Meetings Menus That Work

Dolce International chefs share the secrets of successful meetings menu planning and their ideas for trendy autumnal feasts.

By Joan Marsan, Associate Editor -- HOTELS Magazine, 6/1/2000

The menu-planning process for meetings and conventions

bears little resemblance to the task of creating a signature restaurant’s offerings.

After all, few hotel guests choose to eat every meal at their hotels’ restaurants

during their stays—even if the establishments are renowned for

a superior range of selection and world-class cuisine. But during meetings

and conventions, hotels are challenged to provide round-the-clock F&B

service at a single outlet that will satisfy guests for several days.

Montvale, New Jersey-based Dolce International specializes in running

conference hotels and resorts at 11 properties spread across North America

and Europe. Keeping clients happy requires careful consultation between

meeting planners and chefs, and a willingness to make adjustments to

suit customers’ needs. But guest satisfaction also depends upon

a culinary team that truly knows food. Dolce’s chefs and operations

officers have mastered the task of feeding the masses

something new and different every day.

Freedom Reigns

Chris Tomboni, executive chef at Lakeway Inn,

a Dolce conference resort in Austin, Texas, is a veteran chef of seven

hotel restaurants. The key to a satisfying conference center menu,

Tomboni says, is freedom. Across hotel chains, Tomboni points out,

consistency is revered. A certain fruit must be served the same way

every day at every member property. At a conference center, however,

guests appreciate creativity. Guests’ stays

average four days and can stretch much longer, and every meal they consume

during their stay comes direct from Lakeway’s kitchen. A cuisine

or presentation guided primarily by an ethos of automaticity would keep

few guests content. To avoid boring his customers, Tomboni writes up

to 20 menus a week—a world apart from the creative situation at

an established hotel restaurant where quarterly menu revisions and standing

signature dishes are de rigueur. “Signature dishes don’t

carry the same weight in the meetings business,” Tomboni says.

Standards, however, do play a part in meetings

menu planning. A minimum of three appetizers and three entrées per dinner menu assure

there will be enough options available to satisfy the tastes of a variety

of guests. Entrées often comprise fish, poultry and meat items.

A regionally inspired dish adds cultural character to the meal, and

meeting planners are strongly encouraged to select the increasingly

popular vegetarian dishes. Comfort foods, which at Tomboni’s central

Texas locale include chicken-fried steak, taco bars and

fajitas, are commonly incorporated, as long-term meeting attendees often

crave home-style cuisines.

Comfort food plays into Tomboni’s number one strategy for controlling

costs while meeting the needs of customers who, at a conference center,

always arrive in large, synchronized groups for meals. Simplicity often

characterizes comfort foods, and simplicity allows for quicker, cost-effective

service. “If we have a group of 500 coming in, we make it easier,” Tomboni

says. For example, he serves up an entrée called the “Trio,” a

pre-plated sampler consisting of a 2-oz. beef medallion,

two jumbo shrimp and a 4-oz. chicken breast. Guests typically tempted

to try everything on the buffet get their chance without straining servers

or selecting oversized portions and contributing to waste.

Simple Solutions

Simplicity helps keep meetings menus profitable

in Dolce’s European

properties, as well. While labor costs at Tomboni’s Lakeway property

average 18% to 20% of total revenues, in Europe these costs can easily

approach the mid-40s if benefits are included, says Mark DePiero, senior

vice president, operations, Europe. Reducing labor needs by minimizing

the complexity of preparation and presentation assists the chefs at

Chantilly, Vineuil Saint-Firmin (28 miles north of Paris); Frégate,

St. Cyr sur Mer, Provence, France; and Vaalsbroek, Vaals,

The Netherlands.

An emphasis on simple preparation techniques and

buffets contrasts with traditional European dining habits, DePiero

says. But the introduction of these alterations has proven successful.

At the French properties'’ salad

bars, for example, items are served separately rather than premixed.

Double-, rather than triple-ingredient, salads are frequently served.

Ultimately, encouraging customers to mix their own salads allows them

to vary their meals day to day—again creating variety that keeps

customers interested and satisfied. The buffet concept, previously shunned

in France, works extremely well, DePiero says. “Choice is not

typical in Europe,” he says. “When customers realize what

all is available to them, they are impressed.” And because a range

of choice is so unusual, three entrées, rather than the four

or five that typically appear on the buffet spread at Dolce’s

U.S. properties, are enough to give guests an impression

of bountiful array.

Regional Flavor

Tomboni’s influences include Caribbean and Mediterranean styles.

