F & B : COST CONTROLS
Shrimp and grits , a top seller at Art and Soul at The Liaison Capitol Hill , An Affinia Hotel , delivers some of the lowest food costs on the menu .
The teppanyaki grill at Wadakura at Palace Hotel Tokyo offers varying grades of Japanese beef at different price points in order to manage costs and make the dining experience accessible for as many guests as possible .
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At the peak of rhubarb season in New York early this past summer , The National at The Benjamin coordinated with one of its farmer partners to buy the product at a great price , and items such as a rhubarb , grapefruit and shrimp salad became top sellers . “ It sold like crazy ,” confirms Patrick Chiappetta , corporate director of restaurants for Denihan Hospitality Group , which owns and operates The Benjamin . “ Chefs have to be able to look at what producers are bringing in at the best cost and be willing to adjust menus accordingly . You get into these set menu situations , and you ’ re never going to get your return because the costs fluctuate .”
It ’ s not rocket science , but a key to cost-effective menu engineering is making sure the lowest-cost items are also the biggest sellers . Chiappetta cites the popular shrimp and grits at Art and Soul at The Liaison Capitol Hill ,
An Affinia Hotel in Washington , D . C . By negotiating lower prices with both its shrimp and grits vendors , Art and Soul can compensate for a less-profitable steak entrée , for example . “ That ’ s what ’ s amazing about these local farmers — you can at times get a better price than you would with a broad-line distributor ,” Chiappetta says . “ With someone understanding you ’ re investing in their business on a monthly or even daily basis , they ’ re going to find a way to give you the best price because it ’ s cash flow for them .”
David Bedinghaus , culinary director at Kirimaya in Pakchong , Thailand , about 2.5 hours northeast of Bangkok , has had similar experiences with suppliers interested in growing their business in the region . “ We give them the volumes they need , and they give us a better price and deliver direct ,” Bedinghaus says . “ Eliminating the middle man has reduced our costs substantially .”
Not surprisingly , much of successful menu engineering relies on rather basic principles . Stephen Foster , district director of food and beverage for Paramount Hospitality Group , which operates three resorts in Orlando , Florida , credits printed recipe cards for keeping his food costs under control . “ It ensures a dish is prepared in a consistent , cost-controlled manner ,” Foster says .
Cross-utilization of ingredients across multiple menus is another relatively simple key , especially for properties with several F & B outlets . “ We try to be as meticulous as possible in distinguishing between ingredients required only by specific outlets and those used across several or all of our outlets ,” says Masatoshi Saito , executive chef at Palace Hotel Tokyo . “ In doing so , we ’ re able to leverage economies of scale whenever possible .”
40 HOTELS October 2013 www . hotelsmag . com