Indianapolis is My Home

21
Jul

Starbucks Closing 12 Indianapolis Area Stores

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Business, Carmel, Coffee Shops, Downtown, Greenwood, Indianapolis Area, Keystone, News, Northwest Side, Real Estate, Speedway, West Side

When I first heard about the news that Starbucks has finally appeared to out-grow their britches, I thought I’d read that there weren’t any Indianapolis stores closing. As the image above humorously depicts skewing the original imagery by M.C. Escher, Starbucks always seemed to be everywhere. Between their actual stores and their little satellite stores located in other stores, they’re everywhere!

At one point in our lives, my brothers and I have all worked at a Starbucks store. My middle brother went the furthest with it as he actually opened a new store, which I think is one of the ones being closed now, which doesn’t make any sense to me.

Here are some of the soon to be closed locations:

• College Avenue & Fall Creek Parkway
• 38th and Meridian St
• 3855 E. 96th Street
• 9642 Allisonville Rd.
• 5060 W. 38th St.
• 5945 Crawfordsville Rd
• 3021 W 16th St
• 3801 S. Keystone Ave
• Merchant Square in Carmel
• US 31 & Fry Road in Greenwood
• Albany & 17th St in Beech Grove
• Metropolis Mall 2499 Futura Parkway in Plainfield

I had a Starbucks coffee for the first time in quite awhile on Thursday night. I’ve been cutting back on my coffee purchases in general, but when I do have a drink it’s been purchased from local coffee shop the vast majority of the time.

All-in-all I think closing a number of stores is a great move for Starbucks. I’m sure it will be a great opportunity for local shops and even Dunkin Donuts to make more of run for market share as well.

From my time working at the SBUX though, I think they’re a great company to work for that seems to care about their employees and work with them to keep balance in their lives.

Story Source: Grinding to a halt: 12 local Starbucks
Image Source: MIT Laboratory for Branding Cultures

25
Jun

Subway Jared Fogle Dead?

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Chain Restaurants, People

I have absolutely no basis for this but just throwing it out there because I have heard other people saying something about it. Does anyone know anything?

20
Jun

Jon McLaughlin at the Hard Rock Cafe

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Chain Restaurants, Charities, Concerts, Downtown, Radio Now 100.9

A few days ago I wrote about Jon McLaughlin putting on a little concert at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Indianapolis. The concert was a re-opening of the Hard Rock Cafe Indianapolis with all new memorabilia as well as a fund raiser for Riley Children’s Hospital here in the city.

It was a great live concert. Thanks to a friend I’d only met online I found out it was a “closed” event, but we were both able to work some magic (THANKS SARAH!) and get some passes to the event to see Jon live. It really turned out well for both of us. I got to see Jon McLaughlin in concert live for the first time and my friend ended up winning a Gibson Epiphone guitar that was signed by Jon and the rest of the band.

This is Kyle and Sarah (in the purple dress) and another lady that worked for Hard Rock up in Chicago, but I didn’t catch her name.

If it hadn’t been for our great waitress, Megan, Kyle would have never won the guitar, but she was persistent and convinced Kyle to purchase some raffle tickets.

Read Kyle’s recollection of the events and see more photos at Jon McLaughlin, A Sweet Waitress and a Gibson Guitar.

A few thoughts about the night. The new memorabilia was really cool. Lots of great stuff if you love rock music and haven’t been to Hard Rock Cafe in awhile, it’s time to check it out again.

One thing I was thinking about during the performance is that it would have been nice if there was a live camera feed to the various LCD panel TV’s (which are actually in need of being updated) that are mounted on the walls in the restaurant. It’s true that Jon was right in front of us, but having a camera that could zoom in on the close-up of his hands as he masterfully played the keys would have been sweet!

I also ran into a good friend of mine, Nate, that works for the Riley Children’s Foundation. His team put on a great event and raised some great money for charity as well. If you’d be interested in finding out how you can help the foundation yourself, visit their website or let me know and I’ll put you in touch with Nate.

I also got to meet Scotty Davis of Radio NOW 100.9 Morning Drive fame. He’s recently new to Indianapolis after moving down here for the gig at 100.9. He’s from Minnesota, but now calls Indianapolis “home” as well. Seemed like a great, down to earth guy who’s really getting to enjoy the city. It’s too bad he had to head out a little early that night, but part of his job on the morning show calls him to be up at 3am. Just about the time I’m heading to bed!

