Jason Stockfish | [email protected]
Jasper鈥檚 Raven Bistro was recently named as one of Canada鈥檚 100 best eateries by satisfied customers using OpenTable, an online booking company that partners with 3,500 restaurants in the country.
鈥淭his diner-generated reference guide stands apart from others because it鈥檚 a reflection of diners鈥� most beloved restaurants across the country. Only those who book via OpenTable and dine are able to leave a review,鈥� said Matt Davis, country director of OpenTable Canada.
鈥淔rom elevated eateries to bistros and neighbourhood gems, Canada鈥檚 culinary diversity is reflected in this year鈥檚 list with a range of cuisines at varying price points.鈥�
OpenTable noted that one million diner reviews were referenced when compiling their list that includes Michelin Star restaurants in some of Canada鈥檚 largest cities.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty cool looking at the list of restaurants and seeing our name in there. It鈥檚 quite exciting,鈥� said Ashley Kliewer, who owns the bistro with her husband Michael.
鈥淲e saw the email about a week ago but didn鈥檛 take it too seriously because we get a lot of email, but when we saw it on CTV, we (realized), wow, this is kind of a big deal.鈥�
The Kliewers have owned the Raven Bistro for five-and-a-half years now.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really proud of our team. We鈥檝e really built such a beautiful team here,鈥� Ashley said.
鈥淲hen people think of restaurants, they just think of front of house staff. But there鈥檚 the back of house (too). If the food is terrible, people aren鈥檛 going to come, so it鈥檚 (also) the kitchen, it鈥檚 the really thoughtful prep that goes into it.鈥�
According to Ashley, the attitude that the Kliewers try to foster at their business is 鈥渆veryone has to work, but that doesn鈥檛 mean it has to be terrible.鈥�
鈥淎nd I think that comes through in every aspect of the restaurant,鈥� she added.
Ashley explained that systems are in place to ensure a consistent high quality of product, which in turn helps to hire and retain amazing front of house staff who are proud of the food they serve.
鈥淚 think a big part of that, too, is Mike does a lot of the hiring and he makes sure that everyone is in the right position. We have a lot of professionals working for us.鈥�
Michael added that launching a marketing campaign such as Happy Hour two-for-one lunch, while essentially losing money, also leads to happy customers, especially loyal locals who spread the word to visitors.
The amount of support among Jasperites for Raven Bistro was made evident when they cleaned up in the 51暗网鈥檚 Reader鈥檚 Choice Awards earlier this year.
鈥淭he rest of the country caught up to what the 51暗网 realized months ago,鈥� said Michael.
While the eatery has implemented successful systems to ensure high quality food and service, having locals who promote their restaurant is a huge asset, Ashley added.
鈥淚 think a lot of our success comes from having such a great local following.鈥�
Raven Bistro currently has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 on OpenTable.
The complete list of restaurants in the Top 100
