LaRosa’s in Beavercreek Goes Above and Beyond for Customers

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Dominick

College Students (well anyone in Beavercreek), be forewarned. LaRosa’s of Beavercreek not only offers amazing food, the restaurant really cares about their customers. We’ve had less than amazing experiences with pizza delivery companies in this area, so it is a breath of fresh air when a company steps up to make things right to ensure customer satisfaction. This is what keeps a restaurant in business.

LaRosa's Pizzeria Baked Royal Hoagy with Kitchen Chips

The excitement began on Thursday, January 20, 2010. It was snowing pretty bad and we were out of Coke. For anyone who drinks Coca Cola, you know the direness of such a situation! We decided to order LaRosa’s because we could buy three 2-liters of Coke to last us through any potential winter storm that may keep us trapped for the weekend. LaRosa’s also features the most amazing French Onion Soup. So, we purchased three two liters, two French Onion Soup cups and a Double Baked Royal sub that Ashtyn and I planned to split. We were eating late that night, so we ordered around 10:20 PM. LaRosa’s has the ability to order online, so we chose to do that, as opposed to calling.

Around 11:30 PM we received a call from Jeremy, the owner of the Beavercreek LaRosa’s. He was wondering when we’d be picking up our food. Apparently, due to a glitch in the computer, our order was listed as pickup. We thought since the weather was bad our delivery driver was slow and he thought since the weather was bad, we were slow to come pick the food up. Having no car meant we could not go get the food. So, Jeremy told me he’d be returning payment to our Credit Card. He was extremely apologetic and was so nice, we hung up telling him we’d just order tomorrow.

It was not ten minutes later that Jeremy called us back. He had called the main LaRosa’s office and discovered that there had been problems with online ordering and this had happened before. As it was no fault of our own, he would be offering the entire order to us for free. So, not only did we get our money back, we received a credit for the pops and food we ordered. I explained to Jeremy I was a blogger and that I would be sharing this story with my readers on The Dayton Dish. I also told him I’d be telling those around the Wright State campus to order from LaRosa’s.

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Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
Posted in Dayton Restaurants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Blaine Boyd Takes Wright State’s Jekyll and Hyde to the Next Level

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Dominick

Seldom can you compare the quality of a college show to that of professional theatre. It’s nothing against college productions. They are meant to be a little more amateurish for the mere fact that the student performers are still learning how to perfect their craft. Not so with Wright State University’s latest production, Jekyll and Hyde. Due in large part to lead actor Blaine Boyd (Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Hyde), the show thrills and dazzles with the excitement and superior quality of any show you’d see in New York or London.

Wright State's Jekyll and Hyde program

There have been many incarnations of the duality of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, since Robert Lewis Stevenson first published The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1886. However, one of the most unique adaptations is the musical, which features lyrics and script by Leslie Bricusse (known especially for his song, “The Candy Man” which Sammy Davis Jr. sang in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) and music by Frank Wildhorn (mostly known for J&H but also The Scarlet Pimpernel and Tony nominated The Civil War). This musical features a nice mess of light and dark with such show stoppers as “This is the Moment”, “Alive” and “In His Eyes.” Luckily, Boyd can pull off his numbers with his massive voice and talented acting.

The transformation for any actor that must play two completely different characters in one show is difficult, but Boyd pulls it off with aplomb. You no longer see the actor, as he skulks across the stage, more like an animal than a person, hunting his prey through the streets of London. His transformation is as wild as his hair, which flies about one moment, as Hyde, and is smooth and perfect another, as Jekyll, though the obvious frazzled thoughts of the doctor, searching desperately to cure himself of the affliction that brings Hyde out, is apparent within Boyd as the second half of the musical leads him to acts of desperation. Note: The mic effects that change Boyd’s voice when he is Hyde adds just another, perfect layer to the evilness of the character he plays, and was a nice addition.

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Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Volunteering in Dayton

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Ashtyn

Dayton offers a number of good opportunities for volunteering for local folks looking to make a difference in the lives of others. Whether you want to feel good by offering the leftover time and energy in your day or you just genuinely want to help others, there are a lot of worthwhile ways to do that in the Miami Valley. Volunteering not only makes you feel good, it impacts the lives of others in the best ways possible. If you have any available time you might want to consider one of the following organizations that are always on the lookout for a few good volunteers.

If you are the head of a business or service that has volunteer opportunities and you would like us to list them, please feel free to Contact Us through the link above and we will do all we can to list you. Otherwise, here are five of the most worthwhile volunteer opportunities in the area.

