Straight From New York to Chicago!
Marvin appeared in the office door. I could tell he had been laughing. As he chuckled he explained. “Something strange is happening up front. There is a woman from DoorDash here. She says she has a pizza delivery from Straight From New York for some guy named Mike. He gave Geppetto’s as his address.” Marvin continued. “I’ve been all through the restaurant and there isn’t anybody here who ordered delivery from DoorDash.” Curious, I headed toward the front of house. There she was, Adorable Miss DoorDash, at the hostess counter, on the phone with the customer. “Sir, you gave Geppetto’s as the delivery address.” I’m here at Geppetto’s with your pizza.” Their discussion continued… “No, I can’t just head to another address.” She said. “You are going to have to call the order line. “ How much is the pizza? I asked. “Thirteen dollars”, she replied. I paid, gratuity included, and she left after a quick selfie. Esther from DoorDash is a good sport! I don’t know who “Mike” is… but that was funny! And we are all enjoying a slice, Straight From New York! Btw… Today is Star Trek Day! Honoring the 55th anniversary of the Star Trek television premier. Happy Birthday Star Trek! May we all live long and prosper!
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Order Up!
Sooo… a woman called to order takeout… a large thin crust pizza…. with fresh mushroom and anchovy. Well… she thought she was calling Geppetto’s in New Hampshire. Therefore… we have a large, thin crust, mushroom and anchovy ready for pickup! Heck… I’d even deliver! Hate to waste a pizza… but there isn’t anyone here who would eat it. Free to the first caller! 503.378.1271 An Unexpected Award
The notice came out of the blue. I was waiting at a stoplight, on delivery, when my Apple Watch began to vibrate in a rather erratic and distinctly different pattern. Curious, I glanced at the face. It read, “Congratulations! You’ve earned an award!” It wasn’t until the next stoplight that I was able to follow up. I didn’t know I was entered into a competition or had set any kind of goals. The only thing I ever purposefully did to my smart watch, other than pairing it to my phone, was choose scenes from Toy Story as my screen savers. At my next stop, I scrolled a little further and the message continued. “August Challenge - You earned this award by going 125.5 mi in August 2021.” I have friends who took on Hood to Coast (Hood & Portland To Coast Relays (Official Page). They trained hard for months in preparation and braved the out of doors running day and night. I tracked them in awe as they made their way in relay teams of twelve, 130 miles walking - 199 miles running, from mountains to sea in two days. (I would have to dig a bit to find out why they make the runners go farther. Maybe because the walkers would take too long to finish?) Anyhoo… if my watch is right… August was a busy month. My miles were logged running my BEHIND off in this 4,000sq ft space called a restaurant, shopping trips to US Foods CHEF’STORE and delivering Geppetto’s delicious food to our customers. It wasn’t Hood to Coast but it was pretty darn close! I have decided to claim my prize, to celebrate this moment and announce it to all the world! I think a hand dipped corn dog (with mustard only) and Dairy Women’s Ice Cream at the Oregon State Fair are in order! Gas is On!
I apologize for the delay in updating you all. NW Natural Gas made it out last night and turned us on! Only after… Richard and Dustin of Wolfer’s Heating and Air Conditioning worked their magic. Really, there was no magic… just good old fashioned smarts, ingenuity, experience and genuine interest in getting us up and running as quickly as possible. They circumvented the original design and worked quickly to implement a new route for the gas. We are much better off now. When the original tech knocked on the door Monday night with the news of our leaky underground pipe… it was a bit of a gut punch. The good news being… we didn’t have to blow up to find it! We are thankful for the Phagan’s ladies who noticed the smell and called to report. The gas man said, “If you measure 1.0 I have to shut you down.” We registered at 2.68. We are thankful for good neighbors, Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, Wolfer’s and NW Natural for getting us back in business. I’ve said a few prayers for the scheduler at NW Natural. There is something so gilding about a person on the other end of the line (probably working from home for the last year and a half) busy dotting “I’s” crossing “T’s” and without saying it… allows you realize that the fate of your viability may rest on whether or not she likes you. Bleh. So happy we will be opening today at 4:00. We are here… ready to serve! Join us for dine in or call 503.378.1271 for takeout and delivery. #grateful Finding the Funny - A Gas Leak Among Us
It’s not that our current gas leak situation is the most difficult we’ve faced. It’s the continuous waves of challenge which is wearing. No worries though. We keep praying and seek to find the funny. Laughter is most certainly great medicine. For a few years I have found the Among Us… Among us. We have an employee who loves them and incorporates them regularly into our space (The creators of the game even acknowledged his Geppetto’s Among Us pizza! (pictured here). Those Among Us never cease to make me smile. While we wait to be operational we are busy tying up loose ends… like the tile in the ladies room. It’s going to be gorgeous! Great news… Wolfer’s is here to fix the pipe! I’ll update you as to our progress. Keep your joy and find the funny! Space Pirates - Geppetto’s and Pietro’s A Community Collaboration
