Need a Drink? Just Text the Bartender

Text by Meredith Morrison

If you see bartender Sam Murphy checking his iPhone behind the bar, he’s not being rude, he’s just doing his job…in a not-so-traditional way.

“Text the Bartender” is new service offered during special live performances exclusively at Marc’s Studio on Sydney Street where patrons can essentially order, pay for, and have their drinks delivered to the table without ever leaving their seat. No waiting until intermission or climbing over people to get to the bar to get a drink – at Marc’s Studio, all you have to do is text Sam and he’ll take it from there.

“We (Daniel Brenan Brickhouse General Manager, Kelli Gillis, and myself) just kind of came up with the idea,” says Murphy. “When we did our first show with Dennis Ellsworth of Haunted Hearts back in November, it was a packed house. It was a great show but we noticed while he was playing, I didn’t serve one drink. It was kind of good for me because I got to watch the whole time, but Kelli and I talked and we really needed to figure out a way to get drinks to people during the show. I’m going around picking up glasses anyway, so I was like, I might as well be able to drop drinks off too, right? We both had new iPhones for work so we decided we were going to try to do this.”

They decided to introduce the texting drink service last December during a special live performance with John Connolly and Liam Corcoran. “A few people were a little hesitant towards it, especially a few of the older crowd, you know, they were kind of scared of it,” says Murphy. “I had to explain it to people the first time, but they caught on to it. Everyone who used it really loved it because they didn’t have to get up. That night, we increased our sales $500 from our first show. It was an eye-opener – we were going to do this every time now.”

Here’s how it works: After handing the doorman your ticket or paying for one at the door, you’ll go and see Sam at the bar to start a tab. He’ll ask for your credit card and give you one of his customized “Sam the Bartender” cards with his cell phone number printed on it. At any point throughout the three-hour show, you can text him your drink order and your name as it appears on your credit card and he’ll deliver your drink right to you. At the end of the night, he’ll give you your receipt and what you do after that, well, that’s up to you.

“It’s a way you can enjoy the show, sip your drink, and you don’t even have to get up from your seat,” says Vanessa Smith, Marketing Manager for Murphy Group of Restaurants. “You don’t have to feel like you’re interrupting the performer or making a big scene.”

While the fun drink texting feature has definitely caught on, it has earned Murphy a few more texts than he was prepared for. “People can have their fun with it and I have fun with it, too,” he says. “That first night, I was getting text messages at 4:00 a.m. saying ‘Get me another drink’ when I was trying to get to sleep. It’s worked out really well, though. I’ve noticed in the last two or three shows that people already have my number in their phone as “Sam the Bartender.” I try to give them my card and they’re like, ‘No, we’ve got your number.’”

Drinks just a text away? This idea gets two working thumbs up.

Text by Meredith Morrison If you see bartender Sam Murphy checking his iPhone behind the bar, he’s not being rude, he’s just doing his job…in a not-so-traditional way. “Text the Bartender” is new service offered during special live performances exclusively at Marc’s Studio on Sydney Street where patrons can essentially order, pay for, and have [...]

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A Garden G! Will Grow

What happens when G! tackles a gardening project? We’re not sure, but we’re about to find out!

Text by Meredith Morrison

 

When Kara Hughes casually mentioned at the office she wanted to plant a garden this spring, I’m sure she had no idea then that we’d write a story about it let alone make it a three part series in G! Yet, here we are, ready to embark on a summer long gardening project that will see the G! Team elbow-deep in soil to give Kara the garden of her dreams.

I’m not sure who’s more nervous – those of us whose gardening experience is ordering a garden salad, or Kara for agreeing to let us dig up her front lawn with, what she hopes, are our soon-to-be green thumbs.

Much to Kara’s (and our) relief, we’ve called in the experts at Jewell’s Country Market and Gardening Centre in York to weigh in with their professional opinion on how we should carry out our DIY project. From start to finish, they’ll be our guides throughout the entire process and we’ll be passing along their helpful tips to you as you embark on your own DIY gardening adventures.

First, we need a plan…

As you can tell from the picture, Kara’s front lawn is basically a blank canvas, with the exception of two boxwoods her sister planted for her when she moved into her home two years ago. She wants the garden to be close to the front of the house with just the right amount of greenery. Nothing too ornate – Kara’s style is clean and simple, plus she’s looking for plants that are low to no maintenance. She has two window boxes she wants to fill with colourful flowers that spill over the side, and if the budget allows for it, she hopes to find a decorative planter for the front porch and maybe even patio stones. She’s got roughly $1000 set aside to make this happen, so we’ll soon find out how far her budget will take her.

When planning any gardening project, the first thing a gardener should know is the direction the sunlight hits the site you’re planning on digging up. This makes sense, as you wouldn’t want to go on a wild spending spree buying beautiful plants that won’t survive their first week in their new home. Gardening guru Barb Jewell (who we later discovered is the sister-in-law of Jewell’s head honcho, Edwin Jewell) suggests that much like going to the hairdresser, it helps to bring in a picture of what it is you’re looking for. Whether it’s a photo you snapped on your iPhone or cut out from a magazine, a visual allows them to make suggestions as to what will work and what won’t for your garden.

When looking at photographs of Kara’s house from various angles and snaps she took of a garden on her street that she likes, gardening experts Suzi DeBlois and Edwin Jewell both agree that a rounded shape would be ideal for the garden bed. Due to the linear lines of the house, DeBlois says, something round will soften the lines and achieve symmetry with the curve of the walkway. She suggests that Kara use the garden hose as a guideline to establish how big and what size she would like her garden to be. This way, she can play with angles and spacing before breaking ground.

