingston excited and thrilled - they walked into Livingston Hall to see the entire place decorated with festive decor and food ready to be served. As the RutgersZone staff welcomed them in, you could see the smiles on their faces lighten up - that was only the beginning.

We interacted with the families by joining them for dinner, dancing with the children and playing tag, doing arts and crafts, playing with an oversized parachute, giving out little goodie bags, etc. We even had our manager Adam dress up as Zoney the penguin! The RutgersZone staff really went out of their way to make this event special for the families that attended. I am so proud to have such an amazing staff that is willing to help and make a difference.

Not to be biased but I must say that the biggest hit of the day was the zone. Ice Cream and arcade games and kids is the perfect mix!

The families were so grateful and it was really gratifying to see them so happy. They got to take home pictures of themselves in the Big Red Chair - they were adorable!

As the holidays are here, it became apparent how important it is to step outside yourself and realize all that you have. For these kids, the smallest things we did made the biggest difference. It was an overwhelming feeling to know that we were making an impact on their lives.

Of course the event came with hardwork. My boss Matt and I spent hours upon hours together wracking our brains trying to come up with the best activities and a set schedule for the event. Our hard work paid off. I could not have been more happy with the way the event turned out.

A big THANK YOU to the staff that participated and to our good friend Alisa who was an AMAZING MC/Host for the event.

Thanks to Matt, Becky, Adam, Phylisha, Lisa, Ali, Dominique, Kyle, Alyssa, Tiffany, Sherina, Nicole, Alexandra, Alisa, Bridget :D You guys are amazing!

Our staff was unbelievably great to the kids, to the families, and to each other. Although this was about helping families in need, it also gave our staff a chance to bond with each other and make a difference in our community as a whole.

I am so happy to have the job that I do where I am able to do these sorts of things and look forward to future events!! :)

Pictures are coming!!

--Ashley :P

I know way too many people here right now who I didn't know last year....

As this Thanksgiving holiday rolls around, I notice that people begin to ask one question: What are you thankful for? This simple question takes some people days to answer, because they are thankful for many things. Others take seconds because they know exactly what they are thankful for. I usually answer the question with common things. For example I'm thankful for my family, for life, and for the opportunities afforded to me throughout my life.
Tonight I write this post because I have new things to be thankful for. I have a list of 8 brand new things that I can say I'm thankful for, and that are unique to me. Those 8 things are the 8 different people who have been introduced into my life through this great place we call the RutgersZone. Those people are the 6 other managers who have become my extended family, the crew (yes I'm counting them as 1...so what), and that guy who is overly fascinated with my mother, Matt Ferguson. I'm thankful for all the new people in my life who are all amazing and that I love with all my heart.

Phylisha =)

RUZONE visits the NJ DEVILS- what a trip!

Friday afternoon the entire RutgersZone staff went to visit the Prudential Center and saw the NJ Devils get their first home win of the season! We departed the Zone at 2:45 and rode the bus up to the Prudential Center in Newark. When we arrived, we were able to talk to Will, who works in Marketing, and Joe and Adrienne, who work in Guest Services. They had a lot of great advice about running a business and getting people to your venue. One thing I specifically remembered was the discussion about how people perceive value differently now that the economy has not been so good, and how the Prudential Center staff has worked on different things to make customers' experience excellent. After that, we ate dinner, and then Will gave us a tour of the Prudential Center, which is the coolest building ever! The facility has something for everyone to enjoy at various price ranges, and allows customers to create their own different experiences. I was just impressed by the cushioned seats, which made watching the game much more comfortable. After the tour, we did some team building and brainstorming exercises, then watched the game. Hockey is a very interesting sport, especially when the players fought, and the ushers dancing to "All the Single Ladies"! But when the Devil's won, everyone was excited, and we even got high-fived by the staff members on our way out. Overall, it was a great experience and we got lots of ideas to implement in the Zone!

Hostest with the mostest......

On Wednesday we had our very first guest host for Buzztime Trivia....yayyyyy!!! Elyse from RUPA rocked the mic and entertained everyone in the audience. She hyped up the crowd while wearing her red sequence blazer from the summer orientation game show. As our first guest host she did really amazing and I think she should host again sometime soon (that's a subliminal request for her if she's reading this, lol). Every one of our Buzztime playmakers was being used, meaning we had a full game, which was great. Of course there were obstacles, I mean because this is the RutgersZone. We ran out of tortilla chips so we couldn't serve our usually Spinach Artichoke dip appetizer, so instead we served our pizza sticks. Everyone really loved those because they ate them quicker than a daily vitamin, haha (that's funny right. Right?). Then I was informed earlier in the day that RUPA representatives couldn't be there so I ihad to take care of prize distribution and information collection form the team winners.

The little things didn't bother me because at the end of the night the teams enjoyed themselves. Congrats to EMSOP for winning!

On a different note, as the semester is winding down I am experiencing the stressors of having 3 jobs; RutgersZone, RHA and Student. It gets tough sometimes but it's worth it for the experience in the end. It is helping me make connections and network with important people around campus.

Phylisha (a.k.a Phylifa and Hyli A. Ore) =)

Remember that time...?

So, I probably had just the coolest experience I've ever had associated with this place recently. It was a Friday and we had scheduled and coordinated a private event for a recruitment day with the Women's Basketball team. We had been commissioned to make an amazing events to show the prospective students what it means to be a Scarlet Knight.

To do so, we thought that decorating the space in a sports-themed manner would be very fitting. One of the ways we wanted to showcase our event-planning prowess was to have balloons throughout the space. In order to have blown-up balloons, we had to go out to a big, rusty trailer that has our helium tank in it. When we got there and opened it...it was completely empty. Matt forgot to tell me that he had moved all of the stuff from the trailer into the smaller trailer that was by the original trailer. I was kind of freaking out when I saw the empty trailer.

Eventually, though, we got the Zone completely decorated and it looked great. We had to wait a while for the event to start, as the girls were going through a final information session, but finally we got the event started. It was amazing. All of these great athletes enjoying the space, challenging each other to basketball, parents playing pool. Then, the topping on the sundae was when C. Vivian Stringer walked through the door. It was great to see her enjoying the event. She even told us how great it was and let us get a picture with her (Below). I loved talking with such a coaching legend and even got to joke with her about Iowa (my original home). It was a great event with dozens of happy guests, as well as having the satisfaction of helping Rutgers recruit some more great women's basketball players!

I know. I look like a ghost in the picture because of the flash. Maybe I'll get another one at the next Rutger's Women's Basketball event!

