Mendota Valley- PULSE

  Are you tired of papering your walls with signs? Ads for new beverages, meat raffles, trivia night; it never ends!  Here’s the kicker- those ads you are putting up on the wall…your guests look at them once or twice and then will never notice them again. What if I told you that you can take down those ads and have nice, clean-looking walls? Well, you can, with in-house bar TV advertising. Now, I’m not talking about the digital signs in the bathroom; I am talking about using those giant TVs you have all over the place to get your message across to your customers. You have TVs, right? Put them to use to help you advertise! For starters, let’s get something out of the way. I wanna talk about local, “community advertising”. Someone may walk into your bar and offer you free advertising and a free TV- yay, it’s free, and yes, they put a TV in for you for free. But, they also run ads for places all around your area, diluting your content in a pool of ads for Joe’s Lawn Service down ...

    Are you responsible for posting food pictures on your social media website? Before you post that photo, remember that you are showing your potential guests what they might be eating. If those pictures don't look appetizing, they might go elsewhere. Below are a few tips that will help your food look as tasty in photos as it is at your restaurant. Let's start with your camera.  Nowadays, smartphones come with great cameras, so you don't need to mess with a fancy digital camera. Remember - the higher the quality of the picture, the better it will represent what you are taking a photo of.    Make sure the photo is in focus. It’s tempting, but don’t get too close. Show off that dish your cook created!   Natural lighting works best. Shoot your food photos by a window. Let the natural light shine on the front or side of the photo. Light behind the food will make the photo dark but catch it from the side and the light starts to highlight areas of th...

  Welcome to The Pulse: Connecting Hospitality, Community, and Possibility In an age defined by algorithms and automation, there remains something deeply irreplaceable about gathering around a table. A cold drink shared among friends. The hum of laughter echoing off old brick walls. The kind of eye contact that says, “I see you.” These moments don’t happen in code—they happen in bars, restaurants, and community venues that serve far more than food or entertainment. They serve connection. At Mendota Valley Amusement, Inc., we believe deeply in the power of these spaces. Not just as businesses, but as beating hearts of their neighborhoods. That’s why we’re launching   The Pulse —a new blog dedicated to the people who make hospitality happen, and the places where connection comes to life. Whether you're a bar owner navigating changing customer expectations, a restaurant manager juggling entertainment options and margins, or a general manager scouting strategies to drive foot traf...