Seattle is all abuzz about Seattle Restaurant Week (SRW), a promotion that runs through Oct 27 at more than 150 local restaurants.  But most of the talk you hear on social media and the web is about how diners in Seattle can take advantage of the great deals during SRW -  but how about the ways restaurants can benefit from this two week extravaganza?

As they serve up delicious three-course dinners for just $28 (some offer three-course lunches for $15), it’s definitely an inexpensive way for restaurants to showcase themselves to people who are looking to venture out of their normal restaurant rut, willing to try something new, or taking advantage of great price break at special restaurants.

But for a restaurant, getting these first-time diners in the door is just step 1! The real task is turning these screaming deal dinner offers into repeat business and thus stock the pantry with diners to carry you through upcoming lean winter months. I’ve read traffic can double during RW – how do restaurants capitalize on that?

By using social media, of course!  But it’s not enough to post your SRW menu options to Twitter and Facebook – I’m already tired of participating restaurants doing nothing more than that! How are restaurants competing for hungry (and bargain-hunting!) diners with the 150 other participating restaurants?  For example, Bennett’s Bistro tweeted: “We’ve got 10 days of $28 3-crs meals ahead of us for @SeattleRW. Each day we’ll highlight one of the dishes you can get on the SRW menu!”  That promises fresh, creative info for the next two weeks, not the same old, same old!

My primary job at One Smart Cookie Marketing is offering this type of restaurant marketing strategy, helping restaurants turn social media prowess into repeat customers and raving fans. So here are 11 ways restaurants could use social media to maximize their results during SRW:

1. Follow SRW on Twitter and retweet some of their messages for cross promotion and extra visibiility
2. “Like” the SRW Facebook page and comment on their posts (and fan comments) – especially if they are about your restaurant!
3. Encourage your customers/fans to post their own pics from their SRW dinner on your Facebook page, and perhaps offer a prize for best food photo posted from your SRW menu
4. When diners check in, ask them if they follow you on FB or Twitter, and take their username; later, go post a message and thank them for dining with you
5. Don’t stop after that first interaction with new customers (see above)! Follow them back on FB/Twitter and start relationship/conversation to make them a repeat customer – people love to have restaurants acknowledge them in their online communities!
6. Make a short video of your Chef creating one of the SRW menu items – post it on your website/twitter/facebook to show what’s cooking!
7. Post status update on Twitter/Facebook to share what is the most frequent SRW menu combination ordered, and ask if customers have other suggestions – this turns into a full conversation of all your SRW menu items!
8. Welcome SRW diners prominently on the front page of your website, making it easy for them to find the info (link to special menu page) and dine with you!  Good examples of this are ART Restaurant and Rays Boathouse.
9. Conduct a raffle for SRW diners to win a behind the scenes kitchen tour with your Chef (bonus: when they enter, you have their email address and/or twitter/FB info for future correspondence with them!) – this also gives you something creative to tweet/post about
10. Offer a future deal for returning diners – I read about a Washington DC restaurant that handed out 2,000 gift certificates that entitled diners to take 50 percent off a bottle of wine when they returned after Restaurant Week.  Only 40 patrons did, an underwhelming 2%, but it is a way to encourage repeat visits and create raving fans
11. Display your Twitter/Facebook addresses prominently (in the check folio or table cards or front desk signage) – and track the increase during SRW!  That will give you a true sense of your ROI for this promotion

So, what other ideas do you have for restaurants to capitalize on Seattle Restaurant Week?  I’d love to hear your ideas!  And if you need help implementing some of these ideas for your restaurant, I’m here to help!

Most Seattle residents – new and longtime – are familiar with Dine Around Seattle, the semi-annual dining extravaganza that gives our wallets a break and our palates a treat.  Now that March has roared in like a lion, we present our 10 favorite reasons you should participate in this month’s Dine Around Seattle event:

1. Three-course dinners for just $30 at many of Seattle’s finest restaurants
2. If you live on the Eastside, you don’t have to worry about traffic on 520 – there are 10 restaurants on “your side” of the lake
3. Who wants to cook Sunday through Thursday? Boring! Put down your spatula and get out of the house – it’s someone else’s turn to cook!
4. Beignets! Two restaurants are serving up these fried doughy delights – bin on the lake is offering Sweet Cream Espresso Pot de Crème and Cinnamon Beignets, while Toulouse Petit is dishing up Beignets with Chicory Anglaise
5. The extended menu descriptions on the DAS website make it easier than ever to decide where to dine, all on one website
6. You can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all month at Lot No. 3 in Bellevue, with their Guinness-Braised Beef Short Ribs, Mustard Mashed Potatoes, Baby Carrots, and Orange-Shallot Gremolata
7. There are 51 – yes 51! – restaurants to choose from.  If you can’t find something you like, you aren’t trying!
8. ART Restaurant’s Bittersweet Tart, with “Fluffernutter” Ice Cream and Strawberry Preserves – who doesn’t love a good Fluffernutter?
9. A steal of a deal at lunchtime, with 3-course meals at a measly $15 (there are 19 restaurants offering lunch)
10. It’s Dine Around Seattle’s 10th anniversary -  it’s our duty to get out and celebrate!

Originally posted on Table Talk Radio

It’s not too early to start planning for one of the biggest eating and drinking days of the year – the Super Bowl!  Amateur party planners are already scurrying to pull together the perfect feast (Sun. Feb. 6, 3:30pm), and while we don’t know which teams you’ll be watching (sadly, not the Seahawks), we know your guests are expecting some delicious food.

To help you in your quest to score a culinary “touchdown”, we asked local food and wine professionals for their recommendations to make your Sunday a “Super” one – here we go!

