Just when you think you have seen it all, along comes another first for our off-site division of Drexelbrook. As we were preparing for our events at Drexelbrook on Friday, August 6th, a phone call came in from one of our business partners, Karley’s Linen. These are the very nice girls who supply chair covers for our weddings. Christine was calling on behalf of a bride who just found out that her caterer would not be able to service her wedding. Ok, so when is the wedding? Tonight, 6:00pm Ceremony, 7:00pm Reception. It is now 3:30pm in the afternoon!
We called a quick meeting of our culinary and event operations department. To make just a bit harder, the menu had to be all vegetarian with a gluten-free option! Within ten minutes, we decided we would come to the rescue. Our culinary team produced five vegetarian butlered hors d’oeuvres, a vegetarian dinner buffet complete with Udon Noodle stir-fry station. Our operations team quickly loaded our trucks with china, glass, silverware and linen as well as all the props and display pieces necessary to execute the event. Gene Blum, our off-site event sales representative left with the first set-up crew and arrived at the site by 4:30pm, Ridley Creek State Park. The second crew left with the food and arrived at 5:10pm.
Gene, along with event captain Sarah Morrison were able to execute this event to everyone’s satisfaction. Needless to say, they could not believe how we were able to do that on such incredibly short notice.
Some secrets are best kept untold!!!
Special thanks to our Business Partner, Karley’s Linen for thinking of Drexelbrook!
Recently we had the distinct honor of catering what I feel is one of the Top 10 events in Drexelbrook’s long history. It is not often that a company is afforded the opportunity to cater to one celebrity charity foundation, but this night it would be for two charitable foundations.
With the arrival of the AT&T Classic came two high profile clients; The Tiger Woods Foundation and the Bon Jovi Foundation. Paired together for an evening of FUNraising, they created “Rock Fore Charity”. Over 350 attendees, dressed all in White, enjoyed an evening of great food, Grey Goose Vodka Drinks, a meet & greet and live performance by Bon Jovi and his band.
Our mission was to execute a hand-picked menu by the Foundations. Butlered hors d’oeuvres, Inter-Active Stations and amazing mini desserts (love those Godiva Chocolate and Kahlua Milkshakes). A huge lettuce wrap station fared well for the vegetarians and gluten-free folks. A grill station with hand-carved steaks, lamb chops and chicken paired with grilled vegetables and spicy potatoes was then turned over to a “Slider” grill for after the show; scallop sliders, waffle and sweet potato fries. Luckily for everyone it was a beautiful night to be outside!
Our staff attired all in white to match the guests. Stations and bar in white leopard skin as well as custom white linens, white frosted martini glasses for signature drinks, you get the picture. By the way, pictures will be posted shortly.
I had the honor of meeting both Mr. Woods and Mr. Bon Jovi. They were both gentlemen and really want to do well for those less fortunate. Their event planners Michelle and Gina were very professional and knew exactly what they wanted to accomplish. According to the Tiger Wood Foundation Website, www.tigerwoodsfoundation.org, a total of $570,000.00 was raised that night.
We were at our best that night, a very rewarding feeling, one that we will cherish for a long time.
An interesting topic that was the discussion at the last Society of Wedding Planners monthly meeting. I was not able to attend the meeting, but certainly this topic can lead to many different opinions depending on where you sit in the wedding market.
As a large suburban facility, Drexelbrook faces many of the same challenges that other professionals encounter; sales, marketing, operations, balancing profit with success. The answer is what are you doing to be pro-active in this market? We decided on a three-tier wedding portfolio, a good, better and best model if you please.
Price wars are something we have steered away from. We can’t win them in the suburbs; someone will always be willing to do it for less. In that case, planners need to be very aware of facilities or caterers who drop their prices. A drop in price generally means a drop in some facet of your wedding that may not appear evident until the day of; at which point it is too late.
Our advice for wedding planners is to build relationships with fellow industry professionals; get to know facilities, caterers, photographers, videographers etc. People do business with people the KNOW and LIKE! You cannot just be a name on a list. Work the relationship like you would a sales lead, until it becomes something! We have done this over and over again with great success both on and off-site.
On Sunday, March 7th, I am leaving for Las Vegas to attend the Catersource Educational Seminar and Trade Show. It is a golden opportunity to network with some of the greatest catering professionals in the world including many of our friends from NACE.
I have the distinct honor of also presenting a seminar with Steve Denison from San Francisco and Mike Roman the Founder of Catersource. We will leading a discussion on how to “Find, Train and Pay Event Captains”.
