It ’ s just become so mainstream that everyone ’ s experimenting with it and open to it .
The Umami Burger Airstream at SLS Baha Mar in the Bahamas
ACCOR UMAMI
gets a taste of
It ’ s just become so mainstream that everyone ’ s experimenting with it and open to it .
KELLY KENNEDY
added vegan meats made by local shop The Herbivorous Butcher to the menus of its on-site eateries .
“ As an industry , we ’ re trending towards vegan restaurants that are closer to making the world run better ,” says Executive Chef Timothy Fischer , who helms the property ’ s F & B outlets and incorporates the vegan meats into the menu at the hotel ’ s spa .
Kelly Kennedy , an independent hospitality consultant based in San Francisco , says she ’ s been seeing versions of alternative meats popping up in U . S . markets , in burgers and other iterations .
The alternative meats aren ’ t just aimed at vegans and vegetarians , but curious carnivores as well . “ It ’ s just become so mainstream that everyone ’ s experimenting with it and open to it ,” Kennedy says .
One challenge is ensuring that staff is ready to ask questions from a sophisticated and curious audience . “ It ’ s an easy thing to roll into the menu ,” she says . “ The staff will definitely need to be prepared to answer questions from guests who may not have heard of it or are looking to try it and are wondering what goes into it .”
India-based Good Dot , founded in 2016 , targets the Indian hotel and restaurant industries with products like a vegan mutton , a dehydrated plant-based chicken -type product and an “ egg ” scramble .
The company ’ s products are shelf-stable and do not require refrigeration , so transportation costs are lower . “ This is a huge thing because , be it a hotel or a restaurant , they are businesses . So , for them , the bottom line is very important ,” says Good Dot Co-founder and CEO Abhishek Sinha .
Already the company has found interest at the luxury end with hotels like the Sofitel Mumbai BKC and The Leela Palace Bangalore , both of whom are clients .
There ’ s no question , though , that alternatives to meat are going mainstream and it ’ s up to the market to respond , Kennedy says .
“ The educated consumers are pushing for these types of products to be offered at restaurants . And if restaurants don ’ t keep up , then they ’ re likely to go somewhere else .” — B . B & C . R .
In February , Accor and SBE announced a plan to open over 100 Umami Burger restaurants within Accor hotels by 2026 . The move puts Accor further into “ augmented hospitality .” HOTELS spoke with Accor ’ s Philip Basha , VP of corporate finance , and Jay Patel , SBE Lifestyle Hospitality ’ s CFO , Disruptive Group , about what that partnership means . HOTELS : What ’ s the opportunity ? Philip Basha : Ultimately Accor has identified lifestyle and luxury lifestyle as being a major part of their growth initiative ... it ’ s food and beverage which was a major , major driver for ( Accor ) in making the investment in SBE . H : What is it about Umami that fits ? Jay Patel : If you look at some of Accor ’ s mid-scale hotel brands , they don ’ t have a standardized food and beverage offering . H : What ’ s the larger trend ? JP : It ’ s not just about giving a 360 experience ; it ’ s about also giving developers and owners a unified management and efficient operating team . From an efficiency and profitability standpoint , it ’ s a much more viable option to have one operator running the whole business and having a business that drives traffic that ’ s not just about hotel guests . — C . R .
June 2019 hotelsmag . com 33