F & B
HOTELS HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE ALREADY IN PLACE AND PICKING THE RIGHT BRAND IS KEY FOR US . WE ' VE HAD GREAT SUCCESS WITH HOTELS AND IT ’ S WHY WE WANT TO CONTINUALLY TRY TO EXPAND IN THAT DIRECTION
– BOB JOHNSTON , CEO OF THE MELTING POT
The Melting Pot at Hyatt House Philadelphia / King of Prussia .
often mentioned in the same breath as best pizza in the city , which means some of the best pizza in the world , had its first location in Brooklyn , but has now expanded the brand through franchising . There is even one at Palazzo in Las Vegas . Meanwhile , the iconic Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn will open an outpost at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas this fall .
On the other end are restaurant chains that are now looking to get into hotels . Consider The Melting Pot , a chain of franchised fondue restaurants with some
Fondue at The Melting Pot .
100 locations in the U . S . and Canada .
Its first entry into hotels came through the Hyatt House Philadelphia / King of Prussia in Pennsylvania , which CEO Bob Johnston calls wildly successful . “ As a result of that ,” he said , “ we are looking for other opportunities believe that the brand can be a very good solution for hotels .”
He called hotel food service “ not very unique ” or “ cutting edge ,” adding , “ I don ' t know a lot of people that think about going to restaurants that are associated with a hotel unless they live in that hotel or are visiting that hotel .”
He said that The Melting Pot not only attracts the hotel travelers , but also the local crowd .
Johnston said one of the advantages of brands like The Melting Pot is that they can fit in easily with the existing property ’ s infrastructure . “ We don ' t have specialized needs in the kitchen . Converting a restaurant to a Melting Pot is quite easy .” “ From a brand perspective , the first thing to look at is if the restaurant brand fits the hotel concept and that the two align seamlessly with their expansion goals ,” said Scot Turner , founder and managing director of Auden Hospitality , a hospitality and restaurant consultancy . “ The alignment with the hotel is key .”
Trouble can start when the original concept is changed , like if a buffet is worked
90 hotelsmag . com September 2023