Jason Franey, Executive Chef, Canlis Restaurant

I would suggest homemade boudin blanc with sour kraut and dijon mustard.  Our boudin blanc is made with a blend of chicken and pork, with eggs, cream and four-spice.  The sausage is deliciously rustic, able to be cooked on either the grill or poached in a blend of beer and water.  Because they’re so light, you can eat these suckers all game long. To drink, football needs beer.  So to pair, we’re drinking Ommegang Rare Vos, a Belgian style ale from Cooperstown NY.  It has great hoppy notes of plum, apple, and citrus.

Roger Gamache, Gamache Vintners

I would do chicken wings, with homemade hot sauce marinated overnight, then bar-b-cued with smoked mesquite chips. And a vegetable dish with Uncle Dan’s dipping sauce. To drink, Gamache Vintners White Riesling with the veggies and dipping sauce. I’d pair our Gamache Vintners Syrah with hot wings…and Negra Modelo dark in the interim. Plus a shot of Crown every time the Seahawks score. This way everything has its purpose initially, but we do mix it up some times. It’s all about the fun!

Ben Friedman, Owner, Homegrown Sustainable Sandwich Shop

For the Super Bowl, you need to accomplish two things with your food selection: capture the tastes of the season while simultaneously avoiding the use of plates and cutlery.

For these reasons, I would recommend our Roast Pork sandwich with Stumptown coffee + cayenne rubbed pork loin topped with arugula, pickled red onions, apple butter + sage aioli. The herb and spiced cider notes compliment the spicy pork perfectly.

The Roast Pork sandwich also pairs really well with our favorite seasonal beer: Pike Brewery’s Auld Acquaintance, seasoned with orange peel, coriander, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Together, they’re as good a combination as your favorite wideout and running back.

Julien Perry, Food writer, Seattle Weekly

I like pairing either a Pilsner, Lager, or IPA with traditional Super Bowl snack foods, like wings, nachos, tots and pizza. I consider myself a dedicated wine drinker, but when it comes to Sunday mornings or afternoons, especially when football is involved, I am a beer drinker all the way! I think the important thing with heavy junk foods (see above) and beer is to go for a lighter beer so your taste buds aren’t completely tackled by flavor and structure. Yeah, I just made a football pun.

Jerald Armstrong, Assistant Manager, ART Restaurant

A quick trip to Whole Foods or DeLaurenti’s solves all your problems. Load up on pita, hummus, marinated eggplant, olives (several varieties), cured meats, and then get a selection of cheese from the cheesemonger, such as Fromage blanc, sheep’s milk, feta, cumin gouda, etc. Basically you are creating a Mediterranean buffet. The wines should be tasty AND inexpensive … so you can drink more. Try a Vermentino from Sardinia, a tangy, dry mouth watering white and a ’09 Cotes du Rhone Rouge red.

Heidi Kenyon, Culinary Director, Dish It Up Gourmet Cooking Store

I like boeuf- bourguignon for parties because it can be made well in advance and it only gets better with time. One could make this in morning and then serve it from a Crock Pot, where it could stay at the perfect temperature. One great trick to wine pairing is “bridging,” where you use the same wine in the dish as you are serving with it; it makes pairing easy. Although boeuf bourguignon is of course traditionally made with a Burgundy (which is Pinot Noir), I like to use something a bit heavier in stew. I would select a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Cab Franc, a Malbec, etc.

Braiden Rex-Johnson, Author, Northwest Wining and Dining

I would brine a turkey breast to slice and serve with a Cascabel pepper mole sauce. I’d probably pair it with a well-aged Syrah to pick up the peppery/smoky notes in the sauce.

Greg Atkinson, Chef/Author/Instructor, West Coast Cooking

I’m not much of a football fan, but I am a big fan of Juanita’s tortilla chips from Hood River, Oregon. They are the perfect chip for scooping up Michoacán style guacamole. Made famous by Diana Kennedy, this avocado salad is built on a foundation of finely diced ripe pear, even finer diced onion and jalapeno peppers and a generous squeeze of lime juice. The finishing touch is a handful of pomegranate arils or seeds. The traditional accompaniment would be beer of course — I like the super hoppy barley wine from Pike Place Brewery — but avocado, like butter, makes any good tasting wine taste even better; it seems to work especially well with varietals from Burgundy, so you could pair this with any Northwest-grown Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.

Lisa Dupar, Chef/Owner, Pomegranate Bistro and Lisa Dupar Catering

I think Spire Dark Hard Apple Cider paired with maple bacon grilled gorgonzola cheese sandwiches on artisan wheat would be yummy!

Yashar Shayan, Certified Sommelier, Seastar Restaurant

This year, when you’re watching the big game with a big bowl of chili, chili dip, chili nachos or a chili dog, why not take it to the next level and pair it with some lovely Garnacha from Spain. The Tres Picos by Borsao is loaded with notes of smoke and black pepper to pair with chili of all types, and its medium body means it will pair with your chili whether it’s con carne or pollo, or even turkey or vegetarian chili.

Brian Scheehser, Executive Chef, Trellis Restaurant

My recommendation would be a Trellis BBQ pork sandwich and some of our Saint Louis BBQ ribs, homemade potato chips, and a frosty Pliny Elder (Russian River, IPA)

Shona Milne, Woodinville Wine Update

I’d suggest bean dip with chips and some veggies, paired with an Oregon Pinot Noir. This is easy to fix, and easy to eat. It doesn’t even require the commitment of a plate -you can just dip as you go by! This is a good dish for vegetarians and the Pinot Noir doesn’t overpower the flavors of the dip.

