A Family “Friendly” Restaurant

We recently ate lunch at the Friendly’s restaurant on Main Street in Waterville (across from the Walmart entrance).  My daughter was given the choice on this occasion, she wanted Friendly’s, so off we went.  Familiar with the restaurant and the menu, have I mentioned my love for ice cream yet?, I was very interested to ask more about their kids night I had seen posted on the outside sign.

“Friendly” Service All Around

We were served by our waitress Sarah who was great with the kids.  We later found out she has 3 boys of her own and could relate to our crew well.  One thing my kids love about Friendly’s are not only the standard crayons and coloring pages, but, also the video game controller styled kid menus.  It may sound simple, but, I eventually had to tell our 5 year old to stop playing with his menu.  I don’t think the neighboring parties enjoyed the continuous banging as much as he did.

Upon telling Sarah about our ExploringWaterville.com project, she provided great feedback, and then went and notified the General Manager Debbie Burke.  I know at times we’ve come to expect certain things with customer service, but, I appreciated Debbie’s responsiveness and attentiveness to our questions.  I’m sure she had plenty to do at that time, and we didn’t even request her, but she came willingly and had a lot to offer.

Kids Crafts and Themed Wednesdays

Debbie shared that Wednesday nights are the kids nights (4:30-8pm).  And in the past they have had a variety of themes to include hawaiian nights, prince/princess nights where the staff got dressed up.  Additionally, they have had crafts for the kids to work on in a special area while waiting for their meals.

We anticipate having more specific information about the upcoming themes from the event coordinator Michelle.  We will post them on the Exploring Waterville Facebook page as we get them and on the day of the events.

Summary

It should be noted by way of reminder, but, none of this is a paid advertisement.  We simply want to explore our community and share some of the benefits and opportunities available to all of us.  So, if you’re looking for something new and different, and a fun place to take the kids, then consider Friendly’s and their Wednesday night themes.  Debbie, Sarah, Michelle and the team will take good care of you!

“Service Engine Soon”

Just this past weekend our truck broke down on the interstate around Fairfield.  And to this I must make a confession, I am not a skilled mechanic nor a natural do-it-yourself troubleshooter.  Give me a computer and I can probably diagnose most any software and hardware problems.  Let the engine cut out on the I-95, and I’m good for popping the hood and looking with an empty intensity.  Just ask the state trooper who stopped for assistance, to which he was appeased when I replied, “I have a cell phone and roadside assistance.” Thank you sir for the concern, but, I’ve got this under control?!

After letting the engine sit for a few minutes it finally turned over.  Now glad that I didn’t have to implement my primary plan (see cell phone + roadside assistance), we headed into Waterville for help.  Seeing my windshield sticker indicated we were due for an oil change, and it was a Sunday afternoon, we went to Walmart.  While they didn’t have the equipment to read engine codes they were kind enough to point out another local business who could assist us that day – the Auto Zone.

Free Engine Code Readings

I pulled into the Auto Zone on KMD in Waterville and headed inside for help.  I was greeted by the store manager Jamie French who gladly offered to assist.  After a couple basic questions of the vehicle make & model, and what light was notifying, he got the engine code reader.  Then we headed out to see what the suspect had to say.

After a quick hook up under the dash, Jamie was able to give us several codes to research further.  Note: going home later and researching those codes, we found there was a simple $5 solution (fuel injector cleaner) over the potential several hundred dollar fix (throttle actuator replacement).  A BIG thanks to Jamie and the team at the Auto Zone for their free service offer to read engine codes!

So why the promotion?

In the end we we had one local business provide good customer service in pointing out another local business that could offer what we were asking for in this case.  To me that’s great customer service all around from within our community.  And at a time when we needed it the most.

So why the promotion of Auto Zone?  Is this a paid advertisement? No, it isn’t at all.  The reason I’m so appreciative of the service of the Auto Zone is that it represents the type of service we hoped to provide when creating ExploringWaterville.com.  Our goal is to provide content and features that are useful to the community, so that people will keep coming back to the site.  For example, we currently provide an online “Quick List” of 2400+ businesses in the greater Waterville area.  And are nearing completion of launching a FREE online business directory, stay tuned!  So, if you want be proactive and confirm your info early, you can always send it on our contact form!

We look forward to providing a valuable resource to our community and spotlighting so many of the people, places, things to do & businesses that make the Waterville area such a great place live in and visit!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Business Spotlight – Benton, Maine

All Seasons Powersports & Equipment is conveniently located just minutes outside downtown Fairfield on the Gogan Road in Benton, ME.  Owned and operated by J. Craig with the help & support of the entire family.  A locally run business available to our community!  Contact J today for all your small engine & shelter needs!

Services Offered

• Rhino Shelters
• Repair & Parts
  • Lawn mowers, snow throwers, riding tractor, snowmobile, ATV
  • if it’s got a small engine, then J. can work on it!
• Lawn & Garden
• Pick up & Delivery
  • Offered in Central Maine (charges apply)

Contact Info 

J. & Bethany Craig

• Owner -> J. Craig
• Phone # -> (207) 649-1830
• Website -> www.AllSeasonShelters.com
• Location -> 54 Gogan Rd, Benton, ME (Map)
• Email -> info@allseasonshelters.com
• Hours of Operation -> See Yahoo Local

Customer Testimonial

[note align="right" width="700" class="accept"]I called J on a Saturday afternoon in need of a cable to get my mower operational. He was extremely knowledgable and helpful on the phone. Upon arriving he fixed my mower in about 5 minutes. A well presented family friendly local business. And when ready to pay and realizing I didn’t have cash (he didn’t have a card machine), he extended the offer to let me simply come back on Monday if more convenient to pay!!! If you are looking for an expert, with top customer service, running a local community business then call J now. – Dan W. (June, 2011)[/note]

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