F & B : Bar Business
A wAy with
Last year Raffles Grill at Raffles Singapore received Wine Spectator ’ s Best of Award of Excellence for a fourth consecutive year . The honor recognizes destination restaurants with a wine wine list of at least 400 selections and a program with superior vintage depth or region breadth . Raffles Singapore Wine Director Stéphane Soret shares some lessons he has learned in his 20-plus years of experience .
How is your wine program different from those at other luxury hotels ?
True luxury for wine , in my opinion , is all in the service . We recruit and develop local F & B and sommelier talents who have a genuine long-term interest in wines and the emotional intelligence we need to build trust , outstanding guest rapport and long-term relationships . They will also gain experience and build confidence through visits to the vineyards , professional tasting and on-the-job training .
What is the biggest key to creating a positive wine experience for your guests ?
It is the ability to read and handle each guest differently — a quick analysis of what is called the “ palate profile ” is often required . Wine is a complex subject , and my goal is to simplify and always share valuable information with the right attitude .
How have hotels ’ bar programs in general evolved in recent years ?
Guests are looking more for genuine recommendations — not always based on price , but rather , the authenticity of the wine . They want to hear the story behind the wine , and this message can only be delivered if you have the confidence and passion to share .
Stéphane Soret
artiSanal SodaS
Enchantment Resort recently debuted a line of house-made US $ 5 artisanal sodas with flavors including ginger , strawberry , pineapple and cucumber mint .
HealtHy
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants , San Francisco , kicked off the new year with a healthy start — the launch of a fresh juice menu that will be available at response all of the company ’ s properties later this year . The 16-ounce ( 0.5-liter ) juices sell for US $ 8 to US $ 12 and include varieties such as Beets Me with red beets , carrots , ginger and cilantro . Director of Restaurant Operations Frank Kawecki says the 10 restaurants currently offering the juices sell more than 20 daily on average , and Kimpton ’ s next step may be to market juices bottled to go .
“ We know our guests are health-conscious , and juicing just made sense ,” Kawecki adds . “ This couples nicely with the complimentary bikes and yoga mats we rolled out to all hotels last year .”
After observing a decline in traditional soda sales , Enchantment Resort in Sedona , Arizona , recently introduced artisanal , house-made sodas ( US $ 5 ) crafted from fresh-squeezed juice that had initially seen success at the property ’ s spa . Mark Grenoble , president and CEO of Enchantment Group , says the artisanal sodas have outsold traditional sodas at a rate of almost 2-to-1 , and the product line ’ s profitability is roughly 95 %.
“ Our guests are in tune with their bodies , and as an active resort health and fitness is a major part of our DNA ,” Grenoble notes .
But even properties without an obvious “ health halo ” might be able to benefit from a move toward healthier bar offerings . “ At bars , fresh juice is a must to position the venue as highest-quality ,” says New York Citybased foodservice consultant Arlene Spiegel . “ Even the mere presence of a juice machine at the bar signals ‘ premium ’ to guests .”
36 HOTELS April 2014 www . hotelsmag . com