Cali Here We Come!

Dinner Call Day Two

Day Two...

We had several orders in both stores again today! WHOOHOO! 

Lots more APP downloads and tons of comments on our Facebook page. 

I spent a lot of time today re-evaluating portions/containers/etc. In just two days, I have made changes and already learned a lot that I want to implement at some point. Baby steps...Baby steps...

DO YOU HAVE THE APP? If not, then GET IT NOW! 

iPhone: http://apple.co/1TReJuM 

Android: http://bit.ly/1g03M8a

 to see this week's menu + receive $10 off your first order! 

Follow us on Facebook and visit http://www.dinnercall.com/ for more info!

The picture below is a loyal customer of ours, Beth Dunavant, picking up her ready to eat meal tonight at the Covington store. Thanks Beth!

 This picture is one of our regular customers in the Munford store picking up her dinner. We delivered hers out to her car and she was thrilled to be able to get dinner on the way home from work so easily!

Dinner Call and Emergency Call

Wednesday was an EXCITING day...I was so stressed and anxious to make sure everything went perfectly with our first day of Dinner Call! Judson wasn't back from the Masters yet, so I think I was extra anxious. Plus, I could hear the wind blowing terribly on the roof of the store and I was thinking...all we need is the power to go out today. As the 3:00 o'clock cut off hour was drawing near, my produce manager walked in my office. He had just driven by my house and noticed our dog kennel was blown away. He said, "What happened at your house"? I asked what he meant. When he told me the kennel was torn apart, I completely panicked. I RAN out the door and RACED home. 

Let me preface this with a little side note: 

Hayden gave Abby a rabbit for Easter. 

We have all fallen in love with this sweet baby. Like really attached and surprised at how much we have taken up with her (he name is Gotti). Well, yesterday, Abby and Oney decided that Gotti needed more time outdoors. They were VERY cautious in moving her, but decided it was the best thing for her. So...they put her cage inside of our dog kennel (for double safety so she couldn't escape). They then strapped a tarp on top of the kennel for shade/shelter. They were so excited for her newly established safe place. 

Back to the story:

When I pulled into the driveway and I saw the damage, my stomach did a backflip. I knew what I was about to find could NOT be good. This is what I saw in the back yard...

The dog kennel that has been there for EIGHT YEARS and NEVER moved an inch was blown away today. Totally destroyed.

AND...the rabbit cage was torn apart - completely wide open. There was no bunny in sight.

 Biggs (our dog) was standing there and I was in tears. I started calling her name, "Gotti" "Gotti"...Biggs took off running and back he came with Gotti in his mouth. She was dead, of course. I started crying thinking, "How am I going break this to Abby"? 

 I sought advice from a few people as to whether I should tell Abby she just ran away or tell her the truth. I decided the truth is always best. I called Oney and told him to make sure they came straight home from school so that I could break the bad news to them. I wrapped her up in a baby blanket for Abby and then I waited for them to get home.  She was very very sad of course. I basically threw this bad news on her and had to run back to work! 

I had to get back to work and focus on Dinner Call. 

So, in typical "Mom" fashion, I switched "hats" and went back to the store and dove right back in to Dinner Call! 

When I walked in the store, I went straight to the Deli and Chad was there to pick up his dinner. 

Here is a picture of our first ready to cook taco kit right before it went out the door. 

 And here is our sweet friend, Chad, picking up his taco kit from Pat, our Deli Manager. 

THANK YOU CHAD and LEIGH for supporting us in our newest adventure!

 So, needless to say, everything went GREAT! We had tons of APP downloads and a couple orders in each store today. I am PROUD of my employees. Thanks to our Dinner Call folks and everyone working together to get to this day!

Now, time to go to Abby's TOTAL Leadership Graduation dinner. I ran home and changed shirts and picked Abby up. We headed to the Chamber Center for their final gathering as a group. This TOTAL Leadership program has really been a positive experience for her and these kids. Ally enjoyed it last year and I think Abby has enjoyed it just as much. Here are a few pictures from the dinner. 

 Abby and Hayden getting their "diplomas"

 Abbey and Abby

 Their Leadership group...a great group of kids. Thanks to both Chambers and all of the hours they have put into making this a successful program. 

And after that, I was GLAD to call it a day. 

What Do Y'all Want for Dinner Tonight?

What to Cook for Dinner? 

If I had a penny for the number of times I have asked my family that question, then I could retire! What are we going to eat for dinner? What am I going to feed my family for dinner? Where are we going to get a good meal that isn't fast food without lighting for more than a minute? 

If your family is anything like ours, then you never stop. I scrolled over my texting conversation with my family and there is a recurring theme....ignore the misspellings and silliness...

What's for dinner tonight? We all want to eat, at home, together, fresh, good quality food. Who has the time to think ahead and plan a meal, make a grocery list, shop for the ingredients, prepare the meal? 

