HotelsMag November 2017 | Page 42

F & B

QUESTIONS FOR CHEF

LAWRENCE EELLS

THE HYATT REGENCY ORLANDO CHEF TALKS SUSTAINABILITY AND THE FUTURE ( OR LACK THEREOF ) OF THE HOTEL BUFFET .
“ I want eggs for dinner and I want spaghetti for breakfast and having the opportunity to do that has been easiest through the quick-serve world .
“ If you maintain focus ,” he adds .
Focus in this case means scaled-back buffets that reduce waste but not taste , coffee bars that morph into cocktail bars and back again , and forward-looking technology that will ultimately allow guests the chance to use digital menus , with food delivered tableside .
PARING DOWN THE BUFFET When Hyatt Regency Orlando Executive Chef Lawrence Eells discovered that his 1,641-room hotel was throwing away almost half its product on a regular basis , his reaction was total disbelief .
“ It was a shock ,” says Eells , who ’ s been
with the property since 2013 . “ It ’ s a huge number , especially considering the amount of product we move through the hotel .”
The hotel became aware of the numbers due to a partnership with global design firm Ideo ( it designed Apple ’ s first mouse ), which examined the property ’ s buffet layout to pinpoint areas where waste could be eliminated .
Bowls of yogurt have been replaced by individual servings . Items like pancakes , smoked salmon and charcuterie plates are now made to order . And bread – a highcarb item that many diets frown upon – is placed out sparingly .
From an operations standpoint , the shift means more back-ofhouse labor and more effort by servers who both explain the offerings and deliver them .
So far , changes have
helped the property reduce waste by 10 %.
For Eells , it ’ s large hotels like his that can be more prone to dropping the ball on F & B efficiencies , especially in the buffet space .
“ I think we fear that we ’ ll be perceived as being a little bit stingy or people will complain they don ’ t have enough options ,” he says . “ It ’ s expensive to eat in hotels sometimes and we ’ re always trying to add value . The perception is that if we add more options or if we have a real abundant-looking buffet , there will be great value .”
Despite some grumblings from guests not thrilled with even that perception of a more limited offering , Eells says he ’ s happy with the program ’ s results so far and says there are talks in the works to roll out the pared-down buffet brand-wide . ( A Hyatt
HOTELS : Your hotel recently partnered with design firm Ideo to majorly streamline its buffet offerings . Other than the percentage of food being wasted ( 47 %), what else surprised you ? Lawrence Eells : The liquid component , it ’ s something we really didn ’ t think about at first . We were all thinking about solid waste and I think the liquid component is going to be equally important . It ' s going to be a surprise how many gallons of really expensive product is being discarded . H : The streamlined buffet concept : Is getting guests on board with this just a matter of sticking to your lane ? How do you overcome guests ’ expectation of seeing this big , beautiful buffet ? LE : It ’ s about communication , and I think more and more our corporate guests are going in that direction anyway – there ’ s a recognition that sustainability is important . I think sometimes our transient guests and our families may not be as quick to change their views or their dining habits . So I think it ’ s a couple things : Ideo really gave us some great written pieces and now we just have to operationally figure out how we ’ re going to put those out , whether it ’ s at the front desk or whether it ’ s at the restaurant , whether it ’ s on our buffets , whether it ’ s with our
40 hotelsmag . com November 2017