16 May

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Womply Partners with US Merchant Systems

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Today Womply and US Merchant Systems (USMS), a Fremont, CA based merchant acquirer, are excited to announce a partnership that makes Womply Insights available to all current and future USMS clients. Under the terms of the agreement USMS will provide Womply Insights to all USMS merchants at no charge (an annual value of $108 per location). “We are thrilled to be partnering with Womply,” said Sebastian Alongi, Vice President, US Merchants Services. “Insights is unlike any other product we’ve ever seen.”

Womply Insights is an online tool that helps merchants monitor and compare their business performance without any new hardware, software, or fancy integrations. It takes just a couple of minutes to sign up. Merchants receive a daily report card that grades their revenue, social media, and reputation performance and shows them how they stack up against the competition. Thousands of businesses already use Insights to compare their critical business metrics against other businesses nearby and to optimize their business performance.

USMS partnered with Womply to accelerate their sales and customer retention efforts while offering their merchants valuable new tools that they can’t get anywhere else. “Womply has already helped us acquire merchants and our clients love that there’s no additional setup or hardware required,” said Sebastian Alongi of USMS.

In addition to providing Insights to all USMS merchants, USMS has also become an authorized reseller of Womply’s market-leading CRM and loyalty solution, Loyalty Cloud. “Most brick and mortar businesses have no idea who their customers are. Loyalty Cloud helps merchants identify, engage, and reward their best customers by tapping into a merchant’s credit card data,” said Jeremy Richardson, Co-Founder and Director of Product at Womply.

In March, Womply served over ten thousand merchants that collectively processed over $150m in revenue.

Filed Under: Announcements


15 Aug

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Womply Merchant Spotlight: Chasin’ Tails Seafood and Bar

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This week’s Womply Merchant Spotlight in on Chasin’ Tails! This Cajun seafood bar in Arlington, VA will leave you craving more. When you get the restaurant, be prepared to eat with your hands and to get a little messy. Chasin’ Tails’ motto is, “No Plates. No Forks. No Rules”, and it builds around the concept of enjoying your meal and digging in to taste every delicious part of your dish. Chasin’ Tails is also known for serving fresh crawfish that’s been flown in from Louisiana. Now if that’s not dedication to serving the freshest ingredients, we don’t know what is!

You can order seafood such as crawfish, shrimp, clams, and crab legs by the pound. Your seafood is then boiled and soaked in Chasin’ Tails’ signature Cajun-style blend, and then tossed in a savory sauce. The sauces range from mild to “N’awlins Hot” and you can choose from Original Cajun (served with Voodoo sauce), Lemon-Pepper, and Garlic Butter. If you’re feeling extra bold, you can choose to have you seafood tossed in the Whole Shebang sauce which is a combination of all three sauces. Delicious!

In addition to the seafood boil, Chasin’ Tails serves an assortment of fried dishes such as soft shell crab, gator bites, and popcorn crawfish tails. The restaurant also whips up a mean bowl of jambalaya and gumbo. This place has it all. Once you sit down and take your first bite at Chasin’ Tails, you’ll think that you’re eating in a restaurant New Orleans’ French Quarter. Oh, and there’s also a full bar with a large variety of drinks to complement your meal so come thirsty as well.

Chasin’ Tails opened its doors last April, and we are so excited to have them on the Womply Team. The owners (who are three brothers) are extremely passionate about the restaurant and food they serve. Womply got the pleasure of getting an interview with them to bring our wonderful users (you!) the inside scoop of this happening place in Arlington. Be sure to check out Chasin’ Tails the next time you’re craving some authentic Cajun food!

Womply’s Interview with Chasin’ Tails

What is your name and title?
Di Dang, Co-Owner
Hac Dang, Co-Owner
Au Dang, Co-Owner

What inspired you to start a restaurant?
Our parents went to LSU in Baton Rouge and our mom’s entire family lives in Louisiana so we grew up eating Cajun food. Everyone in my family has always loved the cuisine, especially the crawfish so we thought, why not?

