Last week the Business and Beer networking group returned to the Hermosa Beach gastropub; The Rockefeller. This was the second week that we utilized Meetup.com and it is becoming apparent that this is giving us some additional reach. We normally arrive at our meeting location about a half hour ahead of time so we can get set up and maybe eat before everyone arrives. When we got to The Rockefeller this time there were already five or six people waiting for us! It was going to be a good turnout.
The Rockefeller gastropub, Hermosa Beach
As it turned out, this initial group was the result of a Business & Beer members Phil and Deborah meeting one person and talking about our networking group. That one conversation resulted in five new attendees. In addition, Meetup did provide three new attendees, so combined with the regulars that showed up we had a large group with a majority of the attendees being first timers. They seemed to have a good time so I suspect they will return. That is how we grow; if you know someone that might find value in networking with our group, please invite them. You do not need special permission and we do not need notice ahead of time; just show up.
A nice Business & Beer group at The Rockefeller
This week, March 14, Business & Beer will return to 1321 Downtown Taproom Bistro in downtown Torrance. 1321 Taproom has redesigned their food menu and is improving their beer program, so we are happy to add them to our rotation. For those that have yet to try any brews from the South Bay’s latest microbrewery, The Dudes’ Brewing Company, I have reason to believe they will have a few taps available there. I hope you can join us. All the photos from our gathering at The Rockefeller can be found on GotBaddog.com.
Business & Beer returned to the Alpine Inn at Alpine Village in Torrance last Thursday, and considering it started to rain shortly before we were scheduled to meet, we had a pretty good turnout. The Alpine Inn is a German themed restaurant that was included in the Business & Beer rotation due to the wide selection of American craft beers they pour in addition to the German and Czech brews that are found there. Over the prior weekend we decided to give Meetup a try, so we set up a page with them and thought that would be that. As it turned out, there was an approval process so they did not really put the word out about Business & Beer until late Tuesday; even so, we had two new visitors as a result, so that is a good thing.
Alpine Inn beers on tap
This Thursday, March 14 we will be returning to The Rockefeller in Hermosa Beach. If you have never been to The Rockefeller, it is a very nice gastropub in Hermosa Beach, on Pier Avenue. As it is Hermosa Beach, you may need to search for parking, but it will be worth it. They have about 25 craft beers on tap and have a quality food menu, with many specials available when we are there. In addition to the regular Business & Beer attendees, the last I looked we had close to 10 RSVP’s from Meetup; so we have the potential for a pretty large group. I hope you can join us.
Business & Beer joins Meetup
In the way of announcements, we have a couple. This week, our friends at Sophie’s Place are dedicating their eight taps to four of the South Bay’s own brewers; Strand Brewing, Monkish Brewing, El Segundo Brewing and Smog City. The taps will be dedicated as South Bay Beer Week at Sophie’s Place and runs through Saturday.
Sunday, March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day and Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach will host the 1st Annual Froth Awards, The Easy Reader Beer Experience and Gastropub Challenge. The Froth Awards will feature the best of the South Bay’s microbreweries, brewpubs and gastropubs who will put together five food and craft beer pairings. The microbreweries participating include, Strand Brewing Company, Monkish Brewing, Smog City, El Segundo Brewing Company and the Brewery at Abigaile. Food will be provided by The Rockefeller, Hudson House, Hot’s Kitchen, Simmzy’s and others. This sounds like it will be a great time. Tickets at $29 at the door, or you can purchase them online on the Saint Rocke website. If you buy your tickets online, please be aware there is $6.95 in fees per ticket if you purchase your tickets online (there are no fees if you purchase your tickets at the door), however, they have released a promo code “Frothy” to take $5.00 off each ticket. You will apply this at checkout; look at the top right under Sub Total for the Promo code link. The doors open at noon and the pairings begin at 1:00 PM. You can find more details on GotBaddog.com.
Last Thursday, Business N Beer returned to Tortilla Cantina, a taco bistro with up to 40 beers on tap. When you sell a lot of local brews, sometimes keeping them all stocked can be a task, but they always seem to have at least 25 available and that is a pretty good selection to be able to choose from. They have daily beer specials, that make it a logical choice for a good beer and some tacos. Anyway, we had a good turnout with about 15 people coming out; with almost half of them being people we have not seen in a while. One of the nice things about Business & Beer is that whenever you have time to join us, we are glad to have you.
A toast to doing business
This Thursday is Valentine’s Day and since we know not everyone is able to bring their significant other to our gatherings, even though they are more than welcome, we will not be having a Business & Beer this week. We will return to our weekly rotation on Thursday, February 21 at the Brewery at Abigaile, in Hermosa Beach. This is currently the only brewpub in our rotation and they truly set the bar when it comes to brewpubs; and I have visited more than a few. If you like good beer and good food, you will enjoy this location. If you have already been, you know what you are in for.
A good night of networking and beer
We are still working on some special events and there will be a couple Thursdays that we will not meet due to other commitments, so stay in the loop by signing up to our mailing list and Like Us on Facebook. You can find all the photos from our Tortilla Cantina gathering on GotBaddog.com.
Please join us for Business & Beer a small business networking event which will be held at Sophie’s Place on April 11, 2013 at 6 PM. Sophie’s Place is located at 1708 South Catalina Avenue Redondo Beach, California. Please RSVP by commenting below that you will be there or let us know on our Business N Beer Facebook page .
Join us at Sophie’s Place at 6 PM on April 11, 2013
Last Thursday we brought Business N Beer back to Sophie’s Place in Redondo Beach for another successful meetup. Sophie’s Place is a gastropub in the Riviera Village section of Redondo Beach, CA. The people at Sophie’s always make us feel welcomed and Thursday was no exception. In fact, Bobby (one of the co-owners) even invited a couple people to join our group. There were a couple other first time attendees so there was plenty of networking opportunities for those that wanted to network.
A toast to our hosts
This Thursday, February 7, we will be returning to Tortilla Cantina in downtown Torrance. Tortilla Cantina is a gastropub with a south of the border flair; they serve Mexican food and offer 18 different kinds of tacos. In addition to good food they have a wide selection of craft beers on tap. There is always plenty of free parking and the portion of the restaurant we take over makes it conducive to networking. This will be our third visit there and everyone seems to enjoy themselves, so come on down and check them out.
Our winner of last week’s drawing for a free beer
We are considering opening chapters of Business & Beer in different cities, so if this is something that is of interest to you, please comment below and we will help you get started. There is no reason why this networking group needs to be confined to the South Bay. Please feel free to recommend us to your friends that include networking as a part of their marketing plan and Like Us on Facebook. You can sign up to get on our mailing list so you will always know where we are meeting next. All the photos from our visit to Sophie’s Place can be found on GotBaddog.com.
