Jillian’s is FUN! Community Blog

Team San Francisco gives back.

One of the Q3 initiatives Team San Francisco took on was working a water station during on of the many Marathons the City of San Francisco hosts.

The team woke early and headed out to the streets at 4:00am to set up and ready the station for the many runners…..estimates have the race at 2500 plus runners.

The team was responsible for providing water to the runners and need to be on there game as pods of hundreds of racers grabbed for water while running past the station.  After 6 hours the team successfully provided all runners with water.

It was a great day and the team enjoyed a great day of fun and laughter.  Thank you for volunteering your time and we’ll see you at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival……more to come on this.  Enjoy the pictures below.

Wow, what an accomplishment!!!

San Francisco’s own Jenny Sullivan (Bartender) took on the fight against Aid’s in the “San Francisco Run for the Cure” on July 27th.  

This race held every year in major cities around the world has participants sign up to run a Marathon!  Yes, a full blown Marathon.  This was Jenny’s very first Marathon ever. She trained hard, day in a day out. The team here in SF helped with donations, moral support, continued encouragement in this huge undertaking. Not only did Jenny finish the race she also raised $2000.00 in donations. Great job Jenny, we are very proud of you for not giving up and completing this great ‘Run for the Cure”. 

 Jenny finished the Marathon is 4hrs and 30min and has continued to train for future races. You’re a champ and congratulations!�

The Lights Went OUT in Worcester……

ON WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27TH AT 5PM, JILLIAN’S OF WORCESTER LOST POWER TO ALMOST HALF THE CLUB. NO A/C, 1/2 OUR TVS AND GAMES WERE DOWN AND NO LIGHTING IN THE KITCHEN OR OFFICE. TO TOP THAT OFF WE HAD A GROUP COMING IN AT 6PM FOR A $4K PARTY WITH J-GAMES. THE STAFF WENT INTO SURVIVAL MODE… WE GOT SHOP LIGHTS HUNG THROUGHOUT THE KITCHEN SO WE COULD COOK THE BQT FOOD (OVENS LUCKILY STILL WORKED) AND I BROKE OUT THE FLASHLIGHTS. I PLACED TWO OSCILLATING FANS IN THE GAME ROOM TO KEEP IT COOL.

THE PARTY OF 60 PEOPLE ARRIVED BY BUS AT 6PM AND WERE BLOWN AWAY BY OUR TABLE SET UPS AND VIDEO CAFE PRESENTATION. I EXPLAINED TO THE CONTACT THAT WE HAD SOME SPOTS IN THE CLUB THAT DID NOT HAVE POWER BUT TOLD HIM IT WOULD NOT EFFECT HIS PARTY.

THEN MORE BAD NEWS!! AROUND 8:30 WE FINALLY RECEIVED WORD FROM THE CITY OF WORCESTER AND NATIONAL GRID ELECTRIC THAT IT WAS MOST LIKELY A BROKEN LINE UNDERGROUND AND THEY HAD TO CLOSE US DOWN IMMEDIATELY TO DIAGNOSE WHERE THE PROBLEM WAS. WE HAD 100 PEOPLE IN THE BUILDING AND THE PARTY WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR J-GAMES. AFTER MUCH STALLING, PLEADING AND ARGUING THEY AGREED TO LET US STAY OPEN UNTIL THE EVENT WAS DONE AT 10PM. J-GAMES WAS A HUGE HIT AS SHAREYA, CHELSEA AND MEGAN (ALL OF BUDS & SUDS CAR WASH FAME) MORE THEN MADE UP FOR SEVERAL GAMES BEING DOWN WITH THEIR GREAT ATTITUDE AND OVERALL FUN. THE GROUP RAN UP A $1000+ BAR TAB AND NO ONE EXCEPT THE CONTACT KNEW ANYTHING WAS EVER WRONG. A GREAT JOB BY THE ENTIRE TEAM THAT WAS HERE: HEATHER, T2, JACKIE, KATIE O’, JOSH, CAROLYN, CATIE, CRAIG, LIL’ DAN, JAMIE AND HOLLY!! WE DEFINITELY COULD HAVE PANICKED AND FOLDED BUT EVERYBODY PULLED THROUGH AND DELIVERED A COMP. DAY DESPITE CLOSING 4 HOURS EARLY!!

