F & B
The
MANAGER
In March , Evan Sheridan was furloughed for six weeks from his position as culinary director . “ It was nerve-wracking , but I feel lucky it was only six weeks ,” he says . “ A lot of good people are not necessarily employed , and I definitely have a list of people I ’ m looking out for .”
Sheridan and his staff are reopening Aparium ’ s boutique hotels property by property .
“ Each individual property has its own demands in normal times , and as it stands , those are amplified ,” he says . “ We ’ re trying to analyze as many of those key performance indicators as we can to see when it ’ s the best time to get back in the market to mitigate the risk . What we want is to be at 100 %, and we want to be able to bring back every person we ’ ve had to lay off . The worst thing for us would be to bring them back and then have to send them right back home .”
As of summer , seven of the hotel group ’ s F & B programs were open , and seven more were to follow . The first to reopen were at Aparium ’ s hotels in Minneapolis , Minnesota ; Kansas City , Missouri ; and Montclair , New Jersey .
“ But the emphasis has been on the beverage ,” Sheridan says . “ From a fiduciary standpoint , our recommendation is to get into the market with a higher-margin item . Food drives revenue , but it takes more cost to get there .”
Over the summer , the rooftop bar of the Crossroads Hotel in Kansas City was open Thursday through Saturday .
“ Restrictions for reopening are looser for outdoor venues , and it ’ s safer , and everything we do has to be thinking about safety first ,” Sheridan says . “ Second , it ’ s got a high profile , given that it ’ s summertime in Kansas City , and people want to be outside .”
LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS The open hotels are partnering with nearby independent restaurants to deliver meals to guests ; the Crossroads paired with a Thai eatery across the street . Customers scan a QR code to order food , which is delivered to the rooftop . It ’ s allowed the hotel to create “ a bit of buzz ,” Sheridan says . “ It also helps other local businesses , and it ’ s about the tide that rises all ships .” The plan seems to be working : The bar was turning 250 to 300 covers per day .
In Minneapolis , the Hewing Hotel ’ s restaurant has a great butchering program , and the executive chef has started putting together charcuterie and cheese plates , along with simple snacks . “ That ’ s going to be expanded soon ,” Sheridan says .
The Cyrus Hotel in Topeka , Kansas , reopened banquets and catering but is partnering with local restaurants for the food . “ We ’ ll be moving forward with some events in Minneapolis , and we ’ re at 50 % in most of our banquets and catering spaces ,” Sheridan says . “ Our sales team is being really aggressive , and the social demand is higher than what we ’ ve expected .”
The Detroit Foundation Hotel , which reopened in July , offers a full meal kit operation — an idea that may bolster sales during holidays like Thanksgiving . “ Things of that nature have been really successful for independent restaurants operating in this landscape , and some of those items are going to be something we ’ re going to run with in the future ,” he says .
Sheridan , who started his career as a pastry chef , says he ’ s optimistic . “ We ’ re reiterating that these hotels are built to last , these restaurants are built to last , and our plan is to be there for a long time .”
EVAN SHERIDAN CULINARY DIRECTOR
APARIUM HOTEL GROUP CHICAGO
WHAT WE WANT IS TO BE AT 100 %.
EVAN SHERIDAN
28 hotelsmag . com September / October 2020