Toscana’s Restaurant Manager Daniel Tennyson
Susan Knox Wilson
Many happy diners say our new chef, new menu and new restaurant manager seem to be stirring things up at Toscana’s. One acknowledgment, from Ken and Carol Hahn, declares: “We ate at Toscana’s last night. There was a full house as many were going to the play. We were told we needed to put our order in early as everything is prepared fresh – it was. Our meals were cooked to perfection. Our waitress Christina even knew what the four of us drink. It was nice to be known by name also. There is definitely an improvement in the overall operation. Congrats to those in charge!”
We hope you’ve read about our new chef, Hector Ahumada, tried some of the delicious new offerings on Toscana’s menu and, by now, have had a chance to meet our new Restaurant Manager Daniel Tennyson. Daniel, who has some 17 years in restaurant management, was most recently general manager at Wildflower. Daniel says he actually started in the business when he was five years old, working at his grandfather’s bar and restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin (Wisconsin folks sure know how to instill a good work ethic in their children!).
Getting Toscana’s diners to say, “Wow, what great food, what great service, what a great experience,” is Daniel’s top priority. He’d also like to see lots of repeat customers and get to know us all by name. To achieve that wow factor, Daniel subscribes to – and is training all staff to – the 3-A’s policy he learned from his grandfather: Acknowledge any issue or problem; Apologize and Act immediately to find the solution/resolution. From some of the buzz we’ve heard and read he’s on his way.
Sherrill Mercer wrote to say, “I attended our ladies unit luncheon at Toscana’s. There were approximately 16 of us. We ordered individually and I was very pleased with the promptness, accuracy and amount of staff that took care of us. My lunch was also delicious (candied pecan salad). I continue to notice favorable changes being made at both of our restaurants and want to thank those responsible. Good job and well done!”
Sue Bohl was also pleased, stating “We had company who stopped by and took them to lunch at Toscana’s. Called to see if we could get a table by the window and the young lady who answered was very helpful. We had a great view, prompt service, excellent food and our drinks were always refilled before we even asked. Seems like a big change has been made!”
“Last night Toscana’s Grill was packed,” noted Bob Young in early March. “All tables and chairs were taken. People were also sitting outside on the patio—even though it was cold. Keep in mind this was a Monday night and most restaurants would give their eyeteeth for a capacity crowd like this. We had several drinks and shared the chicken and shrimp—$8—and Nacho’s—$8. Food was great! And we got our bang for the buck. We charged on our Homeowners card and got our resident discount; what a deal! Cesar, Andrew and all others worked their tails off. Service was great considering the crowd and number of servers. Chef Hector even came out and delivered food and reminded everyone that the fireplace menu was available. Good on Hector—nice job—nice touch. In conclusion service, food and value were great; try it you’ll like it.”