A few months ago I was warmly welcomed into a leadership role within a community of nearly 500 Drake colleagues.  Prior to my arrival I had led the business development and marketing for Fogo Island Inn and in advance of that I spent many years with Fairmont at The Royal York and at numerous other railway hotels of the Canadian Pacific Hotels collection. Despite having always been fascinated by the legacy of Canada’s railways, and the storied rest stops that were built across our great nation, it was not the neighbouring proximity to the railway that intersects Queen Street West that lured me.  It was due to Jeff Stober’s visionary leadership, an outstanding cast of front and heart of house professionals, and the simple fact that Toronto is having a moment.  Drake Hotel Properties are at the forefront of a hospitality movement that values equality, real neighbourhoods and original thought.

I am proud to say that I work for an organization that fosters diversity in the workplace and stands behind women through its programming and operations. On March 8 (International Women’s Day) hundreds of women and men came out to all four of our Drake Properties to celebrate women and equality for all.  On that day, and nearly every day, I pay my respects to my Great Aunt Mae.  She was a woman ahead of her time.  She led an unconventional life as a single woman and owner of a railway hotel and lounge, located in the small prairie town of Carlyle, Saskatchewan.  The hotel had been passed down to her from her father around the time that rail travel was being replaced with trucks and cars.  Hotel occupancy was about to take a turn for the worst, but the bar business was resilient and she was hopeful that she could make a go of the beverage business. 

The only catch to her successfully operating the business was that she was not actually permitted in her business.  The lifting of alcohol prohibition in Saskatchewan had already been lifted in 1924, and it took until 1935 for hotel bars to be allowed to serve beer by the glass — but to men only. In fact, women weren't legally allowed to drink in public in Saskatchewan until 1960. Bars were deemed a male social space and women were banned. Aunt Mae needed a man to enter her own bar and could only monitor receipts while being accompanied by a male, or after hours. Consequently, my dear Great Aunt Mae was unable to directly monitor revenues. The legislation permitting women to enter licensed drinking premises arrived too late for her. In the late fifties, before the hotel fell onto even harder times she traded in the prairie hotel life for a new, more liberal life in Vancouver, B.C.

https://princealberthistory.blog/2018/06/09/june-29-1959-women-allowed-in-prince-albert-bars/

Sometimes when I pass under the Dufferin Street rail bridge, I pause a moment to think of how in the early 1900’s the same freight and passenger cars of the Canadian National / Pacific Railway might have brought guests to my Great Aunt’s hotel. That same train may have also stopped just steps away from the Queen Street doors of the Small’s Hotel, and how in 1949 that same hotel was renamed The Drake Hotel.  And how The Drake, as Toronto has fondly come to know it since Jeff Stober purchased the building in 2001, has now become renowned as a Canadian original for its ground-breaking hospitality and championing of urban culture and community. And finally, I am thankful for how my career path arrived at a workplace where women are so positively represented and welcomed here at The Drake.

After making it through an amazing holiday season, this January we celebrated another great Drake year and all of our exceptional + dedicated employees with A MET GALA (CAMP) themed bash! We were happy to see so many of you decked out and fully embracing the camp-theme, this was definitely one for the books!

Check out all of the staff party pics here + here

Congratulations once again to all of our well-deserving winners, we heart you!

• DRAKE MVP winners: Paddy MacDonald , Chelsea Lawrence, Bradley Morgan, Malik Deluy, Angelina Smith, Elizabeth Kalles, Deidre Hennigar, James LeBerg, Ian Patterson, Mason Kell, Lisa Hey, Caroline Rolf
• HEART OF HOSPITALITY winners: Leda Smith, Baris Suslu, Adrian Rebucas, Lindsey Grassby, Maghnus Sullivan-Lorenz, Kate Boles, Matthew Mayo, Lauren Downey, Damien Smith, Jeremy Cuerrier, Jonathan Broderick, Katura Gibb
  
  

A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped bring the party to life, and a special shout-out to the incredible MOOKS for keeping us dancing all night long! The count down to SUMMER 2020 is on – we got this!