The winner Greg Barnes (center) and team Teriyaki Donut

It was a day full of Willy Wonka moments.

From the playful and creative costumes worn by many of the competitors, to the crystal clear crisp cold Seattle morning, to the Amazing Race-like mad dash through the city, to the culmination on a postcard perfect day atop Kite Hill at Gasworks Park, to the big surprise gifted to the crafty winner – it was a sweet deal for all.

Those Canlis brothers sure know how to throw a party – and start off New Year’s Eve 2010 in Seattle with a most remarkable experience that would Light Up Seattle in festive fashion.

If you’ve been following along the past few months, you know that 50 winners of the daily Canlis Menu scavenger hunt were invited to compete in one final game on Dec. 31. They arrived in teams of three at the Canlis restaurant at 10 a.m. on New Years Eve, many adorned in creative costumes, ready to search for the ultimate prize – an annual dinner for two at Canlis, for life! The catch – you have to give away the dinner away, as an act of charity.

Team Scooby Doo!

After teams were finally all registered, and fueled up on donated Top Pot Doughnuts, Mark and Brian Canlis climbed the roof atop the restaurant and launched the race at 10:39 a.m. The teams bolted with five clues, each on a snippet of colored paper, and only a few rules – don’t speed, don’t trespass and you don’t need to do anything dangerous to solve a clue.

And there was one last request – unique but completely appropriate- for a social media event. The brothers asked the teams to maintain “radio silence” in terms of social media, imploring them not to post clues and/or thoughts on Facebook and Twitter. “This game is for you, not them!” Mark and Brian told the racers! Ha, I thought, 90% of life really is showing up – especially today! I know many wanna-be racers, especially those on Facebook, were upset to not be able to follow along, but they should have gotten out of bed and joined the call for volunteers. It was soooo worth it!

THE FIVE CLUES

The clues were not in any particular order, and it was up to each team to decide in what order to solve them and how to pursue them across the city. Some immediately bolted in their cars to begin the chase, but others decided to remain in the parking lot to solve all five clues first, then plot out an efficient route. Teams were allowed to have “phone a friend” privileges, so many were calling in the clues to their home teams to research on web and help solve.

Once teams figured out a clue at arrived at its location, they received a sticker for their name tags. Once they collected all five solutions/stickers, they were given an envelope with a poem (written by Mark and Brian Canlis) that would give them yet another clue. If they “solved” the poem, they would realize they needed to head to Gasworks Park, where they would find out there was still another clue to decipher to reveal the location of the magical Dinner For Life gold card.

50+ "wandering letters" roamed around Gasworks Park

CAN’T DO IT ALONE

As the teams raced off down Aurora Avenue to begin their quest, nearly 50 volunteers arrived at the Canlis penthouse about 11 a.m. to offer their services as additional “pieces” to the game. Many were frustrated clue hunters from earlier days of the contest, who wanted to participate somehow, even vicariously through the competing teams. Each was given a black t-shirt to wear, with a large white letter on the back, with every letter of the alphabet represented (except x and z). The shirts also had a slip of paper with a number (nine, two, etc) stapled to them.

“We wanted to include the whole city in our birthday celebration but we had to pare it down (the 50 clues contest),” Mark Canlis explained to the volunteers. “ But today we are including the whole city again. The teams are all hunting for something they can’t have, with the idea to give it away is better than receive. But they need your help, because they can’t do it alone. You are an integral piece of the game.”

As the volunteers, including the Canlis brothers, restaurant employees and their extended families (even me!) donned their shirts, Mark and Brian told us we were headed down to Gasworks Park, perfectly framed outside the Canlis windows, to “mill around” and essentially just wait for something to happen. Our only instructions: if a competitor comes up to you and “asks” for something, all you can tell them is the number you were given. So for example, I was wearing a t-shirt with an “H” on the back, and if anyone asked me for a clue, all I could tell them was “nine”.

The final clue - key was "light up Seattle"

THE FINAL DESTINATION

So at high noon, about 50-60 of us arrived at Gasworks, ready for anything (we didn’t know where the prize was hidden). I trudged up the frozen grass of Kite Hill, wanting to get a great view of whatever was to happen – and I kept a keen watch on both Brian and Mark, figuring they would be where the action was! Of course they were playing Frisbee much of the time so I was a little worried about how long we would be out here! It was pretty funny to watch our Zombie walking letters roaming the park, and the stunned looks of other visitors to the park, wondering what they had stumbled into here!

About 12:20 p.m., nearly two hours after the shotgun start, team #17 (finders of Menu 17 at Marsh Island near UW) was the first team to arrive, wearing a variety of racers gear. After a few bewildering glances around the park, they eventually figured out to ask the “wandering letters” if they had something for them, and began gathering pieces of the answer, and sharing them via cell phone with their helpers at home. The second team on the scene was team #39 (found Menu 39 at Museum of Flight), named “Teriyaki Donut”, and they all oddly headed for the fence surrounding ironworks, appeared to be looking for answer in there.

Team Frango For The Gold thought they had won! But no...

Next on the scene was was Team #34 “Frango For the Gold” (Menu 34 at Nordstrom) all adorned in yellow costumes. They ran up Kite Hill and began to celebrate, apparently thinking they had won and it appeared to surprise them all that just arriving there was NOT the solution! A few other teams arrived shortly after that, and quickly clued into gathering info from the “wandering letters”. Many collected all of the letters “numbers” clues, but then seemed puzzled about how to solve that info. That was the key – what kind of order do we put these letters and numbers in to find the prize location?

WHY GASWORKS?

