Thread: East Coast Roll Call V---> SO MUCH better then all the other roll calls

Originally Posted by laseranimal

If I can ask for the maggots to bear with me while I SPAM/Plug

I(and my wife and minianimal) own Brunswick Greens Golf Course at the top of Hoosick Street in Troy, aka RT 7 which is coincidentally RIGHT on the way to VT for those traveling from the South

If ya'll could spread the word that our restaurant and BAR is going to be open for the winter we'd be HUGELY thankful. The summer hasn't gone nearly as well as we had planned so right now we're scratching for any winter income we can grab to keep the place going until our main season starts up in March. Events and other such info can be found at www.facebook.com/brunswickgreens.

I'd love to hear suggestions/ideas on ways to stay profitable without killing ourselves with costs. Right now we've got golf simulators and some bands lined up but we're really looking down into an abyss of the unknown right now.

Much thanks guys and gals!!!

Advertise thriftily. Best bet, get the word out to the people who already frequent your establishment. Remember the 80/20 rule.

Signs are cheap, well some of them. Put something visible on the main road(s) that you're open with your hours of operation and what you're offering. Radio is a pretty cheap medium too. Maybe try a living social or buywithme deal for golf simulation and food during the winter. Wing specials. Football games. Do you have good TV's? Right now your website for the bar says see you in April. Get on the golfing forums and offer a deal for golf simulation / food. What's your beer selection like? If you were going to pitch the bar to someone in 10 seconds, what would you say about it? Watch football here, drink good beer here, drink cheap beer here, drink whiskey here, drink fufu drinks here, eat fresh pasta here,

Don't blow your whole ad wad in the beginning. When those golfers are all jonesing to hit the links, hit them with golf simulation ads. If you could simulate skiing right now I'd be spending $ for it.

If you want repeat business, and maybe this is just me, but if I think the owner / servers give a fuck about my business I will go there. Friendly, greet you genuinely, hey we added this to the menu - have a taste, etc. I'll keep going back.

Anyone looking to hold a benefit for the flood in your area? Kill two birds with one stone if you have the opportunity, host the benefit for variable costs right about the time you normally shut down and advertise that you will be open all winter. Kinda a long shot, but maybe.

Does your insurance know you are going to be operating? Make sure portions of your policy don't cease during the winter operations, especially the liability part. Last thing you need is some fucker to slip on the ice and your LLC is fuct.

Edit - EMAIL your insurance agent / broker. Tell them you are going to be open and ask if there is anything that needs to be updated / changed in your policies as a result. If they call you and say no, email them back confirming this (so you have a record). They may use this as an opportunity to sell you more coverage, which you may or may not need, and you can evaluate the coverage accordingly. Hopefully, they say no - you're all set, make sure you save that email.

Laser, dart league sounds like a good idea. So does XC skiiing, but you might need to add insurance. There could be an interest in lessons, or regular XC sessions (not just instructional, fitness oriented).

Maybe focus advertising at senior centers for events/activities as they are able to do daytime-midweek functions and you could get them hooked on your place w/ a discount...

Good luck
Sprite

thanks guys keep em coming

I think XC skiing is going to be a no go, don't really have the space on an executive course, plus no money for equipment and being so close to free XC skiing on trails I don't see how it works for me

Got holiday parties booked already, so no problems there(other then I'd like to have more booked) just need a more constant source of income through Jan-March

Dart leagues are interesting as I've heard MULTIPLE people mention them. I'm not a dart guy so school me on how it works, other then a dart board what else do I need?

edit:
insurance is all set, in NYS if you're carrying a mortgage you're carrying liability 12 months a year

Originally Posted by laseranimal

thanks guys keep em coming
Got holiday parties booked already, so no problems there(other then I'd like to have more booked) just need a more constant source of income through Jan-March

Dart leagues are interesting as I've heard MULTIPLE people mention them. I'm not a dart guy so school me on how it works, other then a dart board what else do I need?

Are you a member of the local chamber? You might get more parties if you can group e-mail other chamber members. Use handbills on local bulletin boards to advertise specials. Keep these fresh to peak interest ie make sure Holloween party [29th would be a good date this year] flyer is replaced Nov 1.

Google knows darts.

