Stop #7 - Visit Milwaukee Air & Water Show
posted by Palermos Blogger : Tuesday, July 28, 2009 @ 12:31 PM
July 24, 25 & 26

Miles from Palermo's HQ: 5 :)

After an insanely busy Festa Italiana last week, we have recovered and are ready to go. Friday July 24th we have an engagement at a Pick N Save in Greenfield. Another 96.5 WLKH Summer Stimulus event is putting smiles on the people lucky enough to swing by. Who doesn't love free pizza and free radio station goodies? Dave, Carole & KB - we are still waiting for you to swing by for one of these events. Kyle and Leslie are doing a superb job getting people excited about our product - thanks guys!

Saturday July 25th now, and we have no idea what is in store for us. We arrive around 9am to complete pandemonium. We knew the air show would be a big deal, but not this big. The Milwaukee lakefront is busting at the seams with people eager to see pure speed and unknowingly receive permanent ear damage. It has been 10 years since Milwaukee had an flight show of this magnitude, and the Visit Milwaukee organization is not letting us down. Kevin grew up in Oshkosh where EAA Airventure is held, so this is just another day in the park for him. But the rest of us stood in awe at America's military presence in the atmosphere. Did I mention that the fighter jets are loud? We'll be taking out a loan to purchase our very own FA18 Hornet after the tour is over. Next summer, we'll arrive at our events in no longer than half an hour's time. And what seems like a broken record by now - the weather is perfect. Blue skies and no precipitation puts a smile on our faces. Dana and Kevin are doing a great job outside the trailer handling money and talking up the Rustico pizza that Nate and Jake are churning out. Our freezer is stuffed to the brim with 15 cases - which we will go through in about 6 hours time. Back at it again tomorrow!

We cannot fathom it - but we are busier today. We have a new location for Sunday, and it is a better one. We've also made a decision to face the sidewalk, rather than the lakefront as we did yesterday. It's proved to be better for business. Giant slices are handed out as the Navy's F15 StrikeEagle looms overhead. From Bi-planes to fighter jets, the air show has something for everyone. We're so blessed to live in such an underated, awesome city. Brady St. Days, Brewer games, and the Air Show has Milwaukeeans, Wisconsinites, and other visitors gleaming. What a weekend. 1,308 slices of pure greatness were sold during the two day Air Show event.

The Summer Tour heads to Appleton, Madison, and (gulp) Chicago Bears turf next weekend. Wish us luck! More blog gloriousness to be posted next week.

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Festa Italiana, the country's greatest Italian Heritage Festival
July 16th-19th

Henry Meier Festival Park a.k.a. Summerfest Grounds

Ciao! It is Festa Italiana time! Milwaukee is host to one of the largest Italian heritage festivals in the United States. Palermos Pizza is a proud sponsor and vendor to this amazing festival filled with fun, food, and fireworks every night.


Thursday was the opening day and it was busier than we expected. It is a good thing that we had the entire crew to help out. Not to mention the 2 cases of Red Bull. The day started fast but then slowed down around 2:00. After some foot massages on the root beer barrels (25 cents, cannot beat that!!!), and one too many Italian doughnuts the dinner rush came. We were ready, and we sold a lot of pizzas. I guess when summer rolls around, people love to hang out in Milwaukee, no matter what day of the week it is.


Friday is a glorious day in the City of Milwaukee, people are happy and there is usually something fun going on. Well, Festa Italiana would have been the place to be on a Friday night except for one small little tiny thing. RAIN!!! Unfortunately the weatherman scared people from coming down to Festa. But it was still busy, just not as busy as we would have liked it. We got the chance to send people out in the crowd and tell the people at Festa about the best frozen pizza in the world. We gave out thousands of coupons and many people signed up for the summer tour sweepstakes. Once again we had tons of fun while working at the booth. Maybe too much fun. I guess when you have Michael Jackson entire collection on repeat; things may get out of hand. As the night went on and Kevin finally stopped singing we started to prepare for the next day.


