The only night where people WANT to watch the commericals.....

Da Da Done Da Da Done!!! That was supposed to resemble the NFL theme music, lol. Because this post is all about Super Bowl Sunday!!! (Fun fact: I just learned this year that Super Bowl is two words haha...) So I worked the first half of the Super Bowl party and to my surprise it was really fun. It was very busy because R.U. Sure was sponsoring free ice cream cones.

Even among all the madness it was a fun night because people were really excited about the game. All of the Steelers fans just knew that they were gonna win, but the Packers fans weren't giving up so easily. There were tons of shouts and groans throughout the 3 1/2 hour event, that included a very cool half time show (although Fergie sounded like she needed a cough drop). Our costumers were also laughing at all the funny commercials. Which, like the title states, is the only time people watch the commercials to any programming.

I was just excited that people were enjoying themselves in the space with there free ice cream and King Pita (even though some of them were a little lazy and left there trash all over the place =/). I only worked the first half of the game but stayed to watch the Packers win it!!! I was happy because I always root for the underdog.


Phylisha =)

Duty Log & Staff Evaluations (Already....?)

Hi all,

So this has been a busy month for all of us managers! First off - make sure to check out our RutgersZone music video/commercial (posted below) which we are all so proud of! Ok, back to business. This month Adam created a new, updated duty log for all of us managers to follow. The duty log is basically a way for all of us managers to communicate information to one another. We followed a daily checklist prior to the duty log, which was easy to follow, but didn't particularly document information from the shift. This new duty log has significantly improved communication between the managers from shift to shift. It's set up so that we can see tasks that must get done, report on things that have occurred while on shift (ex: deliveries, situations, staff changes) and everything is in writing in case we need to refer back to that day for any reason. The duty log was definitely needed and Adam did an awesome job on it! Communication between managers is extremely important and now information won't get lost in translation from shift to shift!

I can't believe we are already to the point of staff evaluations. I feel like it was just yesterday that we were introduced to our new crew members. Now we have to evaluate them! Time certainly flies. Evaluations are a key asset to any establishment - for the general manager, managers and also for crew members. It provides feedback for improvement and helps to address any issues people may have. The managers broke off into sections and picked crew members that they often worked with so that evaluations could be fair and accurate. Evaluations are not only valuable for the managers, but also for the crew. Through staff evaluations, crew members can evaluate where their strengths and weaknesses are. It's also great for managers because it helps us identify areas that crew members need refreshing on. These evaluations helped us to understand how we are doing as an establishment and what areas we need to improve on. There's always room for improvement!

-Lisa

Interviewing..ALREADY?!

I seriously can not grasp my head around the fact that we are already interviewing for manager positions for next year! I feel like it was just yesterday that we were training for this crazy journey - and boy has it been crazy.

I have never interviewed anyone for a job position before so I was definitely a little nervous about the process - not to mention we were in the creepy board room on the second floor of the Student Center which always intimidates me. ANWAY! Matt, Adam and I were the interviewers for the first session. We had a list of questions ready to go and a list of the types of qualities/characteristics/skills we were looking for for the positions. I was particularly proud of the questions because all of us managers had come up with them during one of our meetings, but that doesn't mean I felt any more relaxed about asking them!

The interviewees were so nervous so I really tried my best to make it a relaxed environment and I think Matt and Adam tried to do this too (well, Matt more so than Adam ;). After the first two people, I was feeling a little more comfortable even though I felt like I was repeating myself. Interviewing made me realize so much about the position that I don't often think about - things such as how important time management is and how I have learned to accomplish it. The applicants were curious about the position and I was so proud to tell them what exactly we do at the Zone and what we're all about. It was interesting to see who I felt was going to buy in and who might not. I think that is one thing that was a bit of a struggle for me during the interview process - I am so proud of what I do at the Zone and really love what I do so I wanted to make sure the people that are going to take over next year will be like that too. Of course it is hard to tell because they haven't begun the position yet, but that was the type of think I was looking for. I want the people next year to really believe in what they do as well and work hard to make the Zone as successful as possible. :D

Interviewing not only made me realize some things about my own position and the qualities I have learned; it was also helpful to me because the very next week I was going on an interview for an internship position. Some of the questions we asked were the same questions I was asked then and more importantly, I felt so comfortable at the interview because I knew I had so much to talk about from having the RutgersZone position. It really has given me real world experience that I was able to take with me.

