The Fish Bowl Effect

Good evening Indianapolis! I hope this finds you having a great week and enjoying this beautiful weather! May is by far one of our busiest months, but I'll do my best to keep this updated!

I decided to write this week because I realized an interesting thing the other night; I decided to bring my GoPro Hero4 in to work and take some footage and pictures. I set it up during our dinner rush, and just recorded. What I want to write about though has nothing to do with the actual footage/pictures - what I want to write about has everything to do with psychology and how people react to certain things.

Once the staff realized that my GoPro was a camera, and that I was recording, the mood change was palpable! Everyone became more excited, more upbeat, and ultra aware of the camera. What I find surprising, especially in this day and age, is the reaction - they were surprised and excited at the thought of being on camera...and yet they (teens, young adults, etc.) post pictures and videos several times throughout a normal day.

So what was it about this camera that made them react differently? Was it the fact that they could actually see it and that it was out of the norm?

I don't know, but it was entertaining to say the least. Everyone wanted to become "famous" via our social outlets with the video/pictures I took. Overall, it was a great night and I'm glad that such a small, simple act can improve morale. It reminds me of a Kiss Cam or something similar - we know we can be caught on video or in a picture at any moment, but its the more obvious ones that we react to!

Quick event updates for the Dashboard Diner: We will be down on the circle Saturday for the 500 Festival Kids Day this weekend! Other than that, we have events all over the place and just about every day, so stay tuned to our social sites for locations

I hope you all have a great week, and as always, we'll see you soon!

Dashboard Diner Media Outlets:
Facebook: @dashboarddiner
Twitter: @dashboarddiner
Instagram: @dashboardddiner

Technology - Good or Evil

Good morning! I find it amusing that the last time I wrote a blog post, it was raining...and it's raining again today! I hope that everyone had a great weekend, and a solid start to the week - despite the rain.

I've been reading a lot of articles lately about the advancements in technology that we've been enjoying, and are going to enjoy. But it reminded me of an article a read a few months ago about the seemingly unstoppable advancement of technology and how it is changing the landscape of the world; the article discussed how many restaurants, and chefs, are not allowing people to be on their phones when dining. Some have gone as far as to ask for their patrons to leave their phones at the front desk. To some of us, that seems extreme, but to others it makes a lot of sense.

I know that I have written about this before, but there were so many things that I have read here lately that I felt like it could be touched upon again. Technology is an amazing thing - from printers that can print food to the possible ability to perform a head transplant, what we are able to do often astounds me. The thing that nags at the back of my mind though, and I'm sure there are plenty others out there, at what point will we take a step back and say enough?

Towards the end of the summer, I wrote a post about the loss of human interaction, specifically in the service and sales industries; technology is now making it possible for a salesman to never have to leave his office - everything is automated or done via mobile phone or computer. Do these kind of tech advances streamline the job? Sure. Less hours of shoe leather to pavement, for the same job, means more production, more money, etc. But at the cost of the human relationship between the salesman and his client. We should be looking to create more relationships, not taking them away.

Some places have taken certain steps to try and instill a sense of community in their establishment by using communal seating. This type if seating is designed to "make" people sit with others that they probably don't know. There are arguments to both sides of this, but I for one like the idea.

Think about the last time you sat down for a meal with someone close to you - a friend, significant other, etc. - did you talk and interact with each other or were one/both of you busy on your mobile device or watching TV? Our world has changed - Wake up, work, play, sleep, repeat; given, this has been the recipe of life for some time, but there are many differences to the recipe years ago versus today.

In the past, families would at least all sit down and have dinner together - the whole family, with no distraction. No TV, no phones, no iPods, etc. Just the Father, Mother, Son, Daughter (and sometimes even the dog) sitting around the table, breaking bread, and enjoying each other's company. Can you remember the last time you actually did that with your family?

All in all, I think the advancement of technology is great; it will propel us to the future. But I think we should be weary, be careful, of the direction it takes us. We should be careful to not let ourselves become lost in the virtual world, only to let the real one fade and eventually die.

So the next time you go out to eat or sit down for dinner, make a conscious effort to put away your distractions, and have a real connection with the person across from you.

