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Softball Tournament Action!

Portsmouth Margaritas took home their first ever Softball tournament win on a beautiful day in Marlborough, MA. A great day of fun for all!

The intern crew of Allie and Nika were the stars of the MSC Team.

Margaritas in New Jersey! Our 1st Franchise location opens in Livingston, NJ!

Sergio, Max, Wayne and Mike are ready for the fun to begin.

The Livingston Team was ready to open their doors and start serving the newest Margaritas guests!

After lots of hard work, Tom, Neal, J.P. And Robert could smile in delight.

Roseanne, Nikki and Candice greet the guests with excitement.

Dave, Mimi, Michelle and Joe are amped up for guests to arrive.

On a warm June afternoon, the doors to the 23rd Margaritas restaurant in the great community of Livingston, NJ, much to the delight of hungry fans. The location marks the f irst Margaritas restaurant in New Jersey, the first restaurant outside of New England and the very first Franchise location. It is an exciting time and we wish congratulations to everyone involved with the opening.

When you walk inside, you notice one thing immediately: it’s a Margaritas! From the Mexican decor, to the colorful carvings and paper-mache creatures, to the sounds of mariachi music and the shaking of margaritas, it ’s unmistakable! Sizzling fajitas strolling by, guests dipping warm, sa l ty chips in f resh made guacamole, kids playing with Wiki Stix and the overall sounds of laughter and fun in the air, the folks in Livingston now know what it’s like to have a Margaritas in town! Congrats to everyone on the big day. Special thanks to Robert, Neal and Jay on their opening, to Bridgette, Kira and the whole team on making it happen, to Rich and his training team for getting it going, to Tom, JP, Dave and Stan for their hard work, To Picciano, for his decorations expertise, to Regina for getting the IT systems up, to Martha for keeping the kitchen cooking, to the construction team for being the best and too everyone who helped. Too many to thank but it’s all appreciated.

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Editor in Chief : Kid TacoPhoto Journalists: Nika Legatova, Patrick Dowling, Amanda Cummings, Jay Comstock, Social Media Managers and Ray Bolger.

SUBMISSIONSWe encourage submissions from any employee of Margaritas. Submissions can be articles or photos relevant to Margaritas Restaurants. Please make sure content is suitable for all audiences. All submissions will become the property of The Cabritos Gazette and may be used for publication. If you would like your photo/submission returned after use, please let us know. Please help!

Editorial Offices:Margaritas Support Center200 Griffin Road - Suite 1Portsmouth, NH, 03801603-430-8905 x 113e-mail us at kidtaco@margs.com

An occasionally published newsletter dedicated to informing and amusing the employees of Margaritas Restaurants.

Staff:

FMOY: Bob Ray

We are on Facebook now!Search for ‘Cabritos Gazette’

and befriend us!More pictures, discussion

boards and first looks at articles. Join the fun!

Softball Tournament Fun

Always in the running for best dressed, the team from Awesome Auburn came to play...and have some fun.

Team Lebanon was fired up and ready to play this year and make their mark at the annual event.

Reacting the controversial calls, Nashua’s Bryna and Kurt await their next game. Perennial favorites, Team Orono, still made it to the championship round, but found

themselves in the unusual spot of non-winners.

While the team from Dover fought hard, they couldn’t overtake their NH Seacoast rivals and finished the tournament in a most respectable second place.

Team Exeter put up a good show too and showed off that famous Mexeter spirit!

Although Adam seems to be having trouble flashing the team handsign, Team Waltham was on hand for some fierce competition play.

The squad from Brown Street impressed again by making the championship round and having some fun on the way there.

Team Salem get better and better every year. They are the early pick for the 2012 championship!

The scrappy kids from Revere were short on roster size, but big on heart and enthusiasm.

The cast of characters from Manchester brought some Queen City cheer to everyone, as they have been known to do.

Although quite eager to get their shirts, the team from Augusta was ready to play and have some fun.

The squad from Medford was full steam ahead and ready to play without the burden of being the new kids on the block this year.

Billy Shortsleeves was on hand to keep the scores and crowd in line.

Zack and Connor from Auburn look for some inspiration from above.

Tim Tio Juan’s from Concord were geared up for action and apparently counting to 17.

Team Nashua seemed poised for a run at the championship, but alas, it was not their year.

The Mystic Crew was on hand to pillage the field and re-establish their one-time softball prowess (and have some fun along the way).

Those “K’s” on the uniform are for Keene and not for strikeouts, unless they were counting the other team’s.

The host team of Framingham was excited to welcome all the fellow Margaritas amigos to their hometown!

The Lexington squad was ready to bring the revolution to the softball tournament and to look good while they did it.

The surprise of the tournament (and the AARP), the team from MSC which advanced to the final four.

The Weymouth squad is always out for a good time, whether it’s eating lunch or playing softball.

Que Pasa?

Bartender Chris Lunn fields all the incoming calls from Full Moon fevered guests on Brown Street Portland.

Jackie and Aleen in Medford take a quick second for support during the Full Moon Madness action.

The Mexeter bar is in good hands with bartenders Connie and Todd in control.

Blood Orange Star!Congratulations to server Jeff Melvin from Lexington who personally sold over 600 Blood Orange Margaritas throughout the duration of the LTO menu! That’s a whole lot of Margaritas sold. In fact, Jeff almost outsold 5 locations by himself in total Blood Orange Margaritas sold for the entire menu period - that’s whole locations! It’s a great example of salesmanship and guiding your guests to a great product through engaged hospitality. A job well done and thank you for your efforts. Congrats too to the whole Lexington team who continue to be the leaders in selling our featured tequilas and beverages. Thanks for keeping our guests informed on all our great featured drinks and for keeping that spirit of competition and fun going throughout the Full Moon period. We look forward to your Sauza Blue sales totals in August!

I bet you are wondering where the Gazette has been? Well, don’t worry, we’re back. Expect more frequent newsletters in the months ahead. Thanks to all the restaurants’ great Facebook presence it’s also been easier to get pictures and info, so thanks to everyone out there in the Social Media world! In the weeks ahead, the Cabritos Gazette will be upping our Facebook presence with more pictures, news and details for all team members and fans of Margaritas to share, so be sure to friend us at www.facebook.com/cabritosgazette and be the first to know whatever it is we know (and don’t worry, we don’t tap phone lines like those crazy English people).

There’s been lots happening since our last issue and way too much to detail here. However, since the stork seems to have been busy these past few months, we wanted to say congrats to a few of the new parents out there in Margaritas. Congrats to MSC ’s Shane McDonough and his wife Picca on the birth of their daughter Mila. Congrats too to Nashua’s Kris Hiller and his wife Breanna on the birth of their daughter Maura. And congratulations to MSC’s Bob Ray and his wife Kristin on the birth of their son Connor. It’s always great to see the families of our team growing. We wish our newest Margaritas fans a life filled with health, love, laughter and chimichangas!

As we finish up the month of July, we just wanted to welcome a few new managers to Margaritas that are either finishing their training or have graduated and joined their new teams. Welcome Chris Marzec who is now in East Hartford as part of the team there. Welcome too to Kevin Pasieska who has joined the team in Exeter. With wish both newcomers to Margaritas all the best and look forward to te contributions they will be making to our organization. A welcome back to Kristen Stair who will be joining the Salem team as the new KM. Kristen had been a manager and was then with us in an hourly position. We look forward to have her as part of the Salem management team and we are glad to have her back. We welcome managers currently in training Mike Lopez and Manny Paula. Both are in the midst of their training in Medford and we look forward to their graduation. Good luck to both on their new career with Margaritas.

As we said, there’s been too much to celebrate since our last issue. However, we look forward to our continued celebration of everything Margaritas in our future issues. We know that the team members of Margaritas are a pretty amazing group of individuals. It will continue to be an honor to celebrate their successes and triumphs as we continue on with the Cabritos Gazette and share those accomplishments throughout theever growing Margaritas universe.

Greg from Framingham demonstrates the vim and vigor needed to go into shaking the perfect margarita.

Dali, Jenna and Chelsey in Portsmouth share a smile, albeit behind some vintage Kanye West glasses.

Blades, the official mascot of the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, stops by his favorite watering hole in Waltham to hoist his second favorite cup: a margarita glass.

East Hartford’s Ashley and Lydia are in control behind the bar, much to the delight of Leila who gives them the

official “Hang Ten” (or the “you have a phone call”) signal.

The team from Concord makes a great showing at a restaurant event in the capitol city where they were the fan favorites.

Jen and Aleen from Medford make a splash at a Golf Tournament where they helped raise money for the

Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth.

Stephanie and Miceala welcome one and all to Margaritas Medford.

The Team from Awesome Auburn is geared up on Cowboy Up Nighton the recent Full Moon

Miah and Keely are ready to serve the lounge guests in Mystic (and share some smiles).

Amy, Robyn and Kara from Medford get ready for Thirsty Thursday in the lounge.

A very helpful Matt shows Roseanne where the camera is during the big Full Moon party in Livingston.

Kiley, Kourtney and Amber are ready for either a fun night in Augusta or a Madonna concert in 1988.

A most handsome crew from Framingham sports their Cinco de Mustache with the pride of any true gaucho.

Wedding Bells!

Wedding bells reecntly rang out for two Margaritas managers! Congrats to Steve and Margo (from East Hartford) and to Eric (from Revere) and Amanda

on their recent matrimony. We wish both couples all the best of love and happiness as they begin this next step in their journey through life together.

Congratulations also to Framingham manager Matt LaBrie and his lovely wife Katie who also recently took the trip down the aisle. We wish the happy couple all the best of love and

laughter as they begin their life together.

Students watch as guacamole and salsa casera is made from scratch right in front of their eager eyes.

Students watch the DVD as Pat Picciano walks them through the tour of Mexico and the Education Outreach Study Guide.

Students enjoy a meal of enchiladas, Mexican rice and beans with a fried ice cream dessert. Sure beats Tuesday’s Mystery Meat Surprise

and Tater Tots in the school cafeteria!

With bellies full and minds opened to a whole new culture, students get back on the bus to go back to school. Hasta la vista!

Education Outreach - The Bus Stops Here!

Back to school season is almost upon us and soon groups of students will be arriving to our restaurant to attend a Margaritas Field Trip. This program offers a great learning opportunity for students and teachers in our communities to come see some of the most beautiful authentic contemporary Mexican décor as well as sample some great Mexican flavors. The students who watch our MexTV can see the artisans at work making the decorations that cover our walls or the markets in Mexico that feature many of the same ingredients that we use when preparing our food for guests. These field trips are a great opportunity to show off our ongoing connection to Mexico and our unique involvement with our communities while still providing a great learning environment for kids of all ages.

The Education Outreach Program has been part of the Margaritas tradition for a long time. When John Pelletier started bringing in truckloads of furnishings from Mexico he decided to open up the restaurants for student groups to see for themselves. We also wanted to further the experience by providing a Mexican meal. John wanted to use our restaurants and knowledge of Mexico to expose students to the culture and flavors of Mexico. The first Education Outreach day happened in 1996 at our Brown Street Location in Portland, ME. It was a great success and soon grew to be a company-wide event. In the early days, many of the photos on our walls were converted into slides and shown as part of a presentation to students. Many of these pictures which still get reproduced in our restaurants were taken personally by the famous photographer Michael Farley (of MSC fame) who took the pictures on his personal adventure to Mexico and shared them with his Margaritas amigos. To make the most of this opportunity a food demonstration was added to the program since the prep crew was already in the kitchen. Fresh guacamole and salsa casera were prepared right in front of the class. Students then sat down to an enchilada meal complete with Mexican rice and beans and of course fresh guacamole and salsa to sink their chips into. While there have been a few changes to the original program, the basic concept still remains. Opening up our restaurants to students so they can learn about Mexico and experience a typical Mexican meal has become an invaluable opportunity for teachers who want to complement their lessons.

Education Outreach provides a great marketing opportunity for us as well. We offer a gift to the teacher to display in the classroom and we send students back to school with a coupon for Free Nachos. Often they return with their families to Margaritas. If you are interested in learning more about where get our décor, how it is made or what Mexico is like; ask your manager and be a server for the event. You'll have fun, learn a thing or two about Mexico and Margaritas and receive a Mexican hand-crafted gift. Hecho en Mexico!

By Pat “Teacher’s Pet” Picciano

Learning about Mexico is almost as fun as traveling to Mexico

Full Moon Fun!

Cristiano, Amanda and Edna share a Full Moon smile in Weymouth!

Matt in Weymouth is curiously the Man in the Yellow hat.

The lounge team in Framingham of Marisa, Joey and Ariana are ready for the Full Moon Luau.

Portsmouth Full Moon hosts Sarah and Chelsey are ready for some fun.

Sharon, Sarah, Michelle, Tara, Tricia and Andrea from Awesome Auburn have a kitchen hoedown on Full Moon.

Sarah in Nashua comes face to beak with Hector as Jess watches in a jealous rage.

Be very quiet. Blaine in Auburn is hunting rabbits.

Mystic Full Moon host Justin is ready for the “hoopla.”

Amy and Kara in Medford get ready to shake up some margaritas and some fun at the bar.

Managers Tina and Mike in Medford sing a duet to get the party started.

Katie from St. John Street greets the guests with a warm smile.

Alissa, Julie and Gabrielle start the Full Moon revolution in Lexington.

Quips, quandaries and ponderings from the champion of positivity and noted author....Jerry Posner!

¡Hola!

Who or what inspires YOU?

Heroes? Stars? Courage? Talent? Creativity? Compassion? Kindness? Charity? Great cooking?

When I think about books like “Man’s Search For Meaning” by Viktor Frankl or “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pauch … or listen to recordings by The Beatles or Stevie Wonder … when I see Shawn White snowboard or a great bartender's performance … when I think about my Dad and Mom’s kindness or my wife’s artistic ability … when I read about a successful business or a successful neurosurgeon … when I eat the perfect Famous Taster or see a manager go above and beyond what’s expected to thrill a guest – I’m INSPIRED!

Inspired to do great work.

Inspired to believe that “I can do it also.”

Inspired to innovate better ways of doing things.

Inspired to learn, improve and master skills.

Inspired to make my life just a little better than it is now.

Inspired to refrain from complaining.

Inspired to help others.

So, okay. I’m inspired. But how long with that inspiration last? A few minutes? Maybe a day?

What if I could extend the “inspiration-duration” for days and weeks? Might that be advantageous? Most certainly so! All I need to do is remember and reinforce those inspiration-triggers.

Make a list like this –

I’M INSPIRED BY (people, books, music, quotations, new menu items):

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Read and revise your list regularly.

EVEN BETTER, add the “because” —

I’M INSPIRED BY _______________ BECAUSE ____________________

I’M INSPIRED BY _______________ BECAUSE ____________________

Try this: When you’re aware of someone doing something great; when you read something heartwarming, heroic or brilliant; or watch a video that inspires you:

1. Write down the key points on a little card.

2. Look at the little card for a minute or two daily as you feel the feelings that energize you, and INSPIRE you to excellence!

3. Keep doing it. Create a collection of little cards.

4. Read those little cards every day. With attention, not by rote. Feel the feelings!

5. I mean it. Daily.

If this process, and techniques like this, seem a bit dorky to you, we’ll just keep it between us. No one else has to know. It can be our secret.

But, will it work? Try it and see for yourself!

BE INSPIRED – STAY INSPIRED!

Be Jerry’s friend on Facebook for more daily ponderings.www.facebook.com/jerryposner

Jhonny from Framingham welcomes everyone to the lounge on a busy Full Moon night!

Dan and Emily from Portsmouth give the thumbs up as all systems are go for a busy bar night.

Tricia and Andrea from Auburn say howdy to their guests on Full Moon do some boot-scootin’ around on

Full Moon night.

REVISED July 21 - All dates are subject to change. Want to have something on our calendar or in the Gazette? E-mail us at kidtaco@margs.com!

Quick Sherman, Into the

Heidi and Tim from Mystic hold down the line as they get ready for a big Full Moon celebration in the restaurant.