There's a lot more going on this month at the Zone so keep checking in to learn about all the amazing events we've had and those upcoming as well!

--Ashley

The First RutgersZone Commercial featuring I.O.U.

Barely a year old with plenty of events under its belt, the RutgersZone is still working hard toward achieving a loyal following. With much more work to be done in the marketing department, we are definitely a step in the right direction with the airing of our first commercial.
The artists in this commercial are Rutgers students who created a brand for themselves by remixing billboard hits with their own original lyrics. What sets them apart from most rap gruops first starting out is that all of their music is about Rutgers University. For example, their largest hit is "Rutgers State of Mind" with Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" as the inspiration. Local band, I.O.U, is very popular with the student body (the target market for the RutgersZone); therefore, we thought featuring them in our commercial would help us communicate our similar brand image to the masses. I.O.U incorporated many of our most attractive features in their lyrics: our arcade style games, delicious appetizers, mouth watering desserts, and a fun sports bar atmosphere. Basically we are using the textbook example of positioning: creating a brand identity within the mind of the consumer. We will measure our success by sales increases and event attendees as well as our video views. My goal is 100,000. As of now we have 86,000 to go!

I am very proud of the final product with a special thanks to the director, Brian Bennett and the other producer, Matthew Ferguson. Bennett is a film director for the hit TV series Breaking Bad and those that follow the blog should have read Ferguson's name hundreds of times.

Besides all the responsibilities associated with co-producing, I was also in charge of recruiting students (within only one weekend) to participate in the video which was shot on a Monday night.
This was certainly a challenge, but with the help of my fellow managers we were able to recruit about 60 great people. After all, "teamwork" is the T is our TOKEN philosophy!

I hope you all enjoy the video and keep spreading the word about the RutgersZone
=)

Becky

"Market This!"

I entered college totally undecided about my major, thinking maybe I would be a doctor, or a weather-woman, or even teacher. I soon figured after a few classes, that none of these careers would allow me to be creative, and being creative is a quality I treasure. A career that would allow me to be as creative as I want, is Marketing, and at Retreat, I helped to plan a workshop that infused fun, creativity, and Marketing strategies, which only reaffirmed my desired career path, but this blog isn't about me it is about the fun filled RutgersZone retreat! Retreat was filled with many activities, all of which forced crew and managers to use their creativity, however I think the workshop I developed with Becky and Lisa, called, “Market This!”, really pushed everyone to their creative limits. During “Market This!” we asked groups to create a commercial targeting Rutgers students and their parents, displaying why having a graduation party at the RutgersZone is the obvious choice. We gave them a set of props, an easel to come up with a slogan, and were just amazed by the commercials they came up with. The winners of the challenge were the managers, “Team Squirly Meatz”, who’s commercial consisted of Ali and Adam pretending to be parents dancing and having a great time, Joelle as a recent college graduate, Alisa as the host of the party, and Ashley as a friend having a great time. The managers even had to make use of a ketchup costume to give them a disadvantage, which they creatively turned into a Rutgers cap and gown! The party demonstrated the RutgersZone being the place for everyone to have fun, perfectly capturing what we want to market in a commercial for graduation parties! Second place by “Team Won”, was not far behind the managers, with a hysterical commercial consisting of a strange DJ. Team Won’s campaign involved if students needed a cool party, the RutgersZone was the place to have it, and with all of the hysterics, including Sam Bermann ripping his shirt off, it made for a memorable commercial. All of the commercials performed in the “Market This!” Workshop were great, these two just captured the memorable experience targeted by the RutgersZone. Compiling all of the creativity of all RutgersZone employees could definitely make an amazing commercial, and with more opportunities like Retreat happening more often to encourage people to think outside the box, the RutgersZone operation will continue to benefit. In closing, the "Market This!" Workshop really gave new ideas in marketing the RutgersZone and served as a great workshop in bringing crew members out of their shells and bonding them, a true win win situation.