-Adam

November Novelties

So it is Novemberrr! I can't believe how fast this semester has flown by! With a full course load and a dedication to the RutgersZone, it feels like just yesterday we were training for this position. Exciting things have been happening around here as you can tell if you've been keeping up with the blog. We FINALLY HAVE APPS! And boy are they delicious! I could eat the Spinach and Artichoke Dip everyday its yummy yummy :)

Other than that there have been some other exciting things happening for me - The November Community Service Project is fast approaching and yes, I must admit I am getting a little nervous!! We are planning a Thanksgiving Day dinner for families of the New Brunswick Charter School. These families are in need, not only in need for a full and healthy meal, but after meeting with a woman in charge of family coordinating for the school, I also learned that the families are in need of spending time with each other. For some of the families, it is not often that they get to sit down together and have a meal. And even though some families do spend time together, sometimes there is just a lack of connection. Our goal for the dinner is to create a positive dinner and a chance for some family fun. We are going to have a traditional dinner but we are also going to have some arts and crafts activities - drawing hand turkeys, having the children write about what they are thankful for, etc. I'm really looking forward to the event and I hope that each family will be able to take something away from it and remember it for a long time.

I also got the chance to work an event where the women's basketball team was here doing some sort of recruiting thing. It was really fun to meet the players and see them having a good time. It's cool that the zone is a place where we can hold events like that.

I'll be checking in next week to keep you updated with what's happening with the November event - keep your fingers crossed that it is a success!

Also - if you haven't checked out our new and revamped facebook page - do it! http://www.facebook.com/rutgerszone

Until next time,

--Ashley

Day and Night?

So today I worked my first Sunday night shift - which was a lot different than my normal Sunday morning/afternoon shift. It was weird adjusting to the closing procedures instead of the typical morning procedures. Opening makes time go a lot faster while closing seems to lag on. Even though football was on all day (NICE OT WIN, JETS!), time seemed to go by slowly. We had a lot of fun fans in the Zone today who we interacted with, which was fun. But overall - I had great staff with me today so we got a lot of the closing tasks done way before the Zone even closed. Our crew members are really starting to show that they have the tasks down, making it a lot easier at the end of the day. I'm really impressed by how the staff quickly and effectively gets their tasks done. YEAH TEAM! We also have a total of three crew members on duty by the end of the night, which makes clean up easier. Overall, closing was easier, especially because we worked together as a team and got everything done at a reasonable time. Plus, I was more energized since the coffee kicked in way before my shift :)

See you next Sunday for football at the Zone!!!
-Lisa

APPS ARE HERE! (Pauly D voice)

This week we started serving our new appetizers at the Zone. We now have Spinach & Artichoke dip, Soft Pretzels, Pepperoni Pizza Sticks, and "Nachos". Sunday is usually really slow but already today we've sold 3 orders of pretzels and 2 orders of pizza sticks and it's only 2pm! I'm happy we finally have some food because I think it will make more people want to come and hang out. My favorite appetizer so far is the pizza sticks. If I had more than $0.07 on my RU Express I would be devouring an order right now. Also really love the cheese sauce. It's just so delicious! I need to upload a picture soon.

Anywayyy, this morning the Dream Team (aka me and Bridget (aka October Employee of the Month)) opened up the space. I never opened on a Sunday so it was a little different than usual since I had to clean the ice cream case and sanitizer the mug chiller. You learn a new thing everyday. Another crew member was scheduled to work however she never showed up. I called her and left a message before starting my first write up ever. Finally she called back and I learned that she had spoken to Matt about not working two weeks ago and emailed Lisa. The moral of the story is that we still need to improve our communication between employees to have a successful team. The simple miscommunication could have caused the crew member to have unwarranted points, which would not have been a good thing.

Super excited for the Devils game fridayyy!

Ta ta for now,

Broelle

Any soda for 25 cents?

On Friday I had two customers come to the bar and ask for three drinks. It played out like any other order, they asked what types of drinks we had, I showed them our flyer and then they made their decisions. Things started to get weird when one of the customers handed me a dollar for the order. I looked at him oddly. I had to clarify with him that he wanted three drinks. He said yes, and he looked shocked when I told him I would need 2 more dollar bills, He said "But it says here soda costs 25 cents." I quickly looked at the flyer he was referring to and laughed. On our soda flyer at the bottom it says " Cheery or Vanilla Can Be Added To Any Soda For Just 25 cents!" The problem is that the sentence is split up onto 2 lines. So the customer had read "Any Soda For Just 25 cents," forgetting to read the top line, and misleading him to think that our sodas were actually that cheap.

When I pointed out the mistake the two customers laughed but were slightly disappointed. They then had to borrow two dollars from friends. This had defiantly been the funniest thing to happen to me in a while at the Zone.

The moral of the story today children is: READ CAREFULLY!!!

Also in regards to reading; customers please read the sign right in front of the register that says cash and RU Express ONLY and we now have our flavors written on the gelato case, do not ask what flavors we have.

Phylisha =)

(AKA Phylifa and Hyli_a_ore)

Crunched like dry leaves... for time that is

Hello all.
Things have been catching up with me. I am doing a 225 hour internship this semester, and need to start going in more. Then there is homework. And office hours. And shifts. Oh yea, and regular classes. Deadlines are popping up left and right. Maybe I will find time to sleep soon, or hang out with friends. In the mean time, coffee is a wonderful thing. And prioritizing what to accomplish during shifts and office hours. Sometimes the things that you want to do during office hours are not the most urgent things that need to get done, but you still have to do the work. What is really getting me through shifts is our outstanding crew though. Knowing that when I open Thursday mornings, Melissa just knows her stuff and hops to it makes it easier to count out the bank, or when she notices that the garbage needs to be taken out so we have a more hygenic environment. And closing last night, when Sam B, Steph Thomas, and I had an impromptu Time Warp Dance party while closing up-sometimes these things just happen when you're in the Zone (haha). I think we hired a great group of people, and it is making working here a really cool experience, especially during crunch time. Keep up the great work guys!

Celebrate Halloween with a sample of Pumpkin Ice Cream!!!

The title of this blog is a catchy phrase that I use when handing out free ice cream samples. It works....sometimes lol.
So for the past 3 weeks I have been doing our promotional tables. I created a poster board replica of our 5 TV's behind the bar. Each small TV has information about the Zone or pictures from past events. The middle 'video wall' is where people write their favorite TV Shows. I thought it would be a cool way to know our customers favorite shows so that we know what should be on our televisions. The Office, House, and How I Meet Your Mother are the most popular.
We have also been giving out candy and coupons to people who correctly answer trivia questions about the Zone. This has been fun because people give the most outlandish answers. For instance one of the questions is how many pool tables do we have. Recently someone answered 8....Yeaaa....she won candy for effort.
My biggest dilemma is trying to find something that will defiantly draw people in. Candy is cool, but some people really don't want to give up a small fraction of their time to win the delicious treats. So my task is to find a successful giveaway. Something not to expensive but will attract a lot of people to our table.
If you have suggestions or feedback let me know, because it will help our promotions in the long run.

