Getting to WOW! and Giving Back Mega Book Launch a Grand Success!!

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We recently had our last, in  a series of Getting to WOW! and Giving Back Mega Book Launch Events, this time at Honey Salt, the restaurant I wrote about in a previous post.

https://soupfly.wordpress.com/2015/03/10/honey-salt-hrair-two-great-examples-of-service-hospitality-excellence/

 

While we did not sell anywhere near as many books as I’d hoped and intended-(my original goal was to sell 1000 copies in 3o days), I will still say that the Launch was a success.

So, how was our Getting to WOW! and Giving Back Mega Book Launch a success? Consider the following:

*We made so many great connections with restaurant owners, management & staff, who will in the future, hopefully, become my clients for my training and consultation business, ASPIRE Enterprises.

*We met and made many new, wonderful friends.  Each event it was so exciting to see who we are going to meet next. Everyone has been so supportive and encouraging.  People have bought extra copies of Getting to WOW! to share with friends, family or co-workers. Some have even purchased a copy at each event they’ve come to.

*We began to build exposure and awareness for me, as an author and speaker, for the book, Getting to WOW! and for ASPIRE Enterprises.  I am already being invited to speak at local organizations.

*We brought new business to each of the 6 locations where we held our events: DW Bistro, The Crepe in Tivoli, Mercadito in Red Rock, Whist at The District at Green Valley Ranch, Fleming’s in Townsquare, and Honey Salt in Summerli, as many of our guests and supporters had never been to these locations prior to coming to our Gettting to WOW! and Giving Back Mega Book Launch Events.

*We brought awareness and (hopefully) new business also to our amazing and generous sponsors who donated prizes and raffle drawings. Our sponsors are: Las Vegas Distillery, Crafthaus Brewery, Kona Grill, View Wine Bar & Kitchen, Distill, Blue Martini, Double Helix Wine and Whiskey Bar, Fleming’s, Mercadito, Top Dog Sitting Las Vegas, The Dog House, Salt Room LV, Jil-Ann Reardon, Crystals Style Studio, Dena Anderson, Elna Fisher, Devotion Vodka.  They have all been so generous and supportive.  We are grateful and blessed!

*Finally, we successfully raised awareness and support for Three Square LV, Southern Nevada’s Food Bank.

Through our sales of my book, Getting to WOW! Everybody WINS with 5 Star Service AND the sale of our raffle tickets at our Book Launch Events, we raised enough money to provide more than 1,500 meals for our neighbors in need! We are very happy and proud to partner with Three Square.  They serve more than 100,000 individuals in Southern Nevadas. The work that they do is selfless and extraordinary.

http://www.threesquare.org/

Moving forward, we will be continuing to partner with Three Square.  For every copy of Getting to WOW! that we sell, we will continue to share $3.00 with Three Square.  So, it’s not too late for you to participate.  If you have not yet ordered a copy, please do so today.  You will be supporting both a newly published author and a wonderful non-profit-Three Square.  If you already have a copy of Getting to WOW!, I trust you are finding it filled with valuable content, if so, I encourage  and suggest that you purchase yourself another copy to share with a friend, family member or co-worker.

If you are in any type of Service/Hospitality/ Customer focused industry, I would like to ask you to consider purchasing multiple copies for you to share with your staff and team.  I know that it can be of great value to your organization.  Please message me so we can discuss maximum value pricing for bulk orders.  I am currently talking with directors of a couple of the major hotel/casino properties on the Las Vegas Strip about large quantity orders of the book and group training.  I would love to serve you also in the same way.

http://www.gettingtowowbook.com/

 

 

Thank you to all of you who have participated, sponsored, promoted, contributed and purchased copies of Getting to WOW!

Finally, I would like to thank my Amazing wife Michelle for all of her assistance in making our Launch a huge success. Also, her/our daughter, Melissa was extremely helpful in making each event flow so smoothly.  Thank you so much.

The book and it’s author have been launched-NOW WE BEGIN PHASE 2

Thank you all for reading.  Please Share on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc.

I hope you are all still making 2015 your best year yet-I am!

God Bless and Cheers!

 

 

Christoff J. Weihman

ASPIRE Enterprises

Las Vegas, NV

Christoff@ASPIRE2WOW.com

 

No Bones About it, – TBones ChopHouse @ Red Rock, Delivers the WOW!

