Holiday Event at Red Door Spa

Sweet Potato Canapes

Slow Cooked Chicken Canapes

 

Putting the finishing touches on the table. 

and finally a Silent Night

Well, we made it through the busy, Busy, BUSY holidays...phew.  Thank you to everyone who celebrated with their families, friends, and co-workers.  If your were lucky you might have had a chance to hear Twelfth Night preform a beautiful version of Silent Night.  These kids are so great.  If you want to have them preform at your next event, please feel free to contact us and we can provide contact information.

Thank you to all the shoppers who stopped in for a bite to eat during lunch.  It was nice to see so many NEW faces, we need to shout out to our regulars, who keep us busy all year long!

Things are slowing down a bit, so we've taken all the holiday decor down, sad, but we'll be ready for New Years Eve!!!  Hope to see you all soon.

Fa, la, la, la, la..la, la, la, lah!

So we haven't updated in a while due to snow, and then Thanksgiving, but we're back and the Holiday season is in full swing!!!  December 1st we had 2 lunch banquets, 3 dinner banquets, and an offsite catering event for 250 at the new Microsoft Store.  Phew...we LOVE it. 

This weekend we will be hosting 4 banquets on Friday and 5 on Saturday.  We wish it could be DECEMBER every month.  We'll be drinking a lot of coffee...

~Gracie

Gearing up for the holidays

The holiday season is coming. In Private Dining, the early bird gets the worm. Our intern, Hilary has been helping with daily follow-up calls to potential clients to see if they are going to be booking events with us this holiday season. We are fortunate at Ruth's Chris Steak House-Bellevue, that we have 3 private dining rooms and 2 semi-private rooms to book. We had an early booking incentive, that gave some lucky groups a gift certificate to use next year.

Anyway the deadline has come and gone. Now we have a zillion calls a day inquiring about holiday parties. We love it!!!

When Hilary finds time between school and the internship, and a little socializing, she'll give you a better update.

Later...

Start of a BUSY week...Monday Meeting & Cocktail Reception

I got to sample the different appetizers we were serving the banquet in the St. Charles room. New Zealand Lamb Lollipops, Sweet Potato with Pecan Crust (which is actually more like a dessert), Teriyaki Beef Skewers, and Mushrooms Stuffed with Crabmeat, everything was amazing! I also was able to watch Marco prepare and plate everything except the desserts, which to me, sounded the most delicious. I was also able to sit in on the pre-shift meeting, where Gracie explained about the night's parties. Between nibbles, Gracie and I prepared for Tuesday, the busiest night since I have been here. Confirming and preparing the packets for six parties was time-consuming, but it needed to be done. We put together the menus as well as the necessary paperwork for the servers.

Tiny Footprints and Sales Calls

Thursday was a busy night, with a silent auction and charity dinner held in the St. Charles and North Rampart rooms downstairs. It was for an organization called “The Tiny Footprints Guild”, an organization raising awareness and funds that support the Children’s Hospital. After calling a few clients to confirm reservations and helping them set-up the event, I was able to watch Marco prepare shrimp for the night, and Sean prepare the tomatoes and salads for the silent auction. After that, I helped Simone at the host stand and became familiar with how they manage the host stand and seating customers.
Friday was dedicated to cookie wrapping (still baking the pink cookies in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month) and sales calls to the local hotels and condos. We handed out the flyers for Thanksgiving dinner, Gracie’s business card, and the appetizer card I designed as well as a couple cookies for each business. Handing out flyers for Thanksgiving Dinner is a great way to have the concierge services at the hotels let their guests know where to go fir Thanksgiving Dinner. We drove around Downtown Bellevue for about an hour, stopping in to promote Thanksgiving Dinner and Ruth's Catering .

~Hilary

Lunch at Hotel Bellevue and Setting up for Events

Tuesday was BEO day and I created the folders for the different events we would be having at the restaurant over the next couple weeks. The Bellevue Collection cards also arrived on Monday, so I was finally able to show them to Gracie and Darrell. They look amazing and everyone was happy on how they turned out. We gave 250 to Amy Sherlock, the marketing coordinator at Kemper Development, the company that owns Bellevue Square, Bellevue Place, and Lincoln Square. The cards will be handed out mainly to the people attending the different conferences and conventions being held in Bellevue. We also had a tour and lunch with Kaarin and Heather from Hotel Bellevue at the Bellevue Club. I had been there previously for the Project Greenlight Fall Fashion Show and this time we got a tour of the different rooms the hotel has to offer and the event spaces they can provide. They have just remodeled the ballroom and put up amazing display screens and light schemes for the different events that take place in that room. We had lunch at Polaris, the restaurant inside the club. As Gracie and I had never been there, Heather and Carin started off by ordering the crispy salmon sushi roll. I am not a big fan of fish in general, but this was probably the best sushi I have ever had. Kaarin and I both got the Gorgonzola and caramelized pear pizette, and Heather got the halibut tacos. For dessert, the ladies from Hotel Bellevue “forced” me to get the dessert trio, which was absolutely amazing. Espresso brûlée, chocolate soufflé cake, and white chocolate and brie cheesecake, could not ask for anything better!