What is the most popular dish on your menu?
It’s gotta be the crawfish in our “Whole Shebang” sauce. You generally don’t find too many places that offer it so a lot of people come out just for these tasty crustaceans. The sauce is a combination of all three of our other sauces (Original Cajun, Garlic Butter, and Lemon-Pepper), so it has a lot of bold flavors going on.

What is the most traditional Cajun dish that the restaurant serves?
The Seafood & Sausage Gumbo is our most traditional dish. There’s andouille sausage, crab meat, shrimp, the holy trinity (onions, green peppers, & celery) and okra in it. We make it from scratch using a recipe we borrowed from our Cajun Uncle Brian, so there’s definitely a lot of authentic Louisiana influences.

What is your favorite night of the week here and why?
Our favorite night is Friday. On Friday, you get a ton of people just looking for a fun environment, good food, and a few drinks from the bar. The atmosphere in the restaurant is crazy (in a good way). Everyone in the kitchen is working at 110 percent, the servers are running all over the place making sure the customers have everything they need, it’s awesome.

Care to share a tip on how to run a successful restaurant with us?
Make great food and take good care of your customers. That’s the best way we can put it.

How is it running a business with siblings? Do you guys all get along or butt heads at times?
Hah, great question. In business there are always a ton of decisions to be made, which leave a lot of room for differences in opinions. There will be a few loud “debates” every now and then, but other than that it’s pretty peaceful. We try to save the arguing for more important things, like video games and sports.

What was one of the most enjoyable experiences you’ve had with a customer?
There was one time that a customer from New Orleans told us we should offer Fried Green  Tomatos. It just so happened that we were testing out a fried green tomato recipe that day. Without telling him beforehand, we brought some out and he loved it. Now it’s on the menu for good. It’s a great feeling to be on the exact same page as your customers.

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Chasin’ Tails is located at 2200 N Westmoreland St. in Arlington, VA

To View Chasin’ Tails’ Loyalty Cloud, click here!

A special thanks to the Dang brothers from Chasin’ Tails for taking the time to speak with us!

Filed Under: Featured Merchants, Weekly Merchant Spotlight

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10 Aug

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Drinks at Grand Central, Truckeroo, and DC Beer Week: Things to Do This Weekend in DC (August 10-12)

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[Photo Credit]

Last night, the Womply Team had such a fun time hanging out at Sign of the Whale for the Extended Happy Hour we hosted for our wonderful customers. If you made it to the event, thanks for joining us! We thought it was the perfect beginning to the weekend. We realize that the weekend technically doesn’t start until tomorrow but it was awesome nonetheless.

We’re excited about this week’s weekend recommendations. There’s a bunch of fun stuff going on, and we hope you get to check some of it out. Regardless of what your plans are, we hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Here are our weekend recommendations:

Drinks for a Good Cause at Grand Central

As many of you know, Adams Morgan had been under construction for quite some time but that construction is finally over! To celebrate, Grand Central has extended its already lengthy happy hour to celebrate. On Fridays and Saturdays, happy hour at Grand Central now goes until midnight. If that isn’t reason enough for you to head over to the AdMo neighborhood, tonight Grand Central is also hosting an event to help raise funds for The Wounded Warrior Project. For a $10 donation at the door, you will receive discounted drinks for the night. Win-win. For more information, click here.

In addition to this event, Universal Wellness (another fantastic Womply merchant!) is hosting a 5K Race for The Wounded Warrior Project tomorrow. If you can, head out to Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park tomorrow morning to cheer on the runners.

Truckeroo Food Truck Festival

If the drinking scene isn’t your thing, we recommend checking out Truckeroo. Truckeroo is a festival that brings all of your favorite food trucks together so you can eat tasty food until you burst. Over 20 food trucks are participating, and there’s live music, picnic tables to gather around, and fun games. This monthly event is today from 11am-11pm and located at Half and M Street (across from the Navy Yard Metro Station). For more details, click here.

