Fulfilling Rugby Dreams: Screening Fundraiser

Just a little over a month ago, The Hutong hosted a group of kids from Inner City LA (ICEF Rugby), who have an amazing coach who believes in them and wants to show them the world and do what he can to increase their chances of going to university and continue playing rugby by organizing trips abroad.  This year, they came to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong (to see the HK sevens rugby tournament), but last year they did a trip around New Zealand and the documentary that was filmed about their trip last year was truly incredible.

Honestly, just after a few days with these kids, the crew at The Hutong absolutely loved them – we’re thrilled that The Hutong has taken initiative to host a fundraising event in Beijing to help them raise money for their future trips abroad, to other parts of the world.

Event Details:

• Event Details:
• Date: Sunday, May 26, 2013
• Time: 5PM welcome reception and Californian tapas by the AMAZING Chef Sue, screening starts at 6:00PM, Wrap-up and raffle prize at 7:30PM.
• Price to sign up: RMB 100 per person (includes film, snacks and a drink ticket)
• Raffle Tickets will be available for sale: RMB 25 for 1 ticket or RMB 100 for 5 tickets
• Portion of ticket sales and 100% of raffle ticket sales will be donated to ICEF
• To RSVP click here OR email Kristen@thehutong.com by Thursday, May 23 at 12:00PM NOON.  (Space is limited so please get on it!)

Gung Ho! Bros. John and Jade are both massively into sport. John rowed all through high school and university and even made the New Zealand national Olympic team in 1996! He has participated in rowing competitions all over Europe and the USA. Jade played rugby all through high school and university and even made the Canterbury Rugby Football Club’s Under-17 team. Canterbury is known as the “Manchester United” of the rugby world. Gung Ho! Pizza is stoked to support this awesome event.

Click here to learn more about this event! And thanks to the lovely LumDimSum for the heads up (and most of the copy)!

SJ Team Mother’s Day Video

Check out this awesome… home-made? store-made? Mother’s Day greeting put together by Shuangjing Team Leader Mack featuring the Shuangjing Gung Ho! Players. We should totally kidnap him NK style and have him churn out more videos for our HQ marketing team!

Mack did a beautiful job! That’s one of the things we really love about working here – just how often we’re surprised by the talent of our frontline team! Mack started off as a delivery guy, worked his way up to Team Leader. Now apparently he’s working on becoming a director. That’s pretty Gung Ho!

Below is the Mother’s Day vid we did last year.

Support Bethel House this Mother’s Day

“Although 8-year old Fu Tian isn’t a mother, it’s clear that she is following the example of her caregivers by looking after the younger children. Here she cuddles little Hua Mei as the two of them wait in the hospital for an eye check up. The ayis don’t just treat their role as a ‘job’ – they lead by example and their love naturally overflows into the kids.”

This Mother’s Day, all proceeds from our special Gung Ho! Mother’s Day Strawberry Egg Tarts go directly to the Bethel House orphanage for blind and visually impaired children. To learn more about Bethel China, check out their website here.

Bethel House Mother’s Day Special

Bethel House is an orphanage for blind and vision impaired orphans in China. From their beautiful house and grounds, to their incredible devoted team of caregivers and teachers, they’ve created an amazingly loving environment for kids who need it most.

This Mother’s Day, instead of doing a special we’re going to sell Strawberry Egg Tarts (for the same price as the regular ones) and give the proceeds to the Bethel House Orphanage. Why? Just read the stories below.

Qin Mama was the first ayi that we employed in our Bethel centre in Zheng Zhou. From the very beginning, she jumped into the kids lives with her whole heart. She always smiles when she is with them, and when the kids are tired after a long walk, she carries them on her back. We now have 8 ayis and teachers in our centre in Zheng Zhou and she has set a great example as we hire more staff. We are thankful for Qin Mama!

Wang Mama has been at Bethel almost since the beginning. She has known and loved every child individually! As the foster care manager, she has a lot of administrative work to do – making schedules for all of the ayis each day but she still always finds time to play with the kids and show them how loved they are. We are so thankful for her!

The ‘Bethel City Life Project’ is a family of 9 kids and 5 mamas. The mamas live with the kids, they cook, clean, love, encourage, discipline, make them do their homework, mop up tears, all whilst sacrificing time with their own families. They are wonderful Mothers to our kids.