Top Chef Desserts - The RutgersZone Way

During our retreat we all participated in various workshops and team building exercises that tested our creativity. Although I enjoyed all of the activities, I have to admit that the plating exercise with the Camp Bernie staff was my personal favorite. We received a lesson in plating from the head chef of Camp Bernie and learned how to create some visually stunning touches, like a flower made of fruit shavings. After an interesting and informative lesson on plating, we were asked to create 4 dishes (based off of our awesome RutgersZone desserts – of course!) It was really cool to see each team’s creativity towards the desserts – especially the managers’ idea to incorporate desserts for all four seasons ;) Ok, sorry, had to add that in there. All joking aside, everyone came up with great techniques and ideas! The whole exercise felt like a scene out of ‘Top Chef,’ with people running from all directions, finishing up to the last second and

This exercise was a great way for the staff and managers to use their creativity skills and improve their plating for customers. It was nice to see everyone’s creativity shine with this exercise. The activity allowed us to all work together effectively, brainstorm new ideas for plating at the Zone and most importantly – we got to eat yummy desserts (haha)! The skills we learned from this session will certainly translate into how we make desserts at the Zone. Come in and see what we’ve learned!

-Lisa

Doh Brooo

Communication! It's a huge part of our work life, school life, and personal life and super important for maintaining successful relationships. At retreat, we had to participate in an activity that tested how well each group could work together and communicate directions to make play-doh and create an image with it . Each group had to designate two members to be the "Eyes", two people to be the "Hands" and two people to be the "Mouths". The "Eyes" were placed in a room and had a set of directions of how to make play-doh. They were not allowed to leave the room or move the directions from the table in front of them. Their job was to relay the directions to the "mouths" who were only able to listen to the "eyes" and could not see the directions. They then had to go relay those same directions to the "hands". Now the hands had a hard job because they were blindfolded and only had one hand each available to use. The two "Hands" had to work together to pour the ingredients into a bowl and make the play-doh. The "Mouths" were very frustrated because they could not assist them in a physical way.

Once the play-doh was finished the "hands" had to create the image that was told to them. I noticed that this was probably the most difficult part of the whole activity because only the "eyes" could see the actual image so they had to be really detailed in their description and hopefully the "Mouths" understood them and told the "Hands" the same description. I think everyone learned how important listening and communicating is to everyday life. If just one direction was left out or done incorrectly, it could ruin the entire composition of the play-doh; think of what that could mean at the Zone! Overall, it appeared that everyone had a good time and the crew bonded a little more. I learned that it is important to be patient with people that may not understand directions the first time around. As we learned in True Colors everyone learns differently and may take more time than others. This activity was definitely beneficial to everyoneee

--Joelle

I'll Take Awesome Retreat for 400 Alex!!!

That title can only mean one thing......Jeopardy!!! As our team task Ali, Alisa, and myself had to design a game that would help refresh the minds of the entire staff when it comes to the Zone. The process for picking a game was productive because we exchanged a lot of different ideas that would fit the concept. We then decided on Jeopardy because it's easy and helps explain a lot of information. Alisa also knew a website that creates a Jeopardy game for you. So making the game became easy for us.

The tough part about making the game was coming up with questions that would teach the crew and be fitting for a Jeopardy game. We decided to make different categories for the questions to make it more challenging. We had regular questions, picture questions, Make-A-List, Charades and True or False. After coming up with all the questions, and resolving some technical difficulties our task was complete.

