“ In the beginning , we were evolving daily ,” McGee says . “ Everything happened really quickly , with some staff going home , different outlets staying open and some closing .” He kept things basic : Limited

menus , in-room dining , takeout and grab-and-go .

But because he already had ingredients for menu items that had been eliminated , he came up with breakfast sandwiches of the day or interesting offerings for employees in the cafeteria , which had discontinued its buffet and was serving ready-to-eat food in containers .

“ Today , for example , I did chicken parmigiana sandwiches because I had chicken

tenders in the freezer ,” he says . “ I started doing little gourmet cheese packages with all the cheese I had on hand for the graband-go convenience store . You have to get creative with ingredients and not let things go to waste .”

Many pilots and air crews are now staying at the hotel . “ We recently picked up Air France , so now we ’ re making croissants every morning ,” McGee says . People who live in the neighborhood have

Dan McGee , executive chef of the Swissôtel Chicago , is keeping staff , guests and locals fed in resourceful ways .

been ordering steaks and lobsters to go , as early as 11 a . m ., for their dinners that night , and F & B offerings remain open until 9 p . m .

Supplier adaptationS The suppliers and food distributors that the hotel works with have changed their operations and deliveries . “ Most of them used to be open seven days a week , but now many of them are closed two or three days a week ,” says McGee , who is also the vitality cuisine chef for the brand . “ I may need something for tomorrow , but I try to hold off until Tuesday so I can get enough of an order together , or I can go pick it up , but I have not had to do that yet .”

And while he says he still can procure just about anything , “ I ’ m having the hardest time getting green bananas ,” McGee says . “ They ’ re all overripe .”

Cleanliness and sanitation processes on deliveries have increased , with all deliveries made through the loading

dock . “ In general , now , the public is definitely being more aware of the sanitation practices we have ,” McGee says . “ We ’ re constantly sanitizing right after we do anything in the kitchen , and we ’ re being really good about it .”

McGee says the staff has pulled together and is making meals for community organizations , including the local hospital , homeless and other local charities . “ We ’ re still figuring out ways to help ,” he says .

Employees who aren ’ t working receive a newsletter to help them stay in touch , and the hotel is reviewing new processes and procedures for a full re-opening . McGee says one thing on the agenda is how to handle banquets .

“ I ’ m not sure there will be any buffets anymore . It will be more grab-and-go or boxed lunches ,” he says . “ As an industry , we have to look at how banquets will change . We need to be prepared to react because things will change .”

June 2020 hotelsmag . com 25