What drew you to Seattle?
I lived all over the country - Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles - and then came to work in Seattle for Restaurants Unlimited in the late 1980s. I had visited for training purposes with the company previously, so when the job came up I knew I could live here.
And from there?
I worked with John Schwartz at Cucina! Cucina!, at Great Western Dining, then served as food and beverage director as well as interim general manager at the Golf Club at Newcastle.
Il Fornaio boasts a decade of success in downtown Seattle, nearly half of which you've presided as general manager. What's the recipe for your success?
With any decision we make, we ask: "How does it affect our guests, our team members, our company?" If you focus on your reputation in the community and understand that you have control over your destiny, take pride and have passion in what you do - you'll always make the right decisions.
Businesses are bracing for further economic downturn in 2009. What's your outlook?
We're currently flat for 2008, though the first nine months we were up by single digits. The fourth quarter has taken a toll on our cushion. But, we're coming off three years of significant aggregate growth, which puts [the recession] in perspective. We will recover very well.
I've reminded our team members that we can't control Main Street, Wall Street or 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But, there are plenty of things we can control - service, food, experience. And that's what we need to worry about. We also provide an arena for our team members to succeed, opportunities for them to continue to grow their careers. That's important to me.
How important are leisure travelers and convention attendees to your business?
Huge and huge! We study the tourism and convention numbers hard. We use the convention reminders that the bureau sends out to determine which groups have open meals. That business is very valuable to us. Cruise ships are huge, too. What we've seen is that [passengers] come in a couple days early, stay a couple days late. We also work closely with the concierge professionals in the immediate neighborhood.
How do you know the difference between a convention attendee and a cruise ship passenger in your restaurant?
We look for name badges [for convention attendees] or a concierge may call and let us know. If the Westin is full, we're going to get them. If we see visitor maps, there's a good chance they’re cruise passengers. When we take phone reservations or seat tables, we ask if it's their first time dining with us or if they're staying at a local hotel - we have a First Time Guest Program that recognizes them with complimentary appetizers.
Do you consider yourself a tourism ambassador?
Absolutely. I have to be. I'm on the front lines of a popular restaurant in a prime, vibrant part of downtown Seattle. Having lived all over the country, there's no place like this. We have natural beauty, culture, intelligent citizens, diverse neighborhoods and, of course, great restaurants - we are a major market.
|