Phylisha =)

Volunteer Pictures for the NJWAN 5k

7AM blowing up balloons!

Cheer Squad III - Bridget and I

the bus -- visit that website to see how you can help!

Jess, Dom, Joelle, and Phylisha aka Cheer Squad II

Pumpkin Palooza

Sunday we had our monthly staff meeting. The first meeting in September was a lot of information and was honestly pretty boring. For October, we decided to end the meeting with a fun activity and also introduced our Employee of the Month award. Each month the managers and Matt will be choosing one staff member that has really embodied our T.O.K.E.N philosophy and is overall a great asset to the RutgersZone team. Our five finalists were Nick, Melissa, Jaime, Bridget, and Nicole, who each received a $5 RU Express gift card. And the winner was... BRIDGET! Bridget is a great team player and always greets the customers with a positive attitude and a smile. She not only won the title of Employee of the Month but also a $25 RU Express gift card. Yayy!

As I mentioned, we ended our meeting with a fun activity. Keeping with the Halloween spirit, we carved pumpkins! Each manager had a team of 2-3 crew members and had to carve their pumpkin in a RutgersZone theme. My team (aka the best team ever) consisted of Nick, Nicole, and Jess. Our immediate idea was to use our RutgersZone mascot/employee Domo! Jess sketched Domo's likeness onto the pumpkin and then Nick and Nicole got to work carving our just the right pieces to make the pumpkin look fantastic. Of course I supervised the process and stayed out of the way while the creative genius' were at work. When all the

teams were finished Matt picked out the best pumpkin. Surprise, surprise. We wonnnn!

NJWAN Walk/Run for Fun!

This past Saturday was our first Volunteer event! It was a big success. We volunteered for NJWAN which is an organization that benefits woman with HIV/AIDS. They were hosting a 5k walk/run and needed volunteers to help with registration, setting up, distributing water/snacks, and cheering on the participants. Matt picked me up around 6AM with coffee and donuts! It was early and we were both a little out of it but that only added to the experience.

So we hopped in the student life van - or taxi rather - to pick up everyone that was going to help out that day. THANK YOU TO MATT, MEL, NICOLE, BRIDGET, DOM, PHYLISHA, BECKY, JOELLE, AND JESS! Y'ALL ROCK :D

The weather was pretty cold when we arrived and during the event but this didn't affect how much fun we had. We all split up into cheering groups after blowing up balloons and getting all set up. I was with Mel and Nicole most of the day and we had a great time cheering on the runners/walkers. We had two signs that read "Good Job" and "Don't Stop Believing." We kept singing the Journey song as people went past. Mel even learned how to play Jingle Bells on her flute/whistle/noise maker - she's crazy but a great cheerleader :)

It was so rewarding to see how happy the participants got when we would call out their specific number and tell them good job. It was even more rewarding to see how thankful the woman running the event was to have us all there. It was a day full of thank yous and I think it is safe to say that we all felt good after helping out.

Being the Manager of Outreach really has its rewards I'm so happy to be able to help our community and bond with the staff while doing so.

Check back for pictures of the event!

-Ashley :D

Relax......

Yeah..... this pretty much describes my life right now.

After a chaotic week of exams and running on empty, I didn't think I had anything left of me to dedicate to work. You know, being a college student is great and all, but exams take the best of you. The worst part is when everything hits you at once!!

So, when I came into work this past week, I wasn't completely myself. It was one of those weeks that everything hits you at once. I didn't feel like I was doing my best, which provoked me to change the way I do things in my life. In the past I was always so good at time management, but these past few weeks proved to me that I was all mixed up. The best thing I could do was bring my best personality and just go with it. That probably was the best decision I made all week and even the customers noticed. It actually made me feel better about my week!

When I was about to leave the other day, I had a "moment" and thought that there was trouble with my bank. I am usually consistent, but when something like that happens, it makes you freak out.... at least a little bit. Needless to say, I overreacted for a bit and wasn't thinking clearly. When I took a few seconds to relax and reevaluate, I realized that I had overlooked something. It's so easy to overlook little things if you panic. It just made me realize that you can't sweat the little things and you shouldn't let it affect you at work. :)


Until next time,
Lisa

Woof Status

Last week started off pretty rough. I came into my shift Monday, after being a COMPLETE grouch at the Sunday meeting, with yet another bad attitude. Clearly it did not go unnoticed which prompted Matt and I to have a talk. When I went home that night, I realized bringing my emotional baggage into work was just going to spread a negative feeling to both staff and customers, if it had not already. For my next shift, I made sure I checked my attitude at the door and came in with high spirits. Work is much more enjoyable for me and the crew when we are working efficiently and having a good time.

For the manager meeting last night, we went over a lot of good points on how to improve our managing techniques. I feel as though I haven't been bringing up issues with the crew members that have been bothering me, so I will definitely work towards improving that this week and in the future. Also, this week I'm starting inventory and once it's complete it will help us out a lot and make everything a million times easier. yayy!

Coachella 2010 - Viral Marketing

Hello Blog-o-sphere...

I want to find a way to come up with a crazy fun amazing viral marketing campaign for the RutgersZone.  I love this video of the Coachella Music Festival in California.  No camera tricks or obnoxious jokes.  They market who they are....just at an angle we aren't used to.  Brilliant.

How do we do this?  Who are we?

October, yea.

So it's once again time for my blog. Some updates since the last time.
The Scarlet Knight Soul Mate Search has been moved to February, so keep your eyes out for a surprise Halloween themed program on the 28th! And keep thinking about your ideas for the SK's soul mate, we're just giving you more time to be awesome! Also, last Tuesday Casual Harmony performed at Tunes on Tuesday, which was pretty sweet. It was our first acapella performance in the Zone, and I was worried about the acoustics, but everything sounded great!
Tomorrow night we have our first open mic night at the Zone, and the first one that I have ever created or worked, so it should be interesting. I hope everyone shows up, and that transitions between artists go smoothly and that everyone has a good time! Make sure to come out and support your friends!

Also, the Jersey Shore season finale will be shown in the Zone this Thursday- bring your guido/guidette best! First 100 customers get free Stunna Shades starting at 10! Make sure to GTL before you show up!

