How sneaky restaurants scheme to increase your tab

Traveling can bring many memorable experiences along with occasional challenges for the unwary. Eating out is an inherent part the itinerary and some restaurants can be very creative about separating you from your hard earned money. Here is a heads-up to keep you ahead.

Thanksgiving Wine Pairing

Turkey, wine and you…oh my! Hook-up your Thanksgiving entree with the ideal wine match

By: Stevie Stacionis

Thanksgiving: Ohh, sweet, delectable Turkey Day. I'm obsessed with this ultimate feast and the ever-swelling gathering of family and friends crammed into a too-tiny, hectic and utterly delicious-smelling kitchen. I adore the sight of hands everywhere eager to help prepare, stories being shared and everyone sitting down together to a veritable smorgasbord. And while this uniquely American holiday's history has given us a fairly good idea of what to eat, the question of what to drink is perhaps not so easily answered.

To start, let's get one thing out of the way: There's not a "right" or a "wrong" wine to slug with your stuffing — but there are wines that just might be more likely send you to sensory elation. So, where to start?

One of the most relied-upon "rules" of wine and food pairing is "If it grows together, it goes together." 

Common Tipping Mistakes

Traveling to different places, to eat, to enjoy, to visit will create various tipping challenges.

There's perhaps no aspect of etiquette more confusing than tipping. It's a gesture that shows our appreciation for great service and some workers depend on tips. But in some instances, tipping is completely unnecessary. To avoid some common mistakes, here are a few tipping do's and don'ts. 

Exceptional Events - awful or excellent. Share your thoughts.

The event starts late, the food is cold, or the venue is superb and the atmosphere is hot. Have you ever been to an event that was outside your expectations? We'd like to hear how you would have made it different.

The value of varying your event's tempo.

Some people enjoy events where they are actively involved (singing, walking, exploring) while others prefer a more passive role (listening, dining, watching). This is important to note for two reasons:

1. the same people are not being continually asked to support the same event types.
2. fresh venue types will likely attract a new pool of potential contributors.
Hosting varied themes helps broaden the pool of participants to your events while providing the opportunity to learn about the purpose and value of your mission.