New Year’s Eve of 1873 was the first time that gas lamps lit 42 private homes and five public streets, thanks to the Seattle Gas Light Company. The gas for the region’s first private utility was manufactured from coal, and in 1906, Gasworks was built to construct a plant to manufacture gas from coal. After nearly 50 years of gas manufacturing, the plant became obsolete (thanks to natural gas) in the 1950’s and later became a city park.

“We are always at the restaurant looking down here at the city and Gasworks,” said Brian. “We wanted to figure out how we could ‘Light Up Seattle’ and ignite people’s hearts to give back.”  So, here we were, New Year’s Eve 2010, at Gasworks Park!

BURIED TREASURE

The big prize - annual Dinner for Life

About 1 pm, I spied Greg Barnes from team Teriyak Donut”, race over to Brian and begin asking questions. He then darted off to a patch of grass behind a bench overlooking the lake and he and his teammates began digging madly and combing fingers through the grass. Others teams noticed the activity and began racing towards spot and digging too! But something was definitely wrong, as even Mark and Brian were helping them dig to no avail. Did someone steal the clue? I envisioned a dog trotting around the city with the coveted gold card.

After a few panicked moments, there was a cheer and Greg held up a small envelope – the winner! And guess what? Inside was not just one Gold Card to give away to a charitable group or individual (per contest rules) but a second card, which was for Greg to enjoy – truly a Willy Wonka moment. Yup the Canlis brothers did it again, throwing another delightful curve/prize into the game, just when it seemed they had done it all.

Solving the puzzle using a clue from the poem

THE SECRET CODE

So you are probably wondering how they knew where to dig. Here’s the story:

In the poem, the last three words were in bold, Light Up Seattle, which is the Canlis’ motto for their 2011 philanthopic campaign. If teams took the number associated with each of those letters, and put them in order to spell that phrase, it would indicate a latitude/longitude that would tell them where to dig (found by using Google maps)

L = 47 dot I= 6 G= 44 H = 9 T= 3 U=1 P= comma, space S= -1 E=2 A= 2 dot T= 3 T=3 L= 578 E= 2

That gave you the coordinates: 47.644931, -122.335782

Entering that info in Google Maps showed you exactly where to dig to find the cards

GIVERS GAIN

As I thought about the day, my overriding thought was “giving” – teams that competed so hard for a prize they had to give away; volunteers giving up 4-5 hours of time in freezing temperatures on New Year’s Eve; Canlis’ generosity for doing the contest in the first place, let alone giving a second “Dining For Life” card to the winner.

As a Social Media professional, I’m still stunned that the Canlis Menu Hunt hasn’t become a national story because it has so many intriguing elements. At the very least it’s a beautiful case study for social media contests, especially for a restaurant, although that would be so limiting to say this is unique to their industry. Any company could learn a boatload about Social Media by studying the Canlis’ effort over the past three months – building a community, maintaining daily engagement, importance of authenticity, extreme generosity, creating excitement, to name a few. And for naysayers who still think it’s still just about getting “butts in the seats” and making more money for the restaurant, I say boo-hoo to you! You MISSED IT, both the point of the contest and the amazing outcome, and for that I am disappointed for you. The Canlis brothers created a unique social media engagement model that will be copied and spun off into variations for months and years to come. And for that, we thank you!

Paula found clue #28 at the old Twin Tee Pee's site - and Brian Canlis is happy!

Obviously, every restaurant can’t be Canlis, the grand old lady of Seattle fine dining. While your restaurant might not boast a wonderful, award-winning 60-year history, you can learn some solid best practices from their current talk-of-the-town “hidden menu” contest and apply them in an appropriate way to your social media efforts. Here are 10 lessons I think all restaurants can learn about how to run a knockout contest using social media:

1. People want to feel special Exclusivity is sexy; Canlis is brilliantly using social media exclusively to distribute the clues each day, meaning you are an “insider” if you are following them on Twitter or Facebook. There’s no other way to get the info!  Insider info/access makes your fans feel special and value the prize even more.  How can you make people feel like “insiders” while trying to win your game or contest?
2. People love to play games We’re all children at heart and we’ll do crazy things to win games, even chasing all over the city looking for a rolled up piece of paper from 1950! Think about how you can position your contest in a game/competitive format, and watch as even more people will participate.Your prize doesn’t have to be as expensive or cherished as the Canlis dinner offer, but what will compel people to participate in your game, hopefully in a fun way?
3. People love attention Communicating with your fans on social media on a regular basis (i.e. every single day for months, like the Canlis brothers are doing!) builds rapport and goodwill. This frequent communication and contact leads to loyalty and relationships, and you may even get to know them by name.  And isn’t that the “Cheers” model – “sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name”.
4. People want to feel smart Canlis contestants must use their knowledge of Seattle history (or their ability to learn it quickly) to win this daily clue contest. If you can include some knowledge or info about your company as a requirement to win your game, that’s a double win!  Ala Mode Pies did this beautifully on Twitter last summer, running a week-long promotion that required people to visit their website daily to discover answers or details about the company to win free pie. What info can you impart about your restaurant during your contest, to increase your visibility and accomplish your goals?
   Clue #28: Seashells below, smoke rising above, the old Canlis landlord and a colonel unite. #canlismenus

   November 19, 2010 3:59 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

   

   @bcanlis

   Brian Canlis
5. People like unique prizes/experiences Canlis is offering something quite valuable (dinner at 1950s menu prices) that has never been offered before. Rather than just giving another standard issue gift card, or a 2-for-1 offer, they made the stakes high enough to create a frenzy around winning.  And the method is a treasure hunt – you have to leave your computer to win!  If you offer a one-time prize – say, to your 1000^th follower – as soon as the prize is won, everyone stops playing and your momentum may be lost.  The beauty of the Canlis contest is that they’re doing it over a two-month span, allowing LOTS of winners and keeping the game alive. What unique prize can you offer that will be worth playing for and give extended/ongoing value to your restaurant?
6. People need people Most of us long to be part of the” bigger picture” and be a good member of our community. Canlis is helping building pride in our city and expanding knowledge about the place we call home – people are even studying state history and predicting locations where the menus might be hidden!  Also, by conducting the game on social media, people are making new friends and communicating with other fans they didn’t previously know but now have found something in common with. How can you help your fans connect with a larger group outside themselves and enrich their lives?
   @SeaCat32 CONGRATS! I just knew you would find a #canlismenus! Welcome to the Fabulous 50!

