Bistango GM Promoted To Director Of Operations

Sept. 3, 2014 - PRLog -- Bistango’s long-time general manager, Ray Sanii, has been promoted to Director of Operations, where his expanded responsibilities include directing the burgeoning banquet and special events division.   Assisting in the day-to-day management, along with William Blank, is newly hired Alex Gimenez, who Sanii selected based on his most recent history, the Pacific Club in Newport Beach where he worked for 8 years, last three of them as a manager.

         “In the past year or 2, we‘ve seen significant growth of our special events and banquet business with weddings, business conferences, family reunions and charity fundraisers taking up so much of Ray’s time,” said Bistango owner John Ghoukassian.  “We were fortunate enough to have secured the talents of Alex to ease the burden on Ray and give him the time and energy required to keep up with his added responsibilities.”

         Sanii has worked at Bistango for 27 years, and helped build the restaurant to become a “power lunch” destination during the week and, by adding nightly live entertainment to the mix, a popular dining destination in the evenings and on weekends.  He recently launched Bistango Gardens, the 125-seat lushly landscaped patio with its own menu of small plates and beverages like sangria, craft beers, wines by the glass and specialty cocktails.

         Before embarking on a career in restaurant management, Gimenez held a variety of positions at restaurants in Beverly Hills and NYC. He graduated from the University of Buenos Aires, where he studied economics and human resources.

Bistango is renowned for its diverse menu of fine American cuisine set in an airy atmosphere distinguished by fine art exhibits and large umbrellas that suspend from the ceiling lending great intimacy.  Bistango also features an extensive cocktail list of classics and house specialties.  New to its beverage offerings are 30 craft beers by the bottle, which include some difficult to acquire selections.  Bistango serves lunch and dinner weekdays and dinner-only Saturdays.  Bistango is located at The Atrium (19100 Von Karman Avenue,
Irvine).  For more information visit www.bistango.com or call (949) 752-5222.