F & B
To keep the kitchen from becoming contaminated by a delivery driver , a station has been set up outside of the kitchen . All supplies and food are received there and transferred into sanitized containers before they enter the kitchen . “ It just cuts down on the number of people in the kitchen ,” Dolinky says . “ Not everyone ’ s going to have that kind of space , but we were fortunate enough to have a building that provided a perfect area for that .”
Keeping up with changing regulations is hard . At Kimpton , a designated safety champion monitors all the PPE , ensures sanitation stations are stocked and manages procedures . Every month , a different staff member takes on the role .
“ Our champion carries the torch for a particular directive ,” Dolinky says . “ As we rotate staff into this role , they become more engaged in the process , and every person who does this really gets to know all of the processes more in-depth .”
KEEPING UP MORALE A clean and hygienic kitchen actually
Work stations in the kitchen at the Bluehound Kitchen and Cocktails at the Kimpton Palomar are marked off with red tape in 6-foot increments to help keep staff separate .
improves spirits , says Chef Walter Butti , executive chef at Six Senses Yao Noi resort in Phang-nga , Thailand . “ When ( staff ) come into a clean kitchen , you can see that they ’ re happy ,” he says . “ A clean environment actually boosts your morale .”
At Kimpton , Dolinky says he always checks in with individual staff who are returning after a hiatus , because it can be disconcerting to be sequestered in your home and suddenly coming to a busy place filled with people . “ Open lines of communication are important ,” Dolinky says . “ You want to make sure you ’ re not throwing too much at anyone , and you want to make sure people feel comfortable .”
At the Adlon , heads of departments serve treats like cookies or juice or cupcakes to staff . “ It boosts your morale if your manager makes something for you and talks to you ,” Muller says . “ If you ’ re an apprentice or a housekeeper , and you don ’ t see the hotel manager every day , this makes them feel good . That interaction brings a smile to people ’ s faces . It ’ s simple , but it makes a big difference .”
Helping others
HELPS
Shortly after South Africa went into lockdown , Shane Brummer and his family moved into the Birkenhead House in Hermanus , where Brummer is general manager . Three weeks later , he received a call from the Masibulele Creche . “ My front-of-the-house manager ’ s mother runs the school ,” he says . “ Because of the shutdown , a lot of the kids didn ’ t have any food for six or seven days .”
The hotel still had food stocked in the kitchen ’ s freezers , so Brummer called senior sous chef Daniel Marais , who broke curfew late at night , sneaking into the hotel ’ s kitchen after hours , to prepare food . “ He did this whole thing , diving through the bushes , and that ’ s how the feeding scheme started ,” Brummer says .
Later , as things improved and more hotel staff returned , they also worked on the project . “ It brought us closer as a community ,” Marais says . “ And because we were working in the kitchen , everyone was already comfortable with the new ( sanitizing ) procedures when we re-opened for guests .”
The hotel has continued to feed these families and plan to continue as long as necessary . “ It ’ s not just the kitchen staff who helps — it ’ s also the front of the house ,” Marais says . “ We ’ ve become so much closer together as a group .”
46 hotelsmag . com November / December 2020