Posted by admin on Nov 27, 2010 in
New Jersey
Blockbuster shut down and left Livingston awhile ago. Too many people are using NetFlix and OnDemand video rentals it seems. But when you want to rent a DVD that isn’t amongst the most current releases, you’re kind of stuck now.
Have you tried RedBox at ShopRite for DVD rentals? $1 a night. Just get the DVD back before 9pm the next day and it will be $1.07 total. If you keep it longer, they just tack on $1 for each additional night until you hit $25, then it’s yours to keep automatically.
Interested in how Redbox came about? Well, Redbox was originally funded by McDonald’s ventures, but oddly enough, the McDonalds on Northfield across from South Mountain Arena doesn’t have a Redbox. You would think Redbox would maintain some sort of agreement to be placed at McDonald’s at least. Well, Coinstar bought out McDonald’s Ventures and that’s how we got to grocery stores for real estate locations. Now there are over 22,000 locations.
The locations across the country is a key benefit. Rent from any location and return at any other location nationwide – no extra charges. That means you can look up inventory at the Redbox near your work or school and return it near home or vice versa. If you’re traveling, you can rent a dvd to play at the hotel and simply return it when you get back home.
Ok, here’s a dealio for you. If you can see this photo of our kiosk at the local ShopRite, you’ll find a promo code that was working as of Thanksgiving 2010. Enjoy a free DVD rental on us!
What was the last movie you rented from the RedBox DVD kiosk? Leave it the comment section below!
Tags: dvd rentals, redbox
Posted by admin on Nov 27, 2010 in
New Jersey
If you’re on Long Island, you’re within easy reach of some really good Korean food in the Queens area. But if you’re a bit further out on the Island in Nassau or Suffolk county, the options are extremely limited.
But today, you can shout HOORAY!
A new Korean cuisine restaurant opened up recently east of Queens in the New Hyde Park / Mineola / Jericho / Roslyn / Port Washington area (Exit 36 or 37 Long Island Expressway).
Imperial Seoul
3365 Hillside Avenue
New Hyde Park, NY 11040
516-741-2340
The restaurant is located just a little bit down the street from the H-Mart korean grocery story, so you can get your Korean food fix completely in one trip.
The menu is standard fare and the restaurant is clean and modern since it is basically new construction. There are three private rooms and a sushi bar (yes, they serve Japanese food like most asian restaurants these days).
You can check out Yelp for some reviews, but overall it is a welcome addition to the Long Island restaurant options. No more fighting Queens traffic or parking. The serving size for my dish was generous (see photo above). Banchan was plentiful. Everything was tasty indeed.
Tags: food, imperial seoul, korean restaurant, long island, review
Posted by admin on Nov 22, 2010 in
New Jersey
We’ve been recycling more and more lately around town in Livingston NJ – enough to warrant buying a new bin outside our kitchen door to collect all the plastic, metal, bottles, containers and more.
When getting out of the house in the morning, it is easy to see that people are still confused about what to put out on the curb since there isn’t full agreement of curbside bins. Most recycling days still have some houses putting out paper goods, and others putting out co-mingled plastic and metal for recycling. In theory, everyone should be putting out the same thing.
Another odd thing is to see some random things being put curbside for the recycling pick-ups.
First, I wonder if those people know that there is a big and growing list of items that qualify. But it doesn’t include everything under the sun!
And there’s a published recycling pick-up calendar to let home owners know what type of recycling is due each week — I have mine printed out and taped to the inside of the cabinet door by my recycling bins. Easy peasy.
Tags: livingston, recycling
Posted by admin on Oct 30, 2010 in
New Jersey Seems like there’s a 6th Guy in town!
FiveGuys is no longer the only new greasy burger joint in town.
If you drive just 10 minutes down from Livingston Mall on Columbia Turnpike, you’ll find a bunch of new strip mall development happening. One of them houses the latest Smash Burger restaurant.