When it was our teams turn to present our game we were ready. We tested our buzzer system and made sure each team knew the rules. We also gave the manager team their handicap to make the game fair.

As we started playing the game some faults were presented, like multiple answers to questions, confusion with the rules and other things. Even with all the small flubs the game was helpful with dispensing important information to the crew. After being away from work for a month I believe the game was a fun way to be reminded of procedures. Congrats to 'The Incredibles' who won the game.

In the end, I think the activity taught everyone something about the Zone that they didn't know or remember. It also helped Ali and I work with one of our newest managers Alisa! So all in all it was a good experience.

Phylisha =)

I see your true colors shining through- Ali's training blog

Hello all,

This blog is going to be about the True Colors exercise we did on Sunday evening of training. True Colors is a personality test that helps you understand your behavior and how to interact with others. I find this concept incredibly interesting, and enjoyed predicting those of my fellow co-workers (even though I was wrong for a lot). The test asks several questions and asks you to rank them highest to lowest based on which is most like you, and you are supposed to base them on your true self- not who you want to be, not who you are when you are with others, but who you really are. This is a difficult thing to do for some of the questions, and I found myself thinking that several of the answers were applicable.

But in the end, you have to make a choice, and move on. No time to analyze. Then you score your points, and arrange them in a True Colors spectrum, where each color and its placement is significant. The four colors are Blue, Green, Orange, and Gold. These are some descriptions of the colors from http://www.true-colors-test.com.

Orange generates an impulse toward active doing: sport, struggle, competition and enterprising productivity. Thus, it has the meaning of desire and all forms of appetite and craving. Those with Orange as a Primary Color feel the will to achieve results, to win, to be successful. They desire all things that offer intense living and full experience. Gold represents a need to be responsible, to fulfill duties and obligations, to organize and structure our life and that of others. Those with Gold as a Primary Color value being practical and sensible. It represents stability, maintenance of the culture and the organization, efficiency, and dependability. It embraces the concepts of home and family with fierce loyalty and faithfulness. Those with Green as a Primary Color value their intellect and capabilities above all else. Comfort in these areas creates a sense of personal security and self-esteem. Green characteristics seek to increase the certainty of their own values through being assertive and requiring differences from others in intellectual areas. They depend upon information rather than feelings to create a sense of well-being. Green expresses the grounding of theory and data in its practical applications and creative constructs. Blue creates physiological tranquility and psychological contentment. Those with Blue as a Primary Color value balance and harmony. They prefer lives free from tension. Blue corresponds to depth in feeling and a relaxed sensitivity. It is characterized by empathy, aesthetic experiences, and reflective awareness.

Based on our results, most of the RutgersZone staff are primary blues, with orange, then green, and then me and Joelle being the only primary golds. Secondary colors also influence things though. Because we have a largely blue group, this means we must be considerate of feelings when we talk with people, which I have to remember sometimes. We also have some oranges, and sometimes they really want to play games and zone out, so I have learned that if they get a break, they are more focused during the rest of shift. Now that I know who the greens are, I know I have some problem solvers if I need help with a situation. And then Joelle and I will be gold and keep everything organized. We designed a pirate themed loft at training. It was awesome.

The important thing to remember now that we know our colors is how we explain things to people, how we listen to people, and how we all interpret information. I think this will help us all for the rest of the semester.

This title is for all the blues we have- such a mushy song haha. Seriously look at the lyrics. As a gold, it was almost too difficult to read.

WOW (not to be confused with work out world)

On the final day of the RutgersZone Winter Retreat, our GM gave a presentation to the entire staff (including managers and crew) about how to create experiences. Experience is the E in our T.O.K.E.N philosophy. We all buy into the power of creating experiences; therefore, it should not surprise you, reader, that we spent a portion of our training on this topic alone.

We learned that creating experiences is all about changing perspectives, and our staff can give people indelible life experiences through memorable events, unique programming, a friendly staff, and more innovative ideas.

