Matthew Conn

Cote Family Destinations is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Conn as the new director of food and beverage at Grand View Lodge Spa and Golf Resort. Located two hours north of Minneapolis, the resort offers nine restaurants across the 750-acre property, including signature steakhouse CHAR, and several popular annual culinary and wine events, including the upcoming de'Vine, which brings together wine industry leaders for a weekend of tastings, culinary classes, wine seminars and specialty dinners, scheduled for February 10-12, 2023.

With nearly two decades of experience in the industry, Conn most recently worked as director of food and beverage at nearby Cragun's Resort in Brainerd, Minn., overseeing operations for the resort, golf course, banquet, and conference services departments. Prior, he worked his way up from banquet manager to director of F&B operations at Grand Casino Mille Lacs in Onamia, Minn., where he led all facets of front and back-of-house management. He formerly worked as kitchen manager at the Rainforest Café in Nashville, Tenn., leading the team through a new restaurant opening that topped $7 million in revenue that year. He was later promoted to executive chef and relocated to Katy, Texas where he oversaw the kitchen managers and staff.

Grand View Lodge offers guests a year-round retreat on the shores of Gull Lake in the Brainerd Lakes Area. In June 2022, the resort opened a new restaurant, Crust Pizza, and re-opened Cru Restaurant & Wine Bar with a new Mediterranean-inspired menu. The property also recently debuted a newly renovated Glacial Waters Spa, boasting several new amenities, including a state-of-the-art Himalayan salt room, Vichy shower room, new outdoor hot tub, additional treatment rooms and treatment offerings, and more.