WELCOME BACK TO SOUPFLY!

Recently my wife, Michelle and I had a wonderful dining experience at a place that we’ve been to a few times previously.  This time, it was completely unplanned, impromptu and spur of the moment.  We  had dinner at TBones Chophouse at Red Rock Casino.  This restaurant is situated inside Red Rock Casino-a few miles from our home in Summerlin, Nevada.  Every time we’ve dined here with one exception, has been top notch.  About a two weeks ago on  a busy Saturday night and with no reservations we decided we would go have dinner somewhere. We already tried to get in at The HearthStone, which is also in Red Rock and recently opened.  But there it was at least  an hour wait. We didn’t want to wait that long, so we ventured to TBones.  They too, were very busy but only a 30 minute wait.  We put our names on the list and headed to the slot machines for some pre-dinner relaxation.

Upon arriving at Tbones about 30 minutes later, we were warmly greeted by the hostess, who remembered that we had put our names on the list.  We waited for a few minutes and were soon escorted to our table.  The hostess was personable and friendly.  Michelle and I usually prefer to sit in a booth side by side to one another but this time we were seated at a two top across from each other.  The table was pretty spacious for a two top.  Great for loading the table with all the plates and glasses soon to be brought out but not great for holding hands -it was quite a reach.  But the ambience is so beautiful at TBones, as is whom I was sitting across from-my wife.  At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like our location, as our table was right along the pathway to the kitchen.  So I knew that there would be a lot of traffic of TBones staff constantly going in and out and passing by us.  However, once I decided not to focus on it, I truly can say that I was not bothered nor was I aware of the flow of  people coming and going past us all evening.

“What you Focus on, Expands.”

As soon as we were seated and handed the menus by Sylvia, I noticed that our table was a bit uneven.  I asked if she could remedy it and without hesitation and cheerfully, she obliged. Within a few seconds she returned, not with coasters or cocktail napkins or linen napkins or sweetener packets (all of which have been used by service staff in the past to steady wobbly tables) but instead she had in her hand a couple plastic wedges that are made expressly for this purpose.  Now, you may be one who would normally just not mind if your table was slightly uneven.  Or you may care, but not want to ask a staff member to do something about it.  But this is the care and concern and attention to detail that the staff at TBones is known for.  She, doing that seemingly simple thing of taking time to properly level our table set a tone of welcome and excellent service.

Our main server was David, he was professional and classy, with the right balance of personality and professionalism. He was very knowledgeable about the menu and easily guided both Michelle and myself to dinner choices that we were both very happy with. He was assisted by Sylvia and Eric and some other food runners-whose names I did not catch.  This team worked so well together, each complementing the other in a true syncopated team fashion.  Juan, the sommelier, whom we had met when we dined here previously, came by to greet us and helped us in choosing a wine.  Tobin James Zinfandel, I believe- but because I didn’t take notes, I’m not one hundred percent sure. I do know that we thoroughly enjoyed it.  We were only a few minutes in and we were already having a very enjoyable experience.

We started with the lump blue crab cocktail, which is easily one of my favorite foods that I’ve ever eaten.  It’s just lump blue crab served in an iced cylinder and accompanied with spicy mustard and cocktail sauce. The slightly sweet flavor and tenderness of the crab just makes my palate sing. Yummy!

 

The highlight of the dinner, at least for me, was the tableside preparation of my Dover Sole Meuniere.  I had never orderd this ever and was really wanting to watch the presentation-the show as it were.  Although this dish is typically done in a brown butter sauce-they, without hesitation, accommodated my request to do it with olive oil rather than butter.  Rather than me explaining it-let’s watch it together.  Here’s Jesus-deboning my Dover Sole like a master.

The Dover Sole was one of the best fish entrees I’ve ever had.  Michelle had a filet and we shared the asparagus.

Everything about our dinner at TBones was excellent except for one small complaint: I ate some of the good but very crumby bread and therefore my side of the table was covered in crumbs.  They did not crumb my table- that is, remove the crumbs until after I finished my dinner-and that, only after I asked more than once for someone to do so.  Yes, that is a small thing but details do matter.  But as I quoted earlier-“What you focus on, Expands.”  I chose not to focus on it.  However, in the future, I expect that it will be done as a matter of course, rather than as a response to a request.