We decided to check it out this Saturday night – seems like everyone had the same idea. Lines the length of the store from counter to door. Loud and crowded, we waited a good 15 minutes to order, and then got seating and waited another 7-8 minutes for our food to be delivered.
Yelp.com reviews and others give it a so-so rating. We do the same. . . Read more…
Tags: florham park, nj, restaurant, restuarant, review, smashburger
Posted by admin on Oct 29, 2010 in
New Jersey,
basketball Last year, we took the kids to see the NJ Nets a couple of times at the IZOD center. Good times.
This year, the New Jersey Nets have moved homes, albeit temporary, to The Prudential Center in Newark. Downtown Newark has been on an upswing lately, and “the Rock” Prudential Ctr is one of the reasons – great venue. The Nets must be happy.
We were happy when we grabbed some tickets as a part of a 2-for-1 ticket promotion. Sitting 1st row in the upper section in “Kids Country” for $25. That comes to $12.50/ticket. Nice.
Parking is $25 right around the Prudential Center. If you’re willing to walk just 1 block, there’s a couple of lots for $20 for the night. And if you’re willing to brave the chilly night for 3 block, parking can be had for as low as $8.
Food concessions offers a variety of options – the usual hot dogs and fries ($10 for both – Nathan’s), hamburgers, pizza, etc. Beer will set you back 9 bucks. Popcorn $5. Medium soda $3.75. They also have gourmet sandwiches and some other fare to choose from.
The two-for-one ticket promotion is sponsored by McDonald’s actually. Various games are labeled different tiers. So you can get two seats for $20 all the say up to $180 depending on section and game schedule.
The nice part about Nets tickets through this promotion is that there’s no service fees like the $7.50 ticketmaster tacks on each ticket. But there is a one-time $10 shipping fee for the tickets — which arrived via UPS overnight.
If you’re looking for a decent night of B-Ball with the kids, give Kyle Dudley a call in “INSIDE SALES” (201) 935-8888. Tell him Kenny at FingerClickingGood.com/livingston sent you!
Tags: basketball, discount tickets, nba, nj nets, prudential center
Posted by admin on Oct 28, 2010 in
New Jersey The South Mountain Recreation Complex located at South Mountain Reservation houses the Turtle Back Zoo, Codey Skating Arena and now the brand new Safari Miniature Golf Course.
Adults are 7 bucks
Kids are 5 bucks.
You get 19 holes of Safari adventure, complete with jungle themed landscaping and acoustics.
The people are coming out in droves apparently to hit the links because the gate attendant shared with me that there’s over 300 people per day that go through the course usually if the day is decent. And on a fine fall day like it was when we went — attendance topped 500 people already and it was early evening on a weekend night.
Last time we went, it took us 35 minutes to get through. Tonight it took over 1 hour – because the course was full. On a dollar value basis, you could argue that’s really cheap ($5 for over 1 hour of entertainment!).
It’s worth heading out to the Safari MiniGolf course before it gets too cold out. Say hello to Frankie the Elephant for us when you do!
Tags: essex county, recreation complex, safari mini golf, south mountain, turtle back zoo, west orange
Posted by admin on Oct 28, 2010 in
New Jersey Looks like Papa John’s on Mount Pleasant Avenue closed down. Seemed like they were doing good business – don’t know why it closed.
But who cares? WHY?
Because Papa John’s Pizza just opened up in the UPS Store strip mall on South Livingston Avenue (184 S. Livingston Avenue to be precise). It’s across the street from TD Bank (the old Commerce Bank).
Apparently, it’s under a new franchisee owner. Don’t worry, you don’t have to change your speed dial just yet. The new owner took over the old telephone number for Papa John’s on Mt. Pleasant Avenue, so it will ring through just fine. But they got a new number too.
Here’s the new telephone number for pizza delivery:
PAPA JOHN’S PIZZA
973-533-1300
Tell them FingerClickingGood.com sent you!