Kara’s existing garden bed exposes a gap between the garden bed and her front porch. Jewell recommends that she raise the bed with compost and mulch so it will show better. And not just any compost will do – Kara’s going to need the good stuff if she wants her plants to grow. “Your plants will never do well in poor soil,” says Jewell. DeBlois agrees: “It’s like having great furniture in a home that needs lots of renovations. Compost will help the garden flourish. It needs more than just top soil.”

As to how much compost Kara should buy, Jewell says that the shape and size of the garden will dictate how much she needs. He recommends calling local landscaping companies to get a quote once the dimensions have been finalized. Based on Kara’s initial plans, he estimates that she’ll probably need roughly $100 – $200 worth of compost – that’s a huge chunk of Kara’s budget, which means goodbye patio stones, hello manure and peat moss!

When it comes to what types of plants would work with Kara’s request for a low to no maintenance garden, they suggest evergreen shrubs and possibly a few annuals. Perennials only have a short window in which they bloom, so annuals are definitely the way to go, as they’ll provide constant colour through the summer and fall. For her window boxes, DeBlois and Jewell tell Kara that she can take the containers into Jewell’s Gardening Centre where they will help her pick the colours and flowers she wants and they’ll plant them for her. They take care of them for up to a week and all she has to do is pick them and reattach the boxes to the house. It’s a service Jewell’s offers to all of their customers and, needless to say, and very good one.

So, now that Kara has a plan in place and we’ve heard from the experts, up next is Dig Day! It’s going to be messy, but you can bet it’s going to be fun!

Stay tuned for updates on G!’s DIY gardening project by subscribing to the G! Blog! Got any tips, tricks, or advice for us? Feel free to leave a comment on this blog post…we need all the help we can get!

 

 

What happens when G! tackles a gardening project? We’re not sure, but we’re about to find out! Text by Meredith Morrison   When Kara Hughes casually mentioned at the office she wanted to plant a garden this spring, I’m sure she had no idea then that we’d write a story about it let alone make [...]

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What Are Your “Little Luxuries”?

Every now and then, it’s nice to splurge on something for yourself. You know, a little luxury for you and you alone. Some folks like to head to the spa for a relaxing facial, pedicure, or manicure; others like to splurge on good food, wine, and mouthwatering desserts (nom!) Maybe your idea of a small indulgence is an uninterrupted hour of peace and quiet to settle in with a good book (which, I’m hearing is “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James. Remind me to pick up a copy along with a “Do Not Disturb” sign;)

Whatever your “little luxuries” are, we’re celebrating them in the May/June issue of G!, on stands Island wide as of Thursday, May 17. Really, couldn’t we all use a little luxury in our lives? Here are just a few of the small indulgences you’ll be treated to this month:

 

Grooming the Guy

Looking more like Chewbacca than Clooney? Manscaping season is in full swing on PEI, and guys everywhere are shedding their layers of man fur and opting for some traditional and um, not-so-traditional treatments (nose hair waxing, anyone?) Nicole Mead, owner/operator of Wax!t waxing studio in Charlottetown and this month’s G! cover model, weighs in with her opinion on manscaping and why guys shouldn’t be afraid to go bare in Cassandra Bernard’s “Grooming the Guy” on page 40.

 

Sheer Decadence

Oh, baby! Zestycook Cory Gallant let his inner chocoholic let loose in the kitchen with three of the most decadent, divinely-inspired chocolate creations guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth. Chocolate Mousse, Brownie Pudding Cake, Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Balls (dietician approved!)…warning: your mouth may start watering uncontrollably once you see what Zesty’s been up to this month!

 

Shoe Fetish

Flats, peep toes, corked wedges, colourful stilettos…you’re going to need a bigger closet once you see this season’s hottest trends in shoes! Kimberly Rashed gives us the low down on what’s hot in shoes this summer, from styles to colours – all available right here on PEI!

 

Chardonnay & The Natural Face Lift

When G! Editor Meredith Morrison and Elizabeth Landrigan visited Mystical Touch Therapeutics on Central Street in Summerside to test Sharon Quann’s new skincare line, Quannessence Skincare, the results were, shall we say, “uplifting” to say the least! Check out the ultimate luxury facial treatment everyone should try in “Beauty in a Bottle” on page 42!

 

Plus, we’ve got all of your favourites – He Said She Said, The Myth and The Madness, Liquid Assets, G! Eats, and much, much more! We’re also introducing a brand new contributor to the G! Team – Keely Turner debuts her new pop culture column “Keelywood” in the May/June issue, so be sure to check out why she thought The Hunger Games was about bacon on page 20!

 

As always, keep in touch with G! all month long with story ideas, comments, and anything else you’d like to share! Connect with us on our Facebook Fan Page. on Twitter, or email us at Gtalk@transcontinental.ca.

 

Details on this month’s CONNECT WITH G! prize will be posted shortly, so visit us often here at theg.ca!

 

Have a great month, and be sure to treat yourself because, really, couldn’t we all use a little luxury in our lives?

 

 

 

 

 

Every now and then, it’s nice to splurge on something for yourself. You know, a little luxury for you and you alone. Some folks like to head to the spa for a relaxing facial, pedicure, or manicure; others like to splurge on good food, wine, and mouthwatering desserts (nom!) Maybe your idea of a small [...]

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