DC Beer Week Begins This Sunday

Calling all beer lovers! Starting on Sunday, numerous venues will be hosting events for DC Beer Week. DC Restaurant Week also starts on Monday so get ready for a fun week next week. For a full list of events during DC Beer Week, click here.

Below are the Womply merchants participating in DC Beer Week so don’t forget to sign up for Womply (if you haven’t ready) to earn cash back while you taste some delicious craft beer:

Filed Under: Events, Featured Merchants, This Weekend

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08 Aug

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Womply Merchant Spotlight: Toscana Cafe

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This week’s Womply Merchant Spotlight is on Toscana Cafe. Located on Capitol Hill, this restaurant is known for its friendly, affordable, and casual atmosphere. Toscana Cafe is frequented often by those who live and work in the area. The generous portions, high quality food, and variety of options on the menu are just a few great things that this Italian restaurant has to offer.

Toscana Cafe’s tasty menu includes a selection of focaccia sandwiches such as the Napolitano (braised beef meatballs, tomato sauce, and provolone) and the Genovese (made with pulled roasted chicken, sundried tomatoes, and pesto). It also offers pizza by the slice and salads during the lunch hour.

In the evening, the menu gets even more impressive. Mouthwatering appetizers include Polipo (grilled octopus with sweet potato, celery, and fig salad with salsa verde), Stuffed Figs with Pancetta, and Saffron Risotto Balls served with smoked mozzarella and beef ragu. Toscana Cafe also serves many traditional pasta dishes such as Cannelloni, Pescatora made with black ink fettuccine, Ravioli with roasted eggplants, and many more.

In addition to its tasty menu, Toscana Cafe also hosts events that are open to the community. Toscana Cafe’s Chef Daniele Catalani teaches cooking classes so you can learn to make your favorite dishes right in the comfort of your own home. The restaurant also takes part in wine tastings, food and wine tours, and even Italian Language Lessons. To see the full list of its full events, click here.

Toscana Cafe was kind enough to take some time to answer some questions for the Womply Team. We spoke with Georgios, who is the owner of the restaurant, and are excited to share our conversation with you. We hope you enjoy reading about the history behind Toscana Cafe and the drive it takes to run a successful business!

Womply’s Interview with Toscana Cafe

What is your name and title?
Georgios Patsalides, Owner

When did you know that this was your dream and passion?
It all started when I was a teenager and worked in the industry during my summer breaks back in my home, Cyprus.  After acquiring my B.Sc. in Hotel & Restaurant Management and gaining 15 years of experience, I came across a great opportunity to own a restaurant, which has always been my dream.

What inspired you to start a restaurant?
I worked in the industry for 15 years; my passion for the restaurant business led me to realize my dream and own my own place.

What is the best thing you’ve ever eaten?
I have to honestly say that I don’t have one favorite dish, but I love eating everything that is fresh, healthy and homemade.

What characteristics of the dish make it your favorite?
Mostly that it’s homemade, it makes all the difference.

What is your favorite night of the week here and why?
Friday is fun day!  It’s always exciting to start the weekend with a busy, fun night at the restaurant.

Care to share a tip on how to run a successful restaurant with us?
I strongly believe the most important thing is to create a very positive, fun, competitive work environment for the employees.  This is achieved by hiring employees with a great attitude, training them properly and treating them with respect.  When this is done, they will in turn treat your guests with respect; once the guests are happy, your business will grow over time.

What was one of the most enjoyable experiences you’ve had with a customer?
It’s always great to hear first hand from guests how enjoyable their experience was, whether it’s a review online, on a comment card or in person; their constructive criticism also helps you to improve.

Filed Under: Featured Merchants, Weekly Merchant Spotlight

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03 Aug

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BBQ Sundays, Brunch Cocktails, and more: Things to Do This Weekend in DC (August 3-5)

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[Photo credit]

It is nearly the end of summer and park outings will soon be a thing in the past (until spring at least). So let’s take advantage of the warm weather and indulge for just a bit longer, shall we?

