When it opened last December,
Quinn's Steakhouse & Irish Bar didn't do any marketing or publicity at all. And as spring began, they still didn't advertise. "We did a soft launch to make sure we could work all the kinks out of our innovative kitchen system," says bar manager Kelly MacLonen. The kitchen -- and its staff -- serve both the steakhouse and its sister restaurant, Shopsy's Deli.
Both are part of a family-run string of restaurants that includes the
Irish Embassy and PJ O'Brien's. But despite the publicity-free "soft launch," business has been good. Five months after opening, the restaurant employs a staff of about 50, and this week launches a series of ads and a publicity campaign. "The kinks are gone. We're ready to start aggressively seeking new business," MacLonen says.
The restaurant pitches itself as an affordable steakhouse with an excellent, decently priced drinks menu (including 144 whiskeys).
Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Kelly MacLonen, Bar Manager, Quinn's Steakhouse & Irish Bar
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