Cook competitions are back! Here’s a sneak peak:

A few weeks a go, the BOH team at The Drake Hotel held a competition for staff to develop their best menu items inspired by late night snack offerings. The Brief: Each cook was asked to prepare an exciting take on a late night snack that could be priced at $5-10 dollars and produced efficiently to support high volume service. Besides the great prize packs, it was a fantastic opportunity for these young energetic cooks to showcase their restaurant planning skills – flexing their knowledge on costing, food portioning, menu trends and personal cooking style. Check out some of the mouthwatering dishes here.

A big congratulations to the two winners:

Carlos Villacorta. Winning Dish: Pig in a Blanket
Nicolas Rincon Parra. Winning Dish: Poutine

Cooking snackdown competitions coming soon to a Drake near you!

BENEFITS. GET ON IT!

Did you know that full-time hourly employees are eligible for health + dental benefits after just one year with us? Your health + wellbeing is really important to us. Our Extended Health + Medical Plan is designed to meet the needs of you and your family in a flexible and tax-efficient manner. If you would like more information, please reach out to Philip Doan, philip@thedrake.ca. You will receive more information on the program upon eligibility.

REFER A FRIEND TO THE FAMILY

Spring is (hopefully) just around the corner and we’re getting ready for another busy + exciting summer. As we gear up for our high season, we are currently accepting applications for ALL SEASONAL ROLES across all properties.

Great people know great people. And so, if you know someone that you think would be a great fit for the Drake, let us know! Fill out the Drake Referral Form here.

As a token of appreciation we reward staff with a referral bonus for every successful referral. Hourly referrals are worth $300 and salaried referrals are worth $1000. A successful referral means that they have passed their probationary period and are in good standings. You and your referral must both be active during the bonus payout.

A recent article published by CTV News highlighted an event in Cambridge, Ontario, where a guest was over-served at a restaurant which unfortunately resulted in a drunk driving death and servers and owners being charged under the Ontario Liquor Licence Act. Read the full article here.

Stories like this are a good reminder for us all to keep Smart Serve at the front of your mind during service, especially as we begin to ramp up service towards the busy season ahead. It is our shared responsibility to be mindful of how much a guest has had to drink and be monitoring them for signs of intoxication. Chat with your guests to inquire about how they are getting home, and if they are driving please be sure to let security or any MOD know.

Always better to be safe than sorry!

We know how much training + development means to you, so we have been working hard to develop new + exciting optional training opportunities across FOH + BOH. Here’s what’s happening this March + April.

MARCH HAPPENINGS:

+ WINE SCHOOL – Weekly Tastings

Tuesdays @4pm // The Drake Hotel

WINE SCHOOL SPECIAL EDITIONS

+ NATURAL WINE
With Danielle Nicholls from The Living Vine
Tuesday, March 17 @ 4pm // The Drake Hotel

+ ROSEHALL WINE TASTING

 Fun Fact: Rosehall Run Wineries produce our Drake Flophouse wines.

Tuesday, March 10 @4pm //The Drake Hotel

APRIL HAPPENINGS:

+ GOOD SPACE YOGA

Thursday, April 2^nd @2pm // Queen + Dufferin

+ WINE SCHOOL – Starting April, Wine School will be held EVERY OTHER WEEK.

Tuesdays @4pm // The Drake Hotel

If you are interested in joining any of these sessions, reach out to Chelsea Lawrence- chelsea@thedrakehotel.ca. Don't miss out on the fun!

Since the last Drake Employee survey in August, we have been working hard to make changes that address your feedback + suggestions.

Some of the programs that we are rolling-out include:

• A refreshed performance review process
• An accelerated development training plan for those looking to move up
• New optional training + development offerings
• New + enhanced employee rewards
  
  

As we work on launching these programs, we want to make sure that we are continuing to listen to your opinions + feedback. Therefore, if you have any new suggestions on how we can improve your work experience, do not hesitate to reach out to HR or provide your feedback in your property suggestion box. Let`s continue to work together to make the Drake an even better place to work.

