By Danielle Schalk
Crafting effective food-and-beverage (F&B) programming is a balancing act that poses unique challenges for hotel teams. A chief challenge among these is the speed at which trends, guest expectations and market conditions change.
“The rapid market evolution requires agility and foresight. Sometimes there’s a short lead time to understand new trends, and in order to stay relevant, you need to stay a step ahead,” notes Wouter Aarts, director of Operations for the Fairmont Empress in Victoria. Beyond that, “many internal and external stakeholders are involved when developing our F&B strategy, and we need to ensure we’re understanding the evolving market and our guests while staying true to our own DNA. We must find a balance between coordinating traditional and contemporary offerings to meet diverse guest preferences while staying attuned to emerging trends.”
“New trends in the food-and-beverage realm emerging on social media can shift the expectations guests have,” explains Kunal Dighe, dual property executive chef at JW Marriott Parq Vancouver and THE DOUGLAS, Autograph Collection. “At [both properties] our teams work to create programs that are timeless while infusing newly emerging approaches where it makes sense to do so.”
Current economic conditions have also created challenges. As Daniel Craig, executive chef at The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto, explains, “Inflation has posed a challenge for us. It’s difficult to meet strict budgets while trying to maintain profitability and deliver high-quality ingredients.”
To address these conditions, Craig notes efficiency is key. “We aim to work as efficiently as possible with our food products and teams by minimizing waste, using effective time management and ensuring we’re reaching our goals,” he explains.
And, importantly, cost isn’t just measured in dollars or man hours. “It’s important to balance the costs of a food-and-beverage strategy while striving for excellence and meeting guests’ needs,” notes Dighe. “We work with local suppliers and vendors as much as possible, ensuring fresh and locally sourced ingredients are incorporated into our menus. This allows us to support local partners and shortens delivery times, while also reducing carbon emissions.”
Aarts also highlights sustainability and environmental stewardship as key factors shaping offerings at the Fairmont Empress. “In an ever-evolving market, where trends and influence shift rapidly, sustainability has become a key focus to ensure long-term growth and viability,” he explains. “While meeting consumer and business demands, we must be cognizant that our business practices align with our sustainability initiatives.”
To help manage these numerous influencing factors, many teams are turning to technology and data to ensure they have a clear view of their F&B operations and inform their decision making.
For example, Dighe’s teams leverage data on guest meals, number of guests and food consumption from previous events hosted on site to help inform and elevate the hotels’ offerings.
“The utilization of revenue optimization tools helps us to better understand the data behind guests’ behaviour and spending to continuously evolve our offerings in the venues,” Aarts agrees. “In turn, this helps us to appropriate our cost and expenses that the business brings, without this being at the detriment of the guest experience.”
As part of this pursuit, Fairmont Empress has employed new technology to help meet sustainability goals, as well as optimize operations.
“We recently introduced Orbisk to our hotel — an AI tool that tracks and analyzes food waste in real time,” says Aarts. “We now identify patterns and make informed decisions about reducing waste, ultimately contributing to our sustainable objectives and implementing cost-saving measures.”
As Craig shares, a number of technology-driven solutions are currently being considered by The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto team. “During a Marriott Global culinary call with chefs across North America, it was discussed that AI technology would be introduced to help with inventory management and food-waste reduction. We’ll continue to explore this further,” he explains.
Another avenue being explored is assisted cooking. “The team has considered using AI to assist with accurate precision cooking,” says Craig. “AI technology could monitor numerous aspects of the cooking process with specialized sensors and machine-learning algorithms.”
However, amid all the excitement of optimizing an innovating, it’s also important not to lose sight of what drives F&B business — the guest. Ever-shifting guest needs and expectations create a need for regular assessment and adjustment.
From his position in Toronto, Craig notes, “We’re finding that guests are focused on their health and well-being and are more conscious about their food sources, as well as sustainability. There has also been a rise in solo diners who prioritize convenience, speed and efficiency — most times opting for a quick meal at the bar.”
And, after noting this change in behaviour, The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto team adjusted how it serves guests to take these single diners into account. “To accommodate this, we have doubled our bar seating and located efficiencies in our labour model,” Craig explains. “We utilize one bartender who can handle multiple checks as opposed to one server for
each section.”
At the Fairmont Empress, Aarts points to a desire for experience as a key trend shaping the Vancouver hotel’s F&B strategy. “Today’s guests expect more immersive and memorable experiences, integrating design, ambiance, service rituals and sensory elements. As a result, our F&B programs are expanding to offer innovative and engaging options in a competitive market,” he explains.
As an example, Aarts points to the hotel’s Sunset Sips program. This recently introduced offering draws inspiration from the experience created by the Empress’s Afternoon Tea program, which draws more than 400 guests daily during
the summer.
“[For Sunset Sips] we serve signature tea-infused cocktails and mocktails in glass teapots and teacups, accompanied by tiers of savoury bites,” says Aarts. “The spirited tea time invites guests to transport back in time to the prohibition era (1920s), while watching the sun set over the city’s Inner Harbour.”
Overall, Dighe explains, F&B program development is always an ongoing process. “Ensuring that a food-and-beverage strategy will remain exciting, current and timeless is a challenge; however, it’s one we welcome as it empowers our culinary team to be creative and inventive,” he says.
