Reviews

XO - The Reinvention

By Zdenko Zovkic, as told to Plain Dealer reporter Marcia Pledger

XO Prime Steaks is a modern steakhouse, with an extraordinary twist on a classic. It didn't start out that way. We've always been able to serve a superior product in a creative way. But we used to be a little too unusual for a downtown location. The model for the previous XO was serving modern American cuisine with a European twist in a high energy setting.

Dishes like pork chops with a huckabee glaze, apple goat cheese and a caramelized onion strudel, quickly built us a strong following and base. Word spread fast that we were doing something new and exciting. But a year and a half after we opened, business was at a standstill. We weren't growing. At the corner of W. 6th & St. Clair, our location is perfect, but I didn't see the opportunity to get where I wanted with the concept.

I started talking to guests more about what they like and don't like about the restaurant. I asked them where else they like to go and how often. I got some feedback about wanting more selection, but identity was clearly the biggest factor, especially in talking to people who most often refer guests from hotels and corporations. People didn't know how to describe and categorize XO.

My biggest mistake was focusing more on creativity than the identity and marketability of the restaurant. I'm from Europe and I always knew that I wanted a downtown location because I like the variety of guests that you get in the city. It gives me a feeling of being connected with other cities. But we were not getting the transient diner or many of the corporate types like I had anticipated.

Why weren't we getting the referrals? People tend to want a themed restaurant. If you're traveling and you want to go out to dinner, you might ask a hotel concierge for a recommendation. But you'll start out by saying, I'm in the mood for Italian, seafood, Chinese food or steaks. Even if you would have thoroughly enjoyed our offerings, you're just not going to say, I want some creative cuisine.

It's human nature. Whether you're talking to your family at home or friends at work, when you're trying to figure out what you want to eat, the first thing you do is decide on what type of food you want. Then you figure out where you want to go.

I changed my entire concept and menu and it paid off. Sales increased 25 percent in one year. The hard part was figuring out the problem. It was an easy decision to change. My theory is if you don't make a decision someone will make it for you.

The first thing I did was look at what was already available at downtown restaurants. I read a lot about restaurant trends in trade publications. A modern steakhouse didn't exist downtown. Once I settled on steaks, I also visited some high-end steakhouses in other states. After I decided to change the name to XO Prime Steaks, the challenge was figuring out how to maintain a creative edge and keep our loyal base but also add to it.

We had built a reputation for quality and I didn't want to compromise that. So when we decided to focus on steaks, all of our meat had to be USDA Prime-Aged grade. Only 2 percent of all beef is at that level, which translates to juicier and more tender steaks. We came up with a menu that includes seafood, pasta and chicken dishes. We also added eight potato dishes and 11 vegetable selections.

We closed the restaurant for five days for training and decorating. We added wood blinds and table lamps to create more of a steakhouse feeling. We changed the bright wall colorings to chocolate brown and golden browns to give the place a warmer and more intimate feeling.

Whatever changes I made with decorations, menu and staff, I knew it would remain a fine dining establishment. It's the environment where I'm most comfortable. I started my hospitality career through a three-year apprenticeship program in Germany at the Intercontinental Hotels on Cologne, where I was raised. I worked my way up from server to manager at a variety of fine dining restaurants. I've been a beverage director at the Ritz Carlton in Cleveland and in Aspen. I've helped open and manage a downtown Cleveland night club, worked in several managerial roles in area restaurants and a country club. I've even co-owned a restaurant in Germany and owned another restaurant in Cleveland.My goal was to experience hospitality at different types of venues before opening XO. I wanted to find out what works, what doesn't work and why; although there are so many variables to that equation. Something that works in one city might not work in another. Something that works great in a suburb might not do as well in the city.

I learned that you can never be thorough enough in researching your market and demographics. I also learned that you can't hold on too long to something that might not succeed. Don't be afraid to make a change.