The First 2AM

This past week was my first time closing on a Thursday at 2AM. I must say that although i was slightly dreading the long night it wasn't as terrible as I thought. That particular night differed a little from the usual Thursday though because there was another event taking place. In the student center outside of the zone, there were two tables set up for alcohol awareness and safe sex information. The safe sex table was giving out free condoms and had these plastic bulls that had a fact on them. I had to send my crew out to clean up the space a couple of times to collect all the condoms that people left laying around - that sounds strange - they weren't open; well not all of them were open. This is getting weird so anyway...

I think the crew is finally starting to feel comfortable with everything. At our manager meeting last week we realized that we were slacking a little in the training so this week I really tried to step it up and get all of the training out of the way!

This weekend is also our volunteer event for NJWAN and we have a lot of people coming out so I'm really happy the crew is just as excited as I am about it.

Keep checking in!

-Ashley

What A Knight!

We already know that there isn't a dull moment in the RutgersZone, something interesting is always happening. Today was no different. Our mascot, The Scarlet Knight, and his camera crew came into the Zone and filmed a segment for the Knight's submission into a contest. RutgersZone is going global!!! lol. The Knight did a spoof of The Jersey Shore, played some pool, and even flirted with Jess and Dominique.

Phylisha =)

Buzztime almost a buzzkill....

On Wednesday I went into the Zone so that I could talk to whoever would be working during Buzztime Trivia. I just wanted to make sure that they were comfortable with hosting the event. Adam told me that he would be working during that time, so I started telling him about the procedures to Trivia Night, when Joelle discovers that Buzztime was actually not working. Grrrr....

Lucky the problem was discovered about an hour and a half before the event so we had time. Together we tried every way we could think of to fix Buzztime. Every intial attempt failed. Turning the tuners on and off...didn't work. Changing the channel...nope. Looking for a solution on the website....=(. So I had to call Buzztime customer service and pray that they knew what was going on.

Turns out that the pesky little blackout on Sunday was the culprit. It turned the computer that controls Buzztime off. (Managers for future reference the Dell computer below the Buzztime tuners is for Buzztime....who knew? Obviously not Phylisha). So Latrice, the nice customer sevice lady, walked me through the process of fixing our system. It all worked out and Adam had a great night hosting Buzztime!

Phylisha =)

Bed Race - Charity Champions!

I could not be more PROUD of the crew members who participated and came out to support our winning team. Homecoming Bed Races is a fairly new tradition which involves several exceptional Rutgers Student Organizations who volunteer a night of their lives for this charity.

This year's fundraisers was dedicated to hats and gloves for the New Brunswick grade-school students, most of whom don't own a single pair of gloves and all walk to school .(an obvious concern in winter months)

Our team raised the MOST hats and gloves out of all the student organizations involved!




Talk to you soon,
Becky

Ultra Current

Wednesday Morning staff =)

Sam (left) and Sherina (right) are loving our new digital camera!

Thursday Late Night: BALLIN!

It was that time of the month again... the one time that I have to work the 11pm-2am shift at the Zone. After a very stressful and hectic week, I finished my physics lab and begrudgingly began the walk to the College Hall bus stop on Douglass campus. For some reason I decided to bring my iPod that day so I put on my headphones, turned up the House, and tried getting excited for work. The previous time I worked I was not in such a great mood/state of mind so I'm pretty sure Matt was surprised when I danced into the Zone at 10:30. I'm not sure if it was "Dynamite" pumping through the speakers or the fact that Matt told me we would be getting out early, but I caught my second wind. The crew did a great job serving all the cones and cleaning the space. They have definitely become more comfortable with the space and each other so I barely have to tell them how to do anything anymore.

Despite the fact that I often complain about work, I am really happy to have the opportunity to be part of the RutgersZone. I've been having a really hard time with getting all my work and school tasks completed lately and it feels really good to have people that are willing to listen and offer support and suggestions. I said it at the first staff meeting, but I really didn't know what to expect being put in this situation with six people I didn't know very well. I am so happy that we all get along and I have definitely made some great friends. I really hope that the crew have a similar experience and really enjoy the job and the people they work with. Waayyy too much emotion shared, very uncharacteristic of me SO DON'T EXPECT ANYMORE OF IT haha

Until next time,

Joelle

Photo Shoot!!!

During my shift on Tuesday, Matthew and I worked with Marketing on a photo shoot with all the delicious food the Zone offers. Perhaps it is my love for ice cream or my embarrassing appreciation (see also, obsession) with fashion photography, either way this was WAY FUN!

Marketing set up white paper (very chic) for the background and floor, powered a Nikon camera, and grabbed a tri-pod, while Kyle was blending milkshakes. I would top each shake with ribbons of whipped cream and lace chocolate syrup over each white layer for decor. Then we would make our specialty desserts, decorating each plate with a mired of red, brown, white, colors which compose our delectable Brownie Sundae and create a bright lime green mint chocolate chip sundae with marshmallow sauce and chocolate sprinkles. It was heavenly for the eyes and palate. Some lucky customers even got free desserts on this day. HELLO?! We weren't going to let it all go to waste! Next time, it could be you!!!

Examples Above

=)

---Becky

Stuff that happened in my shifts last week.

Hello readers- whoever you are. Create an account and comment, because I don't believe you exist.

Anyway, Tuesday night we had another Tunes program. It was an interesting experience. This was the first time we had more than 2 musicians hooked up to play, and we had a computer, guitar, bass, and piano hooked up. They started to warm up, and it sounded great, but they never stopped sound checking! I would be getting into a song, and then they would stop. 9:30 came and went, then 10... finally I had to go over and tell them we closed at 11! I didn't know what to do, but the artists seemed happy at the end, and we did have some people coming and going through out the night. Still, I guess I need to be more clear next time when I reach out to people! Tomorrow night, Casual Harmony will be performing, so come check them out!

Friday- I opened Friday for the first time, and oh gosh what a crazy shift. There was no ice cream left, so we were waiting for the ice cream delivery, and someone was supposed to be coming in to film- super crazy. The ice cream delivery got there, and it was a ton of ice cream. I mean a lot. We didn't have room to store them all in our freezers- so we had to scoop the little sample cups for the promo tables this week (everyone should go check them out!!). From basically the start of the day, me and crew rotated scooping, putting lids on, and labeling ice cream cups, then running them to various freezers. It was exhausting, the ice cream was so soft it was annoying to scoop, and if I ever smell pumpkin ice cream again, I will probs be sick. I don't understand why pumpkin entered the human diet. So strange. But hopefully everyone who checks out the promo tables will appreciate our hard work! (most likely though, they will eat the ice cream and have no idea... le sigh).

