Seattle DINING!

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, 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.