Dining and Bocce Ball the Best Combo

Many years ago after dining at Vini Vidi Vici in Atlanta, we played Bocce Ball at their on-site court.  It was a lovely end to a summer night.  While bocce ball is no longer available at Vini Vidi Vici, there are still some great restaurants across the US where you can enjoy a meal and play bocce ball.

Why would you want to have a meal at a restaurant that has a bocce ball court? Maybe you have to wait for a table and don’t want to run up a large bar bill in advance of sitting down to dinner.  And, waiting in the anteroom or at the hostess stand is not all that appealing. Perhaps you realize that your kids may not be able to wait for your table to be ready.  Or, you just want to chill after a meal by relaxing with friends and family over a nice game of bocce.

Whatever the reason, finding a great spot to dine and play bocce ball seems like the best of both worlds.  The Romans invented Bocce Ball over 2000 years ago and Italy is a food lovers dream.  It only makes sense that smart restauranteurs decided to combine the two because people who are passionate about Bocce Ball are also passionate about food.

Here are some of the BEST restaurants where you can combine eating out with Bocce Ball.

1) Mosaic, Asian Fusion cuisine, 211 South First Street, San Jose, CA (408) 282-8888 http://www.mosaicdowntown.com

 2) The Grove, eclectic menu, 7511 Pachero Pass Highway, Hollister, CA (831) 636-1400 http://www.lealvineyardsgrove.com

3) Carsonie’s, traditional Italian, 6000 Westerville Road, Franklin, Ohio (614) 899-6700 http://carsonies.com

4) Noto’s Old World Italian, 6600 28th Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI (616) 493-6686 http://notosoldworld.com

5) Von Trapp’s Austrian fare (beer and brats), 912 12th Avenue, Seattle, WA (206) 325-5409 http://vontrapps.com/VonTrapps/HOME.html

6) Il Fornaio, Italian, 18051 Von Karmen Avenue, Irvine, CA (949) 361-1444 http://www.ilfornaio.com/irvine

7) Campo di Bocce, traditional Italian fare, 175 E. Vineyard Avenue, Livermore, CA (925) 249-9800 http://campodibocce.com

8) The Vig, upscale comfort food, 4041 N. 40th Street, Phoenix, AZ  (602) 553-7227 http://thevig.us

9) Bar Bocce, California/Mediterranean cuisine, 1250 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA (415) 331-0555 http://www.barbocce.com

10) Bocce Italian Grill, 842 US Rt 6, South Wellfleet, MA (on Cape Cod) (508) 349-2688 http://bocceitaliangrill.com

11) Brooklyn Athletic Club, American Fare, 601 Richmond Avenue, Houston, TX (713) 527-4440 http://thebrooklynathleticclub.com

12) Pinstripes, Italian-American menu, 13500 Nall Avenue, Overland Park, KS (913) 681-2255 http://pinstripes.com

13) Sanitas Brewing Company, craft beers/bar food, 3550 Frontier Avenue, Unit A, Boulder, CO (303) 442-4130 http://www.sanitasbrewing.com

14) Vinoteca Wine Bar, featuring small plates and bar food, 1940 11th Street NW, Washington, DC (202) 332-9463 http://www.vinotecadc.com

15) Greenwood Park, mostly bar food, Paninis, salads, burgers, 555 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY (between 19th & 20th Streets) http://greenwoodparkbk.com

Recently, the Dallas Morning News printed a story on restaurants in the Dallas Metro area where you can dine and play Bocce Ball.  The link to that story is  HERE. 

Enjoy dining at these establishments and be sure to take advantage of their hospitality by playing bocce ball at their outdoor courts.  It’s a terrific way to spend time with friends and family.

We’d love to find more spots that combine bocce ball with dining out, so please feel free to comment and share your favorites.

Ciao:)

Jacqueline Totten is a bocce ball enthusiast and created a site for others who enjoy the game or want to learn more about this sport. To check out the site please visit www.bestbocceball.com and follow us @bestbocceball

Online Marketplace Fraud

Beware of fraud when using online marketplaces.  After writing a post a few months ago about the use of online marketplaces, I feel compelled to address the prevalence of fraud due  to the nefarious elements of society who are seeking ways to scam the rest of us.

I’ve encountered this recently when using Craigslist, which seems to attract fraudsters. The fraudsters offer to pay you by check for an amount way above what the item costs to handle the extra shipping because they want the item expedited to them.  They’ll send you a check, it will not clear your bank and meanwhile, you have shipped the item to them.  To their credit, Craigslist is aware of this scam and has a full explanation and details for how to spot it on their website.

When I use Craigslist, I ALWAYS meet people in a public place for a CASH transaction.  It’s just easier this way for both sides.

