FOOD & BEVERAGE
WE HAVE PLACED EMPHASIS ON WORKING CLOSER THAN EVER WITH OUR LOCAL GROWERS , PROVIDERS AND SUPPLIERS TO ENSURE THE BEST PRODUCT AT THE BEST PRICING .
– ADAM PETTA
the size of their menus , Petta says . “ Our menus have reduced in size , however , changing more frequently ,” he says . “ This allows us to operate efficiently and to exceed our guests ’ expectations . We also have flexed our hours of operation to meet the market demand as we continue to recover from the pandemic .”
Griffie also recommends going back to the basics – focus on purchasing for that day and the next day and “ not getting ahead of yourself ,” he says . “ If you need two bunches of parsley , you buy two bunches of parsley , not a case .”
Griffie says that hotels and resorts also need to audit their expenses . “ We find that this is huge ,” he says . “ Instead of buying a lower grade of quality , you need to manage your business so you can buy the quality product . It ’ s basic , but it ’ s often overlooked , and oh , by the way , how many credits do you have from your returned seafood , and did you get charged for an item that was never delivered ? Make sure you ’ re collecting on those . If you can save or find credits , you ’ ll be able to spend more money elsewhere .”
Auditing expenses goes hand in hand with sustainability and eliminating waste . “ It ’ s not just good for the environment , but it really helps your bottom line ,” Griffie says . “ We believe you can buy a premium product and more than make your margins .”
Data , says Petta , is of paramount importance . “ We are focused on data and guest sentiment ,” he adds . “ We use data to enhance guest experiences , drive profitability and understand patterns to forecast . We listen to guest sentiment to ensure that we are creating offerings that are both current and profitable , while remaining on trend in the markets we operate .”
When it comes to wines by the glass , unless a bar has an ability to dispense large quantities of wine through some sort of kegs or boxes , hotels and resorts need to be strict about portions . A standard bottle of wine holds five glasses if the pours are 5 ounces , but if you up it to six or eight ounces , then you get much less . “ And what happens with that last ounce is it gets added to the last sixth glass from the bottle ,” Rigby notes .
But portion control of wine isn ’ t the only thing that should drive a wines-by-the-glass program , as they typically account for two-thirds of the wine sales in a restaurant . “ It ’ s a matter of reverse engineering ,” Rigby says . “ If you want to charge US $ 10 per glass of wine and you need the wine to be at 25 % ( profit ), then that wine needs to come in between US $ 12 and US $ 13 per bottle .”
So , instead of just being swayed by the wine salesperson , who is trying to sell you a hot , new wine that is more expensive than you need , “ You should not buy a wine at US $ 15 when you know your wine should cost US $ 12.50 ,” he says .
76 hotelsmag . com July / August 2022