   November 26, 2010 5:27 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

   

   @paulaj1967

   Paula Johnson
7. People have different learning styles Canlis has done a great job of mixing up the types of clues they give – word play, puzzles, facts, dates, pictures, etc. This helps ensure everyone has a chance to win, because what might be an obvious clue to you, is a stupefying mystery to me! The constant changeup gives hope that “some day” there will be a clue I can figure out! Mix up your method and try a variety of styles, tones or tactics during your promotion, so everyone feels they have a chance to win?
8. 

   Brian and Mark Canlis (in hats) at Nordstrom with the two winners on Black Friday

   People want access to you, Believe it or not, people want to know there’s “a man behind the curtain!” Brian Canlis (and Mark) frequently respond to fan comments and questions on Twitter/Facebook, and they are extremely accessible.  They are doing all the leg work, posting messages on their social media accounts, personally hiding the menu each day, taking pictures with the winners, etc.  They are very hands-on and their fans LOVE it.  How can you put more of “yourself” and your restaurant into your contest and give people a closer glimpse of who you really are?

9. People love a good surprise While everyone thought the 50 days of Canlis menu hiding “was” the contest, the brothers threw us a curveball midway through by announcing there would be a much larger Part 2 of the contest.  All 50 winners are invited to play a grand finale game this New Year’s Eve, with a HUGE prize dangling at the end for just one winner. It was a big shock – and pleasant surprise! – and suddenly made finding one of those darn menus an entirely new ballgame!  What bonus or extra can you add to your promotion to reward your fans and extend the life of the game?
10. People want to be generous The beauty of the bonus in the Canlis contest is that the grand prize winner gets to GIVE AWAY a yearly dinner for two to Canlis FOR LIFE! Yes, people are competing to win something they are going to give away – and that’s just awesome. Canlis is allowing people to experience not only receiving a great gift (the free dinner they win by finding a menu), but more so the higher pleasure of giving that gift to someone else more deserving.  This is going to be tougher to figure out for your restaurant, but what can you do in the spirit of giving to others, beside the original prize of the promotion?

So there you have it, my advice as a social media consultant for restaurants, about how to run a smashing contest like Canlis, with or without the prestige, history or budget they obviously possess.  It can be done, with a little imagination and a generous dash of fun. I’d love to hear other ideas or lessons you’ve learned from Brian and Mark Canlis and their WillyWonka-esque contest…the comments section below is now open!

NOTE: For a comprehensive look at the various blogs, articles, interviews and videos about the Canlis Menu Hunt, please visit my other site here

You might have thought Canlis Restaurant in Seattle had already torpedoed themselves to the top of Marketing Mountain with their brilliant scavenger hunt/clue contest.  And if you have to ask what I’m talking about, catch up quick by jumping over to this post or this post to get caught up.

At roughly midway through their “dine at 1950′s prices” promotion in concert with their 60th anniversary, Canlis has gone all Willy Wonka on us with a Game Strategy 2.0 that will surely be remembered for a very long time…at least for those of us social media addicts using Twitter and Facebook to follow the daily clues!

As some of the lucky winners have begun redeeming their found menus in return for $4 lobster and 60 cent onion soup, a bonus has been revealed.  Yes, the contest that launched in disguise as a reward for a lucky, select few, has turned into a test of one’s goodwill (more on that later). Like Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket Giveaway, Canlis is offering a few lucky people the chance to find a gold-etched card with amazing benefits. Yes, they’ve been presented with a letter detailing the search for the ultimate prize – DINNER FOR LIFE at Canlis!!!  At first read, it is unbelievable and almost absurd – just as I’m sure Charlie Bucket felt when he found one the five Golden Tickets hidden in a Willy Wonka chocolate bar.  It’s crazy, amazing and still true – and brings to mind many parallels between the Canlis brothers and the eccentric chocolate maker:

• Intrigue Creates Frenzy – There was an air of mystery about Willy Wonka and his factory, as the townspeople had never seen anyone enter…or leave.  So the clever chocolatier created a contest to debunk the myths and satisfy their curiosity – five lucky winners would get a personal tour of the factory from the man himself. Certainly there’s a sense of intrigue about Seattle’s iconic fine-dining restaurant Canlis, as many younger residents have never eaten there and often think of it as “their grandfather’s restaurant”. Willy and the wily Canlis boys all created amazing intrigue about “what’s inside” that fueled the frenzied passion in a city to win the prize – and what a fun prize!
• Competition is Fierce: Wonka hid only five golden tickets among thousands of chocolate bars, creating enormous odds against finding one. The creative third-generation Canlis owners – Brian and Mark – offered the chance for only 50 lucky winners to experience Canlis at unheard-of prices (ordering off the original 1950 menu).  The catch is that you have to be 1) smart – solve the tricky clue, 2)  lucky – physically within minutes of where the clue is hidden, and 3) willing to run around Seattle like a crazed treasure hunter with hundreds of competitors on your heels!
• Hidden Rewards are Special: Wonka didn’t reveal that his contest actually had a much bigger prize awaiting one worthy person – becoming the heir to the chocolate factory. So those five children who entered the factory had no idea there might be another reward – they were there for a tour and free chocolate! The Canlis brothers have recently revealed that their contest also has a hidden reward – the chance to compete on New Year’s Eve for a lifetime prize, for one who is worthy of topping all the others in a promised “difficult journey”.
• Legacy is the Real Gold: Eventually, Charlie Bucket was offered the keys to the chocolate kingdom, as the lone child not dispatched by Wonka before the end of the tour – and for being honest. After being allowed only one chocolate bar per year (on his birthday), he suddenly was presented with not only chocolate for life, but ownership. And as for that Canlis lifetime prize – there’s a catch.  You have to give it away! (what?? keep reading…)
• No Glory for the Selfish: Four of the five children allowed inside Wonka’s factory were eventually jettisoned for bad behavior (gluttony, sloth, envy, greed – good deadly sin stuff!), leaving only the model child Charlie left in good standing. And that, along with his honesty at the end, is the good behavior that ultimately wins him the grand prize. As for the Canlis prize, you have to GIVE AWAY the free annual dinner for two to their restaurant! Holy about-face, Batman! In their letter, the brothers say “Our greatest joy at Canlis has been treasuring those opportunities to feed the city when it was needed the most. May you meet those who need it most and send them to our door. We’ll take care of the rest.”  Now that is philanthropy.

So, the gauntlet has been thrown: how many of the 50 Canlis menu-finders will be selfless enough to throw their hat into the circus on New Year’s Eve, and compete in a heated battle for the ultimate prize — only to give it away to others? How hard would you compete for a prize you can’t even keep?

Yes, the benevolent Canlis brothers are granting the golden opportunity for one selfless, worthy person to become not only Seattle’s Charlie Bucket, but its Willy Wonka too.  A city anxiously awaits…

NOTE: I’d love to hear whatever parallels you draw between Wonka and the Canlis brothers – the comments below await!

The delicious month-long promotion runs Nov. 1 – 30 (Sundays through Thursdays) at 38 top restaurants in the greater Seattle area, with 3-course dinner menus offered for just $30, and many offering $15 lunch deals. It’s a great opportunity to get out and try a few new restaurants, or at least some new dishes at your old favorite hangouts, many of which will showcase fresh pomegranates as a featured ingredient.

In partnership with POM Wonderful, the California-produced juice, there is also a “POM a’licious” cocktail contest that features a grand prize 6-day trip for two to the Island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea. Each D.A.S. restaurant will offer a signature $7 pomegranate cocktail, and after you try them all (or a few!) you can vote for your favorite at this Seattle Met magazine site.

To save you time, I did a quick scan of all 38 restaurant menus to see what delicious dishes and pomegranate pleasures were in store this month.  As you might expect, there were the typical pomegranate vinaigrettes, sauces and glazes, and quite a few pomegranate sorbets and panna cottas in the lineup.

But I was looking for something a little more ambitious and creative, and several dishes caught my eye (or my stomach?); here’s a quick rundown:

Shaken, Stirred or Blended (Cocktails)

• POM and Prosecco (Assaggio)
• POM + Circumstance (bin on the lake)
• POM Royale (Chez Shea)
• POM Margarita (Cutter’s Bayhouse)
• POM Sundae (Regatta Bar & Grille)

Most Pom for your Buck (most offer one pomegranate dish; these offer many!)

• ART Restaurant – 4 choices
• Regatta Bar & Grille – 4 choices
• Plum Bistro – 3 choices (and it’s a Vegan restaurant!)
• Salish Lodge & Spa -3 choices

Most Promising Use of Pomegranate in a Starring Role

• Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs (ART Restaurant)
• Pomegranate Chipotle BBQ Sauce with Espresso-Rubbed Pork Porterhouse (Regatta Bar & Grille)
• Pomegranate Risotto (Calcutta Grill)
• Pomegranate Molasses or Glaze on grilled Salmon (several)

Dessert Worth Shaking your Pom-Poms For

• Pomegranate Cheesecake (Barrio, Bellevue & Seattle)
• Layered Pomegranate White and Dark Chocolate Mousse (Regatta Bar & Grille)
• Pumpkin Pound Cake with Pomegranate Spiced Cream (Bastille)

So what restaurant will you visit first? Let me know in the comments below. And don’t forget to imbibe in a few of those specialty pomegranate cocktails – and then vote and cross your fingers for that trip to Cyprus!

NOTE: Think you have what it takes to be a restaurant critic?? Dine Around Seattle has another contest that might interest you, called “So You Think You Can Write?”  Submit your DAS restaurant review for a chance to win two $30 gift certificates for participating restaurants – worth playing for!

Third-generation owner Mark Canlis

You’d have to be living in a cave to have missed all the excitement and chatter surrounding Canlis Restaurant over the past 10 days.  The iconic Seattle restaurant is celebrating its 60^th birthday by hiding replicas of its 1950 menus at various historic spots all over the city, and issuing daily clues via social media as to their location. The lucky “finder” each day earns the right to dine at Canlis at 1950’s menu prices, a bargain indeed.  To get more inside scoop on Seattle’s hottest topic, I spoke by phone with co-owner Mark Canlis – as he was sitting on a park bench waiting for clue-seekers to find Wednesday’s hidden menu at the Ballard Locks! 

What was your inspiration for the menu contest? 

MC: Since we were celebrating a big birthday – our 60^th – we wanted to play a big game.  As brothers, we (Mark, Brian and Matt) always played lots of games growing up, and it’s just the way we were raised.  We even play laser tag as a staff when the restaurant is closed! So we wanted to throw a big birthday party for the whole town and started thinking about what would be a fun game to play. 