Like Geppetto’s… Pietro’s Pizza has been in Salem for a very long time, offering great food and family fun! Can’t count the number of times our family dined there when our kids were little, sports award nights, birthday parties and the like. A man named Bradley is currently one of the managers at their Hawthorne and Market Street location. Bradley happily dined anonymously at Geppetto’s until I asked what he did for a living. Shocked I said, What?!” “You manage Pietro’s and dine with us for pizza?” “Yes.” He softly replied. “I love your pizza.” Explaining further he said, “Especially your deep dish with pepperoni and jalapeño.” Bradley is a kind and gentle soul. Pietro’s is blessed to have him as a manager. Ever since he revealed his treasured place of employment he has offered to help Geppetto’s (while keeping his real job) in any way he could. When we were desperate for a delivery driver he jumped in the game. He is now delivering for us Monday and Tuesday evenings. Our hearts sunk last night when NW Natural gas shut us down because of an underground pipe leak. Two separate pizza deliveries planned for today and no way to contact the customer to inform. Twenty-two pizzas in total for delivery and no gas to run the oven. Well… one phone call was all it took. Bradley was willing to help. He showed up at Pietro’s on his day off and made our pizzas there. He honored the cheese on top… but couldn’t bring himself to cut it into squares. Our two groups were made happy, orders filled. Pietro’s… and Bradley… and Manager Lisa and their staff saved the day for Geppetto’s. We count their help as a miracle. We live in an awesome community where when we help each other we all do well. Another miracle today… the fact that Wolfer’s Plumbing is coming tomorrow morning to fix our leaky gas pipe. A far cry from the original word, “Well, right now, we’re booked a month out.” When I heard that… I thought I might die. So fun to hear the two ladies on the other end of the line exclaim in unison, “We love Geppetto’s!” Thanks also to the Salem Chamber of Commerce for standing with us in business. I reached out with a plea for help last night and slept better knowing we were not alone. So much to be thankful for. Space Pirates can be good guys. More soon. There isn't much to say... that doesn't include an expletive. We are shut down until further notice. Please pray for a quick fix. Leaky pipe underground needs repair. We remain... hopeful. I thank God... for my faith.
No understanding here!
That is… no understanding the ways of COVID Season! As I visited with another restaurateur his frustration and concern were palpable. “I’ll be here as long as I can.” He said. “As long as I can get the food I need to make!” It’s true… supply chains are a bit of a mess. But all of us in the business are churning and turning… making what we have work for our customers. The good news… We made another beautiful batch of Ma’s Ravioli yesterday. The yield was great… so supply level is high! There are always some raviolis which don’t pass the quality test. We lovingly call them “Busted.” Leave it to Chef Frank to dredge some… deep fry them… sprinkle them with fresh parsley and grated Romano… and poof! We have something new and wonderful to offer: Geppetto’s Deep Fried Busted Ravs! $7.95 for 12 served with our House Made Marinara for dipping! So good! We are open for dine in, takeout and delivery; Monday-Friday for lunch and dinner… 11:00am-8ish… Saturday and Sunday for Breakfast 9:00am - 1:00, 11:00 - 9ish for lunch and dinner. 503.378.1271 We may never understand COVID season… and that’s okay. We must endure. To the restaurant owner I met today… I am praying for you. May we all remain strong and continue to face the ever changing climate with courage and grace… with gratitude… and joy in our hearts Chef's Challenge
I may not eat much… or often… but when I do I want it to be good. I’m pretty stink in’ hangry right now… and I know Chef, Frank Primley, is always up for a challenge. Any guesses? What will Frank do with 2 eggs, fresh, sliced mushrooms, Walla Walla Sweet onion and his choice of protein? I told him to surprise me! Here it is… Before and after! Damn, Frank is good! How he turned those ingredients into a delicious Lemon Meringue Pie… I will never know. Pure magic! Good Folks in Space
Jason was his name. He called to order for takeout; two pizzas, one large, one medium. There is nothing like that sinking feeling when something has gone wrong with an order. First… the brain scrambles… you read the ticket over and over… then you stare at the cheese on top and pray you can, with eyes only, properly identify the toppings snuggled beneath. Eventually the truth emerges. Somewhere between Jason’s phone call, training and construction, an error had occurred. Both pizzas were mediums. “What would you like for us to do?” I asked. Make the large or change the order to two mediums? Without missing a beat… Jason quickly replied, “Oh no. I’ll wait! We love your pizza… and your Geppetto’s Stardate posts!” Yes, I am admitting we make mistakes here at Geppetto’s. If we didn’t… we wouldn’t be human. We learn and grow. Jason left with two mediums and one large. No complaint, no angry tone, no passive departure with a scorpion’s sting through a bad online review or a threat to never return. Jason exuded good nature, smiles, laughter, appreciation, understanding and patience. He was and is an inspiration. Just because we are not wearing masks and are allowed to open at 100%… the situation remains somewhat the same. The struggle with staffing is real. So much wasted time and money on trainees who don’t stay. We continue the quest and pray for the right ones to emerge. Meanwhile… we give thanks for those like Jason who encourage and inspire us to keep moving forward to better, more stable times. And yes… I did just relate the word “stable” to the restaurant business. Our prayers and gratitude continue! We are thankful for good folks in space. Please note: We will be closed tomorrow, Monday, 7/26 and Tuesday 7/27 for maintenance and repairs. |
AuthorJulie Hoy Archives
June 2022
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TEL: (503) 378-1271HoursSunday - Thursday 11:30am - 8:30pm
Friday & Saturday 11:30am - 9:30pm |
Location616 Lancaster Dr NE | Salem, OR 97301
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