Most families in today's society both spouses work. In years past, the wife spent hours in the kitchen planning and preparing meals for her family each week. Not only do women today not have the time, a lot of them (us) do not want to spend what little free time they have cooking for hours. But, they sincerely want to take pride in feeding their families. Ask me what I feel most guilty about as a mother or where I feel like I fail my family the most? It is DEFINITELY in the kitchen. 

So, why am I preaching about this now? 

Judson and I have tossed around several ideas in the past relating to meals at the store and options we could offer our customers. Our ideas always ended the same..."we could never do that" or "that will never work". Until, about a year ago. We received a phone call from a business friend of ours. He had this idea that he wanted to run past us. What do you guys think about a dinner meal option in your deli that your customers could get to go? There would be an app and it would be real simple and easy to use and very flexible for your personal tastes/input. We said let us think about it and we will get back with you. Well as you know, life happens, and before we knew it, we hadn't thought twice about it and Gerry was calling again. What do you guys think? We asked him to send us some information to research and we would go from there. After looking over the program, I was ALL IN! The founder of this company is the founder of our awesome chicken brand, Charley Biggs. Knowing how well he operates and how methodical he is made this deal a "no brainer". He has spent a ton of money on market research, app development, shopping/eating habits, etc. Gerry invited us to be one of two grocery store operators to test the program. We committed to testing the program about 6 months ago with a launch date of April 6. 

April 6, 2016 has arrived! It is LAUNCH DAY! 

I am so excited! I am excited for my family as well as all of our families in Tipton County! This program has the potential to change the way families are doing dinner...in a positive way! 

The following was taken from the Dinner Call website.

DinnerCall is a public benefit corporation, which means we not only bring you great meals, but we also bring families back together around the dinner table along the way. Research has shown that families who eat together enjoy significant benefits over families who don't, including: lower divorce rates, lower substance abuse, lower obesity, lower depression, happier kids, better grades, etc.

Read more about the social movement to get more families to the dinner table here. The app encourages you to track your dinners, share photos at the dinner table and offers you conversation starters! Well, you know the Naifeh family, we hardly need any conversation starters at our house! 

 WHAT ARE YOU WAITING ON???

Naifeh's Food Market! Through the DinnerCall mobile app, you can order family-style meals straight from your phone, and pick them up from Naifeh's. Download the DinnerCall app today (iPhone: http://apple.co/1TReJuM or Android: http://bit.ly/1g03M8a) to see this week's menu + receive $10 off your first order! 

How it works: 
 

1. Download: Download the DinnerCall app on iPhone or Android + see what Naifeh’s is offering for dinner each night.
2. Order: Choose your favorite meal, pay through the app, and indicate a pick-up time.
3. Pick-up: Let us know when you arrive + dinner will be delivered straight to your car!

Follow us on Facebook and visit http://www.dinnercall.com/ for more info!"

Now that you have the APP, the rest is EASY! 

There will be two options (starting out):

1) A "ready to eat" meal=hot and ready to eat at home.

OR

2) A "ready to cook" meal=raw ingredients and any recipes needed to prepare a meal

You order and pay of your meal online through the Dinner Call APP and select a pickup time that works for you. You can come into the store to pick up your meal or we can run it out to your car. If you choose this option, there is a button on the app to click on when you are in the parking lot. It calls the deli directly and we will bring it out to your car! 

Sign up today and get $10 in credit towards your first meal from Dinner Call.

For everytime you share a link (personalized for you in your app) suggesting your friends use Dinner Call, you get $5 in credit after they complete their first purchase. 

There are a few "assumptions" or "facts" with the Dinner Call Program

*Each meal/kit feeds a family of 3-4 (you can order multiple kits)

*You will take the meal home and eat it -it is served family style(no plastic wear/napkins)

*You have basic ingredients in your pantry (salt, pepper, margarine, oil, etc) 

*You can only purchase/pay through the APP-not in store

*There is a daily cutoff time of 3:00pm for that night's meal

*Pickup times are between 4:00pm-7:00pm

*There are a limited number of meals offered each day to insure quality/timeliness 

*There is no service fee or hidden charges

*No cancellations

DID I TELL YOU THAT I WAS EXCITED?

Please be patient with us. This is new to us too. We are learning as we go and will adjust the program as need be. Our menus are starting out pretty simple. We want to make sure we have the fundamentals in place before we get crazy with creativity! PLEASE give us feedback. We cannot fix what we don't know isn't working. There is a tab, "Help and Support" under the menu bar where you can submit suggestions/comments/etc. We want and need your input to make this a success.There will be tweaking along the way, but rest assured, we will get it right! 

THANK YOU for always supporting Judson and I in our adventures! Here's to more time around the table and less time in the kitchen!