Bed-Stuy Gateway and the Fulton-Nostrand Revitalization Project

Profile a Business: Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar® of Bedford-Stuyvesant

Citing a lack of casual dining restaurants in the neighborhood, Apple-Metro, Inc., the New York Metro Area franchisee for Applebee's International, made a commitment to provide this service to Bedford-Stuyvesant and opened in February 2006.

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar®

Bed-Stuy
1360 Fulton Street
Brooklyn, NY 11216
(718) 943-8005

www.applebeesny.com

Hours:
Monday–Thursday: 11a.m.–Midnight
Friday–Saturday: 11a.m.-1 a.m.
Sunday: 11a.m.-11p.m.

 

General Manager Oscar Rodriguez and his service staff views customers as guests who they are welcoming into their family home. Each guest is greeted with the door held open by one of the host. Being guest driven, Oscar wants to ensure that each and every person that enters to dine leaves satisfied and happy.

Applebee’s attention to customer satisfaction goes beyond service. Their unique menu includes Applebee's signature favorites accented by a constantly changing special feature, including a variety of seasonal appetizers and entrees, perfect for those diners looking for variety. The current menu includes dishes created by Food Network celebrity chef Tyler Florence.

Happy Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 4-7p.m.
(Summer, Fall) 10p.m.-midnight          
(Serving both top shelf and well liquors)

 

Chase Your Dreams - an evening of financial empowerment and wealth creation tips for the whole family

On November 15, 2006, JPMorgan Chase, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation and the Coalition for the Improvement of Bedford-Stuyvesant will host a free evening of financial empowerment and wealth creation tips geared for the whole family. JPMorgan Chase and community groups will be on hand to provide information on services and programs to help you to achieve your financial goals.

With special guest, former New York Knicks star Jerome Williams.

RSVP no later than November 13, 2006 by calling (718) 636-6998 or email execsecretary@restorationplaza.org

DOT Bus Rapid Transit Pilot Project to Serve Bed-Stuy?

BRT, or Bus Rapid Transit, is one of the more popular transportation concepts in planning circles around the country and the NYC Department of Transportation is jumping on the BRT bandwagon with a pilot project involving five bus corridors, one in each of the five boroughs. Bedford Avenue/Nostrand Avenue, which passes through the heart of Bedford-Stuyvesant, has been selected as the Brooklyn corridor. What does the BRT pilot project mean for the Bed-Stuy Gateway district? According to the article:

Stops would be spaced from one-half mile to a full mile apart. The bus lanes would be painted a special color, and the buses would get a distinctive paint job, to differentiate them from their pokier cousins. Cameras would be mounted on buses and bus stops to photograph trucks and cars blocking the bus lanes, so tickets could be sent to the vehicles’ owners.

To help speed buses along, on some of the routes they will have devices that transmit their location to a computer system that controls traffic lights: a green light could be kept on a few seconds longer, or a red light could turn green a few seconds earlier, to let the buses pass. At some bus stops, passengers would pay their fare at sidewalk turnstiles rather than on the bus, to make boarding faster.

Link: 5 Bus Routes Picked for High-Speed Runs - New York Times.

Bushbaby Coffee and Tea Gets Some Nice Web Exposure

We've written about bushbaby Coffee and Tea in these pages before and we're proud to see that the little coffee shop in Bed-Stuy has gotten a great marketing boost courtesy of VISA and MSN.

Previously: "Bushbaby" - Fulton Street's Beautiful New Coffee House

Link: Business Breakthrough - presented by Visa.

Free Customer Service Workshop for Small Businesses

Restoration Information and Technology Education (RITE) Center

FREE Customer Service Workshop for Small Businesses

Part 1: Wednesday, October 25, 2006: 9:30am-12:30pm.

Part 2: Wednesday, November 1, 2006, 9:30am-12:30pm.

The 2006 holiday shopping season is right around the corner: are you and your staff prepared to welcome your customers? Are you interested in improving your customer relationships? All Bedford-Stuyvesant business owners and their staff are cordially invited to attend the Customer Service Training Workshop presented by the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s RITE Center. This two-part workshop will consist of a comprehensive program that provides a strong foundation of skills and knowledge to succeed in the retail business industry. 

Topics to be discussed:

• Role of the Small business in a community
• Art of finessing customer relationships
• Winning your customers’ loyalty

To attend, please RSVP to bmitchell@restorationplaza.org and indicate your name, your business and address, and how many people will be attending from your establishment.

The RITE Center is Central Brooklyn’s only comprehensive technology and skills education center accessible to the whole community. It provides technology access and classes to develop the local workforce, support educational goals, help small business owners, and cultivate life skills. For more information on the many services offered by the RITE Center for the Central Brooklyn community, please visit www.restorationplaza.org or call (718)636-6985.

FNUMA October Monthly Breakfast Meeting

Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association

October Monthly Breakfast Meeting

Wednesday, October 25, 2006: 8:30am to 9:30am

1368 Fulton Street, 1^st Floor Multi-purpose Room

The October 2006 FNUMA Breakfast Meeting will take place Wednesday, October 25, 2006, from 8:30am to 9:30am in the Multipurpose Room at 1368 Fulton Street (Restoration Plaza). Your attendance and participation at each of FNUMA’s meetings is very important.

What’s Taking Place at the October Meeting?

Breakfast and Networking

Customer Service Training for Small Businesses 

A Free Skills Workshop for Small Business Owners and Their Employees.

The October 25 meeting of the Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association will be abbreviated to allow for a special Customer Service Skills Training Workshop for Small Business Owners and their employees, provided by the Restoration Information and Technology Education (RITE) Center. Sharpen your business’s customer service practices before the critical holiday shopping season arrives and watch your customer satisfaction increase and your bottom line expand!

Please make every effort to attend this important meeting. If you cannot attend, please send someone to represent your business. And Don’t Forget to Bring a friend!

Please RSVP to Bernadette Mitchell at (718) 636-6989

All FNUMA business members are reminded to please bring brochures, fliers and/or business cards about your business for distribution at the information table. This is a great opportunity to promote your business.

Extreme Storefront Makeover! See the results of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Model Storefront Program

With matching grant funds provided by the New York City Department of Small Business Services, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation and the owners of Fulton Stores Furniture (1292 Fulton Street) and Bed-Style Unisex Salon (539 Nostrand Avenue) were able completely renovate and create two model storefronts in the Bed-Stuy Gateway Business District.

The Model Storefront Program allows Restoration to provide a matching grant of $3 for every $1 (up to $5,000) that the business owner invests towards the renovation of his or her storefront. The goal of the program is to completely transform the look of the storefront by changing four main design elements:

• Storefront must replace an existing solid security gate and install a see-through security gate
• Awnings must be of the retractable or faux-retractable variety with minimal text
• Well-maintained exterior finish (paint or other appropriate finish)
• Install a legal, high-quality storefront sign 

Those persons in the Bed-Stuy Gateway Business District wishing to participate in the Model Storefront Program must first contact Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration prior to undertaking any construction and complete an application to be approved by Restoration and the NYC Department of Small Business Services.

If you have any questions about the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation's Model Storefront Program, please contact (718) 636-6910.