As always, have a great week and we hope to see you soon!

Information Overload!

Good afternoon Indy! I hope you are all having a great day, despite the wet weather! It has been awhile since our last post, and I'll try to keep this short, but this post will be jam-packed with quality information!

* First and foremost - our debut of Kids' Night! From this week on, we will be offering Kids' Eat Free on Tuesday nights! Here is how it breaks down: with the purchase of a sandwich combo OR dinner (chicken strips, fish, shrimp) two kids can eat free. So, if you come in with your two kids and buy a sandwich combo or dinner, your kids can eat free!

With each sandwich combo or dinner purchase, you receive two kids meals free. Basically a buy 1, get 2 deal.

Here are the limits: Only 2 kids meals per combo or dinner purchase, kid must be 10 or under, Dine In Only, and only after 4 pm!

Each week, we will have a coloring contest with the winner receiving a FREE sundae on their next visit, their picture displayed on the front counter and the website and social media pages!

* We have received our newest run of growlers and mugs - with a new design! Also, we have EDI sweatshirts available for purchase!

* Our spring car show, the Custom Classic Revival, will be June 13th! Day of Registration will begin at 9 am and end at Noon. Awards will be between 2 and 3 pm. Details and information can be found via this handy dandy flyer: 

I hope that you have a great week, and we cannot wait to see everyone out and about this summer! As always, we'll see you soon!

Spring, Summer, and Car Shows!

Good afternoon Indy! Isn't this weather wonderful? I hope that it stays this way going forward! It's amazing what a pop in warm weather does for us...our curb lot has been booming this week! Thank you for turning out in force!

With warmer weather comes a reminder of important dates coming up!

Our first car show this year will be in June - Saturday June 13th, 2015. This show will be just like last year's - we have partnered up with Custom Classics for their Custom Car Revival Show. This show was huge last year, and we expect it to be just as big if not slightly bigger this year! It was a beautiful day, and I hope we get the same weather this year!

Though I don't have specific dates, I know that there are some graduations coming up soon! If you're not sure what to do for food, remember our Dashboard Diner food truck has done some of these in the past! You can fill out an event request on our website, under Dashboard Diner (Link: www.edwardsdrivein.com/dashboard-diner ).

Have you seen our new look on the website? What are your thoughts?

Another thing in the works, down the pipeline, is possibly putting on a Sock Hop Dance; I asked about this a couple of years ago via Facebook, and the response was outstanding. I have been wanting to get one put together, but have been unsuccessful in the past. Thanks to a new manage starting, this project has new life and is being driven forward. You'll have to stay tuned for more details as we get them hammered out!

We've also been making a few changes to some looks and our menu...we now offer healthy kids' meal options for the sides: you can now get mandarin oranges, mac&cheese, or fries with a kid's meal! If you've been into the lobby recently, you probably noticed the large TV screen where the marker board used to be...we will be playing a video that will show our story as well as specials and menu highlights. We hope you enjoy it - you can learn a little history about us as well as see the weekly specials and any menu highlight specials we may be running while you wait!

The Dashboard Diner is preparing for this summer in a big way - we were super busy last year, and expect the same this year. Remember, if you would like to book us for an event there is no such thing as booking to early, the earlier the better!

I'll do my best to keep you all informed of events and special dates as they come up. I hope you have a great week, and we'll see you soon!

Then vs. Now: Quality vs. Cheap & Fast

Good evening Indy! How beautiful was this day? I sincerely hope that the weather stays in this range instead of plummeting back down to the frigid!

As the title states, this post is all about the changes that have been made, specifically in the restaurant industry, but across the board as well, as time marches on. I don't have specific time tables, so I will generalize to the best of my memory, but here we go!

Think back ten to fifteen years ago...got that in your mind? Now, think about how things were made and where they came from; fifteen years ago, most restaurants would get their product from a local supplier - you were literally eating beef, chicken, and pork from the farm just down the road. Business was good, for all involved. If you had a question, or an issue, you could drive ten minutes down the road and get an answer. It was great for all parties involved.

Now, the best you can do is know the name of the supplier...and not much better. We "want" farms and suppliers to produce product as fast as possible for as cheap as possible, and it's not just the restaurant industry that is doing this. It's everything. Gone are the days of superior quality and standards, gone are the days that human interaction was needed to get most things done.