Saturday was by far the best day of the week. It was the day that people were buying pizzas like were going out of business. Do not worry my fellow Palermos Pizza Lovers; that will not be happening in my lifetime. Every day at Festa there was a parade, but not just any parade, it featured Pinocchio, and Italian flag throwers imported from Italy (No, they were not actually imported, they flew on a plane). Saturday scared the Palermos gang. It had been a wonderful morning with birds chirping, flag throwers throwing and pizzas-a-cookin. But then out of nowhere BAM!!! Thunder, lighting and rain almost spoiled a perfect day. It was one of those ninja rain storms. You know, the kinds where you see blue skies but it’s still storming. Even with the questionable weather, this was the evening we could not cook anything fast enough. We had pizzas ready to go and people could not get enough. I think that it would have been fine except that Nate, Kevin, and Wes were working on their James Brown impressions instead of making pizzas (do not tell them, but I think they should stick to making pizzas!) Def Leopard played a show at the Marcus Ampethethre and rocked the house. Well, after a Rock of Ages show like that you might want us to Pour Some Sugar On You, but instead we will serve some great pizza. We served past the closing time and we got shut down by Festa because people were buying pizzas until 12:15am, holy cow!!!



Sunday, the last day of Festa, it was a bitter sweet day for all of us. We would be happy to go home at a reasonable hour but we would be sad that the good time would end, even though the good times never end at Palermos. Sunday was a great day and it was the busiest day of Festa. We actually ran out of everything besides sausage pizza. Most of them would just order a slice and we gave them sausage. Festa ended with a bang, literally. The fireworks were as amazing as ever, the entire crowd watched in awe. Well this wraps up one of our most successful events of the summer, so far. We sold over 2,900 pizzas, all Festa patrons walked away with a full stomach.

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Stop #6 - Minneapolis Madness
posted by Palermos Blogger : Friday, July 17, 2009 @ 2:28 PM




Stop #6 Minneapolis Madness!

July 7-12

Miles from Home: 337

Greetings fellow followers! Hope you had a fantastic 4th of July. It's July 7th now, a beautiful Tuesday with a very busy week in store for us. Twins games, radio remotes, and the popular Basilica Block Party await! Location #1 is the Metrodome for a night Twins/Yankees matchup. Giving away 1,152 slices is hard work! We are rewarded by watching CC Sabathia pitch...from a SKYBOX! It was a rare treat indeed. We all agree that Mr. Sabathia is missed by Brewer
Nation.

The giant Apple Valley Cub Foods is our second destination. Jack & Tina from 104 Jack FM visit us (again) as well. They show equal exuberance for the event - which, let me tell you - is quite difficult to achieve. We all take the job seriously, and it's really nice to hear such positive feedback on our product. The weather is positive as well. It's become obvious that mother nature loves us too. The weather for most of our events this summer has been near perfect, and today proves to be the same. We enjoy a round of disc golf before it gets too dark to play, which is a perfect end to Wednesday.

Thursday rolls around, and we have a noon game at the Twins home again. It's a a bit slow-going at first, but a hungry crowd shows up around 11am. The Yankees are still in town, and the locals can't wait till they leave, as the Twins' luck is not so good lately. 7 cases sampled in about 4 hours isn't too bad! After the event, we head to Joe's Garage and patiently wait for a rooftop table which showcases Minneapolis' best view. You have to love an eatery that features gourmet mashed potatoes. It was a great view of the Basilica, our event site for tomorrow.

The weekend will be a long, strenuous one to say the least. The Basilica Block Party is a big deal. The Black Crowes, Counting Crows, The Hold Steady, and Tapes N Tapes are here for the music fans. Palermo's Pizza is here for the hungry fairgoers. They hired an ample amount of volunteers, as they expect a huge turnout this year. Boy were they right. Friday alone we sell 580 slices. Keep in mind that we cut the pizzas in 1/4's, so we are very busy. We are a big hit with the VIP area as well. A night sprinkle doesn't stop Minnesotans from enjoying the Black Crowes on the main stage tonight.

Saturday now, and the crowd at Basilica is somehow larger than it was on Friday. Wall to wall people just loving life. We are even graced by a man displaying the raw power of his wolf shirt. He immediately indulged in a slice, and was even courteous enough to not howl at the moon near our trailer. A distinguished gentleman indeed. We meet some great people, all while selling 17 cases of pizza! One of the busiest shifts since we started this crazy tour! We end the night at Joe's Garage again, where we chat with some festival workers we saw earlier in the day. Our smiling faces dissolve into the twilight, as the long weekend winds down.

