F & B : Room seRvice
Up for grabs
Herb N ’ Kitchen at New York Hilton Midtown aims to offer reasonably priced , high-quality food in an engaging environment as an alternative to traditional room service .
Although not intended to replace traditional room service , Louvre Hotels Group ’ s new Grab & Go concept is expected to increase F & B turnover 10 % to 15 %.
The launch of Herb N ’ Kitchen at New York Hilton Midtown last fall was more than a standard restaurant debut . For many , it marked a seismic shift in the room service landscape as the hotel moved away from traditional in-room dining to emphasize this casual grab-and-go concept , which also offers in-room delivery to hotel guests . The menu features many local favorites at relatively low price points — the Pat La Frieda Cheeseburger ( US $ 9.75 ), for instance , and fish n ’ chips battered with Brooklyn Lager ( US $ 13.75 ).
“ The Herb N ’ Kitchen concept was built to provide guests what they are looking for — reasonably priced , high-quality meals on the go in a destination that is engaging and allows for customization ,” says Beth Scott , vice president , global product development – F & B , wellness and restaurant concepts , Hilton Worldwide .
Although Scott declines to disclose numbers related to Herb N ’ Kitchen ’ s business performance , she says the outlet has been well received by guests , not to mention providing operations benefits . “ The self-service and flexible model allows the space to easily transition throughout the day with a variety of options including liveaction stations and made-to-order or premade dishes ,” Scott says .
“ The concept they created at the Hilton Midtown is fantastic ,” enthuses Corey Nyman , director of operations at Las Vegas-based consultancy The Nyman Group . “ The food and beverage society we ’ re in now would much rather have an a la carte experience than have to wait 20 , 40 or 60 minutes for delivery of a meal , pay a service charge to get it up to the room , a mandatory gratuity on top of that and taxes .”
Scott notes traditional room service remains important for many Hilton properties , but there is no denying the grab-and-go alternative is gaining ground . In January , Louvre Hotels Group introduced Grab & Go , a self-service F & B area designed to round out its overall F & B offerings , at select hotels in France . Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid , New York , opened Bear ’ s Den Market , which serves house-made pastries and sandwiches in addition to gifts and convenience items 24 / 7 , last fall .
Resort at Squaw Creek in Olympic Valley , California , serves all room service orders out of its deli to give guests more options for customization and make operations as efficient as possible . “ Guests can walk into the deli and see the quality of the food before they order ,” says Squaw Creek Resort Manager Andre Priemer . “ Guests can order takeaway or delivery from the full deli menu . By taking advantage of a food outlet that was already open , we were able to streamline the costs associated with room service , and as a result both lunch and dinner room service have become profitable .”
40 HOTELS January / February 2014 www . hotelsmag . com