As time passes and technology becomes more and more powerful, we continually move away from the one thing still needed to make it all work - human interaction. We have replaced the hard working, sweat and blood giving people with automated machines and robots. Sure, some of these machines have taken the job out of a person's hands because the job itself was super dangerous, and that is great, but we shouldn't be automating the things that don't necessarily need automated.

WE ARE HUMAN. This means we need human interaction!

Alas, I wandered off topic there for a second...

Most large supply companies use giant, corporate farms to get their product now - these farms are huge, and more often than not consist of giant buildings within which animals are filed over and over again. Bring them in, feed and grow them, send them out; wash, rinse, repeat. For the most part, gone are the days when animals were raised under the sun, in a grass field, without any medicinal help; now, they're cooped up, fed special mixes of food to make them bigger and meatier, and filled with drugs that do the same thing as the feed.

Ultimately, that's all well and good, but what has changed that it is necessary? Is there really such a high demand for more "perfect" food, or is the reality the fact that our great country is rather gluttonous - and we don't want to wait? We are consumers...consumers that have been groomed that everything should be and is quick service.

All in all, if nothing else, this is food for thought. What do you think?

As always, we hope to see you soon! Make sure you get out and enjoy the jump in temps this week!

Keeping it Fresh

Good Morning Indianapolis! Today is shaping up to be a gorgeous day, and we hope that everyone can enjoy some part of it!

Today I want to talk about the trends and flows of a restaurant - I'm not talking necessarily about the steady upswing in business throughout the summer followed by the downswing in the winter, but more the flow of food trends. When you really start to look at it, it seems maddening at how a certain item or food can be super popular one week or one day, and then by the next week be old news. For example - when the State Fair, and fairs in general, come around the hot topic is what can we deep fry and how delicious will it be? At the beginning of the summer, you see an upswing in light and fresh foods - things like salads, lite pastas, and fruits. Towards the end of summer, you see a slight uptick in baked goods - especially things with pumpkin!

When you really think about it, it is amazing for certain places to be as successful as they are with a "set" menu; they have their base/core menu and instead of trying to highlight specialty items they focus on executing their menu to near perfection. There is applause to be given to the places that do this; focusing on a set menu, throughout the entire year, can be very difficult. For example, a lot of our food is deep fried and can be greasy - there are times in the summer when it is so hot that something heavy like that just doesn't sound good, and that is understandable.

What is amazing to me, even on those super hot days, we still tend to see a crowd coming through the front door, and that crowd is still ordering our go-to menu items - Breaded Tenderloin, Onion Rings, and a frosty mug of homemade root beer!

We pride ourselves on our tenderloins and onion rings, and really the entire menu; we strive to make these items to the very best of our ability to provide our guests with the absolute best food that we can. Even though we focus on our main menu items, we do provide "special" items throughout the year, especially in the winter. For example, we will run a couple of different soups once the weather turns frigid and if we have a big catering that we don't cook all of the food, we will use it to create a special of the day.

Its the little things like that, a new soup or a special of the day, that can change it up for our guests that just aren't feeling a tenderloin today.

At the end of the day, we will continue our 56 year old focus on our tenderloins, onion rings, and root beer, and we'll be here every day to serve up your favorites!

Have a great week and weekend, and we'll see you soon!

Events, Events, TV Show, Heavy Business, and loving life!

Good evening Indianapolis! I, in fact, do realize that it has been waaaaaay to long since I last posted something, and for that I apologize; the last several weeks have been a crazy wave of frenzied busyness that has kept me away from the computer - and when I had a chance to sit down the words just wouldn't flow!

At this point I have worked for Edwards a little over a year (nearing 1.5) and I am still amazed at what we do and what comes to us; this past week was filled with events that our food truck, the Dashboard Diner, was a part of. The beginning of the week started fairly normal for us, and Thursday we attended the farmers' market at the Statehouse - which is always a great time! Friday began the true madness, with our first shift for GEN CON 2013!