August will be a fun month with events such as DC Restaurant Week and DC Beer Week coming up in the next 2 weeks, but this weekend we’re focusing our recommendations on BBQ and drinks. It’s a great combination and you can’t really complain about tasty BBQ. Regardless of what you decide to do this weekend, we hope you have a relaxing few days off.

Here are our weekend recommendations for the DC area:

Places with the Best Brunch Drink Specials

Are you a brunch fan because of the drinks? Do you find yourself often hungover on the weekends? Or maybe you just enjoy a mimosa before noon? If so, this list by Drink DC is for you. Drink DC has found all of the best drink specials during brunch in the DC area so instead of choosing a brunch location based on food, you can easily find one according to the location’s drink special. So check out the list, head to brunch, and drink a Bloody Mary…or three.

Cashion’s Eat Place Sunday BBQ Bash

Sundays in August just got much better. For a limited time, Cashion’s Eat Place is hosting Sunday BBQ Bash. This includes 3 courses of delicious food and a Bulleit Blackberry Punch. What a perfect way to finish off the weekend! To see a sample menu, click here. Call or emails Cashion’s to make sure you get a spot at this great event.

BBQ and Pair it with a Glass of Wine

BBQ is often paired with an ice cold beer however a great glass of wine is also a great addition to a tasty BBQ dish.  Next time you eat some BBQ, switch it up and grab a bottle of red wine instead of the traditional 6-pack. Then pile on those ribs, grilled corn, baked beans, and enjoy. For a list of great wines to drink with BBQ, click here.

Filed Under: Events, Featured Merchants, This Weekend

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01 Aug

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Womply Merchant Spotlight: Rangoli

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This week’s Womply Merchant Spotlight is on Rangoli. Rangoli is an Indian restaurant located in South Riding, Virginia. The restaurant offers classic Indian cuisine as well as authentic Indian specialties. Rangoli’s menu includes a variety of dishes and breads to choose from, all of which are extremely delicious.

Small dishes at Rangoli include vegetable samosas, chicken kathi rolls, and masala dosas. There is also a great assortment of entrees such as tandoori shrimp, chicken saagwala, and lamb vindaloo that will leave you full and satisfied. In addition, Rangoli has a great selection of cocktails, wine, and beer to enjoy with your meal.

“Rangoli” means colorful murals and represents the cultural practice of using various patterns to ward off “ill-luck and evil spirits”. The restaurant recognizes the positive influence of the practice and channels it at the restaurant by ensuring great service and a friendly atmosphere for its customers. Rangoli prides itself on consistently greeting each patron with a warm personality and, of course, great food.

Rangoli has also been highlighted in The Washington Post, Washingtonian, Zagat, and Northern Virginia Magazine (twice). We hope you get to see how great this restaurant is for yourself if you already haven’t.

Womply got the opportunity to speak with Kumar Iyer, the owner of Rangoli. Below, Kumar talks about his experience that led up to opening his own restaurant as well as what it takes to succeed in the restaurant business. We hope you enjoy reading the interview!

Womply’s Interview with Rangoli


What is your name and title?
Kumar Iyer – Owner

When did you know that this was your dream and passion?
Having worked in Hotels and cruise ships (as an assistant maitre d’), I had the knowledge and experience. Then I worked for an Indian restaurant as a General Manager when I realized, owning one would be ideal.

What inspired you to start a restaurant?
Been in the Industry all my career life (23 years). With a professional Hotel and Restaurant Management degree – it was a matter of time, I guess. I even worked with T.G.I.Fridays as a Manager only to learn the ropes of a corporate chain restaurant.

What is the best thing you’ve ever eaten?
Having worked in high end restaurants, luxury cruises and the like, I would like to believe I’ve tried a lot of exotic dishes. However, what I like “best” is simple Indian food like dal-roti or a good dosa.

What characteristics of the dish make it your favorite?
Simplicity, gratifying, satiating; coming back to basics feeling.