Neither Michelle nor I tend to eat dessert, but somehow I was in the mood, so we ended our evening with a couple of after dinner drinks a chocolate cake.  The manager, Jennifer came by our table and I mentioned to her about my book, Getting to WOW! Everybody WINS with 5 Star Service.  We told her how much we enjoyed our dinner. She expressed  interest in my book.  Happily, I gave her a copy.  Even management at establishments that get it and where they do things well, realize that training and constant honing of skills, techniques and attitudes is important in order to stay at the top of their game.  I trust that TBones will find value in the pages of my book. And I will say that Michelle and I won at TBones with 5 Star Service!

Speaking of my book, we are having our last (at least for a while) Getting to WOW! and Giving Back Mega Book Launch Event, this coming Sunday at Honey Salt in Summerlin.  Honey Salt is a great farm to table restaurant, owned by the husband and wife team of Elizabeth Blau and Chef Kim Canteenwalla.  Kim actually provided me content for a couple of the chapters for my book.  Also, I interviewed one of their managers and I mention Honey Salt in a couple of places in Getting to WOW! Everybody WINS with 5 Star Service.  If you live in Las Vegas, please join us this Sunday-here’s the Facebook Event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1588075888077284/

We are partnering with ThreeSquare LV-Southern Nevada’s Food Bank for this event and giving $3.00 to ThreeSquare for every copy of Getting to WOW! that we sell.  That provides 9 meals for the food insecure people of our community.  We are donating to ThreeSquare no matter what channel one purchases a copy of

Getting to WOW! through.   You may also get a copy here:

http://www.gettingtowowbook.com/

Thank you so much for reading.  If you like what you read in Soupfly, I encourage and invite you to share it on Social Media and to hit the Follow button.  I trust you are enjoying your week and hopefully warming up, wherever you may be in the US or worldwide.  I so appreciate all my readers.  If you are one who has received a copy of my book and you like, enjoy/resonate with what I’ve written, I would greatly appreciate if you would please go to Amazon and write a positive review of Getting to WOW! Everybody WINS with 5 Star Service.

http://www.amazon.com/Getting-WOW-Everybody-WINS-Service/dp/0692359192/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426787109&sr=1-1&keywords=christoff+j.+weihman

God Bless You and Cheeers!

Christoff J. Weihman

ASPIRE Enterprises

Las Vegas, NV 

 

 

Honey Salt & Hrair (Two Great Examples of Service & Hospitality Excellence)

 

WELCOME BACK TO SOUPFLY!

 

 

First I want to start by introducing you all to someone who truly understands Service & Hospitality.  No, this person is not the owner of the newest, hot restaurant on the strip.  Nor is this person a Michelin starred chef.  This person is not the most amazing server or bartender I’ve ever met.  In fact, this person doesn’t technically work in the Service & Hospitality industry.  I want to introduce you to Hrair-pronounced “ha-riah”.   Hrair, is the owner of Park Avenue Drycleaners in Summerlin, Nevada.  That’s right he’s my dry cleaner.

This is a guy who gets what I talk about in my book.  He understands about the importance of the greeting.  Even if he is in the back pre-occupied momentarily, he will acknowledge the customer standing at the front and tell them that he’ll be right there.  He always is smiling, and sometimes, I believe that I’ve heard him singing as he comes to the counter.  He has an unassuming demeanor,  a pleasant personality and a positive attitude about him.  Yes, he’s my dry cleaner.  Yes, my interaction with him is just for a few minutes once a week but I can tell you it is so refreshing to be a customer of someone like Hrair.

What else makes him so special?  For one thing, he is very accommodating.  What do I mean by that? Well, just as in how I order when I eat in a restaurant, yes, I do make modification requests, so too, I do the same, even when I go to the dry cleaners.  I don’t like the metal hangers that dry cleaners use. Rather than transferring my dry cleaned clothes when I get home to my own plastic hangers- I just bring them to Hrair when I drop off my clothes.  What else?  I don’t like the plastic that covers the clothes.  So, I request no plastic on my clothes.  Hrair, smiles, and says “yes” every time.  I know that my special requests probably takes him a bit more time to do my clothes.  But never once has he grumbled or complained-at least not to me.

