October 30, 2015 – Next week, restaurant brokers Eric and Robin Gagnon are talking restaurant etiquette with Suzanne Wind an award winning author of the educational children’s book- The SMART Playbook, Chef Ivan Flowers the Executive Chef at Top of the Market and Cynthia Roden a certified etiquette consultant on their weekly Restaurant Radio show.
When it comes to restaurants are you handling yourself in the proper manner? We asked what we should do about cell phones and Chef Ivan says “using your phone while dining is like eating a pastrami sandwich during love making, it diminishes the experience.” What are some tips for families when going out with kids to a formal restaurant? Guest Suzanne Wind says “If I couldn’t control my kids it’s time to pay the bill and go home.”
These guests discuss the common issues guests deal with when it comes to dining in a restaurant including ways to distinguish who should pick up the check, and how you should deal with substitutions and modifications to your meals. Cynthia Roden says, “when sending back your meals, keep it low-key” The guests weigh in saying “send back food with grace and politeness” and “stay kind and considerate” are the golden rules for the restaurant.
Listen in as our guests discuss the unspoken rules for restaurant etiquette and how you better your restaurant experience for not only yourselfers but for others. Listen to the entire restaurant radio show on GLN the Good Living Network next week, Monday at 2pm EST and Tuesday at 9PM EST.
This Week’s Guests:
Suzanne Wind, the SMART Playbook
Suzanne Wind, the award winning author of the educational children’s book- The SMART Playbook: Game-changing life skills for a modern world. Her work as a manner and social skills expert has been featured on WCBS radio and FOX Good Day NY. Before kids, she was an international marketing executive in NYC. Her career and living overseas taught her the importance of knowing and using the common language of manners and social skills to being your best. Today she’s a mom with a mission, inspired to communicate social skills in a modern world to a new generation.
Ivan Flowers, Top of the Market
Chef Ivan Flowers brings 25 years of fine cuisine experience to Top of The Market. Prior to becoming Executive Chef at Top of The Market, Chef Flowers owned Fournos restaurant in Sedona, Arizona. Fournos received many accolades, including being named a top 25 restaurant in Arizona. He was also Executive Chef at L’Auberge de Sedona, the AAA Four-Diamond, Four Star award winning restaurant. While Executive Chef at L’Auberge de Sedona, Flowers completely re-designed the menus for the dining room, bar and catering. After this change, the customer satisfaction rating soared to 99 percent. Flowers has created extraordinary cuisine for some of the finest restaurants in Arizona, including T. Cooks at Scottsdale's Royal Palms Resort and the Phoenician's Mary Elaine's and Different Pointe of View. Flowers' passion for cooking came from his father, who was chef and owner of Rendezvous Restaurant in New York. He learned from his father that a good chef lets the food do the work with respect to flavor and presentation. This lesson has guided Flowers' elaborate career, earning he and the restaurants he has led an abundance of accolades and awards. This lesson has also made Chef Flowers an accomplished and sought-out teacher to aspiring chefs from around the world. Though his food is influenced from countries around the world, he combines a love for French and Italian cuisine with a passion for Mediterranean – what he likes to call "global fusion". Flowers prides himself on offering a healthy yet diverse menu, featuring organic products whenever possible with vegetables and herbs. His menus change to capture the best of each season, allowing Chef Flowers to creatively blend inspiration with the finest foods available. From 2001 to 2007, Flowers served as Executive Chef at Different Pointe of View in Phoenix, where his distinct menu earned praise from food critics around the world. Here, Flowers' "teaching kitchen" became regarded as one of the most coveted places for up-and-coming chefs to develop their skills and discover their own style. Different Point of View became the finest restaurant for high end cuisine for Hilton Hotels worldwide. Chef Flowers was bestowed the honor of one of the greatest Chefs globally for the Hilton Hotel Corporation. Prior to this role, Flowers was the lead instructor and chef of L'Ecole restaurant at the highly-respected Le Cordon Blue SCI Culinary Institute in Scottsdale. As chef and instructor, Flowers was responsible for educating an ongoing class of 30 students in classical French cuisine. In addition, he handled all restaurant operations including menu development, budgeting, forecasting and catering. During his tenure, L’Ecole received its highest Zagat® rating and went onto to a four month waiting list for reservations. Flowers’ culinary experience also includes serving as Chef de Cuisine at T. Cooks at the Royal Palms, where he contributed to the attainment of the restaurant’s fourth Mobile star and TOP 10 in Food Arts magazine. Other accomplishments was his role as Sous Chef at the Phoenician’s Mary Elaine’s, where he trained in a five-star setting with two James Beard award-wining chefs, Alessandro Stratta and George Mahaffey as well as Bradford Thompson who later in his career became a James Beard award winner. Flowers received his A.O.S. degree in culinary arts and restaurant management from Le Cordon Bleu SCI Culinary Institute in 1997. While attending Le Cordon Bleu, he was a Sous chef at ASU's University Club, as well as a Sous Chef at Scottsdale Center for the Arts. In addition to his culinary education, Flowers holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the New York Institute of Technology.
Cynthia Roden, Etiquette Leadership Institute
Cynthia Roden is a trained and certified etiquette consultant through the Etiquette Leadership Institute, an affiliate of The Protocol School of Washington, and The Etiquette Survival Group in San Luis Obispo, CA. Ms. Roden originally from Manhattan and New Canaan, CT spent several years as an advertising executive in New York City before relocating to Vero Beach, FL. She continued to use her experience in marketing, client relations and business development while working for several in-house and boutique advertising firms throughout Florida. In addition to having owned a specialty retail shop, Ms. Roden played a central role in her husband's law firm dealing with employee relations and training. Cynthia possess an affinity for public speaking, presenting seminars and workshops which has been facilitated through her extensive background in theatre and voice. Cynthia Roden holds a B.A. from Denison University in Granville, OH.
About We Sell Restaurants
We Sell Restaurants is the nation’s largest restaurant brokerage firm specializing in restaurants wanted (restaurants for sale), leasing a restaurant and franchise restaurant resale’s. The We Sell Restaurants brand is known nationwide for professionalism, industry knowledge, and unmatched service. They can be found online at www.wesellrestaurants.com. The firm is franchising their brand nationwide and has offices in Florida, Georgia, Colorado, Tennessee and South Carolina.
The We Sell Restaurants radio show will be on the air on GLN the Good Living Network next week, Monday at 2pm EST and Tuesday at 9PM EST. It is available for download on iTunes as well.