Seasons 52 – Dining Done Right

by Paul Katsch

Food Advocate, President of DinnerWire

At a recent visit to Seasons 52, I was quite pleased to receive a superior dining experience. The restaurant business is easy – you just have to do everything right all the time. Fortunately for us foodies, Seasons 52 is doing business right. Where others may cut corners, they excel by understanding that dining out is more than eating food, it's an entire experience.

One of the best features of Seasons 52 is that it doesn't feel like a chain restaurant. I don't normally eat at chains, but I must tip my hat to this chain's owners and managers. Each restaurant has a wonderful ambiance, supplemented with an open kitchen and real wood fire oven. Not only was their bar generous with many 2 ounce pours, but it also had a real bar feel that added a nice touch to the restaurant. If you're looking for a quieter place to sit, they have a number of inviting booths or patio dining that is a great place to hang with friends after work. Rather than designing the floor as one wide open and conjoined space, their strategically placed dividing walls which add an intimate feel to the dining experience.

Additionally, the staff and managers do a good job of making sure the restaurant stays remarkably clean. One of the first places I check to see if the management cares is the restroom, because if the bathroom isn't clean the manager doesn't care. It was obvious the managers take great pride in their facility and take the steps to maintain an enjoyable dining experience for all patrons. This was also obvious in the very well trained staff. They were comfortable being friendly with the restaurant guests while also ensuring a memorable dining experience. At the end of my dinner my server told me she enjoyed serving me and gave me a business card and asked I request her by name the next time I came back. This simple yet personal step made me feel welcomed and inspired me to return soon.

The food itself is delicious, fresh, and thoughtful. Part of the menu changes weekly, hence the name “Seasons 52”, while the entire menu gets refreshed 5 times a year. They focus on serving seasonal foods fresh from the farm to your fork. Another pleasantry was that their meals don't make you feel like a gluten. All of the meals served are under 475 calories. Even if you are on a diet, you can't skip desert here. They bring you an array of deliciously sweet choices to choose from, creatively portioned to fit in a shot glass.

Their customer service was also excellently handled. Our table had two lamb dishes, one was supposed to be medium and the other medium rare. Somehow they got switched, but the staff quickly moved to rectify the problem. Both the manager and chef came to our table to apologize, without making me feel bad for the small food temperature complaint. The only miss from my dining experience was the structure of their happy hour. There wasn't the variety of options I would have liked to see as happy hour veteran. They did offer a great flatbread and a small wine tasting, but it would have enhanced the experience to have a broader selection to choose from.

Overall, I was very pleased with my dinner at Seasons 52. They got it right, which is a hard thing to do, especially for a chain restaurant. I'm general an advocate for small and family owned restaurants, but I have become a frequent visitor of Seasons 52, and recommend it with the upmost enthusiasm.  

Why You May Need to Fire Your Top Performer

By Paul Katsch
Restaurant Advocate and President of DinnerWire, Inc.

In every office there's a shining star - someone who excels at sales, customer service, or management responsibilities. But what do you do when your "best employee" is actually costing you?

If you're a business owner, chances are you put a lot of pride into your customer service and company reputation. You've worked hard and undoubtedly made sacrifices to get to where you are, so you can't let a rotten employee weigh you down. Sure, their personal sales numbers may be astounding, but if they create a toxic work environment for your patrons or other employees, your whole business will still suffer. So what are some warning signs and where should you draw the line? Even if you want to treat your business like family, at the end of the day it's your business and your hard work on the line, so you need to be sure you're making the right choice for your future.

The Big 3

Sales Performance x

Customer Service x

Management & Employee Relations

= Successful Employee

Sales Performance:

A commonly used evaluation point, to maintain a successful business it's important your employees can competently and passionately sell your product. Whether you run a commission-based sales program, or pay your employees hourly with the expectation they up-sale, sales reports can be a good tool for performance evaluations. AND sales alone should not determine the ultimate success of an employee. If your employee is rude to customers or coworkers they could be losing you serious potential business, no matter how much they personally sell. 

