Christmas Already??

Wow, it seems like we just finished up the Car Shows and now Santa & the Gang are in town. And of course with that comes the Christmas Ships, which will come by 5 times this year. It makes for a very busy holiday season thanks to YOU, our Guests, and of course the Team!

I think the best part of the season is having the Team & their families in to decorate the restaurant. They all put their little touches on it--some give it more thought than others (Cassondra & Chele--their part will be finished around January). Then, when we’re all done, we give away some goofy gifts, partake in some really bad Holiday Trivia, and then pick someone to take a little trip to someplace warm. This year it’s Michael Watts & Racheal Johnson heading off to Cabo next week. Considering the wind chill factor, the timing seems pretty good right now.

It’s also a time of year where helping others is part of the season. We just helped with an event for the Free Clinic, a great community organization that truly takes care of those in need. They raised some pretty good money--it was nice to see people step up & donate to a very worthy cause in these tough times. But, that is no surprise. . .the people in this community are known for helping out BIG. I just want to say thanks to everyone who contributed at a very cool event. Nice job to the committee, “Friends of the Free Clinic.”

The Airport is coming along, although we’re probably about 2 weeks off of our projections for starting the remodel. If I had to guess, it will probably shut down around Mid –January at this point. We’ve had a lot of good people helping us with the project- Don, TJ, Rachel, Jeff, Les, Ron, Judy, Randy, Scott, Devon & Mike --just to name a few. Once we open the restaurant back up I think people are going to absolutely love the feel of the place. Yeah, you’re going to want to go there even if you’re staying in town. It’ll be a fun experience!

Well, gotta go. Chat with you again soon,

Mark

Holidays, Happenin's and Helpin' Out!

Well, back from vacation & right back into the thick of things. We had a very fun ‘Howl-oween Barkfest & Pet Parade’ recently. Marilyn put on a great event for our Guests, and the Team all dressed up to give it some ‘spirit’. Now it’s time to shift seasons and get ready for the Christmas Ships & all the Holiday parties. Our plan is to truly put you in the holiday mood with a very warm and inviting Christmas feel. Not quite “Christmas Vacation,” but it’ll look good!

The Airport project is in its final stages of design. We meet with the Team from the Port of Portland this week to get the blessing on our ideas. I think they’re gonna like it! Our goal when we’re done with the remodel at PDX is to create two different Beaches experiences not only with design, but also with the food & beverages. Mike & Aaron are working on creating a whole new menu with a tropical flair adding some wild new dishes (Don’t worry, we’ll have the tried & true favorites on there also). Mike made an appetizer the other night which I finished off completely. Had him make another one…. You know…. Just to make sure he could duplicate it! (It was that good.)

On the community front, we have donated $123,000 in cash so far in 2009. We have a few more things we want to do this year, so we’ll keep you posted. A fun thing we did with the Vancouver School District Foundation was to have each Board Member adopt a school. We took Washington Elementary School and will be doing a dinner for them at a Dinner Theatre event scheduled for November 17^th. Theresa and her Team do such a great job taking care of the kids & their families. If you’d like to help at the dinner--let me know!

And…all kinds of stuff today…One of our dear friends, Leslie Durst, made a suggestion for a second Charity Table when the ‘best table’ is booked. After all, it’s about making the donation that counts, and she has been very generous over the years. So, we are happy to say we now have the “Leslie Durst Back-Up Charity Table.” It may be the second best table, or we may just put you in the kitchen. Hey, it’s the back-up table! I don’t think Leslie has got the word yet, so I will be interested how fast it gets to her from our Facebook page here. Leslie does so much for our community that it is a privilege to have her recognized at the Beach!

That’s all for now. Chat with you again soon.

Mark

See Ya Next Week!

Taking a quick vacation to freshen up the old brain. Just want to say thanks to all of you who signed up on our Facebook page. We look forward to keeping you up-to-date on events, menu changes, specials, our community work, etc..

See ya in a week,

Mark

Your Vacation Starts Now!

That has always been the goal with You our Guests- give ya something more than just eating. We are taking it a few steps beyond the norm with the new location at the Airport. After all, why wait until you get to your final destination to start having Fun!

The design process is always interesting because it evolves as we think through every aspect of the guest experience. Not only should the service be our usual friendly atmosphere (sometimes ‘in your face’ approach), but we want you to get in that ‘mood’ of being someplace else. We’ve got a few little treats like full-size Cabanas where you can dine in privacy, or just enjoy the ambiance & illusion of being at the Beach. Bryan will be working on some tropical treats with Kathleen & Eddie, and Mike & Aaron will be testing some foods that give you the taste of the tropics. Now throw in a ‘beach display’ complete with sand, surf and maybe a beach buggy….. and voila…You’ve got the beginning of a whole new Beaches!

Besides all that fun, we’ve got a cool event coming up for Halloween. That would be the Howl-o-ween Barkfest. Marilyn and the Team at Vancouver have been working on a fun way to raise money for the local Humane Society, and give you something different for this crazy holiday. Make sure you look under events and get signed up. Yea, bring the dog!

As a final note, we’re always looking to make Beaches better, so drop me a note with your suggestions, thoughts, or just plain wild ideas.

See ya soon, Mark

What's Happenin'!

Thanks for tapping into our world. I opened Beaches in 1995 (Thursday, June 1^st, 1995 at 4:00pm with our first Guest Debbie to be exact), and it’s just been a cool ride ever since. Our goal here is to give you an experience- it’s got to be more than just eating. To do that you need a team of people who truly care about YOU. Since day one, I’ve been lucky to work with 100’s of people who have challenged us to be better.

I hope you get that feeling every time you visit the Beach!

Now, let me tell ya what I’ve been doing. It’s been busy lately working on the new restaurant at the Airport, which is currently operating as the Rose City Café. After the first of the year we will close it down, take over the Pendleton Store space, and turn it into a very ‘Tropical’ Beaches. We are in the design phase right now which also includes a take-out concept for those people on the ‘fly’. You’re gonna love it!!

We had a great Summer at Beaches Vancouver, and the Beaches Summertime Cruisin’s were a big success once again. Our Sponsors were a big help in our efforts to raise money for local kids, as well as all those Hot Rod & Bike enthusiasts. You probably know our main sponsors, but let me remind you . . .Les Schwab; The Columbian Newspaper; Maletis/Budweiser/Widmer; The Garage; Fred Meyer; and Umpqua Bank. We couldn’t raise the big bucks without them- please show them your support. I should have the final numbers as to the amount raised in about a week.

As a final note, just want to thank my teams at Vancouver & Rose City. They truly do a great job day in and day out for one simple reason . . . they care. That’s what makes it Fun!

Chat at you in a week,

Mark