Please support Bethel House this Mothers Day, for volunteering to be mothers to those who have none. Learn more about Bethel House here.

The Gung Ho! Green Story

This April, Beijing gourmet pizza brand Gung Ho! kicked off their green initiative. Here, led by environmental manager Laura Xiao, is the Gung Ho! Green Team telling you the Gung Ho! Green Story.

Go! Go! Go!

Green Excursion!

After this long, long Beijing winter, the wind, rain, snow, fog and haze, Spring is finally here.

The Gung Ho! Team celebrated not just the warming weather but the successful launch of our Green Initiative by heading out to the Olympic National Forest for a nature themed scavenger hunt and picnic.

The Green Initiative is something we’re incredibly proud to have begun, and something we’ve found incredibly engaging not only at all levels of our company, but also for our customers and partners. Obviously it’s just a start, but it’s something we’re looking forward to becoming bigger and bigger and time goes on.

If you’d like to learn more, please check out our Green Page here. If you have green stuff you think we’d be interested in, please drop us a line at johnandjade@gunghopizza.com.

Go! Go! Go!

Vote for Gung Ho! And Lush!

Obviously it’s nothing compared to a rainbow in the sky, a newborn baby, or a smile from a pretty girl, but these awards do make us pretty happy. What can we say? It’s a sign that we’re on the right track and that we’re making you happy. So if you haven’t already, please hop over to the City Weekend website and vote Gung Ho! Pizza for Best Pizza and Best Service. We’re were lucky enough to take them home last year and shucks, we’d sure love to take ‘em home again this year. Yes sir. Thanks for all the support!

Lush & Pyro: Casually Ruling Wudaokou

If you didn’t know, Gung Ho! Brother Jade Gray is also the founder of Lush and Pyro in Wudaokou. Lush in particular has just had an amazing run with these awards having won an incredible 22 (!) awards over the years. This truly gives testament not just to the crew that keep it running day in and day out, but also to the incredibly loyal community out there that even years later, in many other countries, still talk about it and keep spreading the word. Lush & Pyro are up for seven (!) awards in this years Beijinger Bar & Club Awards, so please head on over to their voting page and vote. Thanks, and remember: love the Wu!

Gung Ho’s very own (and Lush’s very ex-) Rich Akers* is hosting the Award show, so if you’re going, we’ll see you there!

*I don’t usually talk about myself in the third person, it just sounded funnier that way.

Vote GUNG HO BOYS for BEST BOY BAND!

“Might sound crazy but I’m feeling low, baby Go! Go! Go!”

With songs like “Slice of My Heart”, “Find a Way (To You)” and “Love Haka”, the Gung Ho! Boys are fast becoming Beijing’s favored sons. Check out their new album “Go! Go! Go!” on aiTunes now!

Vote GUNG HO! BOYS for BEST BOY BAND in the 2013 CITY WEEKEND READER’S CHOICE AWARDS -

And you know, anything else that seems appropriate. Thanks for your support!

NZ Delegation Goes Gung Ho!

Guess who’s coming to… lunch?

Last Wednesday, an offical delegation representing New Zealand business led by the Honorable Steven Joyce, (Minister of Economic Development, Transport, Communications and Information Technology, and Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment) and Sir Don McKinnon, (former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations from 2000 to 2008 and current Head of the New Zealand China Council) swung by Gung Ho! Pizza for a look.

Wow. That was a long sentence.

Anyway, it was great opportunity to tell the leaders of New Zealand all about our China experience. Gung Ho! Bros John O’Loghlen and Jade Gray gave a presentation on, after which Jade took some of them on a tour of the store while John stayed back to run a Q&A session.

All up it was a great experience – we had some amazing feedback – and of course it was a great chance to show them just what can be done in China… if you’re GUNG HO enough!

GO! GO! GO!

John O’Loghlen presenting to the NZ delegation at Gung Ho! Lido

The NZ delegation checking out our Central Kitchen

Lido will be closed next Wednesday until 3pm

Just to let you know – and not to drop names or anything – but we have some very special guests coming to Lido around noon next Wednesday (April 10th). This means we’ll be closing the restaurant until 3pm that afternoon.

Delivery will still be… delivering though! And this only affects the Lido store. If you are numbered among the Sanlitun or Shuangjing stalwart horde, then feel free to completely ignore the message above.

Except the part about us being super cool and having special guests come to visit of course.

Cheers.