GROUPDYNE.COM GOES NATIONAL - NEW SITE MAKES GROUP DINNERS, PRIVATE PARTIES AND EVENTS AT RESTAURANTS AND SPECIAL EVENT VENUES AS EASY AS POINT AND CLICK

November 13th, 2008 – SEATTLE – Seattle-based Groupdyne, Inc. today announced the launch of their national website, Groupdyne.com. A Northwest version of the site was launched earlier this year offering a unique and simple tool for planning private parties and corporate events at top restaurants in the greater Seattle area. From corporate meetings, wedding rehearsal dinners, family celebrations to a casual dinner with friends or a formal holiday gathering, Groupdyne.com helps people quickly and easily find the perfect location for their next event. For a group outing from 2 people to 2,000, users can enter their event details, browse restaurant profiles, view photos of available facilities, read testimonials and chef profiles and send an email event request to several venues in seconds. The site saves time, energy, and is free-to-use.

Unlike other online sites, Groupdyne.com focuses exclusively on group and private dining. Instead of including user restaurant “reviews” or blogs, this site remains focused 100% on connecting users to a powerful, integrated database of restaurant information, specifics on private, semi private and group dining, chef biographies, capacity details, audio visual capabilities and group menu information to make planning group events simple and carefree. Users also benefit from standardized venue profiles that allow for quick side-by-side comparisons and one-click e-mail submission for simple email communications with venues making the site effective for both corporate and non-corporate users.

Beginning with more than 300 of the top restaurants in the greater Seattle area including Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Campagne, Ray’s Boathouse, Rover’s, Volterra, Kimpton Hotel Group’s Sazerac, local Chef Tom Douglas’s Dahlia Lounge, Palace Ballroom, Palace Kitchen, Lola and Etta’s as well as special event venues like Lucky Strike Lanes, ACME Bowl, Teatro Zinzanni, Parlor Billiard & Spirits, The Canal, The Great Hall at Union Station, Top of the Market and Stone Manor. As a result of the launch of its national site, Groupdyne.com now features venues in 17 major US markets such as Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC.

“We’re serving an important need by bringing together individuals, companies and event planners with the best restaurants, chefs and event venues across the country,” said Cindy Baccetti, Groupdyne.com President and Co-founder. “This is a dynamic and growing part of the dining and hospitality industry, and Groupdyne.com offers people an innovative, free and easy-to-use tool that takes the guesswork out of booking group meetings and events.”

For corporate users Groupdyne.com creates special online dining guides for employees that include corporate discounts on group bookings and a free concierge service for those in need of restaurant recommendations. Groupdyne.com also partners with chambers of commerce and convention centers such as the Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, South Lake Union Chamber of Commerce, Seattle Chamber of Commerce and Meydenbauer Center by creating a special version of the group dining directory that appears on those sites serving convention visitors and local businesses.

"Groupdyne.com saves me time searching for venues for my events! Instead of having to take the time to conduct research on the best available venue, I use Groupdyne.com and find just what I was looking for in just minutes."
Michelle Meyer, Sr. Marketing Communications Manager, Microsoft

In the last six years, the National Restaurant Association indicates that nearly $20 billion was spent annually on corporate credit cards for parties of eight or more at restaurants, while the Convention Industry Council estimates that restaurant spending by meeting and convention attendees in North America totals more than $12.3 billion per year.

"Groupdyne.com exceeded our expectations within the first two months. We have seen an increase in our inquiries and our first booking for 600 people was valued at over $30K and the client found us on Groupdyne.com"
Steven Olson, Owner - Parlor Billiards& Spirits, Ultralounge and Parlor Live

For conventions and conferences, family reunions, company meetings or wedding rehearsal dinners, Groupdyne.com was built on the premise that planning meetings, special events, group lunches and dinners should be easy, intuitive and fun. The site also features great articles for restaurateurs [http://www.groupdyne.com/Seattle-Restaurants/Seattle-Dining-News.htm] Like “Marketing Your Restaurant to Groups” and “10 Simple Rules for Business Dining”.

“Groupdyne is great. Our very first referral booked an event. That event covered our costs with Groupdyne for the whole year. The referrals are all serious inquiries that have already narrowed their search through Groupdyne’s comprehensive information and photos. We love it.”
Paul Reder, Owner, Tap House Grill

For its restaurant members, Groupdyne.com offers inclusion in a citywide venue directory, detailed premium profiles with additional information allowing users to make informed selections. The “submit request” feature captures and delivers each event's customized details and delivers it to the venue in one click. This allows venues to respond to each complete, qualified lead using customized response templates for quick, streamlined responses to guests and facilitates easy sales follow-up.

Cindy Baccetti
President and Co-Founder, Groupdyne.com

Groupdyne.com is the result of the vision and passion of Seattleite Cindy Baccetti, who recognized the need for a specialized search tool for people planning group dining meetings and events in restaurants and similar venues, whether they are professional meeting planners, or personal events. She created the hospitality website allowing users to locate group dining venues nationwide and her leadership includes creation of the initial concept, assisting in the site’s graphic layout and programming code development as well as guiding the concept from start to finish.

As President, Cindy oversees Groupdyne, Inc’s daily operations and is responsible for the company's corporate positioning, branding and identity, public relations and member engagement marketing to ensure strong connections with website users and member venues. Cindy also oversees Groupdyne.com sales and internal communications, corporate affairs, and community relations efforts and serves as champion of the company’s brand in the market. In addition to her time spent at Groupdyne.com, her passion for supporting hunger relief and food related charities includes serving as event chair for many countless local charity events.

Cindy Baccetti has been at the epicenter of Seattle’s hospitality for years, and has built strong relationships with all the key players. In addition to knowing the industry inside and out, Cindy has also been a major supporter of numerous local charitable event and organizations – including Share Our Strength’s Taste the Nation, Chef’s Night Out, Solid Ground, and FareStart. Cindy only takes on projects she is passionate about, and that passion comes through in her energy, dedication, and results – just as it has with her excited new venture. GroupDyne.com.
Dan Johnson, Development Director, FareStart

For More Information about Groupdyne.com
400 Mercer Street, Suite 308 | Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 407-3808 or press@groupdyne.com