The conference will be chock full of learning opportunities. We at Drexelbrook, view this as an “Investment” in our business. I plan to absorb as much information as I can. There will be plenty of opportunities to speak one on one with great catering minds.
The tradeshow will feature over 800 exhibitors and is a great place to shop for new trends, presentation pieces and equipment. I am also volunteering to work the “NACE” booth to assist with member recruitment.
I have not been to the show since 2001 and as you know so much has changed; facebook, twitter, ning and myspace were not even on the radar back then. Gluten allergies were still in their infancy.
These conferences are great to re-kindle the passion and see your industry in a whole new light. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you!
If your business is like ours, snow and catered events do not pair well. Many caterers restaurateurs and service companies in general suffer when blizzard conditions make it next to impossible to travel. As the old adage goes “You can’t fight Mother Nature”, but you can make good use of this “Gift of Time”. I speak to all types of business owners everyday; they say the economy is off and so are their sales. Some of these owners take a very aggressive approach while others simply think it will get better.
I favor the aggressive side. I am using this time to further educate myself and our team, read books and continue to look for and implement new revenue sources. As I write this we are pursuing two new revenue streams utilizing existing resources (translation, little to no cost to start up). By engaging our team, we are managing ourselves more efficiently and creating new ways to reach out to new markets.
Next month I will let you in on our progress, hopefully one stream will be up and running and you will be surprised to hear it has nothing to do with catered events!
As the Chairman of Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, I have also used this time to meet with each of our board members individually (20 out of 33 so far). I am amazed at how talented and smart these fellow board members are. Each offers a different skill set as well as well diverse insight into the state of the Chamber and business in general. It is so refreshing to sit and talk with business peers in a one on one setting for a couple of hours…talk about learning!
You can email, text, facebook, tweet, ning, link me in, instant message, call on the phone but nothing beats a good conversation!
Happy New Year! I for one, am very excited to close the door on a very challenging 2009 and begin anew in 2010. Here at Drexelbrook, we are working on many exciting new projects. New off-site locations to provide catering services, new wedding experiences, Special Occasions, our new on-line ordering division as well as many improvements to our facility and the way we service your needs.
The big snow storm of 2009 did not help either. While all events did reschedule, it left a void in December. As a business, a down economy forces you to manage better. We are taking those lessons and applying them to 2010. Clarity, Communication and Empowerment of our staff will be keys to our success.
If your business is doing well, I urge you to spread the good word and any advice you may have to help other business owners. I am looking forward to a successful 2010.
The holiday season is upon us and in the catering world that means all types of holiday celebrations; large company gatherings to intimate dinners in your home. This year Drexelbrook can do it all. We have all the “trimmings” that make your holiday celebrations special.
Our Drexel Hill Facility has many beautiful and unique rooms to celebrate your successes. Our holiday décor is very festive, the atmosphere stunning, the service impeccable and the Food & beverages are award-wining!
Since our acquisition of the Lemon Tree Catering Company, our off-site catering services have blossomed. We now offer full-service, limited-service and drop-off of your favorite Drexelbrook menu items. Find out why many companies choose Drexelbrook to come to their offices to handle all of their food service needs; On-time arrival, worry-free food and service and leave the clean-up to us!
In November we launched “Special Occasions”, the on-line ordering division of Drexelbrook Catering. Now you can order Drexelbrook Signature Dishes from our website for pick-up or delivery within a ten mile radius. All menu items are fully prepared, require very little finishing time and are meant for enjoying with very little clean-up.
Now more than ever, Drexelbrook is there to service all of your holiday entertaining needs. Click on the “Special Occasions” tab on our home page for more information or to place your order.
This year, as I stated in a previous blog, has been a year of very high profile industry events for us here at Drexelbrook. So, in October came my daughter’s “Super Sweet 16”. Planning a family event is never easy, but planning a Sweet 16 can be challenging at best.
However we decided to leave the creative planning to Phyllis Jablonowski from Eventricity and myself. My wife and daughter got to do invitations, clothing, cake and thank-you’s! This worked really well. Thanks to all of my friends in the industry who made this spectacular event (and the talk of teen facebook) a huge success.
Phyllis brought the creative to life, Dino Galanti of Party Rental LTD for props, light-ups and the really cool “all-white” dance floor and serving pieces, Brian Toner of Eventions for over the top lighting and Brian Latocha for the killer sound system. David Iocobucci of DoughMain Baked Goods created the “Dream Cake”, so good looking and delicious too!