Finally, everyone should gear up for our big October program- Find the Scarlet Knight His Soul Mate! The goal is to help the Scarlet Knight find a companion, whether it be his princess, number one fan, best bro (brooomannce), or someone we haven't even thought of yet! All are welcome to enter, and there will be some pretty sweet prizes! I am kinda worried about getting it all done, but also know that it is going to be super awesome and lots of fun for everyone! Stay tuned for more details!!!

Blacked out..... in the Zone

Today started off as just a normal Sunday shift with football and fun all day long. I got done with my shift around 6pm, so I figured I'd just stay and hangout until our manager meeting later that night. Sam & I challenged one another to pool, Phylisha was cranking out tunes at the bar, and everyone was hanging out watching football. Everyone started hustling out after the games, leaving only the managers and crew members in the Zone.

Everything was great until the lights flickered and suddenly, in an instant, all of the power went out!!! My first reaction was "It wasn't me, right?" We all made sure that it wasn't an internal issue in the Zone. Once we inspected our area, we walked around the building and realized that power was out in the whole student center. SCARY!

Our reactions to the situation were shockingly calm and relaxed -- we didn't panic and we made sure that everything was okay in the Zone. We made sure to listen to the FM on duty for details, which I thought was really important.

The whole situation was a wake up call since we learned what to do in a situation like that, especially one that affects the whole student center. We made sure to lock up, clean up, and put away our perishable items appropriately. It was scary because I wasn't really sure where the ice cream was going - but now we know what to do in the future. More importantly, I know that I DESPISE dealing with blackouts, since I'm scared of the dark! :)

Stick with us,
Lisa

The Forgotten Pictures....

Call this a lazy blog if you want (as a sidenote it really wasn't because it took me over a half hour to format all the pictures *sigh*), but I feel like it's a great look back on the good times I've experienced in the Zone over its first month! They are all from my phone, and were originally intended to go on one of our social medias like Twitter. But I forgot a lot of them were there...so I'm posting them here =)

Radio City in NYC

Mr. P from Hibatchi Dinner

Our Bed Races Team!!!

True Blood Season Finale

Sunday Night Football

Phylisha =)

I am now the pool table technician !

I'm so excited I have a great story for you all.

So Saturday night we had two private events at the zone (yes, one of those was a bachelor party)! As we were setting up for the second event of the day, Matt and I were changing the light bulbs above the pool table. We're chatting and he's making fun of me and then OOPS - the light bulb went down the pocket ! Eeekkkkk. We both looked at each other in amazement like "Did that really just happen?"

We gathered the crew, which at that time were all girls. We each tried to squeeze our little hands down the pocket but in reality ended up pushing the bulb further and further down. We all tried to come up with creative ideas on how to get it out. Matt had the idea to use the Swiffer stick with tape to try and get the bulb to stick to the tape and then pull it out that way. After several failed attempts, Matt himself decided to try. Guess what happened??....

HE DROPPED THE SWIFFER STICK DOWN THE POCKET.

None of us could believe that now we had both a light bulb and a swiffer stick in the pocket. We tried using the pool table balls to move the objects around but I knew we were making the situation worse. Finally, Matt and I got underneath the table to do some investigating. Five minutes later, the entire upper part of my body was inside the pool table. I managed to get the swiffer stick out with ease, and even found an air hockey puck down there as well. The light bulb was tricky. It was sitting with the pool balls just trying to fit in. It did not want to come out. Matt came up with the creative idea to put the light bulb in a plastic bag and then break it. It worked!! We successfully retrieved the swiffer stick, the light bulb, and even a puck.

The events were successful and now I am fully confident in troubleshooting with the pool table.

I am now officially, the pool table technician.

Check back for some pictures of me inside the pool table that Matt had so much fun taking :)

Until next time

--Ashley

A Little Bit of Everything..

Hi all!

First and foremost - I want to thank everyone who showed up for Bed Races Thursday night. I'm so proud that as a first year team we were able to win the Charitable Chariot Award!! Woo hoo Zone!

Secondly, I'm really excited that we are working so well together as a team. Everyone is really getting into the groove of things and it's awesome to watch. I'm really proud of everyone for their efforts so far! You guys rock!

Over these few past weeks I've been a little concerned with cash management and ringing on the register. Although so many aspects of training have been covered, I still feel that the concept of cash management has a long way to go. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nervous every time I count out the bank for my shift because you never know what can happen in the course of a day with the bank! It has nothing to do with the staff, it's just something I get weary about. Cash handling can be a little scary - especially as a manager! I've definitely been a little crazy when it comes to watching over my staff near the register (sorry! nothing personal!). Having one person ring and another make the products has really been a successful system for us so far and saves a lot of time! :)

It's fun (and nervewracking) to learn new things every week and roll with the punches. Hopefully my worrying will be toned down a bit.... HOPEFULLY.

Stay along with us for the ride,
Lisa

The Perfect Bank...(and Fish)

This night had to be one of the best ever!

Anytime I had previously closed, my bank had always been under or over what it was supposed to be. It really started to get to me (as you can tell if you read my previous blog A Letter). This day was different though. I had the new crew, Nicole and Sam (C or B, sorry still don't know which is which), with me closing. It was the night of the Reel Big Fish Concert. Not many people came after the show as expected but we did get some shirtless guys begging for water because they were exhausted from a mosh pit.

Nicole and Sam were great workers that night. We had to defrost the gellato case as a weekly task that night, and Nicole fit a good portion of the ice cream into the behind the bar freezer easing the work of having to take some ice cream to the CLC freezer. And Sam (I'm talking about the tall one with short hair) was great at cleaning and moving on to the next task quickly. Plus we did all of the closing procedures while listening to old school music. I'm talking The Temptations, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, and Smokey Robinson (what chayall know about that??? lol).

Anyway so the night was going great. It didn't take that long to close and I got to let Nicole and Sam leave quickly. I got nervous when counting the bank for the night. But by the grace of God and all things Holy.....I FINALLY HAD A PERFECT BANK!!! It made me so happy that I had to text Matt and tell him. Now I just have to do this every time I close and I'll be all good, lol.

