Happy August, Ramily.  August 2023, really?

                We have a very busy month of August which will lead us into an active fall with football, back-to-school and other fun stuff.   What follows is information on our upcoming new menu, current marketing plans and our Gracious Hospitality / thru-put initiatives.  Game On! Make ‘em Smile. Reasons to Return.  Have a great August. 

Menu

NEW MENU UPDATES LAUNCH AUGUST 7^th

Just like the change of seasons, we take several opportunities throughout the year to review how our menus are performing. The review process can be time-consuming but is a necessary exercise to make sure we take full advantage of every opportunity. Below are a few of the steps that we take before we launch our new menus.

Steps For a Menu Change/Revision

1. Menu Analysis
   1. Every Category, every Item is reviewed for popularity (Sales Mix) and graded.
   2. Food Cost – trending up or down, anticipated increases/decreases/ vendor contracts – expiring or new contracts, etc.
   3. Culinary Team – Ease of prep, consistency, speed of production & station balance (Thru-put), increase efficiency, labor.
   4. Guest Satisfaction (Wisely), Team Member Feedback
   5. Apply the “4 R’s – Replace, Remove, Re-package, Re-Price.
   6. Survey “Like” competition, compare similar Items/Pricing.
   7. Government/State Legislation (Minimum Wage etc.), Company Goals
2. Review Proposed Menus
   1. Potential Financial Impact
   2. Culinary Workbooks – Recipes, Additions, Deletions, etc.
   3. Final Approvals
   4. Training & Education (Culinary and Front of the House)
   5. Marketing Team – New Photography, Social Media & Marketing Plan, In-House Point of Purchase Posters etc.
   6. Production – Printing & Fulfillment
3. Launch Date

                Marketing

                On July 31^st, we convened a cross-functional meeting at the Home Office to solidify our marketing calendar through year-end.  By the time you’re reading this newsletter, you’ll have access to the fruits of our labor via the “Marketing” calendar in Outlook – but here’s a recap of what the fall and early winter will bring!

• On Labor Day (September 4^th), we’ll begin our 2^nd company-wide kids coloring contest with a “back to school” theme.  Location winners will receive a backpack loaded with all sorts of school goodies, a Target gift card, and more.  Once again, we’ll provide 11×17 “place mat” style coloring sheets with original art – and entries will be accepted through October 2nd.
• Football season starts on September 7^th.  This year, “Beat the Bartender” will return – and we’re keeping the weekly format for rotating prizes.  Marketing will highlight takeout/online ordering for game day favorites and beer to go, along with a potential food feature (details forthcoming).  No additional discounting beyond our outstanding daily specials.
• Oktoberfest will begin rolling out on 9/18, and marketing will begin promotion on 9/21 going into the weekend.  Mug Club parties will begin around 9/11 – with all parties to convene prior to 10/31.
• National Cheeseburger Day is on 9/18, which we’ll promote with $9.99 RAM Classics (regular side) via social and email.
• October 5^th is “Do Something Nice Day” – and we’ll be celebrating with a “surprise and delight” campaign for our guests.  Tables that receive a “colored plate” (red, blue, etc.) will win a prize from us (e.g. free dessert; “this meal’s on us”).  More details to come.
• October 9^th, we’re sending a $15.99 BOGO out to the rewards club.
• Leading up to Halloween (likely 2 weeks), we’ll have an asynchronous “costume contest” for kids.  Wearing a costume into the restaurant (and turning in a short entry slip) will enter the child/family for a grand prize (TBD).  Marketing will share photos on social throughout the promo.
• November 1^st through Thanksgiving, we’ll launch our fall philanthropy initiative (likely benefitting veterans).
• Early November, Mug Club 2024 renewals will go out to existing members – with public sales starting late November.
• November 19^th to 22^nd, we’re considering a “Friendsgiving” feature sheet with premium-priced “Thanksgiving style” features.  Up for discussion!  (Closed on Thanksgiving Day.)
• Black Friday through Christmas, we’ll run our Child’s Play initiative (benefitting children’s hospitals around the world) – along with our Buy $50 Get $10 holiday gift card promo (available in store only).
• Per tradition, we’ll feature our Proud Marys for $7 on New Year’s Day, 2024!

