Seattle DINING!
Fifth Anniversary Interview with publisher Tom Mehren
How did a small internet upstart become one of the
reckoned with entities in dining in and around Puget Sound today. We
culled some of the most commonly asked questions from readers and businesses
over the last five years and created this special interview to provide insight
to into what makes the little online magazine that could tick.
SD!: After 5 years, the most
obvious question is why you and what inspired you to create Seattle DINING!?
TM: In December of 1998, a
business plan was written to develop three online magazines. It was funded in
less than a week and in January we began creating the content. The first
magazine up was a local music publication, Seattle DINING! came on line
next and our motorcycle publication, Sound RIDER! was third. Both Seattle
DINING! and Sound RIDER! continue to this day.
To accommodate the various magazines, I created a parent
company, Mixed Media, a digital media services company which developed all the
websites and provides digital media/marketing services to various businesses in
the Northwest.
My background goes back to working with three
entrepreneurially-run companies, including a 10-year stint at Windham Hill
Records. I love music, motorcycles and food so the obvious choices were these
publications. I’m the kind of person who wants to be passionate about what I do
each day; you have to when you work for yourself. So I dove into what I love and
here we are.
I like to cook and I enjoy being a critic when I eat out
just like a lot of others. Seattle DINING! was created to profile not
only great places to eat at, but showcase the better kitchenware and supply
houses in the area.
SD!: Serafina was your first
advertiser. They continue through this day. What’s the story behind that?
TM: Susan Kaufman and the
Serafina staff have been long-time friends ever since I moved to Seattle in
1997. In fact, I found my first place to live while sitting in Serafina one
evening. Since then I’ve enjoyed a good business relationship, many great meals,
wonderful events and friendships via the restaurant. But if the sponsorship
didn’t work for them, I wouldn’t take their money. It does and we continue to be
best friends and good business partners. In 1999, we created their first website
and managed it through the summer of 2004. We still consult today and assist
them with marketing services.
SD!: How do people find out
about Seattle DINING!?
TM: We’ve never had huge
sums of marketing dollars to buy billboards and bus ads. Most of the online
companies that did are gone today. Our approach has always been grassroots and
online. We’re well-seeded in the search engines, crosslink with other lifestyle
sites around town and participate in many events where we can put information
into peoples’ hands.
SD!: The Wing Dome article
continues to be one of the most widely-read articles on the site. How did it
come about?
TM: Typically my style has
been only to publish upbeat editorial, but a few readers felt we were being too
lopsided in that arena and needed to expose some of the lesser pleasantries of
Seattle. So in 2000, a series of articles ran on some not-so-nice places. The
Wing Dome article was one and it was based on a typical eating experience at the
room. Another scathing article that ran was on Duke’s which is a place I
personally have always despised for its low quality of food which rivals that of
Denny’s and Dick’s.
SD!: What led to the dining
directory exploding from 300 to 800 establishments in 2003?
TM: I was invited to a wine
dinner one evening and met Connie Adams. We had a lot in common. Connie had
written up more than 1,800 restaurants for several online publications. Seattle
DINING! had 300 in its satchel. Connie and I dated for a year and I
finally wooed her into merging our databases and finessing them. We worked
through it, refined it and the directory you see today is the work of Connie,
myself and a few past SD! editors.
Keeping it up is a lot of work. To do it, we plan a night
out somewhere, print the corresponding neighborhood out and walk through the
area making notes. By morning she’s got it updated.
SD!: Mr. Washington Wine Guy
is a bit silly. What’s the purpose?
TM: With the explosion of
the Washington wine industry, we identified a need for people to learn more
about wine. It’s something you could do if you subscribed to a national
magazine, but they don’t focus the learning about wines to just Washington. The
thinking was to create a fun, tongue-in-cheek column that was somewhat
laughable, yet the reader would learn some of the tricks of the trade. Since
there’s so many newbies to wine in Washington, why not aim it at them?
The thing most folks don’t know is that Mr. Washington
Wine guy changes personalities by the issue. One issue it’s me responding,
another it’s Connie and we plan to plug in guest MWWG’s in the future.
SD!: Under radar? Where do
you see your competition?
TM: It’s fun to watch the
competition. For months now, we’ve seen Seattle Magazine putting a huge emphasis
on dining, but because they have to be all things to all Seattleites they can’t
really nab that focus. The October issue featured lots of restaurant editorial,
while the advertising swayed toward real estate of all things. Seems like
they’re paying more attention to their competitors than their sponsors. On the
other hand, maybe there’s a wad of sponsorship cash just waiting for us in real
estate?
NW Source has obviously been watching us closely since
we’ve started getting involved with events. I suppose they thought they had that
arena sewed up, but when we sent our rate card to a few companies, they were hot
to email us with updates to our competitive info grids.
SD!: You mentioned events.
Why have you branched out into doing events?
TM: Events are a logical
extension of what we do. We learned it a long time ago from our motorcycle
publication. Being online keeps your readers from interacting with you. Being
involved with, or creating an event on your own, gives people a way to interact
with you at their choice.
SD!: sengWare. It’s the
first step with your online store.
TM: We’ve been very
successful with our online store on our motorcycle magazine. sengWare was the
first product to come along that turned my head as a way to launch online
offerings for Seattle DINING!. Everyone can find the latest Kathy Casey
cook book at Larry’s, so why launch with a book line. The product Wai Seng Yau
creates is quality and not found at every kitchen or grocery store. Perhaps one
day it will be, but for now it’s boutique. We’d love to play a part in its
popularity and I believe we will.
SD!: So now what?
TM: Seattle DINING!
is an evolving place where someone can get lost in exploring the dining in and
dining out culture of the Northwest. The possibilities are endless. You probably
won’t see us brand our own label of wine or create a cooking plank, but you can
be sure if we see an appropriate niche in the culture we’ll be there to fill it,
be it product, editorial or event. My hope is that in the near future we
continue to build and maintain strong ties to the dining community and develop
their business along with ours for the enjoyment of people who live and visit
here.
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