Gotta love their $12 XL Pizza deal with multiple toppings.
QUESTION: What’s your favorite pizza topping at Pappa John’s Pizza? Leave your favorite in a comment below!
Tags: delivery, food, papa john's, pizza, restuarant, take out
Posted by admin on Oct 12, 2010 in
New Jersey,
turtle back zoo,
west orange,
zoo Here’s the math: 19 holes of miniature golf costs $800,000 to build out.
And this is only the beginning. Because it’s part of a $4.8 MILLION development project at South Mountain — including the packaging and rebranding of the Turtle Back Zoo + Codey Arena into the “South Mountain Recreation Complex”. Next-up? Restaurant on the lake… (perhaps like the one on the lake at Verona Park but not operating anymore besides that small snack bar inside?)
Anyway, that’s about $42,000 sunk into each hole on the minigolf course. Essex County is expecting revenues of at least $250,000 per year on the golf course alone. If the sales projections are correct, that means the county will make their money back within 4 years. And supposedly all revenues will be going to the Turtle Back Zoo itself (which you can get to on the free shuttle trolley that cost $180,000 itself).
Woa. Can this really work? Was that massive elephant overlooking Northfield really worth its weight in revenues?
Well, the early results are in, and since the opening day on the rainy September 16th, the Safari Minigolf course apparently took in approximately $37,000 up to the first week in October. That’s about $15,000 per week. Of course you can probably discount that a bit since it’s a brand new facility and there’s a lot of press and those tall flying air-blown tubes in front of the entrance corner on Northfield and Pleasant Valley Way (wonder how much those are costing per day?).
It looks like peak days when all things are going well, the course can handle between 875-975 people a day. About 1,000 rounds of golf at $5 or $7 per person.
Time will tell if the revenue targets will be a hit…or miss.
There are of course, tons of lost opportunities here that one can see immediately — many that are simply low hanging fruit, if someone at the E.C.S.M.R.C. (Essex County South Mountain Recreation Complex) paid any attention. Here’s a quick back of the napkin list of ideas that are missing out of the gate:
- If this is truly a part of the Zoo, why isn’t there cross-selling marketing collateral at each venue? Why not a combo ticket? Or a discount offered at the other place with admission receipt?
- Pre-paid multi-ticket booklets for families — or even an unlimited safari pass? The zoo offers an annual membership, the miniGOLF course should too!
- Birthday parties. Book ‘em at $250 a pop.
- Safari gear – every zoo needs a gift shop. You already have the labor, why not install a small gift shop with safari-themed educational toys, games, etc?
- Adopt an endangered safari animal wall – give a chance for kids and families to donate money for a name plate at each of the 19 holes in honor of a given animal in need.
- Corporate sponsored balls. That’s a no-brainer. Sell annual branded sponsorship opportunities on the balls, give them away at the end of the year, and get new sponsors or returning sponsors to buy brand new equipment each year. 6,000+ people could have been handling some company’s logo for 1/2 an hour each already.
- Discounted “2nd chance” rounds. $5 child $7 adults for the first round, let them go around again for $3 each. You already have the customer there, now take more money from them.
- This is a NON-revenue related item, but there should be more “kodak moment” photo opps inside and outside the golf area. For example, that huge elephant is a wasted photo opp far behind the fence. If you designed some of the animals so that the “Safari miniGOLF” logo was in view, the photo opps would turn into free advertising as customers show off their photos to friends and family.
- Add a $1 option for animal conservation at the zoo for each admission. “Would you like to add $1 to your admission today to help care for and save the animals?”
There’s tons more ways to generate extra value and hence extra revenue with this same venue. Just my $0.02.
Tags: essex county, safari minigolf, south mountain recreation complex, turtle back zoo
Posted by admin on Sep 17, 2010 in
New Jersey We took another shot at making the rounds at the new mini-golf safari experience in town today.