Worcester’s Buds And Suds!

Our team recently completed our 2nd Buds and Suds Bikini Car Wash at Jillian’s in Worcester and the response could not have been better! It went from being “Just for Fun” to doing something that will help to make a difference! Some simply came by for a car wash, others to spend the day with familiar faces and to enjoy good times with friends, but all gave to a GREAT cause!!!!

Jillian’s brought our patrons together for a day they won’t soon forget!!! In working with Lisa from Budweiser we hosted a fundraising event for ALS, better known as Lou Gehrigs disease. The money raised goes directly to helping the families that are affected with the illness. It will help to pay medical bills and expenses that they just can’t cover. We hope that as time goes on people will continue to associate Jillian’s in Worcester with having FUN and giving back to the community!!!

 As always our staff gave it their all! We had Paul and Leo working the grill, Mike Tidd working the music to keep everyone going and our waitstaff and bartenders washing the cars!! Everyone gave 100% and it showed!!! The day was GREAT!! Everyone (staff included) had the best time!

We appreciate everyones efforts in this great event and look forward to seeing everyone, and more, next year!!!

We love Lisa our Budweiser Promo Rep!!!!!

Another Arrest Warrant Issued

At exactly 11:30 a.m. the patty wagon, 2009 Volkswagen Passat, pulled into Mills Alley and out came my parole officer.  She quickly slapped on the cuffs and whisked me away on a drive to my awaiting jail cell.  The drive, that easily could have been a walk, took about 10 minutes thanks to Old Town Pasadena’s one-way streets.  

I was booked, fingerprinted, and my mug shot was taken.  It turned out the $300 bail money raised by Jake’s team was no match to the $2400 needed for my bail, so I was sentenced to the phones.

2:00 p.m. and I’m released after an additional $300 of bail money was raised.  Then it was back to the phones for another cause, selling parties!!

Deanna and the Pasadena team raised $600 in bail money for the MDA Lock-up.

Manchester Team Member “Arrested”

There are “wanted” signs up….bail buckets out….and an “officer” walks into the Manchester Club with an “arrest” warrant.  Everyone is looking around…who is he looking for?

 I’ve been “wanted” for two weeks….only employed with Jillian’s for three…I’ve desperately been trying to evade going to jail.  I’ve made phone calls…sent emails…asked complete strangers for money to help me raise my bail.

Pat, our bartender, comes into the sales office…he informs me that someone is here to see me.  I instantly know I’m about to meet my fate. He’s looking for ME.  I’m being arrested….right inside Jillian’s! I gather my belongings…walk out into the Video Café…there he is…with his handcuffs.  I’m issued my Warrant…I don’t resist…I know I’ve committed the crime…and now I’ll have to do my time.

The officer kindly helps me into the patty wagon…he weaves in and out of traffic as he makes his way to “the big house”…the conversation is light…he’s very nice as he asks me about my crime.  I just smile and tell him I’d do it all over again if I had the chance.

As we approach the building, I can see that I’m not the only “jailbird” arriving.  The crime in Manchester must be very high today.  I’m helped from the vehicle and led inside.  First…I have to be processed.  After all of my paperwork has been completed, I’m given my prison attire…black and white horizontal stripes…not flattering, to say the least.  I’m led behind bars where they quickly snap my picture.

To my delight, when I go before the judge, my bail has been posted.  Thankfully all of those people that made “donations” not only collected enough to bail me out immediately, but…they exceeded my bail amount.  This caused the entire courthouse to yell out in excitement….bells were ringing and people were cheering.  After being processed and released…there were many people stopping me to thank me for the “bail” that I raised to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  Together…my donors and I will make a difference for Jerry’s Kids.

As the officer drove me back to Jillian’s….I told him he may see me again…that I would most likely be a “repeat offender” for the MDA Lock-Up…and be “Wanted” again….for Having a Big Heart.

Melissa Whitehead

(please click on the link)

 https://www.joinmda.org/MyLockup/MyHomepage/tabid/12797/Participant/derekandlissa/Default.aspx

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LPL Employees digging into our Ball Park Classic Buffet!