And I cannot forget our own staff who dressed the part and the culinary team for the food that even the kids went back for!!!, Think 4 cheese Mac & Cheese. Every time I think we have out done ourselves, we create something unique and memorable. Look for the photos on our facebook page and coming soon to this website.
We are no different from many companies that are trying to make the best of a bad economy. High unemployment, businesses closing and for us folks in Pennsylvania, still no State Budget as of this writing on October 9th. The trickle down effect is tough to deal with. Without State funds, non-profits and many other businesses cannot survive; no spending, no hiring everything recesses.
In our 2009 Business Plan, one of our goals was to expand our off-site division. After six months of talks, we are pleased to announce that we have acquired The Lemon Tree Catering Company from West Chester, PA. Anthony and Bob have decided to close Lemon Tree and join our team. They bring decades of experience and a strong client list. We integerated offically on Labor Day, go figure! We have immediately increased our sales, it is a natural fit for us. As our hotel project has been stalled by many delays, this was a perfect way to increase our sales while building a strong reputation for off-site services.
Please keep us in mind should you need catering services at your home, office or other special location. The Holiday Season is right around the corner, call us and we will bring "The Drexelbrook Experience to You"
Every now and then a very unique oppotunity presents itself in our industry. Two well respected and well known peers marry. They leave all the details of the reception up to the host facility, which happened to be us. Dino Galanti of Party Rental LTD. and Denise Caramenico, florist married at Drexelbrook on Friday, August 28th, 2009. The rest is history.
Phyllis Jablonowski of Eventricity and I planned a "Casablanca" type party. A upbeat, "Tommy Bahama" style cocktail hour featured lounge furniture, cool cocktails and signature drinks in lobby that was totally transformed thanks to Eventions Productions. A steel drum band filled the air with lively, upbeat atmosphere.
Our South Ballroom looked so over the top even we were amazed at the decor, lighting and bandstand. City Rhythm Orchestra was on fire, large palms, lounge furniture, hightops and cocktail rounds made for a very intimate feel.
Guests dined on a progressive, passed four course dinner with a matching wine for each course. Many guests wondered how we created the whole experience, they were completely blown away! Calls have not stopped coming from industry professionals who were in attendence, let alone the crew from Party Rental LTD. A true NACE effort from all besides those mentioned include cake from DoughMain Baked Goods, AFR Furniture Rental, Evention Productions and of course, Drexelbrook. See more about this wedding by visiting our facebook page.
We have been members of NACE (National Association of Catering Executives)since 1993. Each year the association hosts a national educational conference. I had the pleasure of attending this year's conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. Over the years, I have made many great friends all over the country. The conference is an opportunity for us to learn together and share our information in a non-competitive atmosphere.
This year the educational content was outstanding! Seminars in technology, marketing, weddings, food, beverage and a great marketplace filled with industry suppliers offered loads of new ideas.
At Drexelbrook, we try to keep it fresh, current and exciting while not losing site or core values. Look for our new menus, social media and a new marketing campaign in the Fall!
We look foward to seeing you soon. Don't forget to check us out on facebook, myspace and twitter.
As we move into the summer months, Jean and the sales team are busy with wedding appointments, Chef Wade and his culinary team are working on new menus; Vince, Samantha and the operations team continue to improve the property and equipment...and me?, what else but getting into social media, but not without plenty of help in the form of our HRIS Director, Jason Dusak's wife, Lisa. Who, by the way, gives Jason a run for his money in the IT world.
We are now setting up our facebook page, myspace account and linkedin. I am now on twitter.com, follow me at DrexelbrookDom. Communicating with potential and current clients has always been a top priority. These social websites are a great way to reach and maintain a loyal fan base. Our goal, increase sales and awareness.
Many years ago I was a niteclub manager at Polo Bay in Philadelphia. Marketing was the number one aspect of the business. It was taught this way; the business is like a music single, as long as it is being played, the people are buying it, playing it, requesting it and following the artist which translates to sales. The process is called "top of mind awareness". As a business, you never want to be "last year's" hit, you want to have "staying power".
Our goal is to get potential clients to think "Drexelbrook First" for all their catering needs. Follow us on twitter.com and soon to come, with Lisa's help a facebook and myspace page.
At Drexelbrook, we help create experiences or memories that last a lifetime. Our mission is to provide you with an outstanding value for the money you invest. An investment with Drexelbrook means we are prepared to assist you in all facets of event planning or "what can we do for you?"