We were grateful to the Westin Hotel for inviting us to be a part of this huge weekend; we got to see some awesome costumes on our first shift: 

Friday night we were set up on Capital Street in front of the convention center, and it turned out to be a beautiful night! Saturday morning we found ourselves invited back up to Fanimation in Zionsville for their annual celebration and car show!

It was a great time, with some awesome cars and bicycles, and we look forward to getting invited back again next year!

Saturday night found us back at the Westin for the PM shift; this was our last shift for GEN CON 2013, and we were visited by a very special person: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6Cfy58-zPU

We had a lot of fun blasting the original 1960s theme song for them! We called it a night for GEN CON a little earlier than normal, electing to give our team a chance to catch their breath. Sunday morning, we traveled out to Avon for their annual World War II Memorial Car Show, which is always fun!

Though it was an early morning, we had a lot of fun and enjoyed getting to see the cars. That was the end of the week for the Dashboard Diner and its team, and we were all grateful to get a day of rest!

We were equally busy at the restaurant this week as well - though competing with the State Fair can be interesting! We featured State Fair brand corn dogs all this week (and probably will for awhile) and they seemed to be a huge hit! 

The biggest news that came through on the restaurant this week was the airing of the Indianapolis episode of Fandemonium! Though we didn't get our name dropped, we had a lot of fun working with Adam Richman again and loved the looks of surprise we got as we brought out our biggest tenderloin yet!

We were pretty excited for the episode to air, and it was pretty awesome when it did!

http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/adam-richmans-fandemonium/episodes/indy-500

Even though school has started again, and a lot of people have gone back to school/work, we still look forward to the crowds that we will see from now until next summer, and you can bet that we will be cooking up some new things over the winter!

I will be sure to get weekly posts back up and running, and let the rock and roll get you through the week!

Oh, and PS, if you would like to challenge yourself and/or your friends, you can purchase this 13# tenderloin (which will feed 10-12 people) on an 18" bun for $79.99! We appreciate as much notice as you can give us to make it for you (we can't just make them appear out of thin air!)! 

56 years later...

Fifty-six years ago, a business was started just outside of Beech Grove - it started as a Dog & Suds drive-in restaurant, but after a few years was bought by the Edwards family. Hence, Edwards Drive In was born! Today in 2013, after surviving two fires and a tornado, Edwards Drive In is still thriving and doing what they have done for the last 56 years! Sure, the look has changed a little bit and the menu has changed a little bit, but the basics are still here!

We still offer curb service - pull in, roll your window down, and prepare to enjoy an excellent meal in the comfort of your own car or at one of our picnic tables! Many places do not offer this anymore, and though we rely on our curb girls for delivering menus, taking and delivering the order, it is still a neat piece of service that has survived through the years.

Inside, the building has changed a few times. The front dining room was added after the 1978 tornado, and remodeled in 1990 to add the back dining room; then, in 2006 another fire swept the building causing massive smoke and water damage. It was at this point that the current look of Edwards Drive In was completed - giving us the modern/throwback look we sport today.

When you think about it, 56 years is a loooong time to be in business without making any major changes in your menu. From day one, Edwards has stayed the course, electing to perfect what we do well versus dabbling in many things that we would only do okay.

Things have definitely changed from then to today - food trucks were probably not even dreamed of yet, and today we own and operate the Edwards Dashboard Diner. The ride has been a long one, and yet we have enjoyed every second and every bump!

We look forward to another 50+ years in business, and we look forward to seeing more and more of you coming through our doors! Without you, our loyal customers, we wouldn't have made it this long, and for that we are grateful! So THANK YOU!

Also - allow me to get the word out early...do you remember that guy that stopped by here in 2010 for a little show called Man V. Food? That's right, Adam Richman visited Indianapolis earlier this year for the Indy 500 race and a new show called FANDEMONIUM! The Indianapolis 500 episode will air August 18th, at 9 pm/8 central...I'm just saying, maybe you should tune in and maybe you'll see something that Edwards Drive In and the Dashboard Diner created for the show! And maybe, just maybe, that something was  6 FEET WIDE!

I'll keep the news and stories coming, and we hope to see you soon!

Why we do what we do!