On Wednesday August 20, 2008 Jillian’s of Charlotte hosted LPL Financials Employee Appreciation Party for a total of 750 people.

This was truly a team effort by our management and staff.

Our management team met several times a week to strategize and plan what we would each be responsible for and all staffing concerns. This party was a huge opportunity for us with the exposure of 750 people walking thru our doors to see what we do and who we are. How can we make a difference and what would be our Wow story that all who attended would walk away with?

Parking was the clients biggest concern as we only have 115 parking spaces so we had some hurdles to jump thru before getting started. Parking spaces were borrowed by the neighboring business which gave us 230 parking spaces. We then secured a parking deck downtown with 500 spaces and had 8 shuttle vans running thru out the event picking up our guests and returning them back at the end. We also now have the luxury of Charlotte’s Light Rail system which helped with another 100 guests.

 Hurdle jumped!

Charlotte over the years has secured some strong vendor relationships which was critical in being able to add extra touches to the event that would ensure the WOW not only for LPL’s meeting planner but for all guests who attended.

We had 3 Ice Sculpture’s brought in, Red carpet at the Light rail entrance and the shuttle drop off entrance, an 8 foot balloon arch for them to walk thru with their company colors, a popcorn machine and fresh flowers all thru the club. The Host was speechless as we walked her thru the different venues. To me that is my favorite part of an event. When you can sit back and watch everyone enjoying themselves and knowing that you and your team created and executed the vision.

 LPL Financial will be back!

Thanks to Jillian’s IT Stars!

Team Seattle just wants to thank James Lee and John Sowders for their amazing dedication and hardwork. We found ourselves without our computer here in Seattle (Restaurant Magic included). As you all could imagine, this sent us here into quite a panic! Until we lost the computer, we didn’t know how much a key part of everyday here at Jillian’s it is. Come to find out we had numerous viruses on the computer that were deleting programs and files. As we were all stressed, James and John had us send in the hard drive, fixed the problem quickly and low and behold I sit here writing this blog from the very computer!

Once again, thank you James and John for your constant support to all the locations and spending tons of time on the phone and helping out, even when it is very late at night. It is definitely appreciated. You two are the best!

Cleveland Heights WOW’s Freshman at Case Western Reserve

I had the opportunity to participate in a promotional event with TEAM Cleveland Heights yesterday that was such a WOW.

The event was a Freshman Orientation Social at Case Western Reserve.  Case Western invited many of the local restaurants to come and promote their products and feed the new students.   Pizza vendors, Sandwich Shops, Smoothie Bars, and others each had booths for an event that brought in over 1,200 new freshmen.  Case Western is located about 1 mile from the club here in Cleveland and we have a GREAT opportunity to get our name out as the best place for all the students to EAT DRINK AND PLAY !!!!!!

So what was such a WOW ?????

Our Mission …. “Your Fun is Our Business” ….