What is your favorite night of the week here and why?
Here? In DC? In the restaurant, Saturday nights for obvious reasons. Personal life – Sundays because I get to spend time with my kids.

Care to share a tip on how to run a successful restaurant with us?
Product knowledge and people management. (Finances and marketing can come later, if you don’t know what you are doing you won’t get anywhere. Learning on the job is dangerous, very few get lucky).

What was one of the most enjoyable experiences you’ve had with a customer?
I’ve been fortunate to have many. A guest once took me out to dinner and (I don’t know why this stands out in memory) another one gifted me a swiss watch.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
Running the restaurant is a very fulfilling experience. I feel very blessed to be surrounded by good people, good opportunities and good times.

Filed Under: Featured Merchants, Weekly Merchant Spotlight

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26 Jul

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The Olympics, Beer, and Beer Brewing: Things to Do This Weekend in DC (July 27-29)

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Today is the day many of us have been waiting for: the Olympic games have started! For those who don’t have cable or prefer to watch the events in the presence of a crowd, Drink DC and Washingtonian have provided some great places in the DC area that will be showing the Olympics and offering food and/or drink specials.

Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of the Olympics, we hope you enjoy the weekend. This weekend’s recommendations consists of a lot of beer options so we hope you’re thirsty!

Here are our weekend recommendations for the DC Area:

2012 Olympic Kickoff Party at Grand Central

Grand Central is hosting a festive Olympic kickoff party tonight. Wearing red, white, and blue earns you $4 “American shots”. You can also get $3 Bud Lights, $4 drafts, rails or house wine, and $5 craft drafts. There will also be food specials at this event. This event runs from 8-11pm tonight and is free, however, make sure you register to ensure a spot at the party. For more information, click here.

Drink the District: Beer Edition

Tomorrow, over 40 craft beers, DC food trucks and more will come together for Drink the District. Breweries such as Flying Dog, Magic Hat, New Belgium, and Dogfish Head will all be there. This is a two-session event which makes it perfect to fit in some time to watch the Olympics throughout the day. The first session is from 12-4pm and the second session is from 5-9pm. You can save money and buy your tickets in advance or you can get tickets at the door. To buy tickets or for more information about the event, click here.

Beer Brewing at Smith Commons: Part 3

Tomorrow is round 3 of Smith Common’s Back Porch Brew Series. The series is hosted by The DC Homebrewers Club, Smith Commons, and The Reverend JP. This event consists of DIY beermaking where professionals and homebrewers will be discussing various techniques and tips to create the perfect brew. For this session, the team will be recreating an ale version of Smith Commons’ Felicity Watermelon Smith cocktail. The event will take place tomorrow from 1-7pm. For more information, click here.

We hope you have a great weekend!

Filed Under: Events, Featured Merchants, This Weekend

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24 Jul

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5 Things to Do in DC Before Summer is Over

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[Photo Credit]

It’s almost the end of July, and it seems like this summer has flown by. At Womply, we believe that everyone should be “treated like loyalty” and not only in terms of dining out or visiting your favorite merchant (although we love it when you do!). We want everyone to enjoy each season as much as possible, whether that means tasting delicate flavors of a meal, enjoying an outing to a local event, or spending time with family and friends. Before we know it, fall and winter will nip at our toes, and we won’t be able to do these often overlooked activities. Let this serve as a friendly reminder, and we encourage you to take advantage of what remains of summer.

Here are 5 things to do before summer ends:

Go to the Beach

You can also go swimming (if the beach is too far). Either way, get yourself next to a body of water and escape from this unusually hot weather. Splash around and enjoy a refreshing with your friends. Don’t forget sunscreen and a frisbee!

Have Dinner Outside

The ability to dine outside is often taken for granted. Take advantage of the warm summer nights by firing up the grill, opening a bottle of wine, and enjoying a fine meal. You can also visit the many restaurants which feature rooftop decks or outdoor patios. Either way, enjoy the fresh, warm air before the winter weather forces us to sit inside and stare out the window.