Good afternoon all! I know it has been about two weeks (to long) since my last post, but as with most things in the world time is an essence that slips away quickly if you're not careful! The last couple of weeks, I have had the great fortune to be reminded of why we do the things that we do here at Edwards; though small and singular when looked at closely, these two things made me smile and reminded me of one of the reasons I love working in this business.

Last Friday night, as we were preparing to close, a couple came in to eat; it was there first time visiting Edwards, and I was happy that we were able to help them before we closed. They were happy with their experience, but I think the neatest thing about their visit was the reason why they came to Edwards. One of them had happened upon one of our Facebook posts; specifically, one with a picture of our tenderloin and onion rings! This post and picture, on its own, was cause enough for this couple to drive down and try us out! I love that this was the cause, and it makes me wonder just how many of our "new" guests are due to our strong and growing-stronger social media presence.

There are weeks when I'm writing a Facebook post that I feel silly, corny even, but then I see the response that we get on our page and hear about people coming into the store because of Facebook, and a settling happiness comes over me.

About a week ago, a photographer contacted me asking about taking engagement photos at the drive in. The couple wanted a '50s themed photo shoot, and I was happy to oblige them. They came in, did their photo shoot, and got a bite to eat; in the end, everything worked out just perfectly - they got great pictures from the shoot and thoroughly enjoyed their meal! Once the pictures are edited, I have been given the pleasure of being able to share one on our page, and I'm sure I will incorporate it into a blog post ;).

The moral of these stories is this - you get to meet a lot of people of all different types when you work in the restaurant industry, and though we can all get annoyed at times, ultimately I greatly enjoying meeting people and listening to their stories. You never know who might walk in your door, and what might come from simply saying "hello".

I hope to hear more about guests that have come in due to something they saw on one of our Social Media outlets, and I hope that our following continues to grow! I was amazed earlier this month when we blew past 10,000 followers on Facebook - I can remember watching, hoping we were going to hit 10,000, and the next thing I knew we had blown past 10,000 by a whirlwind of Likes. This was maybe a week ago, and now I find us nearing 10,200! I am extremely pleased and happy about this, and love that our followers continue to grow!

I hope you all have a great week, and we'll see you soon!

Dog days of Summer

Good afternoon Indy! Isn't this weather crazy? We went from mild/warm temps and not to much humidity to unbearable humidity! Its interesting to see the effect of weather on a restaurant - business can rise or fall, and it usually is the opposite of what you expect. I've seen heavy thunderstorms that I figured no one would go out in bring people parading through the door and I've seen the most beautiful days where no one has been around.

We're thankful for the crowds that we get several days a week (probably mainly to our small root beer floats being on sale)! The last couple of weeks, we have had a lot of messages on Facebook about different ideas for things to do in the restaurant, and we greatly appreciate the thoughts and ideas! I encourage you to keep sharing your ideas - we do see them, even if we are a little slow to respond.

If you ever have questions, comments, concerns, complaints, or compliments - please share them with us via Facebook, Twitter, or a comment on the blog! We value our customers' feedback, both the positive and the negative, and use it to continually train our staff.

For those of you that have left a comment or sent a message on Facebook, please be patient with us - I run our social media sites, and even with a smartphone it can be difficult to respond immediately to all that comes in. In the event that you don't hear from us, feel free to send a message or leave a comment on one of our posts.

That's really all I have for this week, so have a great week and stay cool!

The Fourth of July - Independence Day

Good morning Indy! W"hat a week it has been! I would like to thank you all for visiting us, either via the restaurant (Sherman and Raymond Streets) or our food truck (Dashboard Diner)! Both sides of the company had a great showing for the third and fourth this week, and we're glad everyone had fun!

Wednesday Beech Grove held their annual fireworks, and both the Dashboard Diner and the Drive In were rocking! It was great to see so many people out and about celebrating our independence! I hope that there was at least a few moments of silent, or not silent, thank yous to those that serve our country!

Thursday, the Dashboard Diner traveled to Geist to take part in the Blast on the Bridge fireworks celebration; the day was overcast and slightly muggy, but the turn out was better than last year! It was great to see all of the people out there and we had a lot of fun working with the Geist Coalition and the people at At Geist! We look forward to doing it all again next year!