One more event before we head back home. Sunday calls for another Twins sampling session. The Metrodome Plaza staff continues to impress us. All of them deserve a giant pat on the back for the hard work they do. The Chicago White Sox are in town, and it's a very hectic day for us. Grilled Chicken Caesar and 3 Meat Rustico make an appearance near the end of our shift too! The men over at Jamba Juice are just as excited as we are to be around baseball lovers on a warm Sunday afternoon!

A crazy weekend comes to a close for us on a slow ride home. We are super tired, as a total of 4,316 slices pizzas were sampled or sold. There's no sleep for the weak though - Milwaukee's own Festa Italiana is days away, and we WILL see you there!

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Stop #5 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
posted by Palermos Blogger : Thursday, July 2, 2009 @ 11:50 AM







Event #5: Cub Foods and Rainbow Foods Store Remotes

Minneapolis, St. Paul, MN

June 26 - 28

Miles from home: 660
It's Friday June 26th and it looks like we're going to actually leave on time! This is Nick's first tour trip and we are all eager to show him a good time. The Twin Cities is a great trip because you hop on I-94 and it's a 330 mile straight shot.



Our first destination is Cub Foods in Stillwater, MN. Our radio station friends from KZJK, (Jack FM), Dan and Tina, help us get as many people as possible signed up for our Summer Tour Sweepstakes. I mean who doesn't want to win a Vespa?


After a long travel and work day, Nate, Nick and I walk over to Ray J's. Usually when you get wings they give you tiny unfulfilling pieces, but here at Ray J's you get the whole wing! They're huge! The wings are great, but the burgers are even better. We have this brilliant idea to get different sandwiches, but cut them into 3 pieces each, and then share them with each other. Now that is teamwork. We are just finishing as Nathaniel shows up, I have this funny feeling that the doggy bags won't make it home.

Saturday morning arrives, it is a cool and slightly cloudy day at the Cub Foods in Woodbury, MN. The people at Cub were ecstatic for our arrival. The manager Jeff is a great help! People love the Palermo's Rustico here and we just opened up an extra case to serve, this place is bustling with action.


In the afternoon, we head to Cub Foods in St. Paul, MN. We are joined by our friends from WLTE-FM including, Cheryl from the morning show. Inside the store the display is magnificent and when they come out of the store, we give them a hot, fresh sample. People are always curious when you have a beautiful pizza trailer like ours. You hear questions like: What are you guys doing here? Is this a restaurant? Where are you from? You came all the way from Milwaukee? I like to answer all those questions because we need to have informed consumers!


After the radio remotes we head to the Oakwood Park Disc Golf Course. I can't tell you who is winning but we are having a great time! Since we've been outside all day it is time to have a great meal. We go to the Muddy Pig in St. Paul and to our surprise the Muddy Pig is having their 7th birthday party. This place is packed with Minnesotans! The Pig has a great atmosphere, awesome dinners, and a variety of brews. After we make it home, it is unanimous: Saturday was the most fun we've had on tour.

Sunday came quickly; we have to get on the road early to drive out to Bloomington, home of the Mall of America. (If only we had time to shop!) The weather is putting a mild damper on the turnout at Rainbow Foods. It is so gorgeous, although a little windy with gusts up to 40 mph, that it seems like many people have better things to do than to go grocery shopping. Those that make it out are very satisfied with only the finest of Palermo's product. The ladies from KQQL, Kool-108 are helping us give our napkins, coupons, and bumper stickers to the people, instead of having them blow away.

Our final stop is just down I-494 in Eden Prairie. We are joined by JD, Amy, and Kia from KEEY or K102, Today's Country. While we are handing out the most perfect samples, they are handing out tickets to the Country Jam Festival. I don't know if anyone knows this but Nick loves country! We tolerate his singing, but when he starts line-dancing, I have to give him a time-out.
Eden Prairie marked our 11th radio remote. I would say we are getting better with each event that passes. Not to mention our "Radio Station Swag Box" is getting real, real full. A grand total of 226 pizzas equaling 2372 slices were given away over the long weekend.

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