What do you receive in return from us? Of course there are the three core competencies; Service, Atmosphere and (Food & Beverage)...but it goes way beyond that. There are many intangibles like our planning expertise, our valuable business partnership with other industry professionals, advice, referral to other resources, where to find it, how to find it, instant help and a team of professionals who make your event seamless, worry-free, wonderful and most of all a memory that lasts a lifetime.
So, on behalf of the 160 full and part-time Drexelbrook employees, their families, our business partners and all the folks who supply auxilary services, we thank for investing in us. Your confidence has allowed us to avoid lay-offs and permitted us to maintain a solid business during our nation's extremely difficult economic conditions. We will do our part in moving America forward!
If there is anything we can do to assist with your event...Just Ask Us!!!
We love the month of May. Warm weather, beautiful flowers and business levels running at peak. May is more than just "wedding season". High school proms, mitzvah celebrations, graduations, corporate events, anniversaries and association galas are just some of the other types of events we host at Drexelbrook.
Everything from the Boardroom to the Ballroom can be easily accomodated at Drexelbrook. It's part of the "Drexelbrook Experience"...Just Ask Us!
The hospitality and tourism industries are suffering due to current economic conditions. To make matters worse for us, a negative perception regarding company meetings is now prevalent throughout the media. I agree that lavish trips, excessive spending and bonuses have fueled public outcry. At a certain point, we as industry professionals must take a stand and educate our elected officials and the public to the importance of meetings.
Pennsylvania ranks seventh in the country according to the US Travel Association in tourism dollars spent. This does not take into consideration all the auxiliary services needed as well as what this revenue does to retain and create jobs, produce tax revenue and stimulate the local economy. Without the meetings industry it is estimated that another one-half percent will be added to the already high unemployment rate.
As Vice-Chairman of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of
the Brandywine Convention and Visitors Bureau, I am taking active steps to “Keep America Meeting”. I have signed the petition at www.keepamericameeting.com and passed it on to 75 of my business contacts. I have promoted www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com sponsored by the US Travel Association. This site provides a very informative page of acceptable meeting practices for company CEO’s to use as a guideline in determining the need for holding a meeting. I have forwarded this link to many of my meeting planner clients and colleagues.
TARP and Stimulus money needs to be spent on meetings, so long as those meetings meet the acceptable practices. Without this revenue stream, many local, regional and national companies will not be able to survive this current economic downturn. I urge you to meet, marry and celebrate your successes in a responsible way.
I welcome your comments, suggestions or action plans. Sitting back and hoping is NOT an option.
The hospitality and tourism industries are suffering due to current economic conditions. To make matters worse for us, a negative perception regarding company meetings is now prevalent throughout the media. I agree that lavish trips, excessive spending and bonuses have fueled public outcry. At a certain point, we as industry professionals must take a stand and educate our elected officials and the public to the importance of meetings.
Pennsylvania ranks seventh in the country according to the US Travel Association in tourism dollars spent. This does not take into consideration all the auxiliary services needed as well as what this revenue does to retain and create jobs, produce tax revenue and stimulate the local economy. Without the meetings industry it is estimated that another one-half percent will be added to the already high unemployment rate.
As Vice-Chairman of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of
the Brandywine Convention and Visitors Bureau, I am taking active steps to “Keep America Meeting”. I have signed the petition at www.keepamericameeting.com and passed it on to 75 of my business contacts. I have promoted www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com sponsored by the US Travel Association. This site provides a very informative page of acceptable meeting practices for company CEO’s to use as a guideline in determining the need for holding a meeting. I have forwarded this link to many of my meeting planner clients and colleagues.
TARP and Stimulus money needs to be spent on meetings, so long as those meetings meet the acceptable practices. Without this revenue stream, many local, regional and national companies will not be able to survive this current economic downturn. I urge you to meet, marry and celebrate your successes in a responsible way.
I welcome your comments, suggestions or action plans. Sitting back and hoping is NOT an option.
If you watch TV, listen to the radio or surf the net for your news, you like many others, are probably ready for doomsday. I can't stand to hear another report as to how bad things are. I will grant you things are bad, but not for everyone.
Many businesses do well because they are built on a solid foundation of successfully executing their core competencies. These companies run their businesses the same way through recession or prosperity. Recession forces a company to run its business they way it should be run; streamlined and functional while providing exceptional customer service.
