9-27-12 5:30-8:30pm Fish Tales & Pike Ales Dinner

What: Fish Tales & Pike Ales, a progressive educational dinner presented by Les Dames d’Escoffier, Seattle Chapter.

When:  Thursday, September 27, from 5:30 to 8:30

Where: Pike Pub, 1415 First Avenue, in downtown Seattle.

Purpose: To “school” both food-professional and consumer

“a-fish-ionados” on the virtues of wild seafood, as well as the attributes and advantages of using frozen products.

Food and Beverage: A wide variety of Alaskan-sourced seafood, with dishes prepared by LDES members. Beverage pairings provided by Pike Pub and Washington wineries.

Tickets: $75 via paypal @lesdamesseattle.com (event attendees will be limited to 125 people)     

lesdamesseattle.com  

100% of Event proceeds will go to scholarships for women pursuing careers in food, beverage, and hospitality. Les Dames Seattle has awarded $477,000 in scholarships to date.

2012 Dine to Win -Bellevue Local Table

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT: Jordan Slaymaker

425-453-3112, jordan@bellevuedowntown.org

27 Downtown Bellevue Restaurants Team Up to Present Second Annual DINE TO WIN

Dine in downtown Bellevue this July for the chance to win a trip to Hawaii, dinner for two for a year

BELLEVUE, Wash. (Jun. 27, 2012) – The Bellevue Downtown Association (BDA) and 27 downtown Bellevue restaurants will launch the second annual Bellevue Local Table DINE TO WIN promotion on Sunday, July 1, 2012. By eating out at participating restaurants throughout July, diners will have the chance to win one of two grand prizes:

HAWAII TRIP FOR TWO

Round-trip airline tickets and hotel accommodations for two to Honolulu, Hawaii.

DINNER FOR TWO FOR A YEAR

$1,350 in dining cards to the 27 DINE TO WIN participating restaurants.

In addition, diners can enter-to-win weekly drawings for $50 gift cards to the 27 participating DINE TO WIN restaurants.

“We’re excited to be back for another year of DINE TO WIN,” said Jennifer Fischer, the BDA’s vice president of sales and marketing. “Restaurateurs worked together on this campaign to put the spotlight on downtown Bellevue as a summer dining destination.”

How to win: Customers spending a minimum of $10 (before tax and gratuity) each time they visit a DINE TO WIN participating restaurant will receive an enter-to-win form for the grand prizes and weekly $50 gift card drawings. There is no limit to the number of enter-to-win forms submitted (diners will receive a new entry form every time at least $10 is spent at a DINE TO WIN restaurant).

Grand prize winners will be notified at the end of the promotion on August 9, 2012. Winners of the $50 restaurant gift card prizes will be notified on Fridays: July 6, July 13, July 20 and July 27. The BDA will also announce the winners on BellevueLocalTable.com, Facebook and Twitter. Enter-to-win forms are also available at the Bellevue Downtown Association office in downtown Bellevue during regular business hours (400 108^th Avenue NE, Suite 110). Contest rules and regulations available at http://bit.ly/DINETOWIN.

DINE TO WIN Participating Restaurants

520 Bar & Grill

Bake’s Place Bellevue

Basil’s Kitchen

Black Bottle Postern

Cypress Lounge & Wine Bar

Danube Bistro

El Gaucho Bellevue

FLO Japanese Restaurant

John Howie Steak

Jonah’s Restaurant and Lounge

KORAL Bar & Kitchen

Lot No. 3

Lunchbox Laboratory

Maggiano’s Little Italy

Paddy Coyne’s Irish Pub

Pagliacci Pizza

Palomino Restaurant and Bar

PEARL Bar & Dining

Pogacha Restaurant

Purple Café and Wine Bar

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar

Tap House Grill

The Melting Pot

Trophy Cupcakes

Vovito Caffe’ & Gelato

Wild Ginger

The downtown association’s BellevueLocalTable.com dining website features comprehensive guides of downtown restaurants, sortable by price and cuisine, offers the latest on happy-hour specials, and details restaurant events and promotions. The “BLT” blog supplies fresh insight on local restaurant news, recipes, chef profiles, and food-related trends.

Connect with Bellevue Local Table for the latest DINE TO WIN updates:

Web: http://bit.ly/DINETOWIN

Facebook: facebook.com/BellevueLocalTable

Twitter: twitter.com/BLTdotcom | #DINETOWIN

DINE TO WIN Sponsors: Bellevue Reporter, Gravity Design and the Bellevue Downtown Association.

Established in 1974, the Bellevue Downtown Association is a non-profit, membership organization charged with leading the continuing evolution of downtown Bellevue as the economic and cultural heart of the Eastside. Learn more at bellevuedowntown.com.

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April 29th at the WA State Convention Center 11:40 -12:40

Stone Korean Restaurant-Redmond

Stumbled upon this place yesterday in the rain in Redmond...had a really nice lunch. Was brought the 8 small bowls first, all manner of pickled and marinated condiments.  Since I love sour things, this would have been wonderful enough. Then, came the rice, in a hot stone bowl and the hotpot, tofu preparation, in another. It is a former restaurant location, taken over about 3-4 months ago. Looks pretty clean and taken care of. I happened to sit in a booth where there was something uncomfortable under my seat, so you might want to do the "princess in the pea" thing to find a good seat.    I will go again...according to YELP their website, I guess their fried chicken is a winner.      

Quick Trip to WSU-Late Winter & Ed @ Ferdinand's

Escaped to the other side of the mountains, it was sunny and it seemed like a great March morning for brunch consisting of coffee and ice cream. We also got some Cougar Gold Cheese while we were there. They were busy, lots of other dairy lovers, in and out. This was the friendly guy, serving us inside the store...when I saw him come down to make a phone call, I asked him for a photo in front of the truck. He told me they are busy year around and have people come from the world over to buy the products made by the school's students who are learning to make cheese.        

How to explore working with a consultant?

How does the process begin and move forward?  

•       Consultant conducts initial audit of marketing functions with business owner.

•       Results are analyzed; tactics to reach desired goals are established.

•       Custom month by month (2 page) Marketing Plan is put into place, scope of work, fees, contract partners and duration of contact are clearly established.    

•       Contract is finalized and working relationship is begins. Weekly meeting/communications schedule is set up for the life of formal relationship. Preferred method (s) of communications are established.

•       Client’s Marketing Plan progress and effectiveness is monitored. Modify short term and long term strategies/tactics daily. 

When is it time to think about hiring outside marketing help?

People ask and here is a check list that answer's the question:

Lack of overview or understanding: what strategies can be implemented and how they connect to one another?

You don’t know what to say : “what would people find interesting about what I am doing?”

Consistency of branding/messaging, from platform to platform.

You and your business has a “story” that no one but you really knows. It is on-going, always evolving.

There is no written marketing plan; just shooting from the hip.

The written marketing plan hasn’t been referred to since it was submitted to the landlord pre-occupancy.

Your employees don’t know what the company mission is and how to communicate it day in and out.

Customers are not informed to all aspects of what you offer or your capabilities.

The businesses and residents in your immediate radius don’t have a relationship with you.

For an outsider's perspective, void of preconceived notions.