Hotel restaurants have been responding and innovating around increasingly common dietary requests – think vegan, paleo, gluten-free. As F&B focuses on take-out and delivery amid COVID-19 restrictions, going above and beyond could also be a key to staying in business.
When amping up new dietary offerings, sometimes there’s a challenge for sourcing ingredients, says Markus Puereschitz, F&B director of the Hyatt Regency Dallas. “It’s important to not just make sure they meet (dietary requirements), but that they taste delicious,” he says, pointing out that sometimes one brand of tofu, for example, might differ wildly from another.
“We have developed relationships with artisanal suppliers who specialize in specialty dietary products,” says Vincent Lombino, group F&B director for Ovolo Hotels in Australia and Hong Kong.
Contributed by Jeanette Hurt
“We are always on the lookout for new and competitive suppliers who can provide the best ingredients and products to satisfy our guests’ appetite,” says Alexis Movio, assistant director of food and beverage at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok.
Philipp Pogl, F&B director for the Hotel Adlon Kempinski in Berlin, says that his property is large enough, with enough varied venues, that special requests can almost always be accommodated, even at the last minute. “Our chefs enjoy the challenge,” he says.
The only area that such requests need to be made more in advance, Pogl says, is for say, a special birthday cake or dessert item that requires extra time to prepare.
It’s important to have a well-stocked pantry to accommodate such requests, says Philip Birmingham, executive chef of Shangri-La’s Ria Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu in Borneo, Malaysia. “A simple example is we always have gluten-free pasta and soy sauce on hand if needed,” he says.
Kitchen equipment and organization have to be clear-cut, especially when it comes to allergies and gluten-free dishes, Wallach says. “Everything from brand-new cutting boards to the washing of knives for gluten-free areas is very intense, including cooking on tinfoil on top of the grill so the slightest touch of something gluten will not be on it,” Walloch says.
“Our chefs have stringent systems regarding which ingredients live where,” Lombardino says.
Staff training
Staff training is imperative when it comes to special dietary requests. At the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, Puereschitz and sous chef Tiffany Pineda did special tastings for both chefs and servers, but Puereschitz didn’t tell anyone ahead of time that the new offerings on the menu were vegan. “People sometimes have preconceived notions,” he says, adding that after the staff enjoyed the new dishes, they learned that they were vegan. “You have to get staff to buy in.”
“Front of the house staff are trained on how to articulate what can be done and what we can properly accommodate, while the back of the house staff are trained on how to execute it,” says Maxime Kien, executive chef at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Laurel Highlands, Pennsylvania.
Alexis Movio, assistant director of food and beverage at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, says it’s important for the front of the house to meet with the kitchen staff to fully understand the menu items.
“We regularly conduct group training session for our front of the house for, say, vegan dishes, with our culinary counterparts so that our front of the house understand and are equipped to be able to clearly explain the menu to our guests,” he says.
Training has to be ongoing, says executive chef Sani Hebaj, of Dabble restaurant of the Conrad Hotel, New York. “We hold daily pre-shift meetings with staff so we can discuss specials and menu items we can offer guests who may have particular dietary restrictions or preferences,” Hebaj says. “All servers and kitchen staff are made fully aware of the ingredients and possible modifications for each menu item so they can ensure that all guests’ needs are met.”
Training is especially important with presenting new menu items to staff, says Margaret Vinson, assistant general manager of the Margeaux Brasserie at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Chicago. “We specifically break down every item into recipe format, then highlight major allergens and dietary restricted components,” she says. “This allows the full team to be well prepared in ensuring they can confidently speak to each guest in regards to what is safe for them to enjoy from the menu.”
Vinson says that chefs also take this one step further, knowing how substitutions will affect flavor, tastes or textures of every dish. “This prepares the team for any inquiries that may come their way,” she says. “Chefs break down menu items and speak to which dietary restricted items can be omitted from the dish safely.”
At the Shangri-La Villingili Resort & Spa in the Maldives, most special requests are made before guests even set foot on the resort’s property. “We ask them in advance before their arrival at the resort so that we can prepare their special menus in advance, and our chef will also meet with them upon arrival,” says Hamed Ghayedi, the property’s executive chef. “Sometimes we even order some special items to just cater to our guests’ preferences, for example, Vegemite.”
Exceeding expectations
While advance notice is ideal, especially for more intricately prepared desserts and harder-to-find special menu items, staff need to be trained to identify guests who are shyer about making their special needs known. “If someone is spending 20 to 30 minutes looking at a menu and seems to be struggling, the server needs to ask them,” Pogl says. “Some people feel uncomfortable speaking up.”
But if the staff inquires after such guests, meets or exceeds their needs, then these guests often become regulars. “People remember when their expectations are exceeded,” Pogl says.
Ghayedi says that any time there are special requests or accommodations, the front of the house staff takes note. “Our team is well trained regarding allergens and dietary restrictions, and they also remember guests’ preferences so that they can identify immediately the guests with special requirements when they are at our restaurants without having the guests reminding them about them each time they dine, Ghayedi says.
Gary Wallach, director of F&B at Arlo SoHo in New York City, says that it’s not just the hotel guests who have special needs, very often servers, bartenders or kitchen staff also have such needs.
“We were actually making a jump for our staff before we changed our menu,” he says. “I’m vegan, we have people who do not eat pork, others who do vegetarian, and others who have medical issues. If your staff is happy and treated professionally, they will do the same for your guests.”