Phylisha =)

Sunday at the RutgersZone

First off, great job to our bed race team! The entire event was a lot of fun, and I'm excited that we got a trophy! Next, Sunday at the Zone. Weekend buses are stinky because Livingston from College Ave is in the middle of both weekend 1 and weekend 2, thus meaning I need to leave earlier to get here and stay later to get home. I suppose it is better than walking though, especially as it is getting colder out, and because I had to leave earlier than I thought, did not bring a sweat shirt. Joy. We then opened up to find a puddle, meaning something was leaking. Fortunately it is not too bad, but still a special surprise to find during opening. Also, figuring out how to get the hot fudge machine to warm up correctly. Also, we realized that the dustbuster needed to be kept on its charger, otherwise the battery dies. These are all important things. I am also worried because this week we are supposed to start the point system, where crew are disciplined by getting various numbers of points for infractions. I hope everyone just is awesome so I don't have to give any out. So guys, wear your uniform, check next bus so you get to your shift on time, and be hygienic. It will be better for all of us. And be sure to check out Tunes on Tuesday this week- we are going to have a really cool performance!

Our first trophy!

Yay for us! Okay so the third annual homecoming bed races were last night and you want to know who won the Charitable Chariot Award? That's right, yours truly - the RutgersZone! This award goes to the team that collected the most hats/gloves for the New Brunswick schools - we blew everyone out of the water with our 277 pairs of gloves! As manager of outreach, I could not be happier that we got this award in particular. Check out the trophy! Hopefully this is the first of many to come!

All this excitement didn't come without its hard work and some stressful moments. Wednesday night was the decorating aspect of the event where you decorate the bed in whatever theme it is you choose to do. My planning team and I (thank you Nicole and Alexandria!) came up with all the details to do a pool table - since this is our most popular thing at the zone. We put together a list of all the supplies we would need so that Wednesday we would be all prepared and ready to go. However, Wednesday night came and i was BUGGING OUT. I'm not sure why I was letting all the stress get to me, but it definitely took its toll. I was really worried that the bed wasn't going to come out like we had planned and I really wanted to rock the races and show off our name and everything. I think I forgot that this was supposed to be a fun event where I got the chance to bond with some crew members and do something good for charity. Matt, my lovely, lovely, boss took me aside to remind me of these few things and once we started rolling on the decorating I started to feel better. Sometimes, you have to remember to just breathe.

So the big night finally came! Registration was crazy with all the teams and the costumes and the crazy beds. My team came pumped and ready to go. Dominique, Sam, Tiffany, and Mellissa, were absolutely fabulous and I'm so glad they decided to race. We won our individual race and were so close to making the top 8 - and by so close I mean we were number 9! I really enjoyed watching everyone get to know each other and laugh and have fun.

Thank you to everyone that came out and helped to participate! Ali, Becky, Phylisha, and Adam thanks for coming to cheer us on!! Also, whoever came to be a part of the cheerleading team that I didn't see/mention thanks a bunch! :)

One last thing! I kept thinking about what we were going to do next year when I remembered - I am A SENIOR and I won't be here next year! So for all of you that will be here, I hope you uphold what I am going to now consider tradition and get us another trophy!

Check back for some pictures of the event!

-Ashley

NJ Devils at the Zone

Last Tuesday, September 28, Ken Daneyko, Bruce Driver, and Ken Marshall, three players from the 2002-2003 Stanley Cup team, as well as the chairman Jeff Vanderbeek and co-owner Mike Gilfillan came to Rutgers to participate in "Devils in the Zone". The Devils crew held a panel discussion in the LSC Gathering Lounge and gave out t-shirts to the first 100 people that attended. Afterwards they came to the RutgersZone for a meet and greet. I was surprised that we had such a huge turnout; the Zone was packed! The former Devils were really down to earth and had no problem signing autographs and shirts for all the guests and our staff. The event was great for the RutgersZone because it expanded our customer base. Many people that may not usually take the time to come out did, and they seemed pleasantly surprised. Everyone that came out had a great time and enjoyed our free appetizers and tokens, as well as our special Devils floats and shakes.

On a side note, I was really proud of how well our team worked together. The crew did a great job making all our desserts and making sure the customers were happy. At the end of the night, we got the Zone cleaned up in record time. I hope that we can do that every night I have to close and that we can do another event similar to "Devils in the Zone".

Until next time,

Joelle :)

Pool Stick for a baseball bat? are we in college or grammar school?

Hello!

I am in a MUCH better mood these days now that our crew is working. Speaking of which, I just showed four of our crew members (Dom, Sam, Alyssa, & Sherina) our blog, and asked them what I should write about this week.

Dominique suggested I touch on the incident that happened during one of her shifts; one of our truly valued customers thought it be a good idea to play our Major League Baseball Pitch game with a pool stick as a bat. Several things are wrong with this scenario :

1.) This game is intended for pitching NOT batting

2.) This is not stick ball and

3.) As the good ol' Christmas favorite says: "You can poke an eye out!"

Nonetheless, my intent in retelling this story is that there is never a mundane day at the Zone and some of NJ's brightest can behave in a less-than-brilliant manner. I am proud to say Dom solved the issue at hand, but next time as managers and employees we really need to ANTICIPATE before the problem even unfolds.

=)

See you at Bed Races!

Becky

That is IT. I have had it with these #&%@#$ motorcycles on this $#@&*%$ patio!

Hello again!

For those of you that don't understand my reference, the title of this entry capitalizes on the entertainment gold provided by one Samuel L. Jackson in his portrayal of Neville Flynn in the movie Snakes on a Plane. It's the best line in the movie.

So, let me tell you a great story. It started on a lovely Monday afternoon. I was working my usual shift starting at 4pm. It was my first time working with crew and I was super excited. I wanted to dive right into training. So, I was talking to two crew about the TOKEN philosophy. We were pretty deep in conversation, so I was a little worried when Ferg came through the door with a very shocked look on his face. He joins our conversation and asks me very bluntly and with a completely straight face, "So, Adam...is our patio...a parking lot?" I look up at him as if he had just said the strangest thing in the word. I was sure he was just messing with me in front of crew. So, I respond in the negative and inquire as to the reason he asked. He responded, "Well...if our patio ISN'T a parking lot, then...why is there a motorcycle parked there?"

Now, some people may call me gullible. I like to use the word trusting. But this, this I had a hard time believing. But, being a friend of mine, I trusted Ferg and turned around. Low and behold a blue motorcycle sitting in the middle of our patio. After getting over my initial shock, I was instructed to get the owner to move their vehicle to a real parking lot. This was where my training for two weeks came in handy. I had to first find out whose bike it was, which I did by asking the whole customer floor. Once someone owned up, I approached them privately and explained the situation in clear reasoning before asking him to move it. The gentleman was hesitant to move it, because he was playing pool. Instead of getting upset, I restated the situation and explained things in a more imperative format, even listing fire code. The moment I cited law, he backed off and began to move it.