Yesterday, Wednesday was a late day for me, finally getting to see the restaurant at dinnertime. I hung the BEOs for the next week in the kitchen so Chef can be prepared for the coming parties. Then, I got to shadow Neil, one of the servers while he set up for a party in the St. Charles room. Setting for 42, there were 7 round tables with 6 people each. The party had a podium so we had to situate the room accordingly. It was great to be able to help Neil and Justin set-up for the party, as I have been mostly working in the office upstairs with Gracie and Darrell. They were great to work with, very encouraging and willing to let me help. The guests arrived slowly, mostly mingling around the entrance and started filtering in and out, ordering drinks and talking. I also helped Justin serve the salads, which adds to my limited experience in serving.

Thursday’s plans:
Ruth’s Chris at 4pm

TGIF!

Friday was a late start and when I got to Ruth’s Chris, there were freshly baked “Breast Cancer Awareness” cookies to be wrapped and handed out to the neighboring condos and concierge services around Bellevue. Along with the cookies was a flyer promoting our “Thanksgiving Dinner”, which sounds delicious with sweet potato casserole and RC’s sausage and herb stuffing!

Late in the afternoon, we headed over to Oh! Chocolate, a specialty chocolate store in Bellevue Square. We had seen the owner, Nick Masaoka at the Merchant Breakfast and he invited us to the chocolate making class they have at the store. We brought over more flyers for our “Thanksgiving Dinner”, cookies for “Breast Cancer Awareness Month” and a gift card for a drawing to be held in the store after the class.

Five other women and Nick’s brother Chris were there and started off the class with a history of their family’s business and chocolate in general. We got to try a variety of different chocolate, in different stages from nibs, the nutty beginning of chocolate (I think) to delicious chunks of milk and white chocolate. We also spoke with Chris about giving samples of chocolates to different stores and apartment buildings in the Bellevue area. They set two giant cups of melted milk and dark chocolate and array of goodies, pretzels, marshmallows, and oddly enough potato chips, in front of us. Pouring a large puddle of chocolate in front of him, Nick showed us that the chocolate should be cool before dipping.

Heading back to the restaurant, Gracie and I stopped at the Ann Taylor store, to introduce ourselves and follow up with their store re-opening. We had delivered hors d’oeuvres for the re-opening event and wanted to know if she had any other events that needed catering. I love how all the stores in the mall work together when doing anything special to promote each other’s companies.

Meeting with Hotel Bellevue

I'm sad to say, I am starting with dessert because, Hilary had to leave early for class, so she missed dessert. Our guests enjoyed the Caramelized Banana Cream Pie and the Chocolate Sin Cake. As for me, I had our signature Creme Brule...YUM

Here's Hilary with Kaarin, the Social Director at the Bellevue Club, and Heather, the Sales & Marketing Director for The Hotel Bellevue.
Kinda going backwards, but we started with BBQ Shrimp. The BBQ butter that these juicy shrimp swim in, is beyond GOOD!

Thursday: Merchant Breakfast

That's right, BREAKFAST. I don't know if our intern, Hilary, knew the internship included 7:15am meetings. Well, at least they serve breakfast. The managers ath the Bellevue Collection meet monthly to review, "What's New", "What's coming", and other cool stuff.

NW Event Show and lunch at the Parlor

Tuesday was incredible. It was the Northwest Event Show at the Washington Convention Center and it was filled with caterers, reps from different venues, etc. I have never been so full in my life. My roommate came with me, as Gracie was still out of town, and we went around to probably over a 100 stands and sampled the delicious food the caterers had to offer. There were photobooths from production companies, arcade games from Lucky Strike, but the food is what was truly amazing. From "cake pops", balls of cake coated in frosting on lollipop sticks, to the best BBQ in the world. It was overwhelming the number of reps trying to sell their products and network with other companies. I will definitely be going back next year, and my roommate Tia, has proclaimed that "it is the place to go when planning a wedding", (which I completely agree with). From wineries and galleries, to nightclubs and hotels, everyone there is trying to get their company or business recognized and they really have to bring it, because the competition is fierce. Walking around the hall and gazing at the different catering companies really reinforces my dream of going to culinary school and having my own restaurant one day. And by looking at these people, it is a lot of work!