Gracious Hospitality / thruput 

                The Summer of Sales is well underway, and our Star menu items and IPA for ALS sales initiative is exceeding everything we had hoped for.  Thank you so very much!  As you know, a huge aspect of our service style of Gracious Hospitality centers around being a tour guide vs an order taker and we hope this focused sales push has illustrated how we can do just that.  To take menu items that not only are delicious, but also, we are knowledgeable of, are confident in and have great guest feedback is a win for everyone.  The Stars came from a menu analysis and are items that have great food cost and high profit margins.  We anticipate these items will help drive more to the bottom line; also known as “thruput”.  Week over week, we continue to sell more of these Star items and have sold 21,440 in total!  Additionally, we should be very proud that in just a few, short weeks, we sold over 5000 in IPA for ALS!!  That’s huge.  We have so many amazing people that work at the Ram.  Other companies may try to copy our menu, our store design, they may even try to replicate our service style, but what has always made and will continue to make the Ram successful is you.  You make all the difference!  Thank you for all that you do, GAME ON.

This month we say Happy Birthday to:  Scott Hull, Tracy Raley, Sonia Cortes Segura, Benjamin Garcia-Cantoran, James Cassidy, Mary Wawrin and Tyler Malkames.

                A big “Thank You” to the following team members celebrating significant anniversaries with their Ramily this month:  Kira Conner (18 years), Bryan McInturff (9 years), Jerry Brownell (10 years), Chelsey Iliff (7 years), Barbara Zieseniss (25 years), Jimmy Hunter (8 years), James Wayne (6 years), Tess Morgan (5 years), Megan Miller (8 years) and Brian Sykes (8 years).  Thank you all very much.

“Catch someone in the act of doing the right thing and let them know.  Praise pays!”

~ Bob Moawad

Once again, a big shout-out to our culinary team for the new Chef Special creations.  Our Ahi Poke Bowl is absolutely hitting it out of the park – the #1 selling chef special by a good margin.  Brussels Sprouts and the Ahi Poke Appetizer are killing it too.  We added shrimp to the taco protein choices and it has quickly become the top seller.  For those of you who have not tried the Charred Prawn Pizza, it is amazing.  I was surprised and blown away by how tasty this pizza is.  Give it a try.  Sell it.  Your guests will love it.

By now most have either met Keone Jay, visited with him on the phone or participated in one of his conference calls.  Keone is our new Training Operations Leader.  He is responsible for helping train up our teams to shower our guests with Gracious Hospitality.  He led a very informative training conference call about Taco Tuesday last week.  Hearing great things from our leaders on how Keone is inspiring our teams and helping them celebrate and give gratitude for positive performance.  Game On Keone!

            We have been discussing our Kids’ Program the past couple of weeks at the Home Office.  The questions being, are we happy with the program and what, if anything, can we do to elevate the experience.  Feedback on our Kids’ Program is very high.  This is coming from guest sentiment and random solicitations.  The exercise is prudent though.  Some things that have come up for discussion are:  expanding sides, bigger/fresher menus, kids’ birthday offer, entertainment, fast prepackaged signature desserts, contest frequency and signature plateware.  If you would like to add anything to that discussion, please let Marty Hillis hear it. 

Hello and congratulations to Aaron Ramirez for his assumption of the helm in Salem.  Aaron has been with the Ram for 11 years Making ‘em Smile as a bartender and supervisor.  Welcome Aaron.  You are part of a great team and we are all here to help you and your team in Salem. 

            This June we say Happy Birthday to:  Tiffany Spaulding, Jack Barker, Laura Anguiano Davalos, Jen Borchers, Carlos Sanitago and Alicia Medina-Azpeitia.

            We extend a heartfelt “thank you” to the following team members who celebrate significant anniversaries with their Ramily this month:  Noelle Downey (8 years), Katelyn Jennelle (5 years), Katherine Bundy (5 years), Gina Kessner (33 years), Tia Erickson (13 years), Hannah Unger (7 years), Shawna Woods (8 years), Christopher Lam (7 years), Alicia Medina-Azpeitia (16 years), Ty Tran (6 years) and Kelly Van Matre (11 years).  What a team! 

“You have not lived a perfect day unless you’ve done something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”

` Ruth Smeltzer

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is:  What are you doing for others?”

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happy Cinco de Mayo Ramily.  The best way I can think of to celebrate this special day is to toast with a frosty CINCOPATAS Mexican-style Lager.  Fresca Local Cerveza.  This light, refreshing seasonal release is one of our guests’ favorites and a top seller.  As our marketing folks like to say, “Drown your thirst with our refreshing, liquid gold Mexican-style lager – and find your paradise.” A tasty treat at 5.5% ABV and 17 IBUs.  Enjoy!

