Waukee

Category: Restaurant

  • Masala Restaurant

    Masala Restaurant

    The seemingly unlikely duo of nature and technology are at the heart of chef Rasmus Kofoed’s progressive tasting menu: 17-plus inspired, artistic courses composed of organic and wild Scandinavian ingredients. While a presentation of fragile, near-translucent leaves is made from a Jerusalem artichoke purée, what look to be razor clams are actually dough painted with squid ink.

    Counting quite the impressive CV, Rasmus Kofoed is the first chef in Denmark to have earned three Michelin stars, which the French fine dining guide granted to Geranium in 2016. Kofoed is also the only chef to have ever won the gold, silver and bronze medals at the esteemed global cooking competition the Bocuse d’Or, and his meticulous approach to seasonal Danish cuisine has seen Geranium climb its way up The World’s 50 Best Restaurants The rather unexpected locale of a national soccer stadium serves as Geranium’s backdrop. The restaurant is located on the facility’s eighth floor, and its dining room affords panoramic views of Fælledparken (Common Gardens). Ask management to tour the rear kitchen area for a look at the most epic of sports stadium field views.

    While Kofoed heads up kitchen operations, partner Søren Ledet manages the dining room and wine. But when Geranium opened in 2007, those roles were yet to be defined. Since both men counted chef backgrounds, they initially planned to each spend time cooking and running the front-of-house. But Kofoed quickly found himself romanced by the kitchen, while Ledet fell in love with hospitality and booze, landing them in the positions they command today. Over the years, Ledet’s 2,500-bottle wine list, which spans from classic selections to natural-leaning juice, has won numerous accolades, including Wine Spectator’s prestigious Grand Award.

  • The King Of Food

    The King Of Food

    Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating it gives us pleasure.

    In 2013, we had published the first edition of First Food series. I had written then that food is about culture and biodiversity. We often do not think that food diversity, indeed cultural diversity, is linked to the diversity in the biological world. We argued then that we must celebrate the knowledge of plants and their properties and how best to cook them to bring out the flavours and smells. We said then — and we are saying again now — that only when we value the biodiversity on our plates, will we be able to protect the biodiversity in the wild. 

    In 2017 came the second edition First Food: Culture of Taste. In this book, as in the first, we offered recipes of foods along with the knowledge of plant diversity. We did this because it was becoming clear the world was (and is) facing an obesity pandemic — much of the food we eat today is bad for health, with no nutrition or goodness. More importantly, it is now clear that this change in our diet — moving away from home-cooked, nutritious foods borne out of culinary traditions and age-old knowledge — is not incidental or accidental. We are children of the age of processed and factory-grown foods, who have been trans-mutated through a deliberate and subliminal marketing that has changed our habits and our culture of food.

    We need a re-discovery of this knowledge of food and culture. All is not lost yet — we still eat home-cooked, bio-diverse and nutritious food. But this scenario is changing rapidly. Already, there is evidence that the incidence of diabetes — a disease with strong links to bad food — is increasing, not just among the affluent but also the poor of urban India.

    Clearly, therefore, food is more than just about taste. It is about our health. But the question is, how will we change this culture of bad food? Can we change it? The processed food industry is very powerful; its ability to reach people, particularly the young, with food propaganda is all-pervasive; it has perfected the art of seduction through colours, flavours and smells. It knows how to get us to snacking temptation — even when we know it is bad for us. More importantly, the processed food industry has now found a niche for fitting into our busy lifestyles — its products are convenient because they are easy to get and make. No muss, no fuss. 

  • Yeantun Masala Restaurant

    Yeantun Masala Restaurant

    The seemingly unlikely duo of nature and technology are at the heart of chef Rasmus Kofoed’s progressive tasting menu: 17-plus inspired, artistic courses composed of organic and wild Scandinavian ingredients. While a presentation of fragile, near-translucent leaves is made from a Jerusalem artichoke purée, what look to be razor clams are actually dough painted with squid ink.