Wednesday was Gracie's first day back. I didn't come in until 10am, which is unusual for me because I am usually here at 8 every morning. At lunch time, we walked over to the Parlor to have lunch with Kayce, the Sales Manager. I had never been there and just assumed it would be typical bar food, nothing special. I was wrong! To start, we had amazing waffle fries with a gorgonzola sauce, pretty much to die for and coconut prawns with a marmalade dip. By the time we had to order, I was already full. I got the pineapple and prosciutto pizza, Gracie had the chop salad, and Kayce had "The Break" pizza, which consisted of many different things including artichoke hearts, chicken and bacon. Needless to say, we had to get to-go boxes because these pizzas could have fed at least 2-3 people. Dessert was fantastic, a fudge sundae with toasted coconut ice cream for Gracie, chocolate tuxedo cake for me, and classic vanilla cheesecake for Kayce.

I could not have had a more filling couple of days, from trying EVERYTHING at the event show to having a 4 course meal at the Parlor. I did bring left-overs home, and my 3 roommates loved me for it.

Today, Gracie and I are meeting with the Hotel Bellevue manager and marketing director at Ruth's Chris, so I get to enjoy a lunch where I work as well. Can't wait!!!

This Past Week…Hectic Hilary

How hectic has the last week been…Gracie left on Wednesday to visit her son in Arizona and from then on, it was nonstop running back and forth between school and Ruth’s Chris. Wednesday came and went with a flurry of phone calls and emails with vendors. The Networking Meeting at Lucky Strike was incredible, talking with different managers from restaurants and establishments in the area. It was amazing to hear about everything that these people do to market and promote their businesses, all the while learning about what to do and what not to do. The Hyatt, Palomino, The Parlor, and The Melting Pot managers and sales people were all in attendance and all were interested in promoting their business together. I got a lot of information that day, and as this happens quite often, I hope to be able to go back and learn even more from them.

Thursday was my first official day on my own (without Gracie) at Ruth’s Chris and it was very Internet oriented, as I am in charge of the Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn Pages. Trying to come up with new catchy phrases every day is a putting my creativity to the test, but it’s always good reassurance when people comment on what I have written.

Friday entailed a lot of emails back and forth between Gracie and myself, trying to get the final design for the Bellevue Collection cards ready, but we finally did it, and I can’t wait to see how they turn out! This was my first design project and I think it went very well, with the help of the Kinko’s design program of course. I also went to different Event Rental Stores and picked up catalogs and linen samples to show the customers of our new catering service what each has to offer.

Coming up:
-Lunch at The Parlor with Gracie and Kayce
-Candidates Forum at Bellevue City Hall

And it’s Monday again…

An early morning at Ruth’s Chris with Gracie entails a caffeine fix and a start on the week’s activities. After preparing the paperwork for the coming week’s events, I am enthusiastic about the project I have just been assigned. Looking through the Promotions Guide, there are so many events I would love to plan, but I think two should be plenty of work. A “Cocktail Club” that would take place once a month and two “Tequila Tastings”, one with Tapas, caught my eye. Now I just have to decide which ones and start working with Scott, our beverage manager to get in contact with the vendors. Such an exciting start to the day!
Next, I learn that we will be having lunch with Kayce and Crystal from “The Parlor” and discussing the co-marketing promotion through Facebook. It’s all about technology now, and I need to whip out those eye-catching tweets and inspirational status updates! Get ready to be drawn into Ruth’s Chris for those sizzling steaks and delicious chocolate sin cake. RC (Ruth’s Chris) is currently working with the Bellevue Collection on multiple projects, one being the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk in Downtown Bellevue. By offering 10% off Lunch or Dinner to the participants, RC is able to get great exposure as one of the contributors to the charity. In addition to the walk, we are working with the Bellevue Collection to participate in their VIP Passport, a marketing tool showcasing different stores in the Bellevue area and I have been put on the project of designing the “promo card” RC is offering. Putting my design skills to the test, we shall see how it works out. And, with the help of my roommate Lanai, I will design a card that will be included in a package given to guests at hotels in the area. Can’t wait!!!

What a start to the week! But, with RC and Gracie, everyday is an adventure and this week will be amazing, I just know it!

~Hilary

Project Greenlight Fall Fashion Show

Friday night, Gracie and I headed over to the Bellevue Club for the Project Greenlight Fall Fashion Show. Benefitting “Hope For All”, an organization that grants bucket list wishes to terminally ill cancer patients, the show was incredible. It showcased local designers as well as Jimmy Choo, Piazza Sempione and Built for Men.

We enjoyed the cocktails and apps before the show began, especially the two types of bruschetta, one with blue cheese and the other a more traditional style. Along with that, there were crab cakes, bacon wrapped sirloin, and other delightful goodies. I had to enjoy them for the both of us, as Gracie had just had her wisdom tooth pulled.

We spoke with the event coordinator from the Pike Brewing Company who was there displaying their different beers. Milling around, we gazed over the prizes being raffled off, a good way to get exposure for different products and companies.

This was an amazing experience as I have never been to a fashion show before. Benefitting a good cause, the event exposed different companies as sponsors, and provided an opportunity for companies and coordinators to interact and create relationships with one another.

