Visions Blog http://blog.visionsbethesda.com Connect~Interact~Comment~ with Chef Tony of Visions Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:46:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 38.999759-77.101856VisionsRestaurantRsshttp://feedburner.google.com Realize the Power of your Dollar?! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VisionsRestaurantRss/~3/WwolAuNg2aU/ http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/10/22/realize-the-power-of-your-dollar/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:46:00 +0000 cheftony http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/?p=382 Before you say it, I’ll say it..YES, this video is SELF SERVING…BUT…being in the restaurant business for over 23 years, I KNOW the power, size and strength of the restaurant industry.  It impacts so many people in America

If you can give me another 6 minutes, I HIGHLY suggest you watch this video about the size of the industry…

  • In the last 5 years…28% more WOMEN are restaurant owners, along with 30% more Hispanics & 77% more African Americans
  • 2,000,000 more jobs have been created…and we’ll create another 2,000,000 more this year.
  • Restaurant industry is bigger than the US Agriculture Industry, Airline Industry and Movie Industry…COMBINED!
  • Restaurant Industry would be the 17th Largest Economy in the World.
  • We serve 135,000,000 people DAILY.  (That’s Texas, NY, Floriday, Illinois, Pennsylvanie & California…COMBINED!
  • About HALF of all Americans have worked in a restaurant setting at some time in their career.
  • Over 1,000,000 locations called a restaurant nationwide and
  • $500,000,000,000 (that’s 500 billion dollars) a year industry.

Take 6 minutes…you’ll like it.

]]> http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/10/22/realize-the-power-of-your-dollar/feed/ 1 http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/10/22/realize-the-power-of-your-dollar/ Buying Fresh Seafood… http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VisionsRestaurantRss/~3/y7CQIfvDAt0/ http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/09/23/buying-fresh-seafood/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 05:08:49 +0000 cheftony http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/?p=364 From our monthly newsletter, here are some quick tips on buying Fresh Seafood…

1) Buy as natural a product as possible. Buying “Thawed for your Convenience” fish is not a good idea.  Not that all frozen fish is bad (I don’t buy any) but really when something is frozen,  you are truly trusting many people in the lifeline of that product to have taken care of it well.  Better to buy fresh and natural products whenever you can.  Whole fish is best, less exposure to air and bacteria.  Plus you can evaluate the quality by the skin, the eyes (clear not cloudy) , the touch of the skin if possible (firm, no dent left behind) and never trust a fish monger who won’t let you see the fish up close!

2) Buy just what you need for today! Taking a clue from our relatives in Europe and Latin America, families often buy at the market several times a day.  While I realize that’s not possible, buying as much as you plan to consume in just a day or day and a half is best.  Take the time to go and get your best fish, and the meal will fall into place naturally.  Accent the natural fish delicately and simply, and your food will always impress.

3) Buy what is in season, giving you freshest product and lower pricing!
Anything which is in season is most likely being caught in plentiful amounts, the stocks are being turned quickly, and since there is so much fish available, fishermen and companies want to move it quickly, so pricing is aggressive!

I hope these quick tips help you to buy seafood when you’re out, and remember that…

Starting in October, Visions will make available for sale most of the fresh seafood products that I buy on a daily basis including Fresh Atlantic Salmon, Dry Pack Scallops, PEI Mussles, fish filets and even Live Maine Lobsters!
shellfish stew
shoot me an email with any comments…

Along the same lines…if you ever need something special arranged, perhaps a 3-5 lb Lobster (or any other size), just contact me and I’ll be happy to make special arrangements, even just for a small gathering of a few people!  I want you to come, enjoy yourself, and spread the word about Visions…

]]> http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/09/23/buying-fresh-seafood/feed/ 0 http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/09/23/buying-fresh-seafood/ First Hot Dog on the Grill @ Visions! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VisionsRestaurantRss/~3/lWN1l00nac0/ http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/09/16/first-hot-dog-on-the-grill-visions/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:58:25 +0000 cheftony http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/?p=351 Some great pics here of Melanie (like that’s hard) and me (I happened to look ok, I think) at her recent Birthday BBQ Bash at Visions last Sunday. Fun was had by all, the back room was full of Tiki lamps, Bubbles and LEIS (insert gratuitous joke here). It was a blast, so many cool Twitter folks came, friends were made, and we got pics to prove it!