It was a great learning experience for me as it taught me how to deal with difficult situations and it really showed me that I need to keep thinking on my feet. Luckily, I'm pretty quick witted and can remain calm in extraordinary situations (but, I mean, a motorcycle?!). Well, lesson learned I guess.

Until next time,

Adam

True Life: I'm a Manager at the Rutgers Zone

This week was the first week for our new crew members. I was happy that they were finally able to start so we would have some extra help but training has proven to be more work than I originally thought. So far I've started training at least three of the new employees and feel as though I've been a pretty good teacher. I've been trying to go through the information quickly but am careful to make sure each crew member has a good understanding before moving on to the next task. The serious problem we've had to far is cash management. After having a serious issue with my register this week, I will DEFINITELY spent more time teaching them how to use the register before doing transactions and have to designate one member for register and one in charge of preparing the food.

Also, I am gonna have to agree with Becky's post about how she now appreciates the 9-5 job. I've been having a difficult time balancing my work hours with getting my school work done. I know we've only been back to school for a month but I feel like I am so behind with everything and haven't been performing all of my management duties. I feel like I am letting the team down and not pulling my own weight but after scheduling for October last night, I think I will be able to get on track with everything and start managing my time better.

Goals for October:

1) Complete inventory

2) Make time for office hours

3) Manage time better

4) Complete all the tasks given to me to the best of my ability

5) Stop forgetting to blog

The Sound of my Own Voice

So the training process has been continuing and I believe it is going quite well. Although, I must admit I get a little tired of hearing my own voice! Like I mentioned before, training is a bit exciting because the crew seems to be interested in learning and getting better at their job. However, it is getting hard to remember who I told what to and how much they already know. In a six hour shift we might train 6 different people so it is a bit challenging going over things multiple times in a day. It is also such a new thing for me to be a manager that I have to remind myself that I'm in charge - I'm in charge and have to take charge. On the upside I think it is safe so say that all of us managers are looking forward and are awaiting the day we're all in a comfortable state with each other.

I am also pleased to announce that after some stressful days, I have finally found our first official volunteer opportunity! In October, we are volunteering for a 5k run/walk for New Jersey Women & AIDS Network (NJWAN). We are going to be helping with the registration tables, water and snack distribution, being sideline cheerleaders, and the clean-up. My role as manager of outreach is something that I am very passionate about it and it has been interesting learning about the needs in our immediate community. This project itself reflects problems in New Jersey itself - I found out that New Jersey has the highest estimated proportion of women living with AIDs in the nation - that is incredible. I'm so anxious to be helping with such a good cause and I am really hoping that my fellow co-workers will be just as excited to help out.

I believe I said this in my last post as well but Bed Races are this week and I am very excited!!

Keep checking in to learn more about our crazy ride!

--Ashley

The New Kids On the Block

After our meeting on Sunday I began my first shift training new crew members. Thom and Nick were the guys I was training. When I got there I immediately began to teach them about closing procedures. I told them about what happens an hour and then a half hour before we close. I was slightly interrupted by Mr. Ferguson when he told me that we would stay open until the football game was over which made us stay open later than I originally thought.

From there I taught Thom and Nick everything that needed to be done when closing the restaurant. Form shutting down the soda stations to using the dishwasher. During the shutdown the two of them got to experience making one float, a sundae and a waffle dessert, which subsequently also taught them about how to use the cash register. Eventually I was able to teach them about how to properly clean the tables, and shut down the games.

An interesting point in closing was when a consistency issue was brought up. We had just discussed training consistency in our meeting. When I was showing the two how to put things on the drying racks they mentioned that they had been told previously that it was okay to dry things on the CLC cart. In my experience I have never dried things on that cart and I feel it wouldn't be safe to do that because the top of that cart isn't sanitary. It just showed that as a staff we still have some things to work out in the training process.

Admittedly I was very nervous of the training process because I was completely in charge of their learning, but I just pushed my nerves aside and did everything to the best of my ability. The night ending up going smoothly and I was able to show them everything about closing, while listening to their favorite group Nirvana, lol!

Phylisha =)

Tunesday Programming

Hi all,

Today I thought I would write a little bit about what my specific job is about- creating programs for the RutgersZone. While we are all managers, we all do something a little different to make the space a cool experience for students to enjoy. As manager of programs, I am working on creating events in the RutgersZone that don't necessarily have to do with sports or games. For instance, on Tuesday nights, we shut the games off from 9:30-10:30 for an hour of live music. This series is called Tunes on Tuesday, and has been pretty interesting so far. When I first started planning for this event, I was worried about finding people to perform. While I had been involved with Rutgers University Programming Association for a few years, I had never actually booked bands or musicians on a weekly basis. I think I have pretty good taste in music, but obviously I don't represent the entire Rutgers population. I found someone for the first Tuesday, and we had a decent turnout for a great show even though class hadn't actually started yet. Then, it was on to finding someone for the rest of the semester. This process was really stressful because I didn't know how to approach artists, how much money to offer, how to phrase things in emails... the list goes on. I was scrambling to find someone for the following Tuesday, but had someone for the week after that- it was crazy. Finally, we found someone to perform, and everything was ok, but it was just stressful. Now, we are booked through October, which is a huge relief. We also have some different things coming up, such as 2 acapella performances and an open mic night. I hope that this will bring in different students to the Zone and show them what a cool place it is. It has also made me wonder about how to recruit artists- now I have students walking in asking to perform (probably because we have been advertising a lot more than in the beginning), but I also thought about getting artists from NYC/Philly to expose students to people they don't usually interact with. How to choose? Where is the balance? I'm pretty much done booking for the fall, I will have to think about it carefully for the spring. In the meantime, check out the Zone every Tuesday and see who we've booked, and leave some feedback so I know what you're thinking!

I'd never thought that I'd appreciate a "9-5"

I think I figured out why us managers have such difficultly achieving our weekly goals; The answer: we are NOT fluid, the reason: we all work different hours therefore we are never "working all together".

I truly believe if i shared some overlapping hours with Ashley; we'd be on the same page about the weekly events, promotions, and other action items.
But that can't happen unless I meet weekly with Phylisha and Ali.
But of course when Adam's special events and parties start to move full blast, we'd also have to meet weekly as well, according to my theory at least.

Some take-a-ways I had this week:
1-To keep weekly tasks moving, Matt, Larry (project manager in marketing for student life), and myself now meet once a week. We discuss any outstanding items, new projects, and brainstorm about new marketing ideas. This week we discussed business cards, special events brochures, posters, flyers, etc.