Coming up:
Networking Event at Lucky Strike

NEW INTERN, NEW DAY

My goodness, what a busy first few days! From the beginning, the entire staff has been amazing and eager to help with my acclamation to the fast pace life that an intern at Ruth’s Chris leads.

Monday consisted of inputting clients into the computer, a job that is surprisingly repetitive, because you see the name once, and remember it forever. Also, I got to learn all about the history of Ruth’s Chris (and a standard sexual harassment video). Anyone know why it is called “Ruth’s Chris”? I do, so feel free to ask (just like a guy in my Business Ethics class did. Of course it was before I actually knew, but I told him as soon as I found out why!!!)

Tuesday was a great (and early) first meeting day! Gracie and I went to the Downtown Bellevue Association meeting, the topic being the new Puget Sound transit system, running through Capitol Hill to Downtown Bellevue. It was an interesting meeting and the food made it so much better! A sort of Steak Eggs Benedict with fruit from El Gaucho completely hit the spot, much better than the Yoplait I gulped down driving over 520. Wish I had snapped a picture, but now I know to bring my camera everywhere, so as not to have you followers miss a beautiful meal!

Wednesday was a day dedicated to confirming reservations and updating Ruth’s Chris social networking skills. Everyone should add us on LinkedIn and Facebook, cause it is now my responsibility to update these pages! I am excited to have this task, just because you can never be too tech savvy!

Plans for tomorrow: Class and then Ruth’s Chris at 4pm. Onto the Project Greenlight Fall Fashion Show with Gracie to see amazing designers and nibble on some tasty bites! Can’t wait for all the amazing experiences coming my way!!!

Team Sizzle at the Covey Run 5k/10k

One of the projects Lisa worked on before she went back to school was organizing the Covey Run 5k/10k.

Well a couple weeks ago, many of us woke up (EARLY) and got to the starting line by 8 a.m. YIKES! Keep in mind we work in at a restaurant...late hours.

We started and ended at the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville, WA. The Covey Run is a run benefitting Children's Hospital.

Beautiful sunny day and we all had a great time.

Half of us ran the 5k and the other half the 10k.

Where's Lisa?

OK, Lisa's last day was Tuesday. She's on her way back to University of San Francisco. Sad. We're going to really miss her, but she will be back for our busy Holiday season.

So what's next for the Sizzle - The Internship? Welcome Justin.

Here's our fearless leader, Darrell, planning out Justin's day, in the background, Justin studies his inventory lesson.

More to come...

Today is a very exciting day! We just launched our next seasonal menu so it was also a very busy day. First, Gracie and I sat down and completely organized and set-up our calendar thus far through the end of October. August is shaping up to be a pretty busy month and we had a lot of banquets as well as catering events to account for. Once everything was completely caught up, I helped Ron switch all of the old menus out. Now Marco and I are going to present all of the new dishes to the staff and prep them for the upcoming season. They look soooo delicious!

As for the end of last week, we were also pretty busy. On Thursday Gracie and I found our final venue for our catering venue list: Covington Cellars. They are located in Woodinville and have a beautiful and versitile tasting room, as well as a large barrel room. We also scoped out the Bellevue Farmers' Market where they do Chef demonstrations. Then we came back in time to set-up for the parties we hosted that night. Finally we attended the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce Networking event. It was at the new Metro 112 apartment complex and catered by SEastar Restaurant. We met a lot of interesting people. The wine was provided by a new winery, Mistica Wines, who were very interested in letting Scott sample and potentially serve their wines. We also met Beth Hinkson from Ezulwini Game Lodges, who represents a company that hosts safaries in South Africa. We were super excited because she was willing to donate some sort of package for auctions! Finally we met John Webb from DeVry University. He is the employer liason and was interested to know about our internship opportunities... Perhaps Gracie will be able to find a new me!! All in all, it was a very successful and fun party.

On Friday I worked with Marco in the morning. Then Gracie and I ventured out to the outskirts of downtown Bellevue to inform the hotels (especially the extended stay ones) about our concierge program, in which guests that have their hotel make the reservation for them receive a complimentary appetizer on their first visit.

~Lisa

I arrived a little early today for our lunch with Robbie Wright from Chat with Women. It was very fun and she was so enthusiastic and entertaining. She wants us to help out with her event for the opening of the movie Eat, Pray, Love. Then I made a bunch of our private dining packets that we can pass out to potential clients. And, of course, I filled out my daily Banquet Information Sheets. Then I helped Erich get ready for happy hour behind the bar. Finally Gracie and I headed to Seattle to apply for our membership with the Seattle Convention Bureau and to talk to Arie, the Sales Manager at the Seattle store, about her upcoming vacation and what we will be doing in order to cover for her. All in all, a very productive day!