At 4,000 square feet , Boleo , the rooftop restaurant at Chicago ' s Kimpton Gray , is able to accommodate larger corporate meetings and weddings . Though Boleo chef Cory Morris says he could use more back-of-house space , he says the lack of it forces him to keep ingredients as fresh as possible .
Morris estimates that out of some estimated US $ 6 million F & B sales for the property ( including two other outlets and banquet sales ), Boleo is on track to contribute US $ 3 million of that .
“ We ’ re blowing it out of the water ,” he says .
Mexican-style tapas at Baba Nest
focus . While the regional focus is the same , the restaurant ’ s new chef , Cory Morris , who joined in September 2017 , says he has learned to adapt recipes to resonate with one of Boleo ’ s main clienteles : the happy hour business district crowd .
Morris ’ first big change to the menu was to alter a very authentic anticucho de corazon ( beef heart marinated in a corazon sauce ) by subbing out the heart for steak .
“ People are afraid of beef heart . And so I thought , let ’ s look at our crowd and let ’ s try it with a grass-fed skirt steak and see how it sells ,” he says . “ And instantly it was our number one seller because people love skirt steak . We ’ re still cooking with the authentic flavors , but we ’ re also cooking to our guest and giving them what they want .”
Key , too , is keeping the menu small ( 17 items ) as much of the revenue is coming in through Boleo ’ s cocktail program .
At 4,000 square feet , the rooftop restaurant is also able to accommodate larger corporate meetings and weddings . Though Morris says he could use more back-ofhouse space , he says the lack of it forces him to keep ingredients as fresh as possible .
Morris estimates that out of some US $ 6 million F & B sales for the Kimpton Gray ( including two other outlets and banquet sales ), Boleo is on track to contribute US $ 3 million of that . “ We ’ re blowing it out of the water ,” he says .
BLOWING PAST LIMITATIONS “ Hoteliers must also think through not only the sense of arrival , but access of staff so ( the rooftop restaurant ) is operationally efficient ,” Rigby adds . It pays , he says , to have a service elevator that goes directly to the rooftop as well as an elevator that offers direct rooftop access for clientele not staying with the hotel .
And while a view can be nice , the property shouldn ’ t rely on that element alone . “ Is the view going to be interesting at
December 2018 hotelsmag . com 27