          When you looked at all the booths that were set-up by a multitude of vendors, there was not doubt our booth was the booth of “FUN”.
          Most booths just had their product. (A pizza box, a box of sandwiches a box of cookies) BUT NOT JILLIANS ….. we had.
                    Red and White Balloons (the Case colors)
Large Jillian’s Event Banner,
Chafer dishes with BBQ and Hot Wings
Huge Chip and Salsa Cascading on the table.
                    Giving out information about college ID night and handing out 1 hour free billiards cards
 and then there was GUITAR HERO !!!!!!
What a GREAT idea that Mindy the event sales manager suggested.
                    We loaded up the 65 INCH HD Wide Screen TV and had a table dedicated to the world of Guitar Hero.
 As you can image, in a world of college freshman, this was a huge win.
     The event was from 6:00 PM until 8:00: PM.  By 7:15PM, most of the students had left and most of the vendors had also packed up, but not the “FUN” booth.  We keep the Guitar Hero going until the END letting everybody know Thursday night was college ID night and they should put it in their schedule each week to swing in, play billiards, have some food, dance to a DJ, and play Guitar Hero !!!
Other exciting pieces that came from this event.
·        Mindy received a few leads from Resident Advisors that are looking to do some Resident Hall Events !!!!
·        Thank-you Team SEATTLE …. One of the new students was from Seattle.  She was busy telling everybody in line what a fun place Jillian’s was since her high school last year was one of the “High School Lock-IN” (After Prom) that you executed last spring.�
·        Mindy and Taylor (Server Team member) where outstanding.  They were outgoing, promoted the club, and when the lines slowed down and everybody was sitting at tables, they walked the tables once again promoting Jillian’s and College Night.  No other booths walked the tables.
·        Since we were only a mile away, when we needed more wings, we called the club, swung by, and picked up hot wings.  Many times the students came back asking for a few more wings and then getting directions to our location.
·        We arrived an hour and 20 mins. before the event.  We were set-up and ready by 5:40 PM.  20 Mins before.  When the crowds came over we were able to hit the ground running.  Some vendors were showing up at 6:00 PM and you could tell they were scrambling.  Just like the focus to make sure events at the club are set-up prior, it just looked professional that we were ready to go at an outside event.
·        Guitar Hero – We asked the orientations leaders to help.  We asked them to give us one of there most out going team members.  When we asked, they all recommend the same person.  This person ran the Guitar Hero for us.  He was aware of how it worked, outgoing and talking to his classmates, and this freed us up to promote the club to the masses.
To the entire Heights TEAM ….  Thanks for EMBRACING THIS OPPORTUNITY and continue to DRIVE OUR MISSION>
          “YOUR FUN IS OUR BUSINESS”

 Chip.

Jillian’s Rocked the Block at the South Lake Union Block Party!

On Friday August 8th, Jillian’s in Seattle participated in the South Lake Union Block Party. This was an event to celebrate our up and coming neighborhood and all of the wonderful businesses and people that reside here. The event included live music, food vendors, the muttmazing dog race and ended with an outdoor cinema viewing of Juno. In the Jillian’s booth we handed out food samples (Chicken and pineapple kabobs - yum!) and promotional materials while meeting a ton of interesting people! This was a great way to get our name out there in the community, and all of the donations for food samples will go to charity!

Enjoy some pics of Cidnee and Lauren rockin’ the block party!

Chase City urban race ends at Jillian’s of Seattle

The urban race City Chase came to Seattle for its fifth year and to Jillian’s for its best finale ever! This unique urban adventure pits teams of two against one another for a day long of fun in a true giving spirit; proceeds benefit the local Seattle Works. This day of fun was a mini-version of the Amazing Race.

And the best part was the last stop and after party was right here at Jillian’s of Seattle. We had over 350 people trickle in from early to late afternoon with cheearleaders and signs greeting them on Westlake Avenue. Upstairs the celebration went into full swing with giveaways, contests, and lots of fun, food and drinks provided by Jillian’s. Overall it was a great sunny Saturday afternoon for us in Seattle!

Thanks to Cidnee and Lauren, the dynamic and amazing ESM duo here in Seattle, who cultivated this relationship and planned this event! We are looking forward to an even bigger bash next year!

FOX- Teen Choice VIP Party 2008

Jillian’s- Universal hosted the 2008 Teen Choice Post Party! We welcomed 1,040 VIP’s on Sunday- August 3rd for an Australian beach themed private party. Jillian’s collaborated with FOX and local vendors to execute an Organic “Green” menu. This was a zero waste event- every piece of garbage was either recycled or compostable. We used bio-degradable trash liners, compostable cups, straws and recycled dinner napkins! 

This year we also added new elements to the party- We converted a storage area behind Jillian’s in to an outdoor “Oasis” by adding an outdoor bar, trees, billiards tables, music and cocktail seating!

  Jillian’s also set up our first “Candy Store.” Glass containers were filled to the brim with bright colors, shapes & flavors. Guests used their recycled bags to collect sweet treats!

 Teen Choice 2008 was outstanding on so many levels! The collective effort by team Universal paid off… the client was blown away and was enthusiastic to name this event a “Huge Success!”

Take me out to the Ball Game

This year San Francisco entered a team in the San Francisco Co-Ed Baseball League.   Coach Chris Caleca and AGM - Gil Frias lead the team.

This past week the team came back from to win the game 9-8 after being down 8-2 in the sixth inning.

This is a great opportunity to bring some of our team together outside the workplace.

More to come………………..stayed tuned