If anyone is wondering about the Dashboard Diner, remember you can follow them on Facebook @Edwards Dashboard Diner and on Twitter at @dashboarddiner! The rest of the weekend, DBD will be parked - we are giving our hard working crew a little bit of a break after a long couple of weeks! The DBD will be back on the road starting Wednesday, July 10th!

In one of the last posts, I mentioned that we are currently in the process of updating our website - the process is moving right along, and hopefully I will be able to announce its release in a few weeks! We are pretty excited about it, and can't wait to unveil it to you all!

It seems like this time of year is when a lot of families go on vacation, and if you are traveling, safe travels! If you are coming through Indiana/Indianapolis, make us one of your stops - we won't let you down!

I have noticed quite a few people leaving some "positive feedback" comments on Facebook - please feel free to email me with any comments, concerns, or questions (regarding the restaurant, food truck, service, etc.) at jdavis.dbd@gmail.com I will respond to you as soon as I can, and I hope to continue to build closer relationships with our guests!

Thank you all for the patronage, and we'll see you soon!

Time Flies

Hello everyone! I must apologize for the lack in posts...the last couple of weeks have been crazy busy, and I simply didn't find the time to get a post put up - but, here we go!

Have you ever heard of the Indy A-List? It is a website that supports local businesses, and competition. Each year, they hold numerous "contests" where you vote for your favorite place, food truck, etc. This year proves to be no different, and we find ourselves in a number of different categories:

Edwards Drive In - Best Burger, Best Hot Dog, Best Diner, and Best Caterer

Dashboard Diner - Best Food Truck

Voting lasts from now until August 18th, so make sure you get out the VOTE!

This week marks the Independence of our nation, and we are proud to celebrate the brave men and women that work day and night to keep us safe! While you're out watching the fireworks, remember the true meaning of the day and the sacrifices those in our armed forces give for our freedom!

For those of you that follow the Dashboard Diner, it will be participating in two firework events this year - the Beech Grove Fireworks (7/3) and the Blast on the Bridge Celebration in Geist (7/4)! We look forward to these events, and had a lot of fun last year with them.

If you are curious, our next car show will be the Saturday before Halloween in October - we'll post more concrete dates and times as it gets closer.

Summer time always brings about an uproar in business - both here in the restaurant and on the food truck; so, let me first say Thank You to the city of Indianapolis for your patronage! Secondly, I would really like to give a huge THANK YOU to the men and women that travel from all around the country, and even the world, to visit our humble abode! I was amazed when I was looking at who has visited this page, and for awhile our most pageviews were coming from Russia! It blows my mind that someone in Russia has read this page, and knows what/who Edwards Drive In is! It is awesome!

We look forward to seeing you, and finishing out the summer strong!

Spring Car Show

Good afternoon! This week was crazy for us, as every week this summer is shaping up to be! Yesterday we had our Spring car show, and it was a great day for all involved! There were plenty of amazing cars that came from all over the nation, and the weather was beautiful!

 It was great working with the Midwest Custom Car Revival group, and we're glad everyone had a good time! We even had a car come all the way from New Jersey!

All in all, it was a good show and a beautiful day that put great note on the end of the week! For those curious about our next car show, it will be in the fall (October) and it typically the weekend before Halloween! This will be our normal car show, and if you didn't make it to this one we hope to see you in the fall!

Last week, I talked about Social Media and its effect on businesses and restaurants; recently, we picked up another social media device - Instagram

If you have a smartphone, chances are you already have this or have heard of it; it is an app that allows you to take pictures, edit them, and share them to your friends and your other social devices (Facebook, Twitter). If you have Instagram, you can follow both the restaurant and the food truck at @EdwardsDriveIn and @dashboarddiner respectively.

A week from this Tuesday we will be working on another project...one that we will unveil soon! We think it will be really cool, and we look forward to hearing and seeing the responses from it!

It was a great week, with a great car show, and we hope everyone had a good time! Enjoy Father's Day today, and have a great weekend!

The Dashboard Diner and Local Events!

Good evening Indianapolis! It has been a crazy week for us here at Edwards Drive In and the Dashboard Diner; caterings and private events have kept our trucks on the road for the majority of the week, and we were given some amazing opportunities this week!

