The Musings of Ron Kapon

FixNZip-

Editors Note- This is one of my students at the International School of Hospitality & Tourism Management- Fairleigh Dickinson University- Discovering the World of Wine & Spirits Class. When I am sent products to sample I often assign the review to a student. This is the unedited review of FixNZip by Kerene Limage.

I was really excited when I was given the opportunity to use the FixNZip. Why might you ask? I have a bunch of broken zippers! One of the most annoying things to me is having a great jacket or cute jean that you can’t wear because the zipper is broken. There’s no holes in it, it’s a perfectly great outfit but that one feature causes the whole item to be ruined! I realized that this was my time to see if I can find a dilemma to my problem. When I first opened the package I realized there was not many pieces. I breathed a sigh of relief! Surely this can’t be too complicated to use. I also noticed that depending on what zipper you were trying to fix there were different techniques for each. There is a figure inside the packaging that displays how to fix a jacket zipper, and a different way to fix luggage zippers. There is another display that illustrates fixing different types of styles of zippers. It demonstrates differences between watertight/invisible zippers verses the traditional wide zippers. I was a bit confused by the zipper illustrations that they provide on the packaging, but luckily there was a link for a video demonstration! I knew seeing someone use the FixNZip to fix a zipper would help me tremendously. I decided to look at the video, and surely enough it was very simple. I did everything that was done in the video, several times, and to my dismay the zipper was not fixed.

Online, there were many other disgruntled people commenting that their result was not the same as the one in the video. This product is made to be very simple and a quick and easy fix. However, I was very disappointed. It did not give me the results I was expecting and the directions itself on the packaging was confusing. I would not advise anyone to buy this product unless you want to be fumbling around with reading unclear directions and a faulty FixNZip that will not fix your zipper.

www.fixnzip.com- Retail $9.99

I think it only fair to print the following response I received less than a day after this review was posted.

Hi Ron,

My name is Jonathan and I'm part owner and one of two employees at a startup company called 'FixnZip'. You recently posted one of your students reviews on your blog (http://ronkapon.typepad.com/my_weblog/2015/11/fixnzip-.html). Anyway I wanted to reach out to you or Kerene about the write up. I'm sorry that the FixnZip didn't work on your jacket, and that the experience was so frustrating. I do really appreciate the feedback about the instructions. We just finished updating our packaging and instructions based on the feedback we've been getting and we're hoping to have it in inventory early next year. I did notice that the review was about fixing a jacket, but the product pictured was our size 'large', which is normally used for heavy duty items like boat covers, wetsuits, or jeep windows. We recommend using our size medium for items such as jackets, so that might have been why it didn't work. Every once in a while there's a zipper that it just doesn't seem to work on, and we're happy town that. But we always offer a full refund (including shipping) any time the FixnZip doesn't work for customer because we believe in the product and stand behind it. Anyway, I'm not trying to ask you to change or remove the blog post. That just seems insulting. I just wanted to reach out because it seems like it might have been the wrong size for that particular zipper. I am sorry that it was a frustrating experience though, and we always appreciate honest feedback. It's how we improve as a small business. Regards.

Jonathan Cotton

Here is my students answer to the company:

 

Wow. Looks like they really care about their reputation, which is not surprising. I disagree I didn't have a good experience so I don't believe being truthful is insulting. Furthermore, the FixNZip was tried on your computer sleeve also not just a jacket. I feel bad for not having a positive review, but I did not have a positive experience and can't lie about my experience.

Kerene

 

Good Enough To Eat is Good Enough To Love

When I was invited to sample the food at Good Enough To Eat I realized I had not eaten there in over 30 years. The 10-seat restaurant first opened a few blocks from my apartment on Amsterdam Avenue. The word got out very quickly back in 1981 and the long lines were too much for me to handle. That was my loss. At a pre-season basketball dinner at the Columbia Club, Jeremy Wladis handed me his card as we chatted about sports. It wasn’t until I got home that I looked at the card and saw that he was the principal owner of The Restaurant Group. I had reviewed their A.G. Kitchen and he complimented me on my review. The companies PR firm asked if I would like to dine at any other of their local restaurants and I immediately picked Good Enough To Eat. I wasn’t going to let another opportunity pass me by. Dasha Alexander, a real estate broker for Elika Real Estate for Buyers, joined me for lunch. She is married to my oldest nephew John Kapon (he joined me when I dined at A.G Kitchen) and lives around the corner from the restaurant.

Carrie Levin founded Good Enough to Eat after she completed college in Aix-en-Provence, France and attended Pru Leith’s School of Food and Wine in London. She apprenticed under Seppi Renngli, then Head Chef at the Four Seasons. There followed a partnership with Ann Nickinson, who had a small take-out and catering business, and the two opened Good Enough To Eat in 1981. They wanted to create and serve “good, old-fashioned American food.”  The eatery became a huge success, noted for its all-day, bountiful breakfasts featuring omelets, pancakes, waffles, and buttermilk biscuits. They soon added homemade soups, huge sandwiches, and classic Turkey and Meatloaf dinners.

In 1989, Good Enough to Eat moved two blocks north on Amsterdam Avenue, doubling its size from 10 to 20 tables. Two years later, Carrie became sole owner and chef when Ann left the partnership to pursue other ventures. In 2013, Carrie sold her interest in the restaurant to The Restaurant Group, a long-standing New York-based group that operates multiple venues in Manhattan, North Carolina and Washington DC. Carrie continues to consult with Good Enough to Eat, and the restaurant works to maintain Carrie’s tradition of serving great home-cooked food. In  2013 Good Enough to Eat moved to a larger location at the corner of Columbus and 85th with 31 tables inside and eight outside.