Good Luck

Also want to say it is raining here at this point in time, not sure if this has been discussed yet, posted anyway.

Laser......will defidently stop by your bar on the way to VT for a cold beverage and dinner..Congrats on the place, i really hope that it does well for you and your family...Look forward to seeing you soon.....
SNOWSPRITE.... hope your year has gotten off to a good start and look forward to seeing you and fran for some turns......

Originally Posted by neufox47

Maybe try a living social or buywithme deal for golf simulation and food during the winter.

I'd encourage you do to a significant amount of research before committing to something like this. I've heard mixed reviews on its profitability for small businesses (to be clear though, I have no experience myself).

A quick search on Inc Magazine\\\'s site brought up some good articles:
How to Use Groupon to Boost Sales
How Groupon Can Boost Your Company\\\'s Exposure
A Groupon for Golfers?

Originally Posted by laseranimal

If I can ask for the maggots to bear with me while I SPAM/Plug

I(and my wife and minianimal) own Brunswick Greens Golf Course at the top of Hoosick Street in Troy, aka RT 7 which is coincidentally RIGHT on the way to VT for those traveling from the South

If ya'll could spread the word that our restaurant and BAR is going to be open for the winter we'd be HUGELY thankful. The summer hasn't gone nearly as well as we had planned so right now we're scratching for any winter income we can grab to keep the place going until our main season starts up in March. Events and other such info can be found at www.facebook.com/brunswickgreens.

I'd love to hear suggestions/ideas on ways to stay profitable without killing ourselves with costs. Right now we've got golf simulators and some bands lined up but we're really looking down into an abyss of the unknown right now.

Much thanks guys and gals!!!

Long as you stay open past 8 on fridays ill stop by on my way up

How long have you owned it? I thought you were an employee.

Nice view and good location and not much competition in the area. I'll spread the word. My brother was there last week and mentioned it to me. He liked it.

A few years back we held our summer banquets at Brunswick Green. It would be a great place for office parties.

Brunswick is starved for live music. You could model it after Gonif Den.

LA- maybe a flood relief outing? live music? good cause to draw people and get them familiar with your facilities. Just a thought, I will come by for sure when i am down in cambridge area at my wife's parents again.

Hey Laser, lots of good suggestions here already but if you do a ski related event it'd be cool to stop by and meet some more ny mags. Maybe you could time it with a Hickory work day or something? Also, get Big Buck Hunter. I can't see that game without dropping in $5 in quarters. That being said, I'm so much better than all of you!

What a beautiful weekend that was! The daytime weather is perfect for working, the nights are perfect for sleeping and the time is oh-so-right for a pre fall gathering.


DON'T FORGET! MAGIC WORK WEEKEND THIS WEEKEND, and while the website lists Saturday only, to those who want to make a weekend of it there will be the option for camping in the big lot (freshly mowed and waiting for our arrival) and more work to do on Sunday. Be sure to thank Jim for giving us the OK for that when you see him!


Saturday our goals are twofold: To set up a group to repaint the tubing park/learning area shacks and weedwhack/clean the area as well as a group to hike and clean up from that ice storm last season and Irene in the tree runs and glades. Trailwork will consist of hiking up the older east side glades to clean them up and hiking down via new glades for a finishing spiff-up to make them fully skiable for this season.

At the end of the day there will be a BBQ on the lodge deck, followed by camping in the big lot w/ shenanigans, a campfire and some good times.

Sunday will consist of as much weedwhacking as we can manage and continued glade cleanup from whoever we don't have a 'whacker for. I've been asking the Mt. Ops crew what would be the biggest help and they all say -with no hesitation- weedwhacking, as it takes up valuable man hours that could be spent on other important projects, so while it's not quite as glamorous as glade work it needs to be done and is a huge help to the mountain ops crew and is also a good option for someone who doesn't want to/can't hike all that much.

So let me know if you're going to be coming, what you're bringing and what you're down to do. I haven't seen many of you since last season, and I'm sure there will be some new faces as well so looking forward to making this as safe, fun and productive a work weekend as possible for everyone so to answer your questions as best I can in advance, here's a list of recommended equipment.

