16th Annual Diamond Service Awards

This holiday season, more than ever, we're thankful for our wonderful team members. As such, we wanted to dedicate this post to the Bloomington Diamond Service Awards.

"Providing outstanding customer service is key to ensuring repeat business and growth for the Bloomington hospitality industry." Put on by the Bloomington Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), the Diamond Service Awards are a great way to recognize the individual contributors to our collective success as a destination community.

Employees in the tourism, hospitality, and retail trades are nominated in categories based on their job function. The seventeen categories encompass guest relations positions for everything from reservations agents, drivers, housekeepers, and retail associates to servers, bartenders, hosts, and maintenance professionals. Staged like an awards show, one winner from among the nominated finalists wins per category.

2012's Diamond Service Awards will be held on Sunday, March 11, at the Doubletree by Hilton Bloomington - Minneapolis South. From among our wonderful staff, it's always so tough to narrow down the nominees!

We're so proud of all our staff members, and have our fingers crossed that our nominees will be making it to finalists. We'll keep you posted as to how our wonderfully deserving team members fare in this process, because only 17 front-line employees (one per category) from all of the participating properties and businesses in Bloomington actually win the awards.

Please join us in rooting for our participating staff members, as we thank them for a job well done.

Giving Thanks & Giving Back: Outstanding Dining

Our latest post in our series, Giving Thanks & Giving Back, is dedicated to a group that not only helps people save their dining dollars, it also helps the community as well.

Outstanding Dining, the brainchild of our sister restaurant, Woolley's Steakhouse's, Director of Restaurants, Ben Berry, is a website that sells online restaurant certificates at a discount. Yet, it doesn't stop there. Outstanding Dining also donates 10% of sales to different non-profit partners.

Further setting themselves apart from other discount certificate sites, Outstanding Dining is committed to three main goals. First, they seek to save consumers money by offering a great deal on certificates to local, independent eateries. Second, they want to help non-profits through their commitment to donating 10% of sales to various non-profit partners. Third, they want independent eateries to thrive by splitting the remaining proceeds of the certificate sales 50/50. No price gouging and leaving the restaurants to foot the bill.

At this time, you're able to purchase $25.00 Chez Daniel gift certificates for just $12.50. Check out Outstanding Dining this week for other amazing deals to great local restaurants, and make sure to look for them on Facebook and Twitter as well.

Thanksgiving Day Brunch

Since our Sunday Brunch is such a hit, we decided to take it up a notch and offer a Thanksgiving Day Champagne Brunch this year. 

From 10:30am to 2pm on Thanksgiving Day, bring your family and friends to Chez Daniel and leave the cooking and cleaning to us. Expect a bountiful display of your traditional brunch favorites, Thanksgiving staples, and delightful extras (like a chocolate fountain)!

The brunch pricing is as follows: 

• Adults - $28.95
• Kids 5 to 12 - $12.95
• Kids 4 & Under - Free

To make your party's reservation, please visit Open Table online or call Chez Daniel at 952.888.4447. 

We'll see you there! Happy Thanksgiving! 

Giving Thanks & Giving Back: Finnegan's

For the month of November, our blog posts will focus on giving thanks and giving back, as we share what we're thankful for as well as feature those that are giving back. Our first installment will feature a local company that helps others while promoting responsible fun, Finnegan's!

In our lounge, we proudly carry Finnegan's on tap, not only because it's a delicious complement to our $5 Happy Hour Appetizers and we have an employee who works their as well, but because they're a great little non-profit brewery that's committed to doing good in our community. Their mission statement stands, "Turning beer into food." And that's just what they do by donating 100% of their profits to fight poverty right in their own backyard. 

Case in point, the testimony from their website shares, "Since first being profitable in 2003, we have donated over $206,000 to the FINNEGANS Community Fund, which in turn has given grants to non-profits across the Midwest to support life-changing programs for the working poor."

Not only can you support Finnegan's and help making a difference by grabbing a couple of pints and enjoying them responsibly, but you can also sign up for one of their Volunteer Opportunities for those who wish to give a little more of themselves.

So this holiday season, give thanks by grabbing a beer with friends, and why not make it a Finnegan's?

Private Dining

As the holidays approach, your needs for spaces to celebrate are probably compounding. In addition to our full ballroom, Chez Daniel also offers a variety of more intimate private dining areas as well. Whether for a corporate holiday party, or an intimate family gathering, Chez Daniel has a space that's just perfect for your festivities.

The Salon

Our most intimate dinning space is perfect for groups up to 12 people. The Salon provides a cozy ambiance with beautiful views of the restaurant.

The Cellar

This tastefully decorated space can accommodate dining parties up to 25 people. A coveted oasis in Chez Daniel, this space can be the scene of your next private event.

Salle A Manger

Our classic dinning room provides a stylish, spacious setting for any social occasion. The Salle A Manager can accommodate groups of up to 30 people.

The Terrasse 

Our largest room within Chez Daniel, this space is ideal for the intimate bridal shower, welcome reception, social hour or groom’s dinner. The Terrasse can hold groups of up to 40 people.

Not only do we offer a variety of spaces for you to host your next event, but we also offer a variety of options for food as well. Whether you want to have a custom catered event, ordering from our banquet menus, or a private dining experience where your guest select from our Chez Daniel restaurant menus, we'll make sure that your guests are satisfied. 

To book your next private dining event, please contact Chez Daniel today at (952) 888-4447. 

Happy Birthday Wilver - Free Champagne!

Around here we like to celebrate, and what better vehicle to aid in our celebrating than champagne? Not just any champagne, mind you, but FREE champagne!

This Sunday, October 30, is Chef Wilver's birthday. In honor of the occasion, we will be offering free champagne for all of our brunch guests (that are of legal drinking age, of course). Typically, our champagne service is offered at $22.95 per person; however, this Sunday, we're including the champagne for the standard brunch price of just $18.95. As always, children 6-12 years old are $9.95, and those 5 and under are free.

Make your brunch reservation at Open Table today, and make sure you're here this Sunday to toast Chef Wilver on his special day!

Weddings - 2012

The Social File

(Note: For this installation, we consulted our resident experts on all things wedding, Renee Lawler and Allie Lea, who handle all of our social events (including weddings) for the catering department). 

With 2012 rapidly approaching, we are winding down the 2011 wedding season and eagerly anticipating the start of the new year! We're pleased to report that weddings dates are booking a lot more rapidly than in previous years. It must just be a good year for romance!

Our full ballroom was voted The Knot's 2010 Best Wedding Venue and seats up to 400 people! With our naturally-lit, lush garden atrium and Mediterranean-style fountain, you can even host the open-air ceremony of your dreams without having to worry about the weather. 

The next time you're at Chez Daniel, make sure to stop by the lobby. We've recently installed a monitor to showcase recent weddings at the Embassy Suites Bloomington property. It's a great way to get an idea of what the ballroom looks like 'all dressed up'. 

If you or someone you know is planning a wedding for Spring of 2012, call Renee and Allie for the latest specials on available spring dates at 952.-967-8709. You can also visit our custom wedding website, www.embassyweddings.com, or our Embassy Weddings Facebook page for pictures and information.

We can't wait to see all of these beautiful weddings!