A surefire way to make a meeting memorable is to include at least one fabulous meal served in stunning surroundings. And while a hotel banquet room may suffice, many planners are finding that restaurants, which are increasingly offering customized menus and meetings-friendly dining areas, are the way to go.
“It’s all about atmosphere,” says Ed Christensen, director of catering and conference services at Scottsdale, Ariz.’s Westin Kierland Resort and Spa, which offers several restaurants. “Planners are always looking at how to get a point across outside the meeting or banquet room. It’s the natural thought process—something connects in the mind that, on the same day, there was a presentation, great views and great food; it wows a group so they don’t forget.”
High-Tech Dining
Among restaurant companies actively pursuing meetings is Morton’s The Steakhouse, where nearly all of the chain’s 74 restaurants have recently introduced private Wi-Fi-equipped “boardrooms” where groups can chow down while viewing a sophisticated presentation courtesy of a Velocity high-definition digital theater system.
“At the touch of a button, there’s surround-sound, a nine-foot screen, a satellite dish—it’s a differentiating point for us because no competitors have this,” says Morton’s spokesman Roger Drake, adding that presentations can be sent out via satellite, much like TV broadcasts, to various Morton’s locations around the country. “Companies can enjoy a broadcast wrapped around dinner.”
Organizations that have used the new services available at Morton’s for purposes such as product launches, training programs and business meetings include Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America and Lionsgate Entertainment.
Individual restaurants such as the Portland City Grill in Portland, Ore., which has four private banquet rooms, are also actively targeting corporate business.
“No one really expected private dining rooms to become so big, but they have,” says Joanna Gauthier, private dining manager at Portland City Grill, adding that the restaurant’s corporate business, which has included groups from Nike, Adidas and Boeing, is growing every year.
“We have a great relationship with an audiovisual company that sets everything up; we can serve dinner during a doctor speaking to pharmaceutical reps, for example,” she says.
Opened in June with a 50-person private dining room that sports a 50-inch plasma screen and audiovisual capabilities, Vancouver’s GoldFish Pacific Kitchen offers a complete private dining experience, according to Sales Manager Amanda Butler.
“The room has its own entrance, so it’s great for companies that need to address something that’s confidential,” she says. “There aren’t very many 100 percent private dining rooms in Vancouver; it’s your room.”
Network and Nosh
While an educational agenda is often the order of the day, restaurants also accommodate planners who’d like to arrange social events filled with fun and games.
In San Francisco, Microsoft recently bought out Foreign Cinema, a hip restaurant in the city’s Mission District that screens foreign and independent films daily in its covered outdoor courtyard. According to Janine Jacobson, private events manager, the computer technology giant set up flat-screens throughout the restaurant so guests could play a newly released video game while enjoying passed heavy hors d’oeuvres.
“We’ve also done sales kick-offs with projected logos and team-building events,” she says, explaining that one group was sent off-site in teams with props and cameras to make a short film. “After, they came back and viewed the movies during dinner and awards were given for the best efforts.”
Planners who book The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa often choose the Brittlebush Bar and Grill for a unique experience, according to Christensen.
“Brittlebush is a selling feature,” he says, explaining that the restaurant is connected to the golf course clubhouse and serves as a private dining room because it’s closed to the public at dinnertime. “There’s an adjacent practice putting green for a night putt-putt competition, and a driving range for longest shot competitions. We also have a guy with a giant telescope to zoom in on planets, and a fire pit out there for s’mores after dinner inside.”
In Southern California, at Dana Point’s The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, planners will find Eno, which isn’t a bar or a restaurant, but an upscale tasting room for up to 36 guests to sample wines, chocolate and cheese from around the world.
According to Holly Smith, wine director and sommelier, companies often use Eno as a gathering place for incentive events.
“One company awarded the top seller by letting her pull 10 wine bottles labeled zero to $5,000,” says Smith. “She won $19,000.”
Built-In Decor
One major advantage that private dining rooms usually offer is the fact that the decor comes with the room. Eno is one such space.
“It’s gorgeous, with a huge tower with 700 bottles of wine in the middle of the room, and four tables surrounding it, with leather-back chairs, and grape varietals [chardonnay, merlot, etc.] carved and illuminated in each place setting,” Smith says.
The award-winning Restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas has not only incredible food, but a beautiful private room, according to Michelle Dattilo, director of citywide F&B group sales for Harrah’s Entertainment.
“Planners can request specialty menus with the company logo on it, and also have menus signed [by Chef Savoy] for take-home gifts,” she says.
The Southwestern-style decor at The Westin Kierland Resort’s Brittlebush includes a deer horn chandelier, a fireplace and great golf course views.
San Francisco’s Foreign Cinema, which serves California/Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, is described as “industrial chic” and mainly relies on the film backdrop to provide its atmosphere. Art on the walls of its Modernism West gallery, a private room that seats up to 70, is changed every eight weeks, according to Jacobson.
The private room at Vancouver’s GoldFish Pacific Kitchen features red walls and exposed brick.
“The golden lanterns hanging from the ceiling make the room glow,” Butler says.
Located on the 30th floor of a high-rise in downtown Portland, the Portland City Grill has “amazing” views, according to Gauthier.
“It’s a huge selling point,” she says, describing the restaurant’s panoramic views of the city, Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens. “All our dining rooms have windows.”
Custom Service
For the most part, handsome private dining rooms are rented free of charge, with an F&B minimum attached. If the meal isn’t a la carte, planners are often encouraged to help design a customized pre fixe menu that will both match their budget and allow attendees to choose from one of several appetizers, entrees and desserts.
“We serve the best USDA prime-aged, grain-fed beef,” says Morton’s Drake, adding that the chain recently introduced seafood and some new salads. “We’ve broadened our appeal with portions of western Australia lobster tails, sesame-encrusted yellowfin tuna and, after 28 years, we’ve also introduced fries. We tested 60 versions to get steak fries that match Morton’s quality; they are so flavorful you don’t need ketchup.”
“It’s a money-saver, not having to pay for the room,” says Portland City Grill’s Gauthier, adding that the restaurant takes pride in its Pan-Asian menu and service. “We have the best sushi chef in town.”
Chef’s Table
If planners ask for the restaurant chef to come out of the kitchen so attendees can express gratitude for a fine meal, it’s likely he or she will oblige.
At Caesars Palace, which offers a variety of restaurants with private dining rooms, there are several celebrity chefs who are available to meet and greet groups when their schedules allow, according to Dattilo.
Two among them are Mesa Grill’s Bobby Flay, who’s available for hire to sign cookbooks and say hello to the group; and Bradley Ogden, who presides over Bradley Ogden restaurant.
“[Ogden] enjoys, when time permits, giving an extensive kitchen tour to push that there are no freezers, that food is brought in fresh daily,” Dattilo says.
The concept at Eno in Southern California, according to Smith, is to provide an education.
“Eno is not snobby, it caters to those with wine cellars at home and also to the novice,” she says. “At all times, wine attendants and cheese mongers are available to mingle and answer questions.”