Out in the bright lights, it was apparent where (literally) millions of dollars went in terms of building out this miniature golf course. Sound effects. Landscaping. Numerous animals integrated into the course. And that shiny trolley bus sitting out front…
The minigolf safari was at capacity – we waited for one other group ahead of us to begin. After that it took us 35 minutes to make it all the way through. Hopefully it would be at full capacity everytime we (or you) go to play the 18 holes in the wild.
I must say, though there’s a couple of things that came to mind as we worked our way through the entire course today:
- SIMPLE GREENS. While the place is certainly impressive, they could have been a little more creative with the actual playing field. There’s a lot of razzle dazzle surrounding the course, but the actual greens aren’t as imaginative as could be. What do I mean by creative? Check this out:
- SAND. Because it is supposed to be “safari” themed, I guess they chose to put down sand instead of grass or mulch around the course. But this is one of the most impractical things they could have done. Just wait for heavy rains and that sand will be moving around *onto* the actual greens. What’s more, people keep walking right through it and making deep foot prints everywhere. One staff member was assigned to just go around and rake the sand clean — needless to say, she didn’t have a break the entire time we were golfing.
- GARBAGE. They sell concessions at the main hut, $1.50 for a can of soda, $2.75 for a hotdog, etc. But once you enter the course, there’s not a single garbage can. How inconvenient. I was so tempted by hole 12 to just leave my soda can on a bench. But luckily the sand-raking woman was around to take the soda can off my hands.
- REPLAY. On our last vacation, we noticed at the local mini-golf that when you’re done with the last hole, they upsell you with another round for just $2 more. Here, they kick you off the course at the last hole (it’s actually the 19th hole where you loose the ball to the ball collecting grate in the ground). If they’re going to hit the 1/4 million dollar revenue target each year, small upsells like this are important.
- REDIRECT. While this is part of the “South Mountain Recreation Complex” it’s all alone on the outside. How about a 1/2 off admission to the zoo with your golf receipt? Or free skate rentals with skate admission and your golf receipt? There’s no cross sell signage, deals or anything! At the very least, why not promote the other venues and vice versa?
- CONCESSIONS. The concession desk is at the ticket booth. But the seating area and the entrance/exit to the golf course is around the corner. You’re probably more apt to buy the kids some ice cream or other treat at the entrance/exit of the course than you are when you are basically in the parking lot by the ticket booth.
OK, enough brainstorming for now. Take a look at some pictures of the golf course safari in the daylight!
Posted by admin on Aug 28, 2010 in
New Jersey Jump On In is one of the latest bounce house places for kids that have opened up in the area. Kids love these places and they’re celebrating their anniversary this month too apparently.
The Boonton NJ location is a bit hidden amidst a set of commercial buildings, but it’s relatively close to the exit off Interstate 287. Just take Mrytle north about 1 miles and then it’s a quick left onto Fulton and you’ll veer left into the commercial zone. 85 Fulton St, Boonton NJ.
The facility is not huge, but it’s big enough if your kids are in their sweet spot, which I’d say is between 4 yrs old and 7 or 8 yrs old. There’s basically, two large rooms. If you’re having a birthday, they also have two party rooms. So if you can imagine it, they can run two parties at once, each one taking turns in one of the large bounce rooms and then switching and then party room to end.
Because it’s a relatively new facility, it’s clean and modern. You can take a look at the photos below to see what they have in store for the kids.
They have OPEN JUMPS which are open to the public, $10 per child — which is reasonable for the 1 1/2 hour sessions. Parents don’t pay anything here.
Not much for parents to do there – they do have some chairs on the side of each room for seating. No free wifi available, couldn’t find any open signals at all.
QUESTION: WHAT AGE IS THE UPPER LIMIT FOR YOUR CHILDREN AND THESE JUMPING FACILITIES?
Tags: boonton nj, bounce house, jump facility, jump on in, kids