Upbeat, positive, friendly, personable, accommodating-what more could one want in  a service provider?  Hrair is a true example of Service & Hospitality Excellence.  We can all learn from his simple yet effective example.  Oh, and he takes pride in his work.  How do I know this?  Because he asks me if I was happy with the way he did my clothes.  I don’t think any other dry cleaner that I’ve ever met has done this.  But you see, Hrair, cares about his work and about his customer’s satisfaction.

If any of my readers live in Las Vegas, and specifically the Summerlin area-I highly recommend that you give Hrair and Park Ave. Cleaners a try.  You will be very happy meeting and bringing business to this gentleman.

 

This past week my wife, Michelle and I have enjoyed two great dinners out-both at favorite restaurants of ours.

First, on Friday night, we dined at -Honey Salt in Summerlin.  Honey Salt is a farm to table style restaurant.  The staff there are friendly, upbeat and welcoming.  The owner-Kim Canteenwalla actually wrote a nice endorsement for my book a few months ago and provided some great content for the chapter entitled Getting to Know Your Guests.  Michelle and I both consider the octopus at Honey Salt to be the best we’ve had.  We’ve even had octopus at some finer establishments on the Las Vegas strip but none compare with the tenderness and taste of Honey Salt’s octopus.

Our server, Travis was very friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable.  He knew his wines and did a wonderful job presenting, decanting and pouring.  His team was helpful and we didn’t have to ask for anything except a serving spoon for the appetizer.  Michelle enjoyed the scallops-easily one of the best things on the menu.  For my entree I had the baked cod.  It was so moist and flavorful. Very enjoyable.  Travis always made sure that he was at our table within seconds of a course being served, to ensure that we were enjoying everything.  My only suggestion for improvement is that sometimes the runners would auction the food rather than knowing which of us ordered what-and they don’t always make it a priority to serve ladies first.

We always have a great dinner or brunch at Honey Salt.  The ambience and decor are very appealing, the seats-especially the booths are very comfortable.  The management staff are engaging.  The food and service are excellent.  My only question for you, my readers, is-if you live in Vegas and you have not yet made your way to Honey Salt-why not?  You absolutely must treat yourself and go-You will be very happy that you did.  In fact, we are having a Getting to WOW! and Giving Back Mega Book Launch Brunch on Sunday, March 22 at Honey Salt from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm.  Here is the link with the information.  Please come and Join us!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1588075888077284/

Our next Getting to WOW! and Giving Back Mega Book Launch Event will be Monday, March 16 at Fleming’s Townsquare from 4:30-6:30pm.  We are partnering with Three Square-Southern Nevada’s local food bank for all of our Book Launch events.

Our Goal is to raise $1000.00 for Three Square.  Thus far we’ve only hit about $200.00 of our goal.

YOU CAN HELP-We invite you to come to our events and not only support this new author-me, but to also help contribute to Three Square.

If you live in Las Vegas-please join us on March 16 at Fleming’s and on March 22 at Honey Salt.

https://www.facebook.com/events/744442549005397/

If you don’t live in Las Vegas and you wish to contribute-you may purchase a copy of Getting to WOW!-for $25.00-$3.00 of which will be donated to Three Square.

http://www.gettingtowowbook.com/

If you would like to contribute additionally, please message me and we will explain how to make that happen.

You may email me at: Christoff@ASPIRE2WOW.COM

And of course the team of Blau & Associates-Kim Canteenwalla and Elizabeth Blau, opened their newest  and much anticipated Andiron Steak and Sea yesterday in Downtown Summerlin.  Like many of our Las Vegas friends, Michelle and I are eager to dine at Andiron.  I know it’s going to be amazing!

 

I’ll tell you about our other great dinner from last weekend in my next post.

Thank you all for reading.  I invite you to like our Facebook page and to Share on Social Media.

Soupfly continues to add readers from new countries!  We want to welcome new readers from Andorra, Sierra Leone and Tunisia!!

God bless you all and Cheers!

I hope you are all still focused on making 2015 your best year yet!

Christoff J. Weihman

ASPIRE Enterprises

Las Vegas, NV