A new kind of Ho'Down details inside, please share your thoughts / Central NJ

Regional Dining Discussions New Jersey
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My Fellow Ho’s,

I had this thought before the winter holidays, then I got distracted and caught up in the holidays and never did any follow up. I have officially contacted the venue and they are interested, so before I bite off more than I can chew and waste a lot of time and/or money I wanted to first float the idea to all of you and see what kind of interest there will be in an event of this nature.

As you all know we are a rather social board, we have numerous social events or “Ho’Downs” as we affectionately call them. These have led to several real life friendships which I truly value, however I thought perhaps we could use these Ho’downs for a higher cause so this is what I’m presenting to gauge interest in this within our community:

The First Annual Food(ies) for Thought. (working title)
When: TBD (most likely 60-90 days out during a weeknight)
Where: Jon Bon Jovi’s – Soul Kitchen, Red Bank, NJ

For those of you who aren’t familiar Jon Bon Jovi of rock-n-roll fame owns and operates two restaurants in Red Bank and Toms River NJ. The concept of the restaurant is there is NO-PAYMENT required for a meal. When you dine there you are requested to leave a donation for the meal, or if you are incapable of leaving such a donation, then volunteering some time will suffice. The recommended donation is $ 20. per meal, most meals are 3 courses from a limited menu that changes frequently if not weekly.

I met with a representative / manager of the Red Bank restaurant about renting the venue for a Ho’down! (I would need to guarantee between 20-30 RSVP’s to do this) I would request a donation of $50 per person (including tax and tips) for the 3 course meal, which is “free”. ALL PROCEEDS will go to the Soul Kitchen Foundation. Depending on the amount of interest in attending the event, I might try to get some corporate sponsorship as well, like asking Circus Liquors of Red Bank to donate some wine etc.

The primary focus for now is how many of you would be willing to donate $ 50 pp for the first annual Ho’down charitable event, which would include a 3 course dinner? Again all proceeds will go towards the cause. Please reply with your potential interest.

Thank you and warmest regards to you all.

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Great idea. Hope there’s enough interest to get it started. We are so fortunate in many ways.

For those who are not familiiar with Bon Jovi and his restaurant concept. This is him :innocent:

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I thought that was our friend from Colts Neck who loved pinball?

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Kind of like HOs for the Common Good? I like it!

I would be happy to sponsor a table at $50 pp. We should have a contest and see who can bring in the most outside of HO friends and make the most for charity!

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That’s the spirit!! The invite is open to all, but you must be with a Ho member, at least for this one.

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I can’t afford to blow 50 bucks on a meal right now… can I volunteer for a spot? :slight_smile:

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What???

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As @NotJrvedivici knows, I LOVE this idea! I’d be happy to try and round up some friends, but unfortunately I’m not in a position to sponsor a full table of people… That said, you know you can count on me to help with the planning as well!

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I think this is a terrific idea. I would love to attend!!

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Thank you!! Let me be clear that I’m not asking nor expecting anyone to sponsor a table (although that is an awesome gesture @seal) So all I’m looking for are really a RSVP for 1 - ? as many as we think we can individually bring.

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My generally great friends or a giant PITA sometimes about scheduling, but I’ll try to get at least four of us there…definitely easier to do once a date is set

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My thoughts are to leave this post up/open for a week while providing the manager at Soul Kitchen some information on us as she suggested. By next Monday I figure I should have a good idea on how many potential RSVPS it looks like I would have and I will set a firm date at that point.

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I know. I was trolling a bit. :sweat_smile:

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Ah…You need a new exciting trip in the works to keep you out of trouble! :wink:

I wasn’t familiar with the restaurant so found the article while researching. This concept is gaining momentum here in the states!

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Count us in

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Have you seen the size of the tables?

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I’m in!

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:arrow_up::arrow_up::arrow_up::arrow_up:
THIS RIGHT HERE IS A REASON FOR EVERYONE TO GO! :grin:

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Price just jumped to $75 pp or shall we make it an even $100pp with an autograph photo with you!!

(This is a joke for all those reading I think the $50pp is a fair amount and I don’t see that changing)

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