                Thursday, May 11th our new menus go live.  Many thanks to Banger Smith, our culinary team, store leaders and our plump tasting crew.  I have heard a great deal of positive feedback on this menu.  A few old favorites have made their return, a few dogs have exited, and a few items have been repackaged.   New and improved Spinach Dip, Hot Honey sauce to add a sweet heat to items, cilantro-lime rice as a new starch, the Humble Bee and Hawaiian Burgers have hit the starting line-up – just to mention a few of the great new choices.   And what can we say about the return of Ahi Poke Nachos on the upcoming new feature sheet.  Hooray!

                Our beverage team has been busy doctoring up some exciting new ideas for our drink menus.  Yesterday, we sampled a variety of new Mocktails made with booze alternative.  Margaritas, an Old-Fashioned and tropical teasers, just to name a few, were tasted.  More to come from Dave and Marty soon.  We also sampled “Executive Martinis” – premium, sizable martinis served with a flare.  You and our guests will love these.

A very Happy Birthday to:  Evan Puckett, Jennifer Hunt, John Laudenglos, Frank Parascondola, Kevin Mobley, Eileen Robins, Aaron Ramirez, Dave Leonard, Marty Hillis, Brian Sykes and Susie Iverson (82 years young). 

A special “thank you” to the following team members who celebrate significant anniversaries with the Ram this month:  Lisa Goulart (18 years), Joshua Labberton (18 years), John Laudenglos (13 years), Floro Palacios Gomez (11 years), Kaitlyn Docterman (5 years), Treana Calhoun (8 years), Nicole Danielson (8 years), Joshuah Arceneaux (11 years), Thomas Farrell (8 years), Christopher Jarvis (8 years) and Stephen Torres (5 years).  Thank you all very much!

“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

Big congratulations to Jenn Borchers for winning the Ram Home Office March Madness Tourney.  Hard to believe she was the only person to pick U-Conn to win.  Mary Wawrin’s sister (Ann Bowen) grabbed second place.  Jayden Patterson stands tall in third place.  Proving that even the losers get lucky sometime (according to Tom Petty), Jevin Patterson received his $10 entry back for finishing last.  Thanks to all who participated, and thanks to Tim Bunch for organizing this annual, fun boondoggle. 

In addition to the March Madness Tournament, the Home Office has a little action on Burger-Rama sales this year.  Each entrant puts in $5 and picks their choice for the top-selling burger.  While the LTO continues for another week or so, it will be an uphill battle for any other burger to eclipse the Humble Bee’s sales.  Should that be the case, the pot will be divided amongst Diane Williams, Banger Smith, Tim Bunch and yours truly.  I encourage these fun little challenges and contests in your restaurants.   By the way, a shout-out to the Medford team for their tasty Humble Bee Burger creation.

            Also on the burger front, our culinary team has been working to bring back a longtime favorite, The Husky Burger. Our new version features a grilled 18oz. burger patty, three slices of Wisconsin creamy Havarti cheese, three slices of tomato, iceberg lettuce, three slices of bacon, mayo, sautéed garlic mushrooms, served on a jumbo size grilled bun! As we were taking photos of the burger, one of our guests said… “Oh, are you bringing back The Husky?” We have yet to finalize pricing, but we plan to run this via our “Chef Specials” in the coming weeks.

Chef James Cassidy and I attended the International Pizza Expo & Conference in Las Vegas last week.  To see an entire convention facility filled with pizza exhibitors was amazing and surprising to some degree.  The size of this organized event built around the food culture of pizza was impressive.  Every pizza vendor under the sun was showing their wares from ovens, peels, dough, sauce, boxes, flour etc…  James and I sat through a few educational seminars and picked up a few tidbits that we feel will make our pies even better.  By the way, keep your eye out for our Cincopatas pizza box coming soon. 

On the subject of pizza, an offering we are working towards is Pizza of the Month.  A few restaurants advocated for a Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza and have been selling that with success.  Another signature pizza that was championed is a Pickle Pizza.  Believe me, it is tasty.  Take our house-made dough, add ranch dressing, cheese and dill pickles.  Banger and James have been perfecting this treat.  You and your guests will get to enjoy it soon. 

Final food note for this newsletter, we are testing a new plate presentation for our Calamari and are planning to change the name on the menu to “Calamari Fries”. This should help with confusion and feedback we have received from our Teams & guests.                                

Gracious Hospitality is how you make someone feel.  In our business, we have so many opportunities to influence positive emotions in our guests.  Expertise in product knowledge is a great way of cultivating loyal guests, as it stimulates interest and builds trust. 