We are alive and well here at Drexelbrook. People are still getting married, associations are still meeting, high schools are still hosting proms and corporations continue to train their staffs.
We can only hope the stimulus program works and when it begins to show progress, our President should deliver that good news. If you are doing well, spread the word!!!
Who is thinking about prospering in 2009? From what I am able to gather by "listening" to many business owners, "prospering" in not even a thought; hanging on and 'surviving" is. Most, if not all business owners, will not have the luxury of being "bailed out". I read many industry magazines, newspapers, e-newsletters and from them conclude that some will not be able to survive and some will prosper.
In the catering world we are only as good as our last event. There are no second chances, no "we'll be there between 4:00pm and 7:00pm" and very little tolerance for error. We are in the business of "emotions"; wedding, corporate social or any other.
Our team has made a commitment to provide our clients and guests with the three core competencies that have fostered our success over the years; award wining cuisine and beverages, professional and personalized service and a beautifully maintained facility. This is our Mission Statement to you. We truly feel that "Service" is what separates the "Drexelbrook Experience" from others in our industry.
Service is that intangible aspect of any business that shines through from the initial contact to well after your event. However, it is sometimes the most overlooked aspect of a successful event. Very rarely are we asked about our service ratio from potential clients. We have estimated that no less than 50 Drexelbrook Team members will have a role in the success of your event. When spending money is tight and too many choices abound, service is truly the defining factor is selecting that perfect venue.
So our commitment is to provide our clients and guests with a level of service that "exceeds expectations" creating a wonderful and memorable event. We have practiced this over the years with great feedback from our clients. Just look at the comments on this website, The Knot, www.theknot.com and www.myfoxphilly.com.
We look forward to prospering in 2009 and invite you to invest your catering needs with us!
For the Drexelbrook Team,
Domenick Savino,CPCE
CEO
Posted by Drexelbrook at 4:27:42 PM | 100 Comments
So You think Your Romantic…Popping the Big Question????
Recent polls have shown that 85% of women stated that they were disappointed in the way they were proposed to. Keep in mind as you plan your approach, this is one of the most significant moments in both your lives. Be Creative, Make it fun and exciting, and don’t be afraid to be unique and different. This will be a day she will remember and treasure for ever!!!
As one of Drexelbrook’s wedding specialist I hear all kinds of amazing and creative proposals from our Brides and Grooms.
One proposal that stands out was a couple who was married last May 2007. He flew his “Soon to be Bride” to Vegas for a weekend getaway and stayed at the beautiful and luxurious Venetian Hotel. He thought it would be a nice idea to take a gondola ride before dinner. As they sailed down the canal right before heading under the bridge a Banner Dropped that Said, “Will you Marry Me” As she turned to look at her “Soon to be Groom” he had the ring in hand. SO ROMANTIC RIGHT????
Of course all proposals don’t have to be that extravagant but even the simplest of proposals can still be special and romantic. I would love for you to share your proposal stories with us. Where did it take place? How did he do it? What did you feel at that moment? Are there any brides out there that proposed to their groom?
We look forward to reading your thoughts and comments and wish all you couples out there a Happily Ever After!!!
At Drexelbrook, we have been "smoke-free" since August 30th, 2000. We thought is was important to provide our clients and guests a smoke-free atmosphere. Some folks told us we would not survive for longer than a year without smoking. We are happy to report we are alive, well and stronger than ever!
The start date for the Pennsylvania Clean Indoor Air Act is September 11th. It will prohibit smoking in most public places, including restaurants, workplaces and a portion of casino floors. The department is educating the public about the law's requirements and it is providing technical assistance to businesses in the implementation of no smoking policies.
"A smoke-free environment is the only effective measure to protect the public, including people at work, from exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke," Secretary of Health Calvin Johnson said. "The Clean Indoor Air Act will help reduce this significant public health threat - smoking-related illnesses and deaths." The department's Web site contains guidance and a toolkit for public places and workplaces, as well as frequently asked questions and materials useful in planning for the implementation of the new anti-smoking law.
Welcome to the new Drexelbrook website. We are very excited about how we can better tell the "Drexelbrook Story" through words, pictures and video. We hope you will agree!!!
Our new website has many new features and is more inter-active than before. "Instant Help", "Blog" and "Video theatre" are just some of the new features. Take a view minutes to look around, but in the end "Seeing is Believing"...We invite you to visit us in person to experience the beauty and elegance of Drexelbrook.
Thanks we really appreciate your continued support.