Biggest order of business...
WEEDWHACKERS! If you have one, please bring it. If you have two or ten please bring them, and gas/line etc. if you have it. The brush attachments (fan blade style) are useful as well so if you have them bring it. Can't hurt.

For all the other trail work...
Mostly we'll be limbing dead lower branches off pine trees or dragging out deadfall, so either a baseball bat, machete, loppers or hand saw- whichever you're most comfortable using to safely knock, cut, chop or saw off dead lower pine branches. Anything down that's bigger than hand saw size will be taken care of by Magic's chainsaw crew so it can be moved by workers- they have a new arborist as well as their veteran chainsaw guy, so they will just need hands to move it once they untangle and make it into manageable pieces. Please don't bring your chain saw (*cough*or wood chipper *cough* ), as we are looking to keep this as safe as humanly possible and already have that covered. Very little tree cutting- if any- will be needed and we are mostly clearing the deadfall so just bring heavy gloves, good boots, simple hand tools you can easily hike with, and I recommend safety glasses as well for errant whipping branches and such. Long work pants like carhartts are also recommended.

First order of business is of course safety. Second is maximizing the amount of work we can do, so let's be vocal and communicate what our plans are and get this party started!


Can't finish without giving HUGE props to all the Magic volunteers, skiers and riders that make this place what it is. You are the glue that holds this skier-run community together and what keeps it alive and well- the gratitude that is felt for all your efforts truly cannot be expressed- that said, thank you in advance for your loyalty, your valuable time and your willingness to work towards a better and brighter future.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

No chainsaws or wood chippers? I'm staying home then

I'll try to grab one of those brush cutter dealio's for my weed whacker and bring some hand tools too.

DW: If you have time this week, would you mind grabbing a two hander from the Army/Navy store for me please? I'll give you the $ when I see you.

Heading up from CT at the butt crack (5ish) on Saturday morning if anyone needs a lift. Probably going back home Saturday night or early Sunday AM.

Originally Posted by laseranimal

thanks guys keep em coming

I think XC skiing is going to be a no go, don't really have the space on an executive course, plus no money for equipment and being so close to free XC skiing on trails I don't see how it works for me

Got holiday parties booked already, so no problems there(other then I'd like to have more booked) just need a more constant source of income through Jan-March

Dart leagues are interesting as I've heard MULTIPLE people mention them. I'm not a dart guy so school me on how it works, other then a dart board what else do I need?

edit:
insurance is all set, in NYS if you're carrying a mortgage you're carrying liability 12 months a year

If you are going to attract dart players, you will need space for two boards with lights and scoreboards that does not interfere with foot traffic. Here is a link to the local league:

http://www.empirestatedarts.com

And the PDF about starting up a team:

http://http://www.empirestatedarts.c...gueProgram.pdf

I'll try to stop in sometime this week and see if you have a space that would work.

Laser, I used to build a rink in my yard every winter (Lights, music and you may attract some dinner patrons?)

DoWork, wish I could help... weed whacking is my specialty. (I've been known to blaze trails across continents.) This weekend is my Food Pantry's Harvest Fest that I volunteer for, so my mad weed skills are spoken for. Great effort though, and sounds fun. If someone near me (Concord, MA) wants to borrow my new Husky WW, let me know.)

Thanks for all the kind words mags

[begin blog]

I've been the head pro at Brunswick Greens for 3 years and had gotten to know the old owner well, one night last year he and his wife stopped me in the pro shop and asked me if I would consider buying the golf course. Long story short we pulled the trigger.

We started out the year getting hammered left and right, two weeks before opening our Superintendent quit to take a better job after PROMISING me he'd be back, and our Chef decided he wasn't going to return back from his winter job in South Carolina.

We barely got a liquor license in time for our first party in March. It snowed right up until April 1st depriving us of @ 7-10k of golf course revenue (I know a skier complaining about snow go figure). April wasn't much better with all the rain so we wound up behind our projections again. However we were STILL holding our own and May-August was RIGHT on target(but being new to the business end of it we completely forgot we needed to be AHEAD of target to survive the winter).