With this in mind, we expect two things beginning now:  First, ALL FOH team members will welcome all guests with smiles, eye-contact and a personalized tidbit about our daily special or current LTO as well as a specific Ram beer recommendation.  Second, ALL guests will be sincerely thanked for dining with us upon their departure.

Thank you for making this happen and growing Ram’s culture of Gracious Hospitality.

            During the month of April, we say Happy Birthday to:  Andrea Johnson, Joshua Tucker, Mason Bolen and Kristie Webb. 

            A heartfelt thank you to the following team members celebrating significant anniversaries with the Ram this months:  Brandan Brocklebank (6 years), Kevin Martinez (37 years), Katherine Rosenthal (9 years), Frank Parascondola (7 years), Darla Shamel (6 years), Lucian Jasso (6 years), Oscar Mejia Hernandez (5 years), Scott Hull (7 years), Collin McNees (12 years), Ramiro Mendiola Hernandez (10 years), Ricky Wilson (7 years), Carlos Gutierrez (9 years), Jason Scalice (7 years), Alfonso Ruiz Garcia (11 years) and Miguel Solano Cobian (11 years).  Thank you very much.

Happy March, Ramily – albeit a little early. I am jumping the gun a bit on the news for March because this Sunday, February 26th marks the 52nd birthday of the Ram. What started as a little tavern in the Villa Plaza shopping center in Lakewood, Washington offering “Cook Your Own Dinner Fare” has evolved and grown into what we have today. In 1971, the Ram offered “Color Television” and “Foosball”. The last Thursday of every month between 7 pm – 10 pm, Mug Club beers were 10 cents. Beer Nuts could be had for 15 cents. Monday was “All You Can Eat” Pizza for $1.65. Wines by the glass included “Spanada”, “Loganberry”, “Apple”, “Strawberry”, “Wild Mountain”, “Pink Chablis” and “Peach”. Anyone remember “Cold Duck”? If you do, you probably never saw it on draft, but that is the way it was served at the Ram for 70 cents.

My favorite menu item back then was the “Catch All” Sandwich, which comprised “bountifully prepared Ham, Corned Beef, Roast Beef, pickles, and cheese. Served on a French Roll. Hot or Cold”. We brought this sandwich back around 10 years ago for a little nostalgic fun. In case you are wondering about beer, Olympia Light or Dark was sold for 35 cents a glass or $1.75 for a pitcher.
A broiler and salad bar were positioned in the middle of the dining rooms in the 70s where guests would cook their own fare (burgers and steaks). This indoor, urban BBQ was quite the social scene. I still have people come up to me and say, “I met my spouse cooking a burger at the Ram”. My family’s dentist is one of those folks.

Through the earlier years, those cozy little taverns, or pubs, spread to several western college towns. The late 70s and early 80s brought more full service, bigger menus and more sports programming. In 1995, we began brewing our own beer as the liquor tied-house laws loosened up. And here we stand today, continuing to innovate great food and beverages served with Gracious Hospitality. Some things even have come full circle as pizza is back on the menu. So, Happy 52nd Birthday to the Ram Family. What a wonderful journey. Thank You and Cheers!

On March 8th we commence our 15th Annual BURGERAMA. I am finding it hard to believe it has been 15 years of ground beef gluttony. The menu this year features five delectable burger creations in addition to our Loaded Pizza Fries appetizer. The Marysville and Lake Stevens teams created the Cowboy Burger, topped with BBQ pork carnitas and crispy onions. Expanding the reach of our great selling Rambo Pizza, the Wilsonville team developed the Pizza Burger, topped with the same ingredients as the Rambo pizza. Chef Brandon Escovedo and Banger Smith were winners with their Bam Bam Burger, which offers a smash beef patty, cheddar cheese, bacon-jalapeno onion jam, garlic mayo with Ram Chips on top. High-fives to the Lacey team for their Hawaiian Burger submission; this mouth-watering burger melds teriyaki sauce, Canadian bacon, pepper jack cheese, pineapple, Hawaiian mayo, and island slaw. The final burger selection comes from the Medford team and is known as the Humble Bee, which melds caramelized onions, Havarti cheese, honey bacon and Dijon mayo. Which burger will be the #1 seller?
This month we say Happy Birthday to Earl Jess.

A special thanks to the following team members who celebrate significant anniversaries with the Ram in March: Holly Kalii (5 years), Thomas Morrella (10 years), Laura Aguirre Torres (10 years) Amy Westerhausen (15 years), Diane Williams (13 years) and Renee Sather (11 years). Thank you all very much.

“To go fast, go alone. To go far, go together.” -African proverb