Fabulous food and incredible customer service by this family-owned and operated establishment. This is a Victoria treasure. Thank you Sam and the family who serves us. Thanks, Jessica, for putting Niki Roma's in the well-deserved spotlight!
I have taken too long to comment on this column. Jennifer, I was deeply moved by your writing on this issue, for the lucidity, human and sensitivity that you offered.
Melissa and I feel this is some of your best work and can't wait to read more. You explore spirituality through the growth of your consciousness and that allows us all to connect with our own paths.
Here's the thing... are you women going to trust us men, when you ask us that question when the blood flow to our brains is, uh, restricted, and expect us to be honest? Seriously? Have you met us (men)?
Chris, I find this topic fascinating and one that Victoria could leverage for great economic benefit.
I believe great customer service is a two-way street. I ask myself, what kind of customer am I? Am I pleasant and grateful to a person who has been there since God knows when on their feet? Do I have all my items easy to check out? Do I see where the retail or service folks might be in a pinch and consider it from their points of view, like carefully merging into busy traffic?
Then, I validate it with management (and that person) whenever I receive great customer service. Whatever we pay attention to grows. That is a law of human interactions.
It is so easy for me to complain about the few unhappy people who give the HUGE majority of the other service folks a bad rep.
Let's all be great customers and then we can hold the businesses to the same standards.
What's in a name? While I agree that the names of Austin City Limits and Woodstock had little to do with the success or failure of those enterprises, "Bootfest" is not generic. It directs us to a specific genre, a Western motif, that may or may not be compelling to a wide audience commercially.
If we called it Victoriafest or Friendship Days (we have a history as the Street of 10 Friends), there could be a greatly expanded opportunity to market and leverage to a wide audience.
Bootmaking and Country and Western music, while popular, narrows the opportunities to appeal to a cosmopolitan audience. I support C&W music and the genre. However, does anyone who visits Victoria get the idea we are a C&W enclave?
I wish Bootfest and everyone involved immense success. I would be delighted to have all my doubts proven wrong.
I've known Joe for years and he is one of the most capable and gracious individuals I've ever met. How delightful to read his story. Well done, J.R. and the video was beautifully shot and edited.
Absolutely, Victoria is growing. The danger is that in our quest for growth and investing in the north side, we will ignore valuing upgrading the south side of the city. That will be detrimental to all of us.
When city council equates spending equality in the north and south, they count in all the spending downtown as money spent on the south. While that is true, it distorts the picture.
Thank you, Marie, for pointing out that in our diversity we can shine. When the De Leon's and the Irish immigrants grew Victoria in the early years, there was a merging of cultures and languages (re: Juan Linn) that was a model we can aspire to today. It makes tremendous economic sense.
What a gift in a short column to make deeply ponder our love lives, make us longingly long for Hank, Sr. (and I'm not even a C&W fan) and toss in a Buffy reference to boot! Now that's talent!
More, please, Diana, may we have some more? -- Dennis
Okay, I waited all day to see if anyone would comment and I cannot let this one go. I just CANNOT. Did anyone see the pull quotes? Am I the only one appalled???
VISD's Dianne Boyette was quoted:
"It (Juan Linn) was founded by an Irishman, John Linn, but the Mexican infiltration in Victoria changed the name to Juan Linn."
The Mexican's INFILTRATED? What??? Is that like the Indians INFILTRATING the Pilgrims?
We are entrusting VISD to educate our children. If this is their OFFICIAL version of history, what else are they teaching the kids? Was Dianne Boyette quoted correctly???
Please, Advocate, follow up!
Dennis Tardan
(PS... sorry for the yelling capital letters. I dearly want this to get noticed and corrected).
Newsletter
Newsletter
Fabulous food and incredible customer service by this family-owned and operated establishment. This is a Victoria treasure. Thank you Sam and the family who serves us. Thanks, Jessica, for putting Niki Roma's in the well-deserved spotlight!
Flag this comment
I have taken too long to comment on this column. Jennifer, I was deeply moved by your writing on this issue, for the lucidity, human and sensitivity that you offered.
Melissa and I feel this is some of your best work and can't wait to read more. You explore spirituality through the growth of your consciousness and that allows us all to connect with our own paths.
Thanks again, Jennifer.
Dennis
Flag this comment
Here's the thing... are you women going to trust us men, when you ask us that question when the blood flow to our brains is, uh, restricted, and expect us to be honest? Seriously? Have you met us (men)?
Flag this comment
Chris, I find this topic fascinating and one that Victoria could leverage for great economic benefit.
I believe great customer service is a two-way street. I ask myself, what kind of customer am I? Am I pleasant and grateful to a person who has been there since God knows when on their feet? Do I have all my items easy to check out? Do I see where the retail or service folks might be in a pinch and consider it from their points of view, like carefully merging into busy traffic?
Then, I validate it with management (and that person) whenever I receive great customer service. Whatever we pay attention to grows. That is a law of human interactions.
It is so easy for me to complain about the few unhappy people who give the HUGE majority of the other service folks a bad rep.
Let's all be great customers and then we can hold the businesses to the same standards.
Dennis Tardan
Flag this comment
What's in a name? While I agree that the names of Austin City Limits and Woodstock had little to do with the success or failure of those enterprises, "Bootfest" is not generic. It directs us to a specific genre, a Western motif, that may or may not be compelling to a wide audience commercially.
If we called it Victoriafest or Friendship Days (we have a history as the Street of 10 Friends), there could be a greatly expanded opportunity to market and leverage to a wide audience.
Bootmaking and Country and Western music, while popular, narrows the opportunities to appeal to a cosmopolitan audience. I support C&W music and the genre. However, does anyone who visits Victoria get the idea we are a C&W enclave?
I wish Bootfest and everyone involved immense success. I would be delighted to have all my doubts proven wrong.
Dennis
Flag this comment
I've known Joe for years and he is one of the most capable and gracious individuals I've ever met. How delightful to read his story. Well done, J.R. and the video was beautifully shot and edited.
Flag this comment
Absolutely, Victoria is growing. The danger is that in our quest for growth and investing in the north side, we will ignore valuing upgrading the south side of the city. That will be detrimental to all of us.
When city council equates spending equality in the north and south, they count in all the spending downtown as money spent on the south. While that is true, it distorts the picture.
Flag this comment
Thank you, Marie, for pointing out that in our diversity we can shine. When the De Leon's and the Irish immigrants grew Victoria in the early years, there was a merging of cultures and languages (re: Juan Linn) that was a model we can aspire to today. It makes tremendous economic sense.
Flag this comment
What a gift in a short column to make deeply ponder our love lives, make us longingly long for Hank, Sr. (and I'm not even a C&W fan) and toss in a Buffy reference to boot! Now that's talent!
More, please, Diana, may we have some more? -- Dennis
Flag this comment
Okay, I waited all day to see if anyone would comment and I cannot let this one go. I just CANNOT. Did anyone see the pull quotes? Am I the only one appalled???
VISD's Dianne Boyette was quoted:
"It (Juan Linn) was founded by an Irishman, John Linn, but the Mexican infiltration in Victoria changed the name to Juan Linn."
The Mexican's INFILTRATED? What??? Is that like the Indians INFILTRATING the Pilgrims?
We are entrusting VISD to educate our children. If this is their OFFICIAL version of history, what else are they teaching the kids? Was Dianne Boyette quoted correctly???
Please, Advocate, follow up!
Dennis Tardan
(PS... sorry for the yelling capital letters. I dearly want this to get noticed and corrected).
Flag this comment