The
Ramsdell Inn and TJ's Pub in Manistee has a general manager with a stellar reputation for local success, having worked in other profitable restaurants and retail establishments. Therefore, it may not be a surprise that after Dannette Hoffman took over the inn and eatery, its business vaulted by an astounding 47 percent in only 90 days--allowing Hoffman to augment her staff from seven employees to 12.
"We put the word out that we were going to feature fresher food with more farm-to-table local ingredients in our restaurant--a more gourmet offering than anywhere else in town," Hoffman says. "We changed some things immediately--we built a Facebook page. Then we added a street sign inviting people into our rooms and suites and began a partnership with another local restaurant."
The cross-promotion is a coupon good for gourmet breakfast just steps away on River Street for everyone staying at the inn’s eight rooms and two suites situated in Manistee's historic Ramsdell Building. A restored boutique hotel, the Ramsdell Inn draws guests with its 1891 Victorian architecture, stained glass windows, and elaborately carved woodwork.
"The hotel is an experience and it’s a beautiful little pub," Hoffman says. "We do at least three tours a day so that people who come to eat here know what we offer in our hotel. This is the off-season, so I plan to hire a handful more for summer. I’m really stoked for when the snowbirds come back and see what we have to offer now."
Writer: Kelle Barr
Source: Dannette Hoffman, Ramsdell Inn & TJ’s Pub
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.