F & B
Banquets
Catering to the discerning masses
Hotels spice up meetings and banquets ’ catering menus
by Brittany FarB GruBer , associate editor
For meeting and event planners , food and beverage is becoming one of the main events .
The trend is reflected in recent data from Mintel , which showed 47 % of restaurant-goers consider themselves “ foodies ,” including 68 % of consumers from 25 to 34 years of age . “ The expectation of a meal when dining out , even if that meal is a banquet setting , is extremely high ,” says Clay Spencer , senior vice president of operations at San Francisco-based hotel management firm Kokua Hospitality .
Among the reactions , says Spencer , are banquet menus that are more free-form than ever . “ Customers do not want to be boxed in by a set menu , but rather want to customize by mixing and matching entrees with vegetables and starches , or even requesting items that are not on a formal menu ,” he says .
On the following pages , HOTELS details several new catering concepts , ranging from partnerships with celebrity chefs , interactive cooking classes , late-night snacks and even a unique dinner-for-breakfast concept .
Give me a break ocean reef club , a Kindred resorts & Hotels property in Key Largo , Florida , recently introduced a food truck for meeting breaks and events . Groups can choose from a series of themed menus for meal and snack breaks , with menu items ranging from lobster rolls to hot dogs . " When we have groups in for multiple days , they like being able to incorporate a casual , outdoor dining experience into their programs and with the truck ’ s portability , they do not need to be limited by a venue ," says Michelle simpson , director of sales at ocean reef club .
46 hotelsmag . com July / August 2016