We looked at some successful companies whose value to consumers exceeded more than just their products or services such as Starbucks. This company creates an atmosphere of sophistication and offers a 2^nd home to customers. The result? This type of branding contributes to their bottom line!

So how can we mimic the experience idea in our establishment?

Answer: each team created a poster of four ideas to create experiences. There was no short of creativity listed, drawn, and eventually verbalized on these posters but a degree of overlap was seen, possibly due to similarities in age, interests, and previously discussed plans. Suggestions included: Half way to Fourth of July Party in February, a Video Game tournament, Club Z Night, elegant food service event, purchase a car racing arcade game, construct a basketball court outside, and have dessert eating contest.

Now our challenge proves to be aggregating all of our ideas, prioritizing them, and finding time to plan and implement them!

Wish us luck and check the weekly e-mail as we roll out some new ideas. =)

Becky

Retreat/Training - On the Ropes!

Camp Bernie was awesome! As side from the fact that it was freezing outside (as I'm sure we will all mention) the retreat/training was a really great experience for us all - managers and crew. From the beginning one of the goals of this was to get the crew to bond a little more. We all new each other as co-workers, but this really got everyone to come out of their shell a little and get to know each other. It was a mission accomplished. I have not heard one negative thing about the trip and this really makes being a manger at the Zone that much more rewarding. I know us managers put a lot of work into what we do (especially Matt!) and it was amazing to see the crew really get something out of this.

One of the most exciting activities we did was on the Ropes Course. I must say that dangling on ropes during the winter with snow on the ground isn't exactly my forte. However, with this being said, it was that much more important because it caused plenty of us to push ourselves and do things that we didn't expect of ourselves. We all split into teams - the managers and crew teamed up to hit each course and make the most of it. It was absolutely freezing and I couldn't feel my feet but that didn't stop us from at least trying everything. I was on a team with Nicole, Melissa, and Alexandra and each person brought something to the table. Alexandra was quick to try EVERYTHING and was also the first to do so - teaching us the way and giving us hints when it was our turn. Once we all saw how easy she made it seem, we were willing to try. Melissa was the perfect cheer leader for each person. She was encouraging which was totally helpful. Nicole was the one that really pushed herself. Although she was hesitant to try certain courses, she set goals for the ones she tried out and accomplished them.

Matt even helped our team out - Nicole was quite anxious about one rope in particular so Matt made a deal with her - "If you do it, I'll do it." And they did - only Matt fell! It was to our amusement and also my team's guilt because we were his spotters and let him fall; not on purpose of course! Matt was like a spider in the beginning, moving fast and then his foot fell right through one of the holes. Adam was on the other side trying to place his foot back in the proper position, but this did not help. Matt fell back and landed in the snow, taking Melissa down with him. We all had a great laugh and Nicole was grateful that Matt would take that measure. We also now have this sort of inside joke where Matt likes to remind us that we let him fall - but the moral of the story is that it takes teamwork to get through some things - advice and tips from others, encouragement, and trusting yourself enough to try new things out.

My favorite part about the retreat was at the end when we all stood in a circle and talked about what we got out of the trip. It was so nice to hear the crew say great things and affirm that they really enjoyed it and had a great experience.

Keep reading to hear more about our Camp Bernie experience - and pictures will be coming soon!

Ashley

There's No "I" in Team

We're backk! Last week I worked my first Thursday of the semester. Since I was only working until 10 I was relieved to be out of the Zone before the craziness of free cones started, however when I walked in I learned that my shift wouldn't be quite so easy. Matt informed me that we would be having 3 events that night that I needed to prepare for: Open Mic night, a Barnes and Noble event and free cones. Thankfully I had some good crew members (Melissa, Sam C and Willy the Schloss) to help me out because I was very flustered. I'm really proud of them for stepping up to make sure the space was set up and the appetizers were ready by the time the event started. We had a really good turn out for open mic night and some really talented performers; I think everyone had a good time.

--Joelle