 

I asked the manager Tom Erdman about his clientele. “Lots of regulars from the neighborhood as well as visitors from all over the world. They love our Macaroni and Cheese, Lemon Parmesan Chicken, Sweet Potato Fries, Meatloaf and Turkey dinners and Peach Pie with homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.” Speaking of dessert, the Pastry Chef Michele Weber came by twice to talk to us about her work. She has been with the restaurant for over 20 years and promised us a few surprises after our lunch. I let Tom order for me and the result was pancakes with organic Canadian maple syrup and a Provencal omelet with a side of their awesome bacon. I did not want to disappoint Michele but needed help with the homemade chocolate ice cream and her pumpkin pie. My doggy bag contained enough food for another meal.

 

My short walk home was slow and pleasant as I contemplated my next visit to this classic restaurant.

www.goodenoughtoeat.com

Gogobot Field Trip

On a beautiful late October morning our group of 20 journalists met at Union Square to enjoy a three-hour field trip with Travis Katz, the co-founder of Gogobot. I knew nothing about the site so I asked the firm’s public relation agency to fill me (and you) in on its origins.

The field trip is a fun way to help show what Gogobot is all about – helping people plan and share tips on best places to stay, eat and play. In keeping with necessity is the mother of invention; Travis Katz, co-founder and CEO of Gogobot, came up with the concept while living in Europe with his wife and then two-year-old daughter. His job was at MySpace (pre Facebook super site). Travis found it was taking hours to search for places to go, eat and play that would be appropriate for their interests – foodies who have a two year old but love culture, adventure, etc. What started as trying to do some on-line research on weekend trips turned into a frustrating experience of searching several sites with none offering the kind of specific information tailored to what he was looking for. So, he began the process of creating Gogobot and how to streamline the trip planning and booking process. www.gogobot.com

My trip also coincided with the fifth anniversary of Gogobot, which recently surpassed one million reviews and over five million photos and postcards. During its five years in business, more than 43 million people around the world used Gogobot to discover great places to stay, eat and play. Gogobot uses 19 tribes, including luxury travel, family travel, LGBT, foodies (which is the largest), adventure, business and several others, which members select when they join in any combination. Gogobot tailors the recommendations to the traveler’s specific interests based on the tribes they subscribe to upon joining (the app is free). There are currently more than 10 million members using the website and apps.  

Gogobot encourages people of varying sets of interests to share their experiences and connect with like-minded individuals at home and abroad. I liked the idea that members/users can verify people's identities. If you read a review from a stranger, you can actually see that reviewer's photos- see their face, know their name and connect on Facebook. This gives one a better sense of verification that the information is real and authentic and not just a disgruntled traveler or even a competitor.

Our very large bus was called The Ride- www.theridenyc.com. I know our hosts wanted to do the right thing to impress the writers but this might have been overkill. The coliseum seating and thousands of LED lights were better suited for a bachelor party and probably would have worked at night. I will say that our driver was fantastic maneuvering this large bus through narrow Brooklyn streets.

We drove downtown and over the Brooklyn Bridge into Williamsburg. Our first stop was at Sweethaus- www.sweethaus.com. Started in Charlottesville, Virginia this second store features ovens and cases brimming with mini- and regular-sized small-batch cupcakes in more than 15 flavors. There are mix-and-match candies from 150 glass jars of chocolate-covered candies, or old-time favorites like wax bottles, candy necklaces, candy cigarettes, gummy cola bottles, and candy buttons. Yummy.

Then it was around the corner to Streb- www.streb.org/slam. Developed by Elizabeth Streb over the last 20 years it offers adult and children classes. PopAction classes’ help dancers acquire new skills in vertical and horizontal space, train for impact, learn to fly with low-to-the-ground maneuvers that increase spatial awareness, and incorporate a timing system that is not musical but physical. There are 30-foot ceilings and exposed cinder block walls with steel I-Beams. The space accommodates the company’s school, 150-seat performance space, rehearsal facilities, trapeze rig and administrative offices.

Our final stop in Brooklyn was at Brooklyn Winery- www.bkwinery.com. The boutique urban winery is set in the heart of Williamsburg with total production of 8,000 cases. Winemaker Conor McCormack produces premium small batch wines with juice sourced from 15 different vineyards across the country (Long Island, Napa, Sonoma etc). I noted more than 10 varieties with 18 to 20 different wines per year. There is a wine bar for tasting their artisanal wines and seasonal menu. They also function as a private event venue, featuring full-service weddings.

Lunch was supplied by Camion food truck and consisted of several different types of fresh tacos. I ate mine aboard the bus. www.camionnyc.com

Our final stop was back in Manhattan at 26^th and 3^rd Avenue at Modern Pinball- www.modernpinballnyc.com.  The brainchild of pinball enthusiasts Steve Epstein and Steve Zahler it is a place to rack up points on a huge selection of 35 machines—some from as far back as the late 1980s, some brand new, like a “Star Trek” inspired game. There is no fussing with dollars or coins; instead, wristband passes entitle guests to unlimited play on all games. The retail showroom, where every game is for sale, is only 1,450 square feet but the smile on the players faces were enough to convince me to try one of the games. I should stick to watching.

It was great to interact with Travis and I added Gogobot to both my IPhone & Apple computer and have already joined three tribes.