So how did you decide to use Social Media (Twitter and Facebook) as a key component for the game? 

MC: Over the past few years, we’ve been a little slow to get involved in social media – and honestly, we didn’t see a ton of uses for it in the restaurant industry. But as we thought more about the kind of game we wanted – something significant and substantial and fun – we realized that social media was a great way to include the new generation of young diners.  We have 2 kinds of diners – those that have been coming here forever and can afford it, and those who maybe can’t afford it right now, and it might be their first visit to our restaurant.  We call them “attachers”, the second and third generation of diners who are really into the food scene.  And they are active in social media, and this is their language. 

How do you feel about some who have said this is the best restaurant use of Twitter “ever”? 

MC: It feels really good.  When you pour your heart and soul into something, it feels great to be praised for your efforts.  We really wanted to do something the whole city could get into – because who wants to throw a party and have no one show up?! But we feel like there’s such great history in Seattle, such wealth and depth to the city and the land, that we wanted to do something that everyone would want to participate in. 

Well I think you’ve accomplished that!  Are you surprised at the success and wide reach it’s had so far? 

MC: We had no idea, and we certainly didn’t anticipate the flurry of attention it’s gotten!  We thought we’d do this mellow little promotion, and walk around the city haphazardly hiding some clues – who knew people would be writing and talking about it all over the country!? Some might say it was risky to run a contest for the whole city, but it’s been a lot of fun and it’s great for Seattle. And that was our goal.   

Speaking of goals, how will you measure the success of the promotion at the end of the two-month contest? 

MC: Well, certainly we would love more guests to come dine with us, but truthfully, we just wanted to serve the city in a really fun way.  We wanted to help promote camaraderie and pride and patriotism in the area, and have people pay attention to the story of our city and its rich history.  Canlis has played a small and humble role in defining the city over the last 60 years, and we want others to help keep the legacy going. 

Some players on Twitter and Facebook have mentioned “staking out” you and Brian, so they can follow you around and get a jump on the daily clues.  Does that worry you – or scare you?! 

MC: Not at all!  We were both in the military, in special ops, so we aren’t concerned about them at all.  We have ways around that…also, we are altering the time we release clues each day, partly for that reason. 

I know you also use a PR firm (Richmond PR) and I’m curious what role they play in helping with this promotion. 

MC: Brian and I generated the contest idea itself, just sitting around and talking about what we could do. And we have no problem coming up with ideas for the clues – we have a list of about 100 different places all over the city we might use and only 50 days to use them!  What we do is test the ideas with our staff and decide which will work the best.  We use Richmond to help us manage the process; with such an amazing number of media people contacting us, they’ve been great to help manage those requests.  We also do a quarterly newsletter and lots of restaurants have publicists handle that duty, but Brian and I are totally involved in the work.  I write most of the content and Brian does the design and photos, and we think that’s important. 

Follow the treasure hunt daily (except Sunday) through Dec. 11 – clues on the Canlis Facebook page and Twitter feed 

In case you are wondering, here are “Seattle Landmarks” that have had a hidden clue so far: 

• Fremont Troll
• Seattle Public Library (downtown)
• Gasworks Park
• Blue Moon Tavern
• Ballard Locks
• Space Needle
• Starbucks (Capital Hill)
• Burgermaster (near Microsoft)
• Ballard Locks

"People's Choice" winner Chef Bobby Moore of the Barking Frog and event maven Jamie Peha

The last thing I imagined I would be doing on a football-packed Sunday in October was helping judge a lamb cooking contest. And yet there I was, at the 2nd annual Lamb Jam Seattle at Bell Harbor International Conference Center last Sunday, sitting with eight experienced judges in a secluded room about to be teeming with wonderful wine and tantalizing lamb dishes.

And let me just tell you – this wasn’t your Grandma’s dry leg of lamb with mint jelly, served up on an old white platter to the family on Easter Sunday!  For many that aren’t familiar with the variety and complexity of American lamb, this is often the mental image that comes to mind – or maybe that was just for me!.  But that was not to be on this Sunday, not with this competition featuring 21 outstanding local chefs about to perform their magic on four basic cuts of American lamb.

Voted "Best in Show" - grilled lamb shoulder confit on creamy parsnips

Our task as judges – and we did enter willingly! – was to taste all 21 lamb dishes, along with 21 wines paired specifically for each dish.  We had about 2.5 hours to sample, savor and score each dish, as they came out rapid fire every 6 minutes from the kitchen. It was a tremendous experience, not only for my tastebuds, but for my brain, as I received quite an education about the wide range of ways to prepare a great lamb dish.  Even with my background as a personal chef, I wasn’t entirely familiar with the various cuts of lamb and how various preparations would affect the final product. And that certainly is the point for these Lamb Jam events, also held in Boston, San Francisco and Washington DC with the final competition in New York.

The big winner of the event was Chef Mark Bodinet from Copperleaf Restaurant at Cedarbrook Lodge, with a grilled shoulder confit delicately served atop creamy, slightly sweet, creamed parsnips and garnished with perfectly sweet preserved huckleberries.  Bodinet, who spent 5 years at world-renownded French Laundry in Napa Valley before arriving in Seattle, not only won Best Shoulder dish, but Best in Show (overall dish) and Best Food & Wine Pairing (Buty).

Is that pot pie "adorable" or what??

Nipping at Bodinet’s heels was Chef Bobby Moore of Barking Frog in Woodville, who not only captured the Best Loin dish but the “People’s Choice” award, with an impressive double presentation of lamb loin.  Moore served up an adorable (it really was!) mini pot pie filled with succulent sous vide loin and chanterelle mushrooms, along with a side presentation of lam carpaccio with truffle oil.  That sure ain’t Grandma’s Easter dinner!