Jon’s going to be performing again tonight in Indianapolis as part of the Indianapolis Colts FanFest events. I’ll be posting about it later.

13
Jun

The Bean Cup - It’s a Must!

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Business Entrepreneurs, Coffee Shops, Greenwood, Local Artists, Local Businesses, Local Musicians, South Side, Things To Do in Indy

After hearing about The Bean Cup a couple of different times from fellow Indianapolis blogger, Douglas Karr, I decided the next time I worked remotely I’d stop by for a visit.

I stopped in this afternoon to get some work done and try out their version of my favorite drink, a chai tea latte. I little darker than my favorite at my other remote office location (I feel dirty, like I’m cheating on my friends there).

I got to meet the two owners, Chris and Jason Carr. A great couple and seem to totally love what they’re doing with running The Bean Cup. The initiating factor to our conversation was that I thought it was cool they they run a place called "The Bean Cup" and their names are Chris and Jason. If you haven’t noticed yet, my name is Jason and my brother’s name is Chris and our last name is "Bean".

The other very interesting thing I learned today was about Douglas Karr, who’s affectionately referred to as "Norm" at The Bean Cup. Himself, Jason Carr and two other individuals and The Bean Cup, was recently featured in BusinessWeek. The group is competing in the Cisco I-Prize competition. Really cool!

The opening paragraph of the article lays everything out beautifully:

The Bean Cup, a coffee house on the southern edge of Indianapolis, is about as far as you get from Silicon Valley, culturally speaking. Shoehorned between an Arthur Murray Dance studio and a shuttered beauty salon in a nondescript strip mall, the Bean Cup bears faint resemblance to the storied Palo Alto work-play spaces where coders spend all night building what they hope will be the next big thing in tech. That’s not stopping Douglas Karr, a bearded, burly Gulf War vet, from using the Bean Cup to incubate his own big tech dreams.

Later on that afternoon I had an iced white-chocolate blackberry latte ( I think that’s what it was) that was delicious as well. The atmosphere is great, they seem to have a very diverse client base so I think everyone would be happy here if you love great coffees and tea and more.

Similarly to The Strange Brew they also feature artistic works from local artists which you can buy right off the wall if you find something you like. The only challenge I noticed was the same challenge I find with every location offering free wi-fi, FAR TOO FEW POWER PLUG ACCESS!!! The Carrs said they’ll be working on that soon so they will be no reason to not go visit and get some work done of your own.

All in all the final score is that the south side of Indianapolis has two great options for locally owned coffee shops where local artists (both artistic and music) can showcase their talents as well as connect with the community around us.

If you’re on the south side of Indy around the Greenwood Mall, stop by The Bean Cup and get your java fix there. If you’re further south, stop on by The Strange Brew. If you’re a regular customer of one already, give the other a try and spread the love. Don’t worry, St. Arbuck’s will get along without you and these local business owners will be more than happy to serve you some great coffee.

11
Jun

Indianapolis Hard Rock Revamping and Ready to Rock

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Chain Restaurants, Concerts, Downtown, Local Musicians

Okay, I’ve got to make sure I attend this concert. I’m thinking I should get there early enough to at least be in the room for this concert. I’ve become a huge fan of Jon McLaughlin since I’ve been introduced to him and purchased his CD.

Anyone else planning on going?

01
Jun

Local Flavor Will Fill New Indianapolis Airport

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Bars, Pubs & Grills, Dining, Local Businesses, Local Establishments, Traffic & Transportation

Four new local restaurants have signed on to be tenants at the new airport to welcome visitors to Indianapolis to the flavors of Indianapolis as well.

Harry & Izzy’s, Scholars Inn, Shapiro’s Deli and Slippery Noodle Inn have just signed on to join Cafe Patachou, 96th Street Steakburgers, King David Dogs and Georgio’s Pizza as some local eateries that will be located in the new Indianapolis airport.

I really like the idea of having local establishments being spotlighted in the airport. Although sometimes nice to eat somewhere you’re familiar with when in a new city, but I think this is a great way to share a little of the local flavor with the visitors coming into the city every day as they arrive and depart.