The real silent killer though was our downstairs Grill Room. The previous Chef was a WIZARD in the kitchen and somehow managed to hold costs down, get per plate prices up, serve great food, while also protecting the House against any shenanigans the waitstaff would play. We caught at LEAST two of our waitresses cheating the house out of liquor(yes I'm going to wonder when a guy leaves you a $20 tip when his tab only shows he bought ONE beer all night) and worst of all one of our cooks was shipping food out the back door to her family when we weren't around Luckily we caught that one quick!!!! But essentially it was the same thing as the golf course, you never "lost" money or were unprofitable according to your spreadsheets but at the end of the year you're "missing" a good chunk of income. Looking back on it I think we left a solid $50k and possibly upwards of $75k on the table in the restaurant because we didn't know any better and were so much more concerned about the Golf Course and Banquet Hall.

Then September rolled around and we lost 2 days from Irene and 5 DAYS from Lee which accounts to about $3.5k in golf course income and now we're looking at a LONG road until April with realistically very limited Golf Course related income because like ski areas after Presidents day there really isn't a whole lot of season left on a course after Labor day. I'm probably going to have to eat a tournament that would bring in 3k this Saturday because its supposed to rain.

SO now I'm left in the UNENVIABLE position of attempting to jump start a business that has NEVER been open during the winter with almost no capital and really no experience running a standalone restaurant and bar. Sorry for the blog guys but its just cathartic to get everything off my chest at once and I REALLY appreciate all the help and suggestions

[/end blog]

While you all come up to have a drink at laser's place and work on Magic, don't forget the Peru Fair is this Saturday. Help pay for my kids' college expenses with your entrance donation.

Originally Posted by jgb@etree

mind grabbing a two hander from the Army/Navy store for me please?

Certainly. That will make it 4, anybody else want one? I'm going to have to call ahead this time anyways.

Originally Posted by BigDaddy

my mad weed skills are spoken for.

Sorry to hear that but goodonya for doing good as always!

If someone near me (Concord, MA) wants to borrow my new Husky WW, let me know.

Does WW = Latina Women? Dear god I hope so.

Originally Posted by laseranimal

SO now I'm left in the UNENVIABLE position of attempting to jump start a business that has NEVER been open during the winter with almost no capital and really no experience running a standalone restaurant and bar. Sorry for the blog guys but its just cathartic to get everything off my chest at once and I REALLY appreciate all the help and suggestions.

Damn dude. Sorry to hear about all the drama, I think the winter golf solace is a great idea. A year-round golf-themed clubhouse sports bar that caters to functions and pub leagues could be a win. Certainly tough to get a break these days, and it doesn't help that good people are harder to find every day. Best of luck and if I'm ever out in Troy I'll certianly come by for a few cold ones!

Originally Posted by Peruvian

While you all come up to have a drink at laser's place and work on Magic, don't forget the Peru Fair is this Saturday.

Waitasecwaitasec- Llama parade AND a pig/corn roastoff??? BD, looks like you better step your game up this year.

EDIT: PAGETOP STATUS STOOPIFIED!

Originally Posted by laseranimal

Thanks for all the kind words mags

[begin blog]

[/end blog]

[geek]

actually, the proper geek notation is just [blog] blog stuff [/blog]

the backslash already indicates "end," so /end reads "end end"...

[/geek]

Originally Posted by gpetrics

[geek]

actually, the proper geek notation is just [blog] blog stuff [/blog]

the backslash already indicates "end," so /end reads "end end"...

[/geek]

How many midi-clorian do you have again?

Originally Posted by lionelhutz

How many midi-clorian do you have again?

off the charts... over twenty thousand... even Master Yoda doesn't have a midi-chlorian count that high!

Greg thanks for the smile. I NEEDED THAT

Originally Posted by gpetrics

off the charts... over twenty thousand... even Master Yoda doesn't have a midi-chlorian count that high!

Tits.

It had to be said to break the geak-out.

Originally Posted by laseranimal

Greg thanks for the smile. I NEEDED THAT

GODDAMNIT G- you're destroying your rep. Stop being nice.

Originally Posted by DoWork

Waitasecwaitasec- Llama parade AND a pig/corn roastoff??? BD, looks like you better step your game up this year.

meh... I don't see any Super Bros in the raffle, nor one mention of a shot luge.

We have pig and I know where there's corn and a llama down the road. I'll supply the bucket and some rope.

WW (white woman). LW (Latin Woman).