F & B : COST CONTROLS
MEETING
THE
CHALLENGE
Menus for meetings and events are looking more and more like menus at other F & B outlets — dominated by local artisan products and sustainable fare — but how can operators keep them cost-effective at the same time ?
“ It ’ s important to keep in mind what will be in season ,” says Victor Cruz , executive sous chef at Andaz Wall Street in New York City . “ Also incorporate items your area is known for — certain fruit , vegetables and cheeses . All these things can assist not only in maintaining food cost , but also providing great-quality products guests will enjoy .”
“ Now it would be considered pretentious to fly in fruits and vegetables that are not in season , because there ’ s no need to do that ,” agrees James Dale , senior director of catering at Grand Hyatt New York . “ When we look at the savings we may get on seasonal fruits and vegetables , it gives us the extra money to buy artisanal honey and cheeses from the Hudson Valley that may be a little more expensive but drive quality .”
Regardless of the menu specifics , however , certain core principals must be followed , notes Javier Perez Rubio , director of food and beverage at The St . Regis Mexico City . Rubio adheres to an 80 / 20 rule , for instance , making sure the 20 ingredients that affect 80 % of his cost are analyzed constantly to obtain the best prices .
Rubio also prioritizes good communication with the hotel ’ s sales department , especially regarding the latest attendee
Dolce Hotels and Resorts , Rockleigh , New Jersey , offers Nourishment Hubs for meetings and events both to provide numerous options to attendees as well as a cost-efficient delivery system .
numbers . “ There are many times a client organizes an event for 500 people but in the end you only receive , say , 420 people , meaning you will throw away 80 dishes ,” he explains . “ Imagine you have a cost of US $ 8 for an appetizer , US $ 14 for an entrée and US $ 10 for a dessert — that means you are losing more than US $ 2,500 in cost if you prepare all those dishes . Be sure to have enough , but verify with your event contact beforehand .”
RETHINKING
The Green Chile & Egg Angus Burger is available for just US $ 9 from Cambria Suites ’ in-room dining menu . The Choice Hotels brand has focused on offering value-priced items for room service .
ROOM SERVICE
When Choice Hotels brand Cambria Suites launched a revamped food and beverage program across its 20 U . S . properties about a year ago , the central focus was making F & B — including inroom dining — a profit center .
One way Cambria found to control room-service costs was through staffing adjustments . Thanks to a “ prepared for pick-up ” option , guests can pick up an order for in-room dining , similar to any restaurant takeout , and fewer staff members are needed for room-service delivery .
Cambria also has improved food costs via vigilant cross-utilization ; the in-room dining menu is exactly the same as the restaurant menu , so everything is cross-utilized . “ Our program aims to have multiple uses for every item and carries this approach through the bar and catering ,” says Michael Lusick , senior director of brand operations for Cambria . “ Every hotel on the program realized significant food-cost savings — most achieving a double-digit improvement in food-cost percentage .”
Room service has some inherent limitations , notes Randy Reed , executive chef at the InterContinental Chicago , so he takes care to keep most in-room-dining fare simple . “ There is no a server that can describe a dish in detail to the guest ,” Reed explains . “ If a dish becomes too complicated , the guest will not order the product , which will lead to waste .”
Despite the challenges , though , Lusick believes room service represents a critical opportunity . “ If you can provide a quality offering and a quality experience at a reasonable cost , you can do more covers in room service and maybe at some point even more than you can generate in your restaurant .”
42 HOTELS October 2013 www . hotelsmag . com