My most recent FRAUD experience is with eBay.  This is the SECOND time I have had this SAME experience with eBay and both times I’ve reported the buyer.  The Buyer will buy an item for sale, eBay records this as a SOLD item and removes it from the “for sale” list.  The BUYER will create a FALSE email looking like it’s from Paypal saying that the money has been deposited into the Seller’s Paypal account and it will not be released until the item is shipped and transaction/shipping information provided to the Buyer.  They will also send a FAKE eBay email stating the same.  Then, the Buyer will send many emails/text messages to the Seller requesting immediate shipment because the item is a gift for a son/daughter and oh, yes, the Buyer is traveling and so please ship the item to………wait for it………..Nigeria.

This fraud/scam has been played on me twice but both times I caught it and reported it to eBay.

What is disconcerting about the entire experience is that eBay does not go enough to verify BUYERS and that eBay will provide SELLER contact information to Buyers before they have verified that the buyer is legitimate.  This is very concerning.

A warning for all out there.  When you use online marketplaces, beware.  You have to be extra careful when selling because the fraudsters are out there just looking for an opportunity to take something without paying for it.

When a legitimate sale goes through eBay via Paypal, you will receive an email directly from Paypal as well as one from eBay stating that the funds are in your account.  This is a Different email entirely than the Phishing fraud emails used by the crooks.  Plus, you can verify these by logging in (separately, different browser open please) to Paypal to view your account and to eBay to view your messages.  If $$ not in Paypal account, you’ll know it’s fraud.  If message not in eBay message for your account, it’s fraud.

I’ll still use these marketplaces, but each time I have this experience, it disheartening and scary.  Perhaps selling things directly through local merchants or on consignment is still the best option to avoid fraud. 

How to sell with success on Craigslist

I’ll admit, I was skeptical of using online marketplaces.  It was daunting, where to start?  While I checked out several others, I decided to start with Craigslist.  It seemed straightforward.  Just create a username and password and then post something for sale.

So, I thought, this seems easy, I wonder if it will work?

Well, yes it can and it does depending on what it is that you want to sell.  Some things work well, others not so much.

The first item I “sold” on Craigslist was a BIG item.  I listed a house for RENT on Craigslist.  I received several emails expressing interest within a few hours of posting the home with a detailed description, lots of photos.  Photos are SO SO important.  Just posting a description does not capture the attention or interest, photos work, use them.

I posted the house for rent on a Friday (the BEST Day to post for sale or rent because many people start thinking about what they need/want on a Friday and then they have the weekend to come and buy/see what you are selling.  By Saturday morning, I had set up several showings and had some very nice people come to see the house.  A lovely just married couple wanted to rent it and since I liked them, we struck an agreement.

I have since used Craigslist 3 other times to rent that same house with similar successful results.

The next item I placed on Craigslist for sale was a used car (looks like I’m into selling big things on Craigslist).  Within 2 hours of placing a detailed description (including mileage) and several photos of the 16 year old vehicle, I had the first call from a guy who really needed a car and promised to come right away to see it.  He begged me not to sell it to someone else in the meanwhile.  I agreed.  While I waited for him to arrive, I received 4 phone calls from people wanting the car.  I took their contact information and told them I would call them back if it was still available.  No need to  make that call as the first guy that called, drove off in his new car.

Then I tried to sell my first generation iPod Touch on Craigslist.  This is where the story takes a dark turn.  I’ve found that when you post Apple items on Craigslist, it attracts the scammers to you.  They promise to pay via PayPal, they come on very strong and want you to box up the item and get it to them right away. There is usually some convoluted story to go along with their sense of urgency.  And, if you don’t comply, they get ugly. They send you many many emails urging you to pack it up and ship it because they say they’ve PAID you already via PayPal and they ask that you click on the Link they send you so that you can Log-in to PayPal to see that the $$ is there.  DO NOT DO IT.  It is a SCAM.    Such was the case with this iPod Touch.  I did not make the sale.  They guy was a scammer.  The good folks at PayPal’s fraud department caught it when I shared his emails with the faked out PayPal page and link.

Undeterred from this less than ideal experience, I listed again on Craigslist.  This time, I listed and sold a Universal Gym.  Fitness equipment sells on Craigslist.  Since it’s large, you usually have to let the buyer come to your home to see the equipment.  I try to discern as much as I can about the people interested in buying before I agree to show them the item for sale, particularly when they are coming to my home.  And, even then, I ask someone to be here with me just in case.  I was fortunate in that a young couple wanted the gym, came here, paid and left with it.  Ditto for the Pilates machine I sold just a few weeks ago, again on Craigslist.

