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!