First, on Tuesday June 4, we were given the opportunity to go on WFYI's show No Limits for a show about food trucks! It was awesome to get to hang out with Shadi (In A Pita) and Lisa (Scouts Treats)! It was a great interview, and if you missed it here is the link to listen...just look for the title No Limits - Food Trucks - June 4, 2013. Also, a quick shout out to Shadi Khoury of In A Pita for the awesome words on the show!

http://www.wfyi.org/radio/localprograms/nolimits.asp

Second, we were given the opportunity to help get the word out about a pretty awesome event that occurs every first Friday of the month - the First Friday Food Truck Fest! This is a festival/event that occurs every first Friday of the month at the Old National Center downtown. You can follow them on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/FirstFridayFoodTruckFestival

Every month the participating trucks differ, but there is almost always 20 - 25 trucks in attendance, along with local music! It is always a great time. Olenka, the contact for the trucks, did a spot on Indy Style to promote the festival; graciously, we were asked to appear to help get the word out and give a visual for the show.

 

We had a lot of fun doing the show, and it was awesome to get the air time! The turn out at First Friday Food Truck this past Friday (June 7th) was probably the biggest we have ever seen! Thank you Indianapolis for the turn out! It was a great night!

If you missed the highlight on Indy Style, here is the link to watch it:
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/indy_style/in_indy_now/first-friday-food-truck

Ever since we dreamed up and built the Dashboard Diner, it has been rolling nearly every weekend with events, and we love the business that it has brought! Remember, if you are curious where it will be or would like to book an event, visit our website: edwardsdrivein.com and click on the Dashboard Diner tab! Also, follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter @dashboarddiner

Social Media and What It Means Today

Think back about 10 years ago...how did you talk to your friends? How did you share the pictures that you took? How did you remember birthdays? Now go forward 1 year - 2004 - a man and his friends had an idea, and from that Facebook was created!

Enter present day - Facebook has over 1 billion users! We share everything with everyone now - pictures, birthdays, what we are doing on the weekend, what we are doing right now!

I remember when Social Media became something that we capitalized, something that became a completely new entity on its own! Social Media today has become a powerful tool for businesses to use - it lets us reach customers and clients with so much ease, send out deals, and generally be more in touch with those that visit our establishment!

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many others - today they have become the tools of the trade. I can remember, about a year ago our Facebook page didn't have nearly the amount of Likes as it does today (just over 9400) and the day-to-day traffic didn't touch where we are at now! Today, we can post a simple, one line update about a special and we will hit 1500 - 2000 people! That simply blows my mind!

Its interesting to think back about how so many people were against social media when it first started coming about - it was stupid and a waste of time; now, there are so many of us that spend so much time doing it that we don't even realize it.

But again - it is an amazing tool. I have a friend who's husband is currently deployed overseas, and she can share the happenings of their recent addition to the family (a beautiful girl) with her husband even though he is thousands of miles away...that truly is magic.

All in all, the world is constantly changing, and it seems our society is on the path to ever more connectivity and sharing - something that I hope we all see as what it should be - a tool and gift to use to stay in touch!

I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you soon!

Weather, Summer, and Car Shows!

Good morning Indy! We hope you have had a great weekend! How about those Pacers? We cannot wait for Game 7! Its time to close it out boys!

Today marks the end of a pretty busy week for us here at Edwards; our food truck, the Dashboard Diner, was all over the place this week - from serving lunch at a hospital to serving at a picnic, partying with Tim McGraw out at the Klipsch Music Center and helping a company celebrate 30 days of no accidents! Not to mention the numerous caterings we had!

Don't get me wrong though, this isn't a complaint - it is excitement! We are so excited to have so many opportunities coming in, and we really look forward to a jam-packed June!

For those of you that are familiar with us, you know that our Spring Fling car show is in a couple of weeks - but this year things are a little different! We are working with the Midwest Custom Car Revival group to host their show this year, and the show will be slightly different than our other Spring Flings. Below you can see the need-to-know information:

We are really looking forward to it, and are overly happy that the proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer Association!

