Citizen Pick: For your next business meeting, fundraiser, birthday party, group party or kid’s end of school get-together

John’s Incredible Pizza Company
384 N. Sunrise Ave.
Roseville, CA 95661
p. (916) 772-1111

School is out for most kids or at least it will be within the next week. Beyond all of the kids activities a parent needs to plan for this Summer you also should think about the end-of-year parties, whether they are organized through the school or more of a loose get-together among a few close friends.

Make the event fun and memorable by selecting a place for kids that they’ll enjoy for at least 3 hours. This can provide the parents with a bit of a break too!

Fun events and venues aren’t just for kids. All businesses, regardless of size, celebrate birthdays, conduct fundraisers, hold meetings and have non-profit events throughout the year. These are on top of the standard holiday parties. But one of the most difficult decisions a business has to make is where to hold their special event.

This decision typically falls in the lap of a single person whether it be the owner of the business or a representative. Whether you are trying to please 5 people or 500 you’ll quickly learn you can’t please them all.

There are many things to consider when planning your corporate event but probably the most important is the venue. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing a standard business meeting, birthday party, group party or corporate fund-raiser, the venue needs to be convenient while keeping everyone engaged and happy.

In our many years of business from ownership to manager and employee we’ve had the opportunity to experience different party places, venues, and regional meeting locations as well as a variety of corporate cultures. The vast majority of these get-togethers were planned quite well but where they fell short was the venue.

What may seem like an effective place for your next business meeting or party, could bore the participants and fall flat. This is not a good feeling for anyone involved particularly the planner. It’s also not productive for businesses.

In our experience the best business venues are those that provide the participants/employees with an escape of sorts where they can let down a bit and have fun while also providing a productive setting to accomplish corporate goals. This is not an easy task as most meeting places are intended to lean to the corporate side completely elimininating the “fun” part of it. If you’ve been to a corporate meeting at a hotel you’ll know there’s nothing “fun” about it. In fact, how many of these meetings have you attended where you or someone else in the room is dozing off? This happens because the only thing to look forward to is the end of the meeting and the drive home.

One fun idea for your next business event, fundraiser, birthday party or end of school celebration is John’s Incredible Pizza Co. in Roseville, CA.

We’ve been to John’s to celebrate holidays, birthday parties and for fun things to do with the kids. We have yet to do one of their lock-in events where you can rent out the facility after hours but that’s definitely on the to-do list for one of our corporate events.

If you haven’t been to John’s Pizza yet it’s unique in how there’s an all-you-can-eat buffet of pizza (many different toppings), pasta bar, salad bar and yes, an all-you-can-eat dessert bar, which includes soft serve ice cream among other sweet treats. This set up guarantees that most everyone in your party will find something they like. On the drink menu they offer a variety of soft drinks but also beer and wine, which has a 2 drink limit.

Although most will think an all-you-can-eat buffet is fun enough, there’s the other half of John’s, the Fun World game room. This room includes rides like the twister, bumper cars, indoor glow golf, bowling, video games, motion rides, air hockey and a multitude of other activities to keep everyone busy having fun until it’s time to regroup.

For specific events this regrouping can be done in the fusion room, which is typically set up with music videos but doubles as the perfect quiet meeting place with closed doors and all. This room includes all the necessities for a meeting; podium, projector screen, laptop link and dvd/vcr. What’s more, is that it’s only steps from the dessert bar!

Citizen Pick: For your next business meeting, fundraiser, birthday party, group party or kid’s end of school get-together

John’s Incredible Pizza Company
384 N. Sunrise Ave.
Roseville, CA 95661
p. (916) 772-1111

John’s Incredible Pizza also has locations in: Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Montclair, Riverside, and Stockton CA

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Summer is right around the corner, in fact Memorial Day is May 26, which is the unofficial start.

Most kids are out from school in the beginning of June. This marks a fun time for your kids but it can also be stressful on the parents if there aren’t sufficient activities to keep them busy.

This year, in particular, will be different for many parents due to the economy. The reality is that most families will either not be traveling at all or will at least reduce their amount of travel. The cost of necessities (food and fuel) is way up. This is pinching the budgets of Summer travelers and forcing them to stay home this year.

So you’ve canceled that 1-2 week beach vacation and now the kids need some fun things to do or at least some activities to look forward to. There are many fun things for your kids you just have to research a bit.

One obvious option is Disneyland. We’ve held season passes for a number of years but a 6 hour drive from Roseville to Anaheim plus the cost of a single admission will really start to add up particularly when gas is hovering around $4/gallon. This makes for a very expensive trip when packing up 3 kids and cargo in the SUV.

There are other options. We’ve signed up our children for activities ranging from basketball camp to local art classes. These types of activities typically run 1-2 weeks and are on a set schedule. This is nice because you can plan your day around it.