Other winners were Chef Gavin Stephenson of The Georgian Room, who captured the Leg category with a smartly presented kebab, crusted with a peppered lovage (think celery to the 10th power) crust and served with a tomato basil crostini.  And taking honors in the Shank competition was Chef Angie Roberts of BOKA with an extremely popular and delicious sloppy joe slider. The perfectly mixture of moroccan spices, pine nuts, corn and golden raisins had a magical tang and was paired with an amazing brioche bun that was expertly toasted.  It was hard to only eat one of the little lovelies, but since it was one of the first dishes served to the judges, we had to pace ourselves for the many dishes to come.  And I must note, it took nearly 24 hours after the event before I even came close to being hungry again!

You'd swear those were marshmellows but they are ricotta gnudi - heavenly!

A couple other dishes made big impressions and were noteworthy in our minds as well – The Salish Lodge’s sous vide, espresso-crusted loin served with lamb jam (how appropriate!) and autumn squash, and garnished with the most scrumptious, artistic cracker; Andaluca‘s crispy, tender and perfectly seasoned (Moroccan!) braised shoulder phyllo pastilla (again, I could have eaten multiple of these!); and Cantinetta‘s striking lamb shank with ricotta gnudi, sitting like the perfect little stew atop a pile of fluffy pillows!

Perfectly light and crispy phyllo pastillas from Andaluca

Overall, I heard nothing but rave reviews for the food, wine and overall experience by the 600 attendees, who got a heck of a deal ($45) for a lamb feast worthy of a king! Lamb Jam is funded and promoted by the American Lamb Board which is supported by lamb producers across the nation.  I had also heard about the magic of a Jamie Peha-produced event , Jamie assists the American Lamb Board with its Northwest and National Lamb Jam programs and it was impressive to witness the action with a team that perfectly executes every aspect behind the scenes and puts on a first-class event for everyone.  I am a convert and look forward to many more of wine-food pairing festivities put on by these folks!

I recently ventured back for my fourth visit to this fab event and found it my most rewarding time yet – and felt compelled to share with you the top 10 things I learned at Foodportunity this go-round:

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1. Social media relationships come to life when you actually get to meet IRL (in real life!). There were a handful of Twitter followers I had only interacted with online, albeit frequently! But Foodportunity delivered them in living color, right before my very eyes!  I finally was able to chat IRL with fab photographer Jackie Baisa (@JackieBaisa), food writer Julien Perry (@tastebud1), Seattle Times writer Marc Ramirez (@typewriterninja) and Taste director/chef Danielle Custer (@dcbites).
2. Many of my Twitter friends had new jobs - and I had missed the memo!  But finally getting in the same room caught me up to speed quickly – one has left social media freelancing for a full-time Yahoo gig, another is switching newspapers (and cities!), and yet another has moved from her solo PR gig to helping a local cooking store with marketing and events. But remain connected through this funny little thing called Twitter.
3. A la Mode Pies (@alamodepies) is the bomb! This amazing little company had slipped under my radar, even though I was following them on Twitter – but I am now their #1 raving fan!  Imagine fresh baked pies DELIVERED to your door (free in Seattle and Bellevue)…amazing flavor combinations…and the best, PIE ON A STICK!  Yes, the LolliPie is sure to be a new wedding/party favorite and destined to kick cupcakes to the curb. Okay, maybe not that last one, but this Pie on a Stick concept has some serious potential.  Stay tuned…
4. You can send a beer to a friend – even if they live hundreds of miles away.  Huh??  For real – check out Beer2Buds and check out this cool and frosty concept.  There are almost 40 bars/restos in Washington signed up now - who knew?!
5. I have a groupie (LOL!) and she is a very nice person.  Yes, it’s true – the lovely Jenn Davis (@AmateurGourmand) had told the world recently that I was her “Twitter Idol”, much to my surprise.  I was a little taken aback, yet flattered, and very curious…and when I finally met her at Foodportunity, she couldn’t have been any nicer.  And someone I am proud to boast as my groupie – and it isn’t creepy at all.
6. Many people are afraid to approach chefs and/or authors one-on-one, even when the event is set up for that format. I talked with several repeat attendees who longed for the “old days” of Foodportunity, when the 4-5 featured speakers were on a panel and took Q&A from the entire group for 20-30 minutes.  The current set up had featured guests in a separate room and you had to be bold/brave/dumb enough to walk up and talk with them directly. I think most would prefer hearing all the questions and responses in a public way, to gather the most of the awesome knowledge/talent in the room. We aren’t all as bold as you think. Me included.
7. Some of my “old” friends made via Twitter, that I hadn’t seen in awhile, are alive and doing well!  (as I expected…) That would be you @jeffreykingman, @taylor_tweets, @carissaang, and @yasharwinemongr, to name a few.
8. Many foodies and restaurants are still not sure how to make the most of their efforts on Twitter – and several might be inclined to use my consulting services in the near future. I am ready and waiting for your call…you know who you are.
9. The most popular bites of the night were the Beef Tongue Crostini from Luc/The Chef in the Hat and the Pork Belly Banh Mi from Matt’s in the Market. Hands down, no questions asked - nearly every attendee commented and tweeted about these tasty treats.
10. Keren is taking her Foodportunity show on the road, debuting in Portland on Sept. 13 (@foodportunityOR).  I’m thinking an Amtrak kind of weekend might be in store…

So, if you were at Foodportunity, I’d love to hear what YOU learned…the forum is open below!