++ Coronavirus (COVID- 19) HOURLY UPDATE MEMO ++
We are monitoring this situation closely and will continue to provide the necessary updates should the situation escalate.
With the continued development around Coronavirus (COVID- 19), The Drake’s Health and Safety team encourages you to stay updated on the latest travel and health advisors if you are planning any upcoming travel.

Symptoms
Employees experiencing symptoms of illness of any kind should stay home and rest. Doing so will make it easier for everyone to confidently come to the spaces without fears of getting sick. Please do not return to work until you have fully recovered.
You are required to arrange with your manager a 14 day leave of absence period and notify (sorcha@thedrake.ca or scott@thedrake.ca ) with the request for approval. There are extra precautions for the below and possible 14 day - self quarantine in affect + medical sign off:

• If you have traveled to any high-risk locations* (mainland China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea & Italy).
• If you have traveled to any high-risk locations* (mainland China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea & Italy).
• If you have been in close contact with individuals who have traveled to any of the high impact locations and are showing symptoms or have tested positive for the virus

Enhanced Protocols
As accustomed as many of us are to greeting one another with a friendly handshake, for the sake of good health, let’s all take a pause on handshakes until the threat has passed.
Finally, know that we are taking additional precautions with extra cleaning of our spaces. We are also adding hand sanitizers to all of our social lounges, reception areas and other locations. Please feel free to use liberally!
Coronaviruses spread similar to other respiratory illnesses; from an infected person to others through:

• The air via coughing and sneezing
• Close personal contact with an infected person
• Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands
• To protect yourself + others, follow these basic preventative measures:
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• WASH YOUR HANDS frequently, using soap and water and scrubbing for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water is unavailable, use a min 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• CALL TO ACTION: Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. New sanitizers + disinfectants will be at the properties
• Always, practice proper cough and sneeze etiquette (direct into your upper sleeve)

Concerns
Please ensure if you have a concern that you contact your manager immediately, HR and PR are also here to support you. Remember: We have an open door policy and encourage to go to who you feel comfortable.

We truly believe that our employees are our most valuable assets. Drake’s anniversary program is one of the ways we reward and recognize our employees’ milestone + tenure with us. It is our way of saying thanks for all of your continuous hard work and dedication. You can see the full anniversary gift catalogue here.

Here are this season’s milestone anniversaries (January - April), cheers to all of you!

1 Year

Alison Weston
Isaac Haslam
Faegen Greenwood
Shemar Lee
Laura Cunningham
Kolby Zinger Harris
Richard Lawrence
Danielle O'Brien
Steven Iantorno
Michael Arokium
Marc Quagliarini
Alysha Patterson
Jay Thomas
Elizabeth Kalles
Kalisa Bhimlal
Malik Deluy
Fiona Runa
Andrew Keeves
Sarah Callaghan
Isabella Pinel
Matthew Goodall
Aldiva Picanco
Hang My Nguyen
Sauzi Huband
Bowen Messier
Katelyn Parodo
Simone Adomeit
Emma Elkind
Greg Harrison
Angelina Smith
Dana Fobert
Gabrielle Walsh
Jack Little
Jordan Dibe
Mikayla Stradiotto
Nicole Tyson
Zhubin Phua
Oleks Iurchenko

3 Years

Todd Anthony Nugent
Brianna Bijman
Kieran Zierer Clyke
Andy Sennin
Maxwell McWhinnie
Elizabeth Bergeron
Vincent Palmateer
Daniel Dooley
Ahmad Taib
Justin Nicholas Davis
Tim Steele
Andree Anne Lorrain
Rachel Young
Jessica Colvin
Matt Fairbanks
Rachel Dowzansky

5 Years

Savannah Morin
Mounir Ghrawi
Owen Norquay