Once a quarter or so Greg (our GM and designated driver) and I take a hand selected group of our staff out for a couple of beers to show our appreciation for what they’ve done for us over the past few months.  They’re often winners of performance contests we have in the restaurant, individuals who have gotten great feedback from our guests, or who have otherwise really excelled at their job.  Of course these field trips are always to places that have strong beer culture.  In addition to being a reward, its also meant to be an educational experience.  The first trip we took was to a few of my favorite beer destinations in Philadelphia (Tria, Monk’s and Good Dog).  The last one we did was a trip out to Victory Brewing Company.  Our staff has all had a tour of our brewery (some of them give tours) and have passed a test on the brewing process.  But I thought it would be fun for them to see how a bigger, more production-oriented brewery did things.  We had a great tour then sat down in Victory’s restaurant for some German cuisine.  On the way back to Maple Shade, we stopped by Varga bar and Swift Half for some quick nightcaps before crossing the bridge.  We plan to take our next field trip to Triumph up in Princeton.  I’ll put up some pictures of that one in a few months!