Drink Summery Drinks Like Sangria

Speaking of a fine glass of wine, step up the drink choices by getting a summer specialty. Drinks with fresh fruit or blended, frozen cocktails are the best ones during these hot days. Head to your local bar and see what’s new on the menu.

Watch the Sunset

Sit down somewhere and actually watch the sunset. Summer evenings provide the perfect landscape for a sunset full of color and depth. With daylight savings on our side, make sure you catch a nice sunset before it starts to get dark earlier.

Picnic

Grab some fresh fruit, sandwiches, and chips and head to the nearest park. Enjoy the nice weather and the fresh air. Bring a book with you and spend the day basking in the sun. Picnics are so fun, simple, and easy. Taking the time to enjoy a picnic should definitely be in your summer plans.

Filed Under: Events, Food for Thought, Holidays

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20 Jul

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Margarita Bar Tour and Summer Festivals: Things to Do in DC This Weekend (July 20-22)

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There are so many fun events going on this weekend, however we decided to highlight three major events happening on Saturday. We advise that you use Sunday to rest and recuperate. After all, there needs to be some down time during the weekend, right? Choose one event from our suggestions for Saturday, and choose wisely. Regardless of which event you attend, you will have a great time.

Here are our weekend recommendations:

Margarita Bar Tour

This is not your average bar crawl, friends. Join the fun by signing up for the tour and making your way from bar to bar, tasting delicious margaritas. Each bar has a different special and participants have a specific amount of time at each venue. The proceeds from the DC tour will go to benefit Livestrong – The Lance Armstrong Foundation. If you plan on participating in this event, don’t forget to sign up for Womply to save money throughout the day! Sign of the Whale, The Mighty Pint, and The Bottom Line are all Womply merchants (and all competing in Battle of the Bars this month too!). The Margarita Bar Tour is from 12-5:30pm tomorrow. To get more information or to register for the tour, click here.

Belgian Restaurant Week Mussel Throwdown

Check out the the Taste of Belgium festival tomorrow in celebration of Belgian Restaurant Week. Hosted by Stella Artois, this event will feature a great variety of Belgian beers, food, and other fun Belgian traditions. Also, the annual Mussel Throwdown, an event when talented chefs compete against one another to create the best mussel dish, takes place at the festival. Taste of Belgium will be held at the East Lawn at The Yards Park from 12-7pm tomorrow. For more information, click here.

Summer Picnic Spectacular at Union Market

Summer Picnic Spectacular, hosted by Brightest Young Things, is a family-friendly indoor and outdoor festival that spotlights Union Market’s efforts to organize a year-round, indoor food market, which features local vendors. The marketplace officially opens on September 8, but consider this the kick off to the opening. The festival runs tomorrow from 12-6pm, and it will have local food vendors, music, and games. For more information or to buy tickets, click here.

Filed Under: Events, Featured Merchants, This Weekend


18 Jul

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Womply Merchant Spotlight: Velocity 5

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This week’s Womply Merchant Spotlight is on Velocity Five. We are so excited to feature Velocity Five this week because not only is Velocity Five one of the greatest upscale sports bars in the area, but it also has five locations! Pick a location, sit down, and stay a while. We know you’ll thoroughly enjoy yourself. Velocity Five also hosts live events and appearances by professional athletes so be sure to check its calendar for upcoming events.

Equipped with multiple screens throughout the restaurant broadcasting pay-per-view sporting events, the sports bar is a fantastic place to grab a delicious meal while watching the game  (especially if you’re a Redskins fan). We can’t stop drooling over the extensive menu.

Let’s start with the gourmet wings, shall we? Take your pick from jerk marinated wings topped with mango relish, Kentucky Derby Blue Cheese Wings covered in bleu cheese crumbles and a special white sauce, or Spicy Thai Wings tossed in a sweet and spicy glaze. For the die-hard wing fans out there, you can order the All-Pro Sampler Platter, which includes 16 wings with your choice of 4 different flavors.