Customer Service: 

Your employees are the face of your business, which can either help you or hurt you. If you work in a high stress environment, like a restaurant, at any time your business can start bustling while putting a demanding strain on your employees. People are human, and we do make mistakes, but if you don't clearly establish and enforce your expectations, problem employees can quickly ruin your business' hard earned reputation. It's not only how they treat your customers when you're around, but how do they act when they think no one is watching? Sometimes, if the problem is great enough the customer may bring it to your attention, but surely not everyone who is treated poorly is going to take it to the manager/owner. However, they WILL tell their friends, share it on social media, and otherwise express their disappointing service. You can run around like crazy trying to put out these small fires before they spread, but the best course of action is to prevent the problem in the first place. If you're getting complaints about an employee, take steps to validate the claims, whatever it takes you must act. It's easier to ruin a reputation than to build a good one, do not let your employees destroy what you've built. 

Management And Employee Relations: 

So maybe your star employee hits your sales goals, and greets your guests with a smile, but if they don't get along with the rest of your workforce they can still hurt your business. Do not underestimate the power of workforce morale. You can look to the corporate giants like Google to see how much time, effort, and resources they put into their employees. The driving thought behind it? Happy employees will work harder for your business. Beyond the work environment you try to create as the owner, your employee's satisfaction also depends on their working relationships. Poor management or rude coworkers can be destructive to your employees desire to work, and can influence both their sales and customer service.

So how much is too much? As the owner, that decision is up to you. What we suggest is to clearly establish, or remind your employees of your expectations. This alone is not enough, you also need established methods of evaluation. Finally, if your employee just can't cut it, you have to make the decision to discipline them or let them go. Even your best seller is replaceable, however your business is not. 

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Write a Sense-ational Dinner Review

Hello Foodie Enthusiasts! Happy Celebration of the Senses Day - and what better way to celebrate it together than going through some tips on making the most of your senses on your next dining experience. Check out the SlideShare presentation below, download the app, and then share your reviews with us via the DinnerWire app! Can't wait to hear from you, and happy dining!

Senses from dinnerwire

Midtown Sacramento Restaurants Give Back!

There's No Place Like … Downtown Sacramento!

Time to bust out those bright red shoes and take a relaxing stroll through the streets of Downtown Sacramento for the Ronald McDonald House Charities' 4^th Annual Red Shoe Crawl! 

This Sunday, June 23, 2013 you're invited to join the RMHC team from 1 – 5 pm as your favorite restaurants from Downtown Sacramento open their doors for this event. 

Now you may be asking yourself, “What is this 'Red Shoe Crawl' and why does it matter to me?” Well, if you love food, this is a fantastic opportunity to get a diversity of culinary treats from the best restaurants in the region. After you make the difficult choice of your first location, you can continue to visit other partnered establishments. If you visit 5 restaurants from 3 different zones, or 15 restaurants in total, you will even be entered to win 2 tickets anywhere via Southwest Airlines! 

So what will it be? Burgers, pizza, beers, or start with desert! If your mouth isn't salivating yet, take a look at this year's partners: 3 Fires Lounge, 58 Degrees, Azul, Broadacre Coffeem, Bombay Bar & Grill, Buckhorn Grill, Cayla's Cakes & Bakes, Downtown and Vine, Grange Restaurant & Bar, Hock Farm Craft & Provisions, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts - Sacramento, LowBrau, Lucca Restaurant and Bar, Mama, Kim on the Go, Mayahuel, Monsoon Cuisine of India, Pieces Pizza, Pizza Rock, Public Market Bar (Sheraton), The Broiler, The Squeeze Inn, What's the Scoop, Yogurtagogo, and Zocalo! 

Grab your loved ones and friends, and show up this Sunday for an unforgettable event, benefiting local children in need. So why not make a day of it?  Tickets for the event can be purchased via Eventbrite. Before you head out the door, make sure your equipped for your wonderful day of food! To make sure you record your new favorite restaurants, download the new “DinnerWire for Foodies app” on iPhone or Android. With your little pocket pal you can rate the restaurants you visit, share your reviews and foodie pics, and recommend your favorite spots to friends and family. Everybody eats, but are YOU a real foodie?

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