11
Feb

Free Pancakes at IHOP Tomorrow

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Business, Chain Restaurants, Charities, Dining

If you’re near an IHOP tomorrow, stop on in and get yourself some free pancakes. It’s all to help support the Children’s Miracle Network, so unless you’re a complete mooch, a donation would be great!

11
Jan

Lunch at Claude & Annie’s

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Bars, Pubs & Grills, Local Businesses, Local Establishments, Northwest Side, WRTV - TV Channel 6

My boss and I stumbled into an unexpected great lunch earlier this week. That’s far better than stumbling out of the place later in the evening.

We dropped into Claude & Annie’s Park 100 location because my boss had some tires replaced on his car. It was within walking distance and we thought we’d give it a try.

From looking at their website it appears the lunch buffet menu changes, but it was fried chicken, pork chops, deep fried biscuits with apple butter, mashed potatoes and gravy, potato wedges, buttered carrots and a salad bar.

Let me just say that the chicken, gravy and biscuits were delicious! I ate way too much.

The only downfall for me was the smokey atmosphere, but hey, I expected that going in and their website proudly proclaims they welcome smokers. Again, this is to be expected and I don’t fault them for it at all. I also learned they were an WRTV6 A-List Award winner as well! So, I don’t guess this was too hidden from the majority of the public other than me.

They’ve got loads of pool tables, darts machines and have Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournaments each week. Not sure I’ll be back for any of that, but I’ll be back for the fried chicken for sure.

04
Jan

Checkout John’s Famous Stew - Now Expanding

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Bars, Pubs & Grills, Business, Dining, Downtown, Local Establishments

It’s only fitting that a local dining establishment is expanding since you can’t help but expand yourself after eating there.

My boss and I checked out John’s Famous Stew on Kentucky Avenue awhile back at the suggestion of one of our clients as we were working on site at Lilly.

I grabbed the tenderloin sandwich pictured above as my meal and my boss said the stew was worth naming the place after as well.

Come to find out they’re expanding their locations and will be showing up in the Stutz Building downtown, which just happens to be walking distance from one of our other client’s offices. It’s a good day in Indy folks. John’s Famous Stew will be moving into the location once inhabited by Mo’s Loading Dock Pub. Mo’s was also a great place to eat when we first started going over there, but their service and quality kept slipping to the point we rarely went back.

I’m looking forward to getting back to work next week. We’ll be at the client close to there and will be sure and stop by John’s for a visit. I’m sure I’ll have the tenderloin again, maybe a cup of stew to go along with it this time as well.

Visit John’s Famous Stew website

Source Story

18
Dec

Stir Crazy - Great Asian Grub and Atmosphere

Author: Jason Bean, Category: Castleton, Chain Restaurants, Dining, Greenwood, Things To Do in Indy

If you’ve been down to the south side lately, you’ve probably noticed that the Greenwood Park Mall has received a bit of a facelift. If there were a show called “Extreme Mall Makeover”, we’d have a winner.

I’ve eaten at the new location that’s part of the outside mall area at Greenwood Mall two times now. The best way to think about this, and I’m sure they’ll love me stating it this way, is P.F.Chang’s with a little more casual, laid-back, flare.

It’s called Stir Crazy and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite restaurants on the south side.

The prices in general may be somewhat cheaper as well, but you can still spend some cash if you want to on a dinner.  However, the second time my wife and I got the Pu Pu Platter, which is delicious!, and dessert for about $20 after tip. They’ve also got a fresh ingredients bar that you can then mix spices and sauces with your favorite fresh meat. This part reminds me of B.D’s Mongolian Bar-B-Q.

If you decide to go with the Pu Pu Platter here are the selections we chose and really enjoyed:

• Crab Rangoons
• Coconut Shrimp
• Chicken Satay
• Chicken Imperial Rolls
• Chicken Potstickers

For dessert, we chose the Banana Wontons.

There are two locations in Indianapolis now, do yourself a favor and go have a great meal at one of them soon:

Greenwood Park Mall
1251 US Highway 31 N
Greenwood, IN 46142
317-888-6200

Castleton Square
Lifestyle Edition
6020 East 82nd Street
Indianapolis, IN 46250
317-845-5600