IN THIS ISSUE
- Birk's Company Culture
- Executive Byte
- Beverage Board: Chocolate Cake Martini
- A Wine Buyer's Memo
- Service @ Birk's
- On the Agenda
Birk's Company Culture
The longstanding company culture at Birk’s has been the cornerstone of our successful operations for two decades. As the bellwether steak and chop house in Silicon Valley, Birk’s culture is one of integrity, passion, leadership, accountability and teamwork.
Birk’s management team lives these ideals through their daily interactions with internal and external guests. The "internal guests" are our employees. We genuinely believe and operate with the understanding that the most important resource to running a successful restaurant is the employees. Pair this with uncompromised quality of menu offerings and service and the result is the proven formula that has worked here since 1989.
Thousands of employees and diners have passed through our doors on Freedom Circle and we recognize each and every person we have had the distinct honor to serve and work with has contributed on some level to making Birk’s the very special place it is.
At your service,
David Whitcomb
Owner and General Manager
Executive Byte
Achieving excellence at Birk’s encompasses high standards of quality and consistency. It starts with the culinary team’s focus on superior ingredients by sourcing local, seasonal, organic, natural (hormone and antibiotic free) and sustainable products whenever possible. Building relationships with reputable suppliers and purveyors is an integral piece of achieving the uniformity in our food that the guests have come to expect when dining here. It is important Birk’s vendors understand our philosophy and do their utmost to help us acquire and serve nothing less than the freshest, highest quality food on the market. The culinary team strives to showcase the main ingredient for its entire flavor rather than overshadow it with many fixings; we believe the center plate speaks for itself.
With a solid foundation laid in high quality products, Executive Chef Maurice Dissels and the culinary team execute consistent food through methodical procedures, on-going staff training, attention to details and adherence to house recipes, some of which date back to Birk’s inception in 1989. For over 20 years, these values have proven successful, as Birk’s continues to serve long time signature dishes such as Fried Calamari, New England Clam Chowder, Smoked Prime Rib, Peppered Filet Mignon and White Chocolate Cheesecake, just to name a few.
Beverage Board:
Chocolate Cake Martini
The perfect sweet treat before or after dinner, Birk’s Beverage Director, Mark Grochowski has created a decadent Chocolate Cake Martini for you and your sweetheart. Mix your own or come to Birk’s to enjoy cocktails with your Sweetheart before an elegant dinner.
Recipe: Chocolate Cake Martini
A Wine Buyer's Memo
Wine Spectator's Restaurant Wine List Awards recognize restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers. To qualify for an award, a list must present complete, accurate wine information including vintages and appellations for all selections, as well as wines available by the glass and complete producer names with correct spellings. The overall presentation of the list is also taken into consideration when recipients are selected.
Recipients of the Award of Excellence offer wine lists with carefully selected quality producers, that thematically match the menu in price and style. These lists usually offer at least 100 selections. Birk’s has been a recipient of this award for the last 6 years in a row, 4 of which have been under the supervision of Birk’s Beverage Manager, Mark Grochowski. Birk’s offers 130 selections and features an array of locally grown wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Read more about Birk's wine program here.
Service @ Birk's
Every industry has their own vocabulary of words and phrases that only professionals within the field would know. Here’s ours:
All Day: The total amount. For example, if table 1 orders 2 burgers and table 3 orders 4 burgers, that's 6 burgers, all day.
Back of the House (BOH): All parts of the restaurant behind the kitchen doors. Usually synonymous with the kitchen.
Blue: Less cooked than rare; 30 seconds on each side.
Cover: A guest in a seat at a table. "We did 500 covers tonight."
Double-Seat: Seating two parties concurrently to a single server.
Dragging: Items not ready with the rest of the order. "I'm dragging the fries with that burger!"
Dying: Food that's been sitting around getting cold.
"86": A specific food or beverage item is sold out or out of stock, e.g. "'eighty-six' the crab cakes" means that the establishment is sold out of crab cakes.
Expeditor ("Expo"): Person in charge of organizing food from kitchen and sending to the dining room. "Who's on expo tonight?"
Fire: Same as "cook" but as in "cook it now!"
Four-Top: A table of four. Also "6-top", "8-top", etc.
Front of House (FOH): The part of the restaurant from the kitchen doors to the lobby. Any area the customer might normally see.
In The Weeds: In way over your head; buried and can’t keep up.
No Call/No Show: A reservation or employee who does not show up and does not call.
On the Fly: Something needed quickly. "Give me a well done ribeye...on the fly!"
Pittsburgh Rare: Burnt outside, rare inside.
Rollup: Silverware rolled into a napkin, usually linen but can be paper.
Runner: A designated person who brings food to the tables.
Sidework: Work performed by hourly restaurant workers other than serving guests (e.g., polishing silverware).
Station or Section: A group of tables assigned to a server/busser, usually numbered. (As in, "I'd help you but you're not in my section.")
Triple-Seat: Seating three parties concurrently to a single server.
Turn: One cycle of seating, serving and clearing a table. "I've had 2 turns on that table."
Walkout: Someone who leaves without paying the bill.
Restaurant lingo courtesy of Roadogz.com
On the Agenda
Will You Be Mine, Valentine?
This Valentine's Day, say Be Mine with an elegant dinner at Birk's. In addition to our core menu of steaks, chops and seafood, we will be offering our Classic Americana Menu: Four 3-Course Dinners for under $30. Open early at 4pm, reservations recommended.
Make your reservations today.
Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook Off & Festival
Come support Birk’s at the 29th annual Clam Chowder Cook Off in Santa Cruz on February 20th! Event begins at 10am, tasting begins at 1pm. Click here for more event details.
Happier Hour
Join us for Happier Hour from 4pm to 6pm Monday - Friday. Enjoy half priced Bar Food Favorites and discounted drink specials.
Classic Americana Menu
Four 3-Course Dinners for under $30!
Entrée selections include, Prime Rib, Jalapeno Orange Glazed Salmon, Birk’s Famous Pork Chop and Teriyaki Chicken Breast.
Ask for our Classic Americana Menu, Friday through Sunday evenings.
Questions or comments? Contact us at