We’d also like to share some of the tasty appetizers served at Velocity Five with you. One of our favorite appetizers is the calamari. Velocity Five batters and fries the calamari until it’s perfectly golden, then adds fried onion straws, and serves the dish with a lobster ginger sauce and marinara.

In addition, Velocity Five’s appetizer selection includes pretzel bites, coconut shrimp, loaded Velocity Skins, and tuna bites (blackened in special seasoning and then quickly seared), and more.

Oh, and did we mention the burgers? It’s no secret that Velocity Five takes initiative to only serve the best dishes to its customers, and these burgers raise the bar even higher. Every burger is made with Certified Angus Beef, which is only used by 8% of top restaurants. Come hungry because these burgers are exceptional! A few of the fabulous burger choices Velocity Five has to offer are the Hickory Cheese Burger topped with crispy bacon, mixed cheese, and hickory sauce; the Sunrise Burger that comes with a fried egg; and the Prime Rib Burger. And if you’re really hungry, we suggest The Velocinator. The Velocinator consists of three Certified Angus Beef patties, totalling 24 ounces, topped with American, cheddar, pepper jack, mozzarella, caramelized onions, and applewood smoked bacon. Can you say pure perfection? Delicious.

Here is the point where you’re about to assume that we’ve covered Velocity Five’s entire menu. Well, you’re wrong. There’s even more! All-Star Sandwiches, main entrees, and a variety of fresh salads are abundant on the menu. Not a burger or wings fan? No problem. You will be able to find more than one tasty dish here to feed your appetite.

To complement its fantastic food menu, Velocity Five serves over 50 beers from all over the world. We were excited to see many of our favorite craft beers on the list. Harpoon IPA, 21st Amendment’s Back in Black, and Hoegaarden are a few we recommend.

Womply got the utmost pleasure in chatting with Jim, the Chairman and CEO of Velocity Five. Using his experience in the restaurant business, he has grown Velocity Five from 1 to 5 locations throughout Virginia. We hope you enjoy reading our interview with Jim and learn more about the history of the restaurant. Then, head over to Velocity Five and see how impressive it is for yourself. Cheers!

Womply’s Interview with Velocity Five

What is your name and title?
James L. Speros, Chairman & CEO

When did you know that this was your dream and passion?
In the early 1990′s I was involved with my first restaurant venture, which was very rewarding. I was the President of Champions Sports, which developed the Champions Sports Bar chain. We took the company public and sold the entire portfolio to the Marriott Corporation.

What inspired you to start a restaurant?
I grew up in the restaurant business. My family owned and operated “Normandy Farms” in Potomac, Maryland, for over thirty years. I learned from my parents, and though I have pursued several career options, I knew that I would always have the restaurant business in my blood.

What is the best thing you’ve ever eaten?
I’m a burger man at heart, and I love the wide selection of prime burgers at Velocity 5.

What characteristics of the dish make it your favorite?
Certified Angus Beef grilled to perfection!

What is your favorite night of the week here and why?
Sunday afternoons during the NFL season. We show every game on dozens of screens and the wide variety of fans make Velocity 5 THE place to be during football season.

Care to share a tip on how to run a successful restaurant with us?
Customer Service. This is the most important aspect of our business. You have to pay close attention to this or you will not succeed. The customer comes first. Period.

What was one of the most enjoyable experiences you’ve had with a customer?
Celebrating March Madness with our customers. It’s a great atmosphere during March Madness at Velocity 5.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
Velocity 5 is the home of the Washington Redskins on the radio. We host a live broadcast on ESPN 980 every Monday night from Velocity 5 with the Redskins Player of the Game. We also broadcast “The Sports Reporters” on ESPN 980 on Thursdays from 4-7 PM. Every Monday night during football season, fans come out to see the Redskins players at Velocity 5.

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Choose a location to view Velocity Five’s Loyalty Cloud:

Arlington

Centreville

Falls Church

Lansdowne

Sterling

A special thanks to Jim from Velocity Five for taking the time to speak with us!

Filed Under: Featured Merchants, Weekly Merchant Spotlight

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