But there are other days when there are no scheduled activities. This is a great time to hit the swimming pool if you or one of your friends have one, particularly when it gets hot. If you don’t have access to a pool there are other fun indoor activities for kids that are more open-play meaning you don’t have to schedule them to attend.

We’ve been to a number of indoor playgrounds from bounce houses to climbing centers. They’re all great and work perfectly when you and your kids need a break for a couple of hours. If you’re looking for something more along the lines of a half-a-day then try John’s incredible pizza company.

If you haven’t taken your kid’s to John’s it’s a must-try. Our “picky eaters” like it because they have an all-you-can-eat buffet of pizzas, pasta and salad. Beyond that, the biggest attraction will be the indoor rides. They actually have the best bumper cars I’ve been in and believe it or not, an indoor roller coaster.

They also have new video games that your kids can handle and some retro video games (galaga is my childhood favorite) for the parents.

Our first visit to John’s was for a birthday party. Our daughters friend had invited about 20 people. It’s nice how they set it up because the facility is huge but the birthday party rooms are private. It creates a nice, brief getaway from the action to cut the cake and open presents. Plus, the varying tastes of 20 children were met with their extensive buffet.

Be prepared this Summer, particularly if you plan to skip the expensive vacation. Come up with a variety of ideas. Consider signing up your kids for a 1-2 week scheduled activity like arts and crafts or a camp of some sort then remember to fill that in with on-the-fly activities like swimming or a visit to John’s pizza company.

Birthday party ideas citizen pick Roseville, CA:

John’s Incredible Pizza Co.
384 N. Sunrise Ave.
Roseville, CA 95661
(916) 772-1111

Kid’s birthday parties are fun, memorable and certainly exciting for your children and their friends. But organizing a birthday party for your son or daughter can be quite an adventure too!

There are so many things to remember including: coming up with a birthday party idea, locating the party supplies, party invitations, and we mustn’t forget the birthday cake. Birthday cakes for kids is not all that easy because there needs to be a theme.

Over the years our birthday party themes and cakes have ranged from Elmo to the Power Rangers and most recently the ever-popular Hannah Montana. If you are struggling with finding a theme that you think your son or daughter will like, ask them! Kids know what they like and chances are their friends will like it too.

After you’ve figured out your birthday party theme, cake and how many friends you plan to invite, start thinking about a party date. Kid’s birthday parties don’t need to fall on their actual birth date. If the birth date falls during the school year, pick a Saturday. If it’s during the Summer you have more options but don’t forget that many people are traveling over the Summer for vacation. Your party could end up smaller than you had hoped! Beware of holidays too. Most parents have family plans over three-day weekends.

The most important thing to consider for your children’s birthday party is the venue. Where is it going to be? It seems like a great idea to have it at home. This way everyone is comfortable and you can set up in your back yard. But, weather will rarely cooperate with your special birthday party. In California, it can easily be too hot, too cold, too cloudy or in certain areas (particularly Northern California) too wet!

To be safe, head indoors. There are many options for indoor parties, some better than others. Remember, young kids have short attention spans and they really like variety. One of the best parties we’ve been to was at John’s Incredible Pizza Company.

Our first visit wasn’t our party but rather, a friend of our 6 year old daughter’s. This birthday party was really a neat setup. The food is great and that’s not just because it’s all you can eat. They are constantly bringing out fresh pizzas, pasta and salads with a variety of toppings. You no longer have to worry about catering to the tastes of 20+ children. They get to pick whatever they want, and the same goes for their drinks.

The facilities are huge, so big that they have indoor rides like bumper cars (my personal favorite) and even roller coasters. And although they have all of the latest video games for your kids, they also have a number of retro video games for the parents.

Your kid’s and their friends will not run out of things to do. In fact, it’s pretty hard to leave. I actually got stuck playing video games myself and riding the bumper cars.

The actual get together where you cut the cake, sing and open presents is in a private, reserved room. This is nice because you can get away from all the action for a bit to take pictures and video. John’s provided the sign and decorations but also had a television and dvd player for use.

Since our first visit, we’ve been back to John’s a number of times including our son’s 5th birthday party. We also go to John’s when it’s too hot for outdoor activities, so it’s not just about birthday parties, it’s also a great escape from the Summer heat or rainy days.

When planning your children’s birthday parties keep your options open, remember to find a good date that will work for most of your guests but most important, find a birthday party venue that is not only fun for your kids but also convenient and fun for the parents. This will ensure that your son or daughter’s friends stick around longer and enjoy the experience.

Birthday parties for kids citizen pick Roseville, CA:

John’s Incredible Pizza Co.
384 N. Sunrise Ave.
Roseville, CA 95661
(916) 772-1111

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