One item that I sold on Craigslist surprised even me.  I replaced my oil burner with a gas-furnace.  I took photos of the oil burner, wrote up a description, placed it on Craigslist on a Friday evening, 3 hours later, I received an email from a guy who wanted it. His had broken, it was December and very very cold.  He came to pick it up on Sunday.  It was a win-win.  I was rid of a huge and heavy working oil burner, the $300 I charged was icing on the cake.  The buyer was happy to have gotten a well-maintained furnace for his home.

I’ve had some success selling smaller items, mostly bracelets and watches I’ve collected over the years. For these sales to work, take the time to photo the item in good lighting.  For jewelry especially, it’s hard to see the detail unless you are up close.  Buyers want to know the scale and the size of items.  A thorough description is key.  Another thing to keep in mind, you’ll have better success when selling these items if you place the ad on Craigslist near a holiday or ‘event’ day, like Mother’s Day or Graduation, because men especially, wait until the last minute to buy gifts and making it easy for them to see the item and pay for it is key.

Selling these types of items, it’s best if you meet the buyer in a public place to complete the transaction.

To succeed on selling on Craigslist:

1) Provide detailed item description.  Think of  yourself as the buyer.  What would you need to know in order to be interested in this item.

2) Post several photos of the item from several angles.  Buyers LOVE photos.

3) Post your listing on a Friday, when it will get the most viewers.

4) Beware of scammers.  They are insidious and they are out there, just looking for an opportunity to take something that is yours without paying for it.

5) Be careful when you are meeting someone who wants to buy from you.  Meet in a public place if possible. Or, try to find as much out in advance about your buyer as possible. Now that we have the resources of the internet available, it is easy to uncover information about your buyers.

Happy Selling.

Top 3 Reasons Business Should Embrace Digital Marketing

Businesses of all sizes are grappling with how to better engage with their customers.  Technology is changing so rapidly that many businesses have been unable to keep up or lack the expertise to stay on top of it all because technology is not their core competency.  And, to be fair even if these businesses are in the technology space, Digital Marketing is relatively new and is fueled at a frenetic pace by many Silicon Valley start-ups.

So, business owners/decision makers wait and watch and hope that they’ll be alright by sitting on the sidelines for a little longer. Who was it that said “Hope is not a strategy.”

Solution providers have not made it easy either. There are so many disparate solutions out there each focused on a different way of getting content in front of customers.  And, there are literally thousands of providers of these different solutions.  It’s confusing to navigate through it all.

If you own your own business or lead a Fortune 1000 company, what path do you choose to ensure that you are connecting with your customers, engaging them, building loyalty and increasing sales?

Why is it essential that businesses embrace digital marketing and ensure that their content reaches their customers anytime and anywhere?

Top 3 Reasons Businesses Should Embrace Digital Marketing

1) Digital Marketing is how your customers are consuming content.  If you want your product, service, message to reach your audience, you must get your content in front of them in the way that is most comfortable for them which is via their mobile devices (tablets, smartphones and PCs.)

Many companies these days have websites, but of the millions of websites that exist, very few are optimized to provide engaging content and reach the plethora of mobile devices and operating systems that power the devices.

Would you open a store and have empty shelves?  Would the door be locked with a sign that says “closed”?  That is the message you are sending when your website is not optimized to reach your customers on their terms.

2) Social Media levels the playing field.  It makes the Mom n Pop corner store just as relevant as some of the large Fortune 500 companies with $M in marketing budgets.  Businesses can compete and win if they embrace social media and actively participate and engage with their customers.

Social Media is here to stay and so if you want your business to participate in the conversation and drive the dialogue, then your business must be an active participate in the conversation.  At a minimum, your business should have a presence on the major Social Media networks (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn) and your website should have Social Media icon links so that consumers can easily follow/like/pin and engage with your company/business.

It is important that your business think about your customers and know that each and every interaction with your customers, suppliers, partners will at some point result in a social media interaction.  You want to not only track what is being said about your business and products but you want to use this forum as a marketing channel for your products and services.

3) eCommerce is essential for most businesses.  Make sure that your website can process transactions.  The statistics speak for themselves:

  • Global eCommerce to reach $1T by 2016 (Morgan Stanley 2013)
  • Social e-commerce sales will bring in about $35B in 2016, up 250% from $10 billion in 2012 (Siemer & Associates 2013)
  • Number of Social Media users expected to rise from 1.6B users in ‘12, to 2.3B in 2016 (Radicati Group 2013)
  • Next frontier of eCom is in “last mile” of local where 75% of all retail spend occurs (Ken Hao, Fortune, 2013)

WIth the rapid adoption of mobile technologies and reliance upon the internet to shop, more and more people are using mobile to find what they need and they expect companies/brands/businesses to be there.  “There” means online/mobile.

What this means to your business is that you can now be a global business and reach customers all over the world.  The internet expands your reach and influence.  Embrace, use, share.  Your customers will thank you and your business will have the ability to not only survive but thrive in the years ahead.