Event Planning Extraordinaire!

On Thursday, Gracie and I had lunch with Judy and Ashley from Events Extraordinaire. We have been looking to expand Ruth's Catering to weddings, receptions, and larger private parties, so working with Events Extraordinaire (EE) would be a great opportunity to expand our catering services. EE has over 35 years of experience in the event planning business, working weddings and other social events, as well as corporate and non-profit banquets. We enjoyed an amazing lunch including Asparagus with Hollandaise, Chicken Caesar Salad, French Dip Sandwiches, and our Portobello Mushroom Sandwich. For dessert, Judy and Ashley decided their craving would be satisfied with Bread Pudding, while I enjoyed the Creme Brulee.

After lunch, as part of our plan to spread the word about Ruth's Catering, we showed the ladies around the restaurant and what sort of amenities we have to offer clients, including our three private dining rooms. Check out the Events Extraordinaire website to see their amazing photos and all the events they have handled in the past: http://www.eeseattle.com/

The New Year is Here!!!

Happy New Year to everyone! The past four month have been hectic, but amazing. Gracie and I took part in networking events, catered for Red Door Spas and Microsoft, and had many adventures together. But now to the new year...Right back from winter break, it was back to work at Ruth's Chris. The first two days, we had two all-day conferences that had everyone involved working crazy hours, but it was a great experience to have the restaurant bustling and busy at seven in the morning. I participated in the normal activities, creating events, sales calls to the different buildings and companies in the area, as well as new and different tasks. Gracie and I attended the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting on Tuesday morning and in preparation, I had to prepare an elevator speech, a 30 second pitch about what Ruth's Chris has to offer different clientele and how we market ourselves to the surrounding community. It was an excellent learning experience, listening to how others market themselves and what each company focuses on in their pitch. So, the next time you are going to pitch something, come up with a 30-second hook for it, it's harder than it seems. Anyways, after the craziness of the holiday season, we are focusing on the catering aspect, trying to gain a larger client base. We have some events in the future, so I look forward to telling you all about them.--Hilary

New Year, NEW Stuff going on

 Welcome!  We are hosting a 2-day Breakfast Seminar today and tomorrow. 

We were all here at 5 a.m. to prepare for the arrival of our guests at 6:15 a.m. 



Meet our servers: Chris, Erich, Jennifer, and Robert

After the Breakfast Buffet, the staff set-up the Snack table, so guests could get a quick "pick-me-up" during the meeting breaks.  I'll catch you later, the guests are ready for their

plated Brunch...a Filet, Tomato-Basil Quiche and oven roasted potatoes!



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...