As travel and pandemic restrictions ease , hotel kitchens are ramping back up , but operations and staffing haven ’ t returned to their previous pre-COVID existence . It has caused F & B leadership to pivot on the fly and get creative with offerings that will meet scrutiny and draw interest from still-wary guests .
BUFFETS NO MORE At the Prince Waikiki Hotel in Honolulu , its signature dining venue , 100 Sails
Restaurant and Bar , previously operated under a buffet service model for breakfast , lunch and dinner , every day of the week .
The hotel had to pivot to take-out and a la carte because Hawaii has restricted buffets , says Joseph Almoguera , executive chef . To meet the existing regulations as well as guest expectations , the hotel switched to create a “ hybrid buffet .” “ We created action stations that allow the chefs to safely prepare dishes in front of guests from behind glass partitions ,” Almoguera says . “ What was once your typical buffet area has transformed into an exhibition kitchen . Other menu items are part of table side service , and it truly is unlimited .”
To accomplish this , Almoguera and his team had to completely reorganize their kitchen operations . “ This meant increasing the number of chefs to adequately staff the action stations and creating new positions that never previously existed in our kitchen ,” he says .
Buffets have also been eliminated at the Hotel d ’ Angletterre in Copenhagen , Denmark , and staffing has also changed .
90 hotelsmag . com July / August 2021