MARRIOTT , PENINSULA RESPOND At Marriott Bonvoy , the breakfast buffet has been redesigned . “ Service has become more personalized with individually packaged items and more attended food stations , as well as specialty bars ,” Mayer says . “ The use of non-traditional event spaces such as outdoor venues are more popular . These enhancements , along with heightened customer communication , are here to stay , supporting our efforts to create lasting and memorable meeting and event experiences .”
Buffets , Mayer says , will continue to be popular . “ Buffets for meetings and events continue to be one of the most effective ways to cater to attendees and can be served single-sided or double-sided to offer a wide variety of options , as well as give us the opportunity to personalize and customize ,” Mayer says .
Before COVID-19 , the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago hosted massive holiday buffets , serving upwards of 700 to 800 people , says Baasim Zafar , executive chef for the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago . “ It had up to 10 different stations , and seatings starting around 10 a . m . and ending at 9:30 p . m .,” Zafar says .
After lockdown , the Peninsula Hotel revamped their buffet to look at the quality and personal service . Instead of having guests go to different stations for everything from caviar to omelets , their first buffet , which was held in May for Mother ’ s Day in 2021 , had most items moved to an a la carte menu . Guests could still order as much as they wanted - and the buffet portion was just the desserts .
Today , that approach has evolved to a different model of service . “ We wanted to give the guests a better experience ,” Zafar says .
To do that , guests are seated , and then they are given a menu of starters - six salads , two soups and three fish dishes . “ They can order as many times as they want , but they are made to order ,” he says . “ There ’ s nothing like having a fresh piece of fish prepared for you , and the quality is way better than what could be served at the buffet .”
The rest of the meal is served at stations , and each station has an attendant , serving guests and explaining how each dish is made and where the ingredients are sourced . The buffet also had a sellout of 360 diners for each holiday . “ Guests have given us fantastic feedback ,” Zafar says . “ This is definitely a better experience .”
“ It is overall better service ,” Zafar adds . “ Now , we have more interaction with guests , and we are better at replenishing the buffet , and our food waste is drastically down . We are also able to bring out dishes much fresher .”
At the Marriott , food waste is going to be a focus , as well , Mayer says . “ Moving forward , there will be a large focus on food waste reduction , especially in meetings and events ,” she says .
For meetings and events , the Peninsula Hotel works directly with each client . For business dinners , a lot of clients want a combination of soups and salads served a la carte , and then the buffet served
Pestana buffets ( all three images ) match trends that include locally sourced products that are fresh with a focus on quality , and beautiful displays .
for the dinner . Depending on the group or the client , the hotel will also require tests or vaccinations , and they will offer extra safety protocols to match their needs .
Wedding dinners are often served a la carte at the Peninsula , but wedding breakfasts are often served in a buffet form with the same model as the holiday brunches . “ We have gotten very good feedback ,” Zafar adds .
January / Februaryr 2022 hotelsmag . com 77