2-To ensure I am up-to-date on all my items, I now have an on-going excel document; in short this will act as an epic "To-Do List". (I learned this helpful way to time manage from my mentor during my summer internship)

3- When you are at work, BE AT WORK. Don't think about your exams, homework, quizzes, social events pending (because yes, I'd like to think I have a life too). And when I am in the library studying to my exam (like I am now), then study for my exam i.e. do not send emails, do not research SEO or table tents, or blog. But when us managers all work different hours, sometimes emails need to be addressed, blogs need to be posted, and research needs to be done. I'd never thought I'd appreciate a 9-5 working environment as much as I do now.


Until next week,
Becky

BOY OH BOY!

Yay! Crew! I think every blog I have mentioned that it has been a crazy ride and the adventure continues!

We finally have crew which is so very helpful and exciting to train them and teach them about the many things we have been learning since our start. It is so refreshing to have the team be excited about working at the space and I've heard more times than I can count on my fingers what a cool job they have and how lucky they feel. Training can be a lot of information but the crew is eager to learn and that makes the managers job that much more exciting. It feels like now the pressure is really on for us managers to step up and be confident in what we are doing and what we are putting forward in terms of teaching the crew what we know.

Bed Races are coming up and I am sooo excited to get us started. We have a great idea for the bed we are doing BUT ITS A SECRET! -- You'll just have to come to the Bed Races to support the RutgersZone to see what we have chosen as a theme to decorate our bed! GO TEAM DON! :)

This weekend is our first meeting with the entire staff and I'm anxious to see the team dynamic increase in the mean time!

Keep checking in to hear more about our training process!

-- Ashley

A Sunday Without Football.... Is Simply Not a Sunday, especially at the Zone

When you ask anyone to name their favorite day of the week, many people will say either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. I personally believe that Saturdays are the best because you can stay out late Friday and sleep late Saturdays. But when the fall months roll around, Sunday becomes my new favorite day of the week. Most of this has to do with football.... (and possibly the Jets)!

As an avid football fan, I was a little nervous to work on Sundays in fear of missing the big NFL games around the league. But after working my shift two days ago, I'm reassured that Sunday shifts at the Zone may be the highlight of my working week.

First off, there were so many good games on the 1PM time slot. The problem with this is that many people have different opinions on what games they want to watch and what should be the game shown on the big screen. Unfortunately after a problem arose with our cable provider, we found out that we weren't able to show the Eagles game AT ALL at the Zone, causing many fans to be annoyed and upset. Totally understandable. But many seemed to lighten up after we offered them free tokens for the inconvenience. Everyone loves tokens!

Later in the day it was nice to see how everyone scurried in and out routinely for the football games. A customer even came up to me and mentioned how the space was a "great place to hang out with other fans and watch the game in a relaxed setting." It was nice to hear because that's what we're all about - creating a good experience for our guests. Not to mention that I had a great time interacting with all of our customers that day!

After working that Sunday shift, I picked up two lessons. First, anytime you are honest with guests and explain the situation in detail, they tend to be more receptive and understanding. Secondly, people just want to enjoy themselves and have a good time. (And really, what's so bad about that?!)

See you next Sunday for football!!

Until next time,
Lisa

Paula Deen would be proud...

Hey guys,

I don't know if you all know this, but our desserts are pretty killer. I say this not as a promotional statement to try to get you to come in and buy one (though I promise you wouldn't regret it), I say this because I have been working pretty hard to capture the, how do I say this, the essence and pure joy associated with each of our unique desserts. I have been working on making each of the desserts we serve TRUELY deserve the title of "signature." I want these desserts to define us, to be a showcase of us at our best. So, I took some photos of our products, and spent more time than expected making them pop out of the screen and look like they do in real life. So, without further adeu, I present our signature desserts:

The Cookie Jar:

The Chocolate Banana Split:

The Ultimate Belgian Waffle:

The Brownie Blast:

And finally, The PB&J Sundae:

So please, let me know what you think! I know there is a comment feature on this blog and I would LOVE to hear some feedback about how you think the pictures look.

On another note, I really love making these desserts. If you ever come and order one, I hope that you notice my face. I literally light up when a Signature Dessert is ordered because I just love throwing myself into something related to cooking. I love making things look pretty to the point that people don't want to eat my "food art."

I hope to hear from you all soon about what you think of the pictures and if you come in and tell me you read the blog, I guarantee a fantastic experience.

Till' Next Time,

Adam

Truebie Love

True Blood is one of my favorite shows of all time. The only problem is that when I moved into my dorm I was left without access to my precious Sookie Stackhouse. So it came naturally to me that one of our events could be to show the True Blood season finale. When I proposed the idea to all the managers during training, everyone seemed to like the idea. Afterward the weeks leading up to the event I was very excited. We had an awesome sign advertising the event right in front of the Zone.

The finale was being showed late on Sunday night, which forced the Zone to stay open later. I was really nervous because I wanted the night to go well. An hour before the show started I literally went all over Livingston, including the library, asking people if they liked True Blood. I was trying to intice them to come to the event somehow. Not many people responded in the affirmative, although they said it seemed to be a cool type of event. i was really stressing because I wasn't to sure how many people would show up. When I went back to the Zone I saw that we had a fair amount of people there, so my worrying decreased a little.

Eventually more and more people came through the door and I was elated! People were excited and wanted to try our True Blood float. There was a point where me and Lisa were lining up glasses because people just kept ording the floats. Once the show started the Zone was packed and I believe every seat was filled. There were a bunch of people watching on the Video Wall as well as the Alcove TV. the whole time people where laughing, cheering and gasping at the screen like they were in a movie theatre. It was amazing!!! The only downside was that it was so busy at the front counter that I missed most of the show =(. But that was cool with me because I was just happy that the event went so well.


Phylisha =)

Manager of Marketing =)

Hi All.

Over the last few weeks I have been brainstorming, analyzing, and planning a Marketing Strategy for the RutgersZone as per my title: Manager of Marketing. I have recently presented the two year marketing strategy to Matt and we are in perfect harmony.

I used past experiences, my first hand knowledge of our target market (hmm.. hello!? I am a college student too!), and even applied what I am studying in school to formulate this strategic plan.

Due to some further inspiration and collaboration, Matt and I have some BIG things coming. So keep your eyes out around each campus! I'll also be sure you update the blog with new events, promos, advertising, and other marketing tactics as we move along.

This other half (or 2/3) of my job I enjoy entirely. Matt Ferguson has been a great adviser in helping me learn the ropes of the "creative" aspects of Marketing.

To give you an idea of some marketing tactics in my day to say scope of work, above is a picture of one of our Posters for our Sunday event: Every Sunday, Football Sundaes :)


Thanks for reading =)