Restaurants

Some of the business meetings that have been held at El Dorado Kitchen and Hotel were to plot that company’s growth plan for the next five years. Some meetings are called “retreats” and meant to foster relationships and boost communication with ropes courses and exercises in trust. Some meetings truly are retreats and employees are encouraged to relax and recharge. In any one of these scenarios, food serves as an important ‘common ground.’ Whether it’s over a power breakfast or a five course tasting menu, deals are made, alliances are forged and appetites are satiated. When the basic act of eating is shared with another human being, the experience becomes more about bonding and the exchange of ideas than just refueling. In this way, restaurants and catering companies are an indispensable part of any successful business meeting.

In the same way that a venue contributes to the flavor of the meeting, it also determines the flavor and the presentation of the food. Unless the facility has a kitchen on site, you will need to have the meals catered. Catering is a great service, and depending on the caterer they may be able to handle any need that comes up, from coffee cups to table lines. The flip side of that is they may not, so make sure to do your homework and determine everything that you may need to rent additionally. If the venue does have a fully operating kitchen such as a museum with a cafe, depending on the experience of the staff and the kitchens’ resources you may want to have the event catered in house. Ideally, you decide to hold your business meeting in a location that has everything in one location, in most cases, this is a restaurant or a hotel, or both.

Holding your business meeting in a restaurant ensures that you are holding your event in a space that is set up for any size group; this negates any parking, restroom or space issues that often arise at these events. A restaurant has everything that you need to successfully nourish your guests, from the staff, to the linens, to the cuisine to the wine; a restaurant handles the details of the meal so you can focus on the other important facets of your event. Often an event coordinator of the restaurant will work hand in hand with you on your event so you get the added benefit of extra assistance, and the reassurance that your business meeting will be a smashing success.

El Dorado Kitchen is both a hotel and a restaurant, and a large portion of their special event business comes from business meetings. This is due in a large part to the fact that they have everything in one location. Conveniently located on Sonoma Square, they have 30 rooms to accommodate out of town guests, a convention room, and space for groups from 10 to 300 people to dine. Gail Person, El Dorado’s private party coordinator is used to teaming up with meeting planners to make sure that every detail is handled from the lodging and dining side so that the planner can see to the rest of the business meeting. When planning an event at a restaurant you can be sure that the food will be top notch, and the conversation will flow as freely as the wine, and you can focus on all the other details that make you so good at what you do.