    Counting quite the impressive CV, Rasmus Kofoed is the first chef in Denmark to have earned three Michelin stars, which the French fine dining guide granted to Geranium in 2016. Kofoed is also the only chef to have ever won the gold, silver and bronze medals at the esteemed global cooking competition the Bocuse d’Or, and his meticulous approach to seasonal Danish cuisine has seen Geranium climb its way up The World’s 50 Best Restaurants The rather unexpected locale of a national soccer stadium serves as Geranium’s backdrop. The restaurant is located on the facility’s eighth floor, and its dining room affords panoramic views of Fælledparken (Common Gardens). Ask management to tour the rear kitchen area for a look at the most epic of sports stadium field views.

    While Kofoed heads up kitchen operations, partner Søren Ledet manages the dining room and wine. But when Geranium opened in 2007, those roles were yet to be defined. Since both men counted chef backgrounds, they initially planned to each spend time cooking and running the front-of-house. But Kofoed quickly found himself romanced by the kitchen, while Ledet fell in love with hospitality and booze, landing them in the positions they command today. Over the years, Ledet’s 2,500-bottle wine list, which spans from classic selections to natural-leaning juice, has won numerous accolades, including Wine Spectator’s prestigious Grand Award.

  • Grand Place

    Grand Place

    Do your party packages include special experiences or a discounted group admission rate?

    Far too often, we see family entertainment centers and event facilities view their party packages as a way to secure a dozen or so more walk-ins. They might take $2 off admission per person, but still charge full price for everything else—food, beverages, gameplay, etc.

    Creating party packages that offer a high-value guest experience over lowering costs slightly just to get a few more people in the door will drive more revenue in the long term. Doing this will also reduce the strain of high-volume parties.

    • Holiday Party Package Scenario #1: Each “Basic Party Package” costs $105. Let’s say you have six of these booked on a Saturday afternoon, and each of these parties will have 10 attendees.

      You would earn $630 for creating a memorable experience for 60 people in total. However, with this many parties and people, you’ll likely need to hire multiple hosts. This situation has the potential to cause major confusion when trying to meet the needs and expectations of your many guests.
    • Holiday Party Package Scenario #2: Each “Ultimate Party Package” costs $250. Let’s say you have three of these booked on a Saturday afternoon and each of these parties will have 10 attendees.

      You would earn $750 for creating a memorable guest experience for 30 people. Since you have half the amount of parties, each party could be managed by a single host, allowing you to earn a higher profit per party.

    Build valuable party packages

    Many family entertainment centers and event facilities have adopted the “Good-Better-Best” model to tier their party package options. With this model, you’ll offer a lower-priced, basic offering, one that still holds value and appeals to customers. You’ll also offer second and third-tier options, which are higher-value.

    When using the Good-Better-Best approach, it’s important to name your products well. Which set of party package names sound more appealing?

    Set ASet B
     Party A Silver Party
     Party B Gold Party
     Party C Platinum Party


    If you’re looking to increase your revenue, especially during the holiday season, I hope your choice was “Set B”.

    Platinum is the best. Gold is more valuable than Silver. And Silver still sounds pretty nice.

    • Platinum Party Packages offer the highest incentives and make guests feel like royalty. 
    • Creating a Gold Party Package is key for your business. Your guests will feel better about not spending too much, but will still feel excited about the additional value they’ll receive compared to the cheapest option.

      More often than not, your Gold Party Packages are going to be the most popular option at your facility. Explain the added value this option holds without sounding overly “sales-y,” and watch people who would have purchased Silver upgrade to Gold!
    • A Silver Party Package is still a solid choice—don’t skimp out on the value with this one. Having an affordable party package option that still includes exclusive add-ons and a great experience shows customers that your facility welcomes everyone and anyone, no matter their budget.

    Brainstorm what party package labels suit your family entertainment center or event facility best, but please, a word of advice when it comes to naming them: “Bronze” is better left on doorknobs!