The Hospice of Dayton
All volunteers receive training through The Hospice of Dayton so you do not need to worry about lacking any possible skills. Everything you need to know will be taught to you prior to you beginning service. The Hospice offers a number of different types of volunteer opportunities ranging from helping to care for the families that have loved ones in hospice to dealing with the patients specifically.

Some of the available opportunities according to The Hospice website includes:

Provide transportation for patients to doctor appointments or hospitals
Run errands for a patient or family member (volunteer must have their own vehicle)
Cheer patients with birthday cakes or flowers on special days
Perform homemaker duties, such as dusting, vacuuming, or washing dishes
Helping in offices with medical records, typing, filing, computer data entry, mailings, answering phones, copying materials, and other general office duties.
Serving as members of event planning committees
Participate in building maintenance and gardening at the Care Center
Arrange flowers for patients at the Care Center
Assist with recreational activities such as music therapy or pet visits
Providing professional services to patients on a voluntary basis
Visiting with patients

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Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
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Carrabba’s: Be Still my Beating…Fork

Posted on December 5, 2010 by Ashtyn

When I wrote about how excited I was to try Carrabba’s I had no idea that it would take me so long to get over there. I posted in October, but didn’t manage to make it over there until my Anniversary, which was at the end of November. Even then, it turned out to be a surprise. Things were incredibly hectic and before I knew it, a knock at the door was delivering Carrabba’s for my dinner. It was a welcome surprise, especially when I found out the menu. This was definitely one anniversary dinner I was not going to forget, even if I did eat it in my pajamas!

Carrabba's Appetizer Sampler Platter

Before I delve into what we had and how amazing the food tasted, let me talk about prices (to an extent). When I hear the words Italian restaurant, two thoughts immediately pop into my mind. First I picture the authentic Italian with homemade sauces and expensive wines and then there are the commercial Italian places that are decent, not as expensive, and not as authentic. I knew Carrabba’s was going to be more the original, authentic and less of the commercial. However, the price was something I was worried about. We received a $45 gift certificate for a review meal and I was honestly curious to see how far it would take us.

I am happy to say that we sampled everything from appetizers and soup to entrées and dessert and still had a dollar or two to spare. Considering the fact that we had appetizers and desserts, I was more than comfortable with the pricing options and would have no problem paying prices like this when we visit on our own (and I am sure we will).

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Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
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Roc-A-Fellas Beavercreek Pizza Dive Disappoints Greatly in Customer Service

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Dominick

I’m in college. I returned after a lengthy absence, caused by an injury that kept me in bed for a while. That means I have moved five hours south of my home of seven years, in Michigan, to return to Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. As a blogger who is a whole lot wiser, I try to spend more time focused on my studies and that means I need plenty of brain food.

The nice thing about Dayton is that I can get more than one place to deliver. I have access to subs, pizza and Chinese and I do not even need to leave my on campus apartment. Ash and I have our longtime favorites, who we missed while so far away for seven years. Of course, we’re also willing to try new places that have come to the Miami Valley during our absence. That brings me to our experience with Roc-A-Fellas Beavercreek Pizza Dive. Supposedly, the pizza company sells New York style pizza. I wouldn’t know. I never received my order, even after I paid by credit card. Of course, Roc-A-Fellas Beavercreek Pizza Dive told me this was my fault, and therefore, I guess I deserved to be treated like crap on the phone by the self-proclaimed owner of the restaurant, David Whitmore.

Ashtyn called and spoke to a young girl, who took our order. The girl asked our address multiple times. Ash had to repeat herself and the order, at least twice. She managed to successfully take down our Credit Card information and we were promptly billed. However, she neglected to ask our phone number. Not realizing a generic number for Wright State appears on caller ID, Ash just thought they grabbed our actual number and did not question why they did not ask for it. The girl said our food would be there in an hour.

After an hour and a half passed, I called back to see where our order was. The girl on the line informed me I had not given them the right phone number. I explained that I did not call. It was Ash who did and no one asked her number. The girl also stated we never gave her our apartment number, so when the driver came to deliver our food they could not even find our apartment. That’s funny because I was sitting next to Ash when she ordered. She gave the girl our full address, including apartment number, twice. This was so they could look up my address, to make sure they could deliver to us. Ash also gave them my last name, Evans. There is a call box right inside the door of our apartment with a list of last names and numbers. I am the only Evans in the building.

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Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
Posted in Dayton Restaurants | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments