GRDine

About Jon

I have a slight reputation for my love for food…Perhaps it was all of the food eating challenges in college…or the fact that of my last 7 jobs, 5 revolve around the food industry.  I would consider myself to be an inexperienced foodie.  I am by no means an expert, but often times a critic.  However, my posts are not intended to be reviews…more like my conversational notes to remember the experiences and hopefully provide insight to anyone looking for more information on some of the fantastic food and drink options Grand Rapids has to offer.

I graduated from Michigan State University with BA in Advertising; perhaps this is where I become a self proclaimed expert in “drink” and greasy food.  I’m sure the affiliation to Pi Kappa Alpha during my college years helped refine my tastes.

After college I co-founded a college centric food website called SimpleDine in Grand Rapids…Essentially creating a solution for college students to order food from local restaurants using the internet.

From there I moved to Chicago and worked for Rewards Network.  RN provides several dining loyalty programs from a proprietary cash back program to partnerships with Upromise and the major airlines.  The major advantage I had working for this company was the 33% savings I received at hundreds of restaurants.

After marrying my high school sweetheart, I moved back to Grand Rapids and started working for the large regional food retailer Meijer.

My story will continue as this blog grows…

Feel free to contact me anytime – jdodge@grdine.com