I haven't blogged in a couple days because we have been very busy! But last Tuesday was a crazy day where we had 4 events going on at lunch and Gracie and I had to make a presentation at Expedia to promote our private dining and catering to major neighborhood businesses. We offered them signature appetizers, like sweet potato in a pecan crust and slow-cooked chicken salad canapes, to sample. The day ended up going alright even though it was one of those when we couldn't think of anything else that could go wrong. All the events were pulled off flawlessly for the client! I helped Matt completely reset our ST. Charles room for our evening big event. Then Gracie, Adam, and I with the AV set-up for our dinner party as well. Yesterday I arrived early to help with another large lunch event. I simply was available to help the guests with any requests they might have. Then Gracie and I checked out J. Bookwalter venue for catering. We loved it!! the women who just took over are extremely nice and excited about a partnership of some sort and the wine and space are wonderful!! Finally today I helped Marco with meat consolidation again. Then Gracie and I went to the Parlor to meet Kayce and Crystal and see their venue. It was really cool! And it offers us with a good after-dinner outing to offer our guests and out-of-town business parties. Then it was back to help Marco with desserts, hamburgers, and employee meals. It's always good to work with Marco because he's sooo good at his job and really helpful at teaching me the ropes of the kitchen. Plus he's an excellent singer!

Today I worked with our beverage manager, Scott, for the majority of the day. I learned how important inventory is to a restaurant and just so we know what is in stock, but so that we know how much money we're making off of all of our products and who is sellin what. First, we had to manually count all of the liquor in our restaurant. Then we totalled it all up and entered it into a spreadsheet that calculates the total value of the liquor we have based on how much we buy it for. Next we entered it into another spreadsheet that calculates the COGS and the percent of sales. Scott did an excellent job of explaining all implications of this percentage and how he works to keep it as low as possible so as to maximize our funds. Then Gracie took me to El Gaucho, another steakhouse in the neighborhood, so that I could compare the different steakhouse and private dining options in Bellevue. It was interesting to see how different two steakhouses could actually be and to see what each company emphasizes in their sales and marketing of private dining.

-Lisa

I feel like today is my first actual taste of what event planning is all about. Tonight we are hosting three big events all within an hour of each other. There are two corporate events of over 35 people each and a bachelor party of 12. The bachelor party is simply an a la carte menu with an open bar (duh!) so the prep for that was fairly simple. We just had to set the room and make sure we had enough liqour and food readily available. The corporate events on the other hand are a bit more to handle. Conveniently, Gracie was able to sell both companies the same menu to both events. So upon arriving I helped Marco, our sous chef, prep our Chocolate Sin Cake for dessert and prep some salad things. I also made a lot of hamburger patties so that we wouldn't have to deal with them and the rest of happy hour while setting up for the banquets. Next Ron showed me the administrative side and how he has to set up the POS system with specific banquet buttons that allow servers to quickly and easily ring in orders, but at the same time keep accurate track of our spending and inventory. And then the guests began to arrive! And ever since it has simply been a "go with the flow" mentality. One minute I may be greeting guests, the next stocking wine, and the next checking and stocking the bathroom. It really is just a matter of keeping the guests happy and maintaining a smooth facade.

-Lisa

Today I finally graduated lettuce and (prep) with Marcus! I completely prepped the lunch salads with him and learned to make our delicious mashed potatoes. Then I learned how to make my favorite Black and Blue Salad and I made all of them that were ordered today at lunch. I also learned how to make a Ruth's Chop Salad. Then I helped with our weekly networking party that comes in. Marcus and I made all of the salads and side salads that were ordered and then I helped Executive Chef Tom as he expediated the order. After that Matt showed me how to reset the room after the event was over so that we can hold another event in our St. Charles room. Finally I set up, organized, and confirmed all the BEOs for tomorrow's busy day.

~Lisa

So last Thursday was a long and busy day! To start Gracie and I went to a Bellevue Collection meeting to learn what is new and happening with our fellow restaurants and retailers. The 7:30 AM meeting time was worth it in the end when we won an award!
BEST largest sales increase in May! And our timing was perfect since the COO of all of Ruth's Chris stopped in later that day. After updating the BEOs for the kitchen, one of my weekly tasks, and a couple of sales calls with the new businesses opening throughout the mall, I got to meet him! But only for a minute because Thursday was finally bartending day, which I have been studying for since my second day. Erich taught how every thing is set up and why it is the way it is. Then we prepped all the garnishes and mixes and restocked the liqour and beer. Little did I know that sweet and sour mix is everyone's least favorite thing to make, but I volunteered anyway.

After Gracie and I went to look at potential winery partners to kickstart our new catering with. We found two really good ones, Alder Ridge and Efeste, and were able to make some good connections. On our way back we stopped at a number of Bellevue hotels to give the concierge some little summer treats and happy hour menus in case guests were looking for something delicious over the weekend.

And finally, upon returning to the restaurant, Justin taught me how to make a Luxurita and a Citrus Mojito, both of which are delicious if you ask me!
~Lisa