Many moons ago, Patrick Dowling held a Full Moon game workshop in Nashua for managers and Full Moon hosts to see how to run a Full

Moon. Apparently, it involved throwing coasters and large, flamboyant headdresses for Jeff Sailor and Chris Canak.

August 2011Monday the 1st - Jerry Posner in AuburnSaturday the 13th - Full Moon Margarita MadnessMonday the 29th - Jerry Posner in LexingtonMonday the 29th - Disc Golf Tournament in Portland

September 2011Monday the 5th - Labor DayMonday the 12th - Full Moon Margarita MadnessMonday the 12th - Jerry Posner on St. John StreetWednesday the 14th - Iron Chef Steel Bartender ContestFriday the 16th - Independence Day in Mexico!Monday the 19th - Jerry Posner in ConcordTuesday the 20th - Jerry Posner in Nashua Friday the 23rd - Autumn BeginsMonday the 26th - Jerry Posner in SalemThursday the 29th - Rosh Hashanah

October 2011Monday the 3rd - Jerry Posner in FraminghamSaturday the 8th - Yom KippurMonday the 10th - Columbus DayWednesday the 12th - Full Moon Margarita MadnessMonday the 17th - Jerry Posner in MedfordMonday the 31st - Halloween

November 2011Tuesday the 1st & Wednesday the 2nd - Las Dias de MuertosSaturday the 5th - Half way to Cinco de Mayo! Sunday the 6th - Daylight Savings BeginsMonday the 7th - Jerry Posner in East HartfordTuesday the 8th - Election DayThursday the 10th - Full Moon Margarita Madness Friday the 11th - Veterans DayMonday the 14th - Jerry Posner in WalthamMonday the 14th - The Bowling TournamentMonday the 21st - Revolution Day Memorial in MexicoWednesday the 23rd - Night before Thanksgiving - Busy Night!Thursday the 24th - Thanksgiving Day - Margaritas is closed!

December 2011Monday the 5th - Jerry Posner in MysticSaturday the 10th - Full Moon Margarita Madness Monday the 12th - Jerry Posner in Lebanon Wednesday the 21st - First Day of Hanukkah Thursday the 22nd - Winter BeginsSaturday the 24th - Christmas Eve - Margaritas close early. Sunday the 25th - Christmas Day - Margaritas is closed.Saturday the 31st - New Year’s Eve

January 2012Sunday the 1st - New Year’s Day (Margaritas is OPEN!) Monday the 9th - Full Moon Margarita MadnessMonday the 16th - Martin Luther King, Jr Day

February 2012Tuesday the 7th - Full Moon Margarita MadnessTuesday the 14th - Valentine’s Day

The “Triple A” training team of Abby, Amanda and Alyssa were in New Jersey to help spread their Margaritas knowledge and smiles.

Margaritas Support Center200 Griffin Road, Suite 1Portsmouth, NH 03801

First ClassAll our readersare first class!

EL JIMMADOR’S TRIVIA PREGUNTA:

Last Issue’s Answer:

Where was stand-up comedienne, best selling author and star of her own late night talk show Chelsea Handler born?

The Fascist dictator of Italy, Benito Mussolini, was named after Mexican

Reformist President Benito Juarez.

Have you joined the Margaritas Circle of Friends E-Club? Find out more information at www.margs.com!

A new Gazette? - Finally! A new Gazette? - Finally! A new Gazette? - Finally! A new Gazette? - Finally! A new Gazette? - Finally! A new Gazette? - Finally!

Kim, Kristie-Lee, Jackie, Ashley and Danielle are the Green Team in Medford!

A purpley Lydia from East Hartford and Victoria from MSC bear right at the Phantom festival.

Patrick puts a swift end to Allen from Brown Street’s efforts to set Hector free.

Jerry Posner and his Ukulele Ladies from his workshop in the one and only Mexeter Margaritas!

Brittany, Star, Clint and Kate have a little costume fun on Brown Street. Team Orono takes their first Softball loss in three years

in stride and in good sportsmanship.

Team Waltham takes a minute to relax at the softball tournament.

Rob from Portsmouth takes a minute to go over the fundamentals with his

son at the softball tournament.