We know that this time of year is busy for a lot of you - graduations, graduation parties, college visits, finding a summer job, planning the perfect vacation...so on and so on! If you are struggling to find a food source for any of your parties, remember - we offer catering at competitive prices and the Dashboard Diner can be booked for a party as well!

We'll keep you updated with events, and we look forward to seeing you stop in!

Spot On

A few months ago we were approached by an up-and-coming business called Spot On; we weren't sure what it was, or how it worked, but we decided to go ahead and see what they had to offer. Turns out, Spot On is a free-to-use loyalty program for businesses! Once a business signs up, any customer that downloads (to a smart phone) or activates a card can use Spot On at any business that has Spot On!

What exactly does that mean? It means, that if your two favorite/most visited places is your local hair salon and your favorite restaurant, and both of them have Spot On, you only have to create an account once, but get to enjoy the benefits from both places! All you have to do is scan your personal QR code, and once that is done you will earn a spot! Earn enough spots and you'll receive something for free!

For example, when you visit Edwards and check in with your smart phone or card via Spot On, you earn a spot. Once you have earned 5 spots, you get a Free Combo Upgrade with Sandwich Purchase! When you earn 20 spots, you get a $25 gift card!

And the best part? Once you create a free Spot On account, you don't have to make another one regardless of how many places you want to use it! With one account you can earn spots at your favorite restaurant, hair salon, mechanic, and grocery store!

Definitely check it out!

http://spoton.com/

Man vs. Food, Adam Richman, and Edwards Drive In

About two years ago something amazing happened for us here at Edwards - Man vs. Food came to Indianapolis and did a showcase of our restaurant!

We all had a lot of fun working with Adam, and we were super excited for the opportunity that it presented us! The show aired in the early fall of 2010, and the boost in business was atomic! We sold so many tenderloins that we were frying them up as soon as they were breaded!

Shortly after the MVF hype died away, an idea was formed; that idea quickly turned into a reality and the Dashboard Diner was born!

The Dashboard Diner hit the road just before the great city of Indianapolis hosted Super Bowl XLVI, and we were honored to take part in feeding the crowds upon crowds of people down on the circle! Not to long after the Super Bowl, we realized that we had something magical on our hands - the food truck was becoming an entity on its own, and it gave us the opportunity to get our name out there even more!

Nearly two years after Adam was here, he returned! After a couple of conversations, a plan was made, and we created this:

All in all, it was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun making this giant tenderloin for Adam! We hope that those of you that got a taste enjoyed it! Remember - you can always stop by our drive-in at Sherman and Raymond streets or visit the Dashboard Diner to get one for yourself! 

Events this week: 

Thursday 5/30/2013 - Dashboard Diner at Klipsch Music Center for Tim McGraw Concert!

Be sure to Like us on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Edwards-Drive-In/94520202468
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Edwards-Dashboard-Diner/158175070926710

And Follow us on Twitter!
@EdwardsDriveIn
@dashboarddiner

Also, curious about the Dashboard Diner menu? You can see it here:

http://cravely.net/edwards/menu/

See you soon!

Welcome and Summer Time

Good morning! This blog is a new venture by us here at Edwards, and we hope that those of you that read it find it entertaining and informative of our upcoming events. I'll do my best to have a post up here at least once a week, but I'm willing to bet there will be more than that!

It seems like just yesterday we were just starting this adventure, and now fifty-five and a half years later, we're still at it - just as strong if not stronger! I can hardly believe that it has been nearly 56 years that we have been in business...it is an achievement I'm proud of!

Summer always brings a boom in business for us, and this year should prove no different! Our mobile food platform, the Dashboard Diner food truck, marks its second summer in operation this year, and it is booked nearly every weekend in June with events! We love the excitement and rush that operating the truck brings - it not only helps us get our name out there, but it also allows our employees to do something different.

Yesterday, we got to be a part of the Indy 500 Festival Parade - which we love to do! The crowd was great and we had a lot of fun! We look forward to it every year, and we had a lot of fun this year!

Summer is upon us, and we look forward to everything that it will bring! Remember - we offer full curb service, just pull up and one of our lovely ladies will help you out! We also have shakes, malts, and sundaes - not to mention our amazing homemade root beer!

We hope to see you soon!