Also to let you know, we are ready for any kind of party you may want to throw, let us be your spot of choice to make it happen! Anyone needing superior ground up web design, make sure to see Melanie and her company Sisarina and she’ll take care of ya!

(Full Link to all photos)

Melanie and Me Melanie and Me2carlos,alextiki

]]> http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/09/16/first-hot-dog-on-the-grill-visions/feed/ 0 http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/09/16/first-hot-dog-on-the-grill-visions/ Hey Mom, check me out on “Think About It!” with Host Sylvia Henderson :) http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VisionsRestaurantRss/~3/W1mMwBuw2Ik/ http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/09/03/hey-mom-check-me-out-on-think-about-it-with-host-sylvia-henderson/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:07:31 +0000 cheftony http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/?p=346 Hey guys, forgot to post this up here (thanks Sylvia for calling!)…Hope you enjoy my 28 minutes with Sylvia Henderson, Host and Creator of “Think About It” a weekly show on Channel 16 in Montgomery County, Md.

Hope you enjoy, email me any comments or post up below!

]]> http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/09/03/hey-mom-check-me-out-on-think-about-it-with-host-sylvia-henderson/feed/ 0 http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/09/03/hey-mom-check-me-out-on-think-about-it-with-host-sylvia-henderson/ Visions featured on “World Next Door” with Host Sonya Lowrey http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VisionsRestaurantRss/~3/BExQrcQQ4bg/ http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/08/31/visions-featured-on-world-next-door-with-host-sonya-lowrey/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:17:24 +0000 cheftony http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/?p=339 Our good friend and newly appointed Travel Guru featured Visions on her recently launched Web Based Travel and local interest show! Take a quick (3 minute) look and let us know what you think!

]]> http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/08/31/visions-featured-on-world-next-door-with-host-sonya-lowrey/feed/ 0 http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/08/31/visions-featured-on-world-next-door-with-host-sonya-lowrey/ I’m the next Food Star with “Twincident”!! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VisionsRestaurantRss/~3/WPtZIsaLX0o/ http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/08/20/im-the-next-food-star-with-twincident/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:41:45 +0000 cheftony http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/?p=332 Such a great quick interview at our last Tweetup with @twincident (Mommy Blogger Extraordinaire) and what a night!  We tasted Gazpacho, it was 100 degrees, we cut onions, it was 100 degrees…..did I mention it was HOT?!?  :)

]]> http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/08/20/im-the-next-food-star-with-twincident/feed/ 0 http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/08/20/im-the-next-food-star-with-twincident/ Visions in the News! Group Buying with BuyWithMe.com http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VisionsRestaurantRss/~3/HE5tty_k6rM/ http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/07/06/visions-in-the-news-group-buying-with-buywithmecom/#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:44:30 +0000 cheftony http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/?p=320 Those who know me probably know that I’m a fan of marketing, new technologies and staying connected with people. I enjoy the group dynamic, although I AM an only child and just fine doing things by myself. Well, here’s an interesting “new” concept which has hit the DC area now with a site called “BuyWithMe.com“. Since we are participating, and I really like the site design and concept, I figured why not take a few minutes and tell my readers about the concept.

In a nutshell, group buying involves connecting merchants with customers over a very aggressively priced deal. Nothing new there? The great element here is basically a no risk element for the merchant..allow me to explain. Let’s say the merchant is say..hmm.. a restaurant! and let’s just say the Chef gives these great, fun and hands on cooking classes? But, he wants to maintain a certain class size and with all the menu design and elements that go into planning one of these, he doesn’t want to do it for only 4 people, just not cost effective! So a website like www.buywithme.com comes in and negotiates a deal. “How about I bring you 20 people to do this class, would you drop the price a bit?” Intelligent and dashingly handsome Chef says..”Hmm, ok..let’s cut my regular price by 44% and if you can get me 20, I’m happy!” Both sides walk away, put the deal up on the site, and see what happens.

