Internal Brewsletter - December 15, 2021
UPCOMING PACKAGED RELEASES
Releasing Friday, 12/17
Framboise White// This celebration of fresh, locally-grown golden raspberries features a blend of wild ales that were matured in oak barrels and conditioned on organic golden raspberries from Riverland Family Farms, imparting a bright acidity, fresh berry character, and gentle supporting wild notes of citrus zest and tropical fruit.
// 6.50% ABV / 750 mL Bottles / $17.50 plus deposit
GENERAL
It is with mixed emotions to let you know that Chris Heuchert will be moving on from Block 15 in February. While we are excited and happy for Chris to continue thriving in his new chapter of life in Portland, he will be greatly missed here at Block 15. As you know, Chris has been with us since the very beginning of our journey and has dedicated his time and efforts to the success of the company and the team as a whole. We will save the heartfelt goodbyes for February as no doubt we will be sending him off in Block 15 fashion! In the meantime, we will be working with Chris and the team to set up the transition.
Chris has given us plenty of time to reflect and prepare for his departure and our plans moving forward. Over the past several weeks we have taken a holistic look at our company, executive management structure, and management structures in general, and have concluded that adjustments would be beneficial. We will be morphing what is currently known now as the GM role into a Chief Operations Officer position. The goal of the COO is to secure the functionality and efficiency of our company, drive sustainable growth, and promote company culture and vision. The COO will execute the company objectives set forth by myself and Kristen by breaking them down into everyday tactical decisions and support.
With that, we are excited to announce that Ian Hutchings has accepted the position of Chief Operations Officer. We know that Ian is well suited and will thrive in this position due to his breadth of experience in the restaurant and brewing industries, his work in finance, as well as his educational background which includes an MBA. While at Block 15, he has gained the respect of his peers by demonstrating an admirable work ethic and embracing the Block 15 culture on a daily basis. Ian also shares a great passion for the arts of craft beer, food, and hospitality. We look forward to working with Ian and the executive team to further drive success in each department and Block 15 as a whole!
We understand that the transition will take some time and are fortunate to have Chris here until February to assist. Through this, we will be working with each department through the transition, hiring a new HR manager, and eventually an event and club manager.
- Nick Arzner
TAP ROOM UPDATES
We will be doing all of our keg order sales for next week on Tuesday the 21st. All corni kegs need to be dropped off by the end of the night on the 21st for pickup on Wednesday the 22nd.
We are switching up our language a bit in regards to the QR codes. While we will still have the QR codes available as an added bonus, we are switching back to primarily counter/bar service. When taking guests to tables, our wording should be something along the lines of “We are primarily bar service so you can come up and place your order with the Bartender whenever you are ready. If you would prefer, we also have our QR codes available and you can order through your phone just as easily.” The QR table tents should also be placed at the back of the tables(closest to the windows) when resetting the table.
Awesome job with crushing out some bomb ass service last week! Keep it up moving forward and make sure that we are giving every guest the best Block 15 experience possible. You’re all rockstars!
The final Cellar stash release will be next Tuesday,12/21 and it will be 2018 Ripple! This one is in 750mL bottle and is a little more pricey than the rest, but oh so delicious.
PUB UPDATES
Alicia and Kelly’s reviews are coming up! Please take a moment to share some peer feedback—your feedback is very important! https://block15.wufoo.com/forms/manager-feedback-form
Occasionally, guests may decide to order an appetizer after you’ve already entered in all of their entrees. Rather than creating a separate tab for these apps, we have created an “**App Coming**” button on the Appetizers screen that will automatically order itself to the top of the ticket. If a guest orders a Spinach Dip after you have already entered in all of their burgers, head to the Appetizers section and hit the **App Coming** button, send the entree order, then head back to the appetizers and put in their order. This will let the kitchen know that you are about to send through an App and they will hold off on firing the entrees. If you have questions, feel free to ask a manager.
Whether you are being phased, going on a food break, or greeting a table that someone else has started, it is important to communicate these changes with your tables to ensure that our guests know who their server is. Please see the write up on the pre-shift check-in board in the break room for further details on what should happen in each one of these interactions.
If you notice that something is broken or out of order while working (or maybe just needs to be replaced) please let either a FOH or BOH manager know. The feedback slips in the breakroom can also be a great place to jot down these thoughts at the end of a shift (but please remember to include details on what is broken and the date that you are writing the feedback). We all know the day goes much smoother when everything is in working order!
BEER EDUCATION
Check back next week!
NEW STAFF!
Please give these new folks a hearty welcome when you see them!
Matthew Hidde - Prep Cook
Jimmy Budd - Line Cook
Anne Loreng - Server
Miranda Sheldon - Dishwasher
WHAT’S UP ON INSTA??
COMING UP ON DRAFT
12/17 - Framboise White// Wild Ale Matured with Golden Raspberries
UPCOMING / IN PROCESS BEERS
*This list is subject to change based on the brewing schedule, so please keep that in mind!
Hypnosis // Barleywine Matured in Cognac Barrels
Kriek // Oud Bruin Ale Spontaneously Fermented in Bourbon Barrels with Cherries
TOY DRIVE
Cameron Merrill's Legacy Toy Drive!
Toy Drive: Starting December 1st, bring new and unwrapped toys to both Block 15 locations, and we will donate them to brave patients during the holiday season. The donations will end on the 20th so that we can get the toys to the kiddos at the Doernbecher and Randall Children's Hospital!
About: Cameron Merrill's Legacy supports families experiencing a medical crisis with a child in various ways, including local blood drives, Cameron's Big Bag program, providing toiletries and clothing to families staying with their children in the hospital, and direct support to Doernbecher and Randall Children's Hospitals. In Cameron's name, the Legacy also supports Candlelighters for Kids With Cancer and The Sparrow Club.
DINE OUT INFORMATION
Dine out was last night! Check back for January’s Dine Out