Customer of www.buywithme.com signs up as a free user, she loves good deals, and she loves when someone else can negotiate a deal on a product or service she likes, and she gets the deal! What else could be better? So one day she’s perusing the local deals in DC, and she sees said cooking class and says “Sure! why not?? I love their food, and the Chef is so knowledgeable!! I’m in!” She signs up, puts in her credit card info, and she’s done. If at least 20 people sign up for that deal like she did, it goes off, her credit card is charged, she gets a PDF in her email, and she’s excited about going to the class! But, let’s say only 10 sign up, the class is not big enough, the deal does not close (way short of 20 people) and her credit card never gets touched, the deal is off, and we move on.

I hope my selfishly created story provides a clear example of how this concept work. Deals are crafted, minimum participation levels are created, and if they are reached, everyone who signed up gets the deal. If NOT, the deal is off, all people who signed up are off the hook, and other deals come around. There are more and more of these companies popping up. Giving my feedback on BuyWithMe.com I have been happy so far, the site design is VERY CLEAN and very simple to negotiate. I hope to do business with them into the future, and I’d recommend so far, because the deal only costs me something if it goes through. If it does, they cut me a check within one week for the people who signed up that pay the site directly.

Following the post is a new clip that ran today from the company covering the concept, keep an eye out for Visions at about 2 minutes. Keep tuned for a follow up blog post, thanks for reading, hope to see you at Visions!

]]> http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/07/06/visions-in-the-news-group-buying-with-buywithmecom/feed/ 0 http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/07/06/visions-in-the-news-group-buying-with-buywithmecom/ Cooking Show with Rich Masabny on Virginia Cable (27 minutes) http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VisionsRestaurantRss/~3/LISj7BARo-M/ http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/06/30/cooking-show-with-rich-masabny-on-virginia-cable-27-minutes/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:14:16 +0000 cheftony http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/?p=315 Had the opportunity to debut on a cooking show hosted by Rich Masabny…the food was good (Italian Paella) but I think the comedy might have been better! Enjoy, and I’d love to hear your comments to cheftony@visionsbethesda.com

]]> http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/06/30/cooking-show-with-rich-masabny-on-virginia-cable-27-minutes/feed/ 0 http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/06/30/cooking-show-with-rich-masabny-on-virginia-cable-27-minutes/ Social Media Interview…”In Montgomery County” with host Toby Beach http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VisionsRestaurantRss/~3/bcXqNK84URw/ http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/06/29/social-media-interviewin-montgomery-county-with-host-toby-beach/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:32:56 +0000 cheftony http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/06/29/social-media-interviewin-montgomery-county-with-host-toby-beach/ From my growing involvement in social media, our recent interview on local cable.. Love to hear any of your comments, and more importantly, please listen to the message.
If you are a small business owner, or a large corporation, you NEED TO UNDERSTAND SOCIAL MEDIA. There are no excuses, not “I just don’t get it”, not “I don’t have time”, nothing…you HAVE to do it, and get involved in the conversations that are happening!

Need help? We’ve got that coming..go to www.socialmountain.com and register. Our project goes live in July, we’ll walk you through the process…

Thanks for watching!

Tony

]]> http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/06/29/social-media-interviewin-montgomery-county-with-host-toby-beach/feed/ 0 http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/06/29/social-media-interviewin-montgomery-county-with-host-toby-beach/ It’s all about Relationships! Opportunity for [LIVE] Event @ Visions http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/VisionsRestaurantRss/~3/-IyXJcDSBdU/ http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/2009/06/15/its-all-about-relationships-opportunity-for-live-event-visions/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:09:44 +0000 cheftony http://blog.visionsbethesda.com/?p=307 I hope the summer is bringing you all the fun you could hope for! Take a minute and see what we have coming up before you leave on your July vacation, to help boost your business moving forward…

We are all aware of the challenges moving ahead into the business environment in 2009 and what we’ll have to do to move out of the average, and into the group that profits and moves forward. Keeping your mindset right is 90% of the battle. How many “networking” events have you been to where nobody gets anything really DONE? Because nobody focuses on the relationship building aspect of networking, most of these events turn into Ninja business card handshakes, phony conversations and no REAL business being done?!

Please take time for a FREE SEMINAR built around the concept of Relationship Marketing and how powerful this concept is for your life and your business! Join Glenn Garnes as he teaches you values and skills that can turn around your idea of what connecting with those around you is all about. I highly suggest you attend this event, free refreshments will be provided and I promise, you’ll have a great time!
july-8th-event

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