His diverse training helps him to keep his cooking lively. But as much

as he likes to introduce cuisines from faraway continents, Tomboni stresses

the importance of using regional products. For Tomboni, working with

local purveyors helps him to assure top-of-the-line quality at a lower

price. And while they fluctuate, food costs ring in at an average 27%

of revenues. Relying on local producers also introduces to his cooking

items inherent to the region. People come to the Southwest expecting

a culinary experience colored by the mores of the locale, Tomboni says,

and incorporating local produce encourages him to create menus that

meet guests’ expectations of meals that will add to their cultural

experience.

The savings produced by creating regionally affected

menus also keeps costs manageable in Europe, DePiero says, where the

Dolce properties average 30%. “Poultry costs three times what it does in the United

States,” DePiero says, but lamb is cheaper. Traditional Provençal

lamb dishes impress guests expecting an authentic south-of-France dining

experience and at the same time keep costs low. Fruits and vegetables

are frequently less expensive in Europe, though they are greatly affected

by seasonal availability. So Dolce’s European menus heavily emphasize

locally grown items, such as asparagus, white peaches and tomatoes.

The seafood entrées differ widely between Chantilly and Frégate

because of the regions’ adjacency to opposite coasts. The fish

traditionally eaten in Provence comes from the Mediterranean,

whereas northern French cuisine responds to an Atlantic influence.

Fall Games

Looking ahead to the autumn months, Tomboni anticipates

a heavy use of game paired with starchy vegetables prepared with a

twist. Seared duck with a plantain or sweet potato mash will highlight

Lakeway Inn’s

poultry listing. A complementary entrée will be a three- to four-inch

thick braised, bone-in veal shank gracing a hearty ossobuco

stew. For regional flair and a comfort-style touch, fresh poblano chile

gravy will warm up a venison cutlet prepared similarly to a chicken

fried steak. Mashed garlic roasted potatoes, orzo and wild rice might

serve as accompaniments. Desserts will feature locally grown berries.

A pear-apple tart would speak of the season. And chocolate anything,

Tomboni adds, is appropriate year round.

Game will highlight the fall menus this year at

Chantilly, Vaalsbroek and Frégate, as well. Like Lakeway Inn’s Texas hill country

setting, the region surrounding Chantilly appeals to hunters. Chantilly’s

autumn offerings will feature pheasant, duck and goose entrées.

At Frégate, wild boar will make an appearance, as will lamb.

And in Vaalsbroek, chefs anticipate the heavy use of

pigeon, squab and venison. Root vegetables will serve as accompaniments.

Angie Styles, executive chef at the Dolce Hamilton

Park Conference Center, Florham Park, New Jersey, envisions a fall

menu featuring rabbit, an ossobuco stew replacing the traditional

brown sauce with a tomato- and orange-based broth and saffron risotto,

and Maryland rockfish for regional flavor. But rather than the classic

autumnal root vegetable accompaniments, Styles will introduce a wide

variety of fresh, locally grown mushrooms and a cornucopia of grains,

from black barley to quinoa and red kernel berries, which she feels

guests will appreciate for their nutritional value, substance and

difference. “The worst

thing in this business is getting into a routine,” Styles says.

On the Side

Delightful Diets Restaurants increasingly cater

to the dietary restrictions of their guests. The Loews Hotels introduced

a “P¢” program

denoting high-protein, low-carbohydrate menu items. A Loews survey of

chefs and F&B directors revealed nearly 25% of diners request carbohydrate

substitutions or eliminations when ordering. Many menu selections already

met the P¢ demands, and another 40 items were added to increase

offerings.

The Azzura Point Restaurant at Loews Coronado

Bay Resort in San Diego added a few-course P¢ tasting menu including a warm lobster salad

with black truffle vinaigrette and seared foie gras with dried cherries

and red cabbage. Loews Miami Beach developed a low-carbohydrate dessert,

a mascarpone with pineapple chip and mint lemongrass sauce. The Regency

Hotel New York’s popular chicken Paillard with grilled vegetables

now bears the P¢ symbol.

Meanwhile, the new Rafael Ananda Resort & Spa, located in the Himalayan

Uttar Pradesh region of India, offers “rejuvenation cuisine.” The

meals feature whole grains, high-fiber carbohydrates,

and an abundance of fresh fish and vegetables, while avoiding high-cholesterol

items.

To guarantee freshness, the resort supplies organic produce from its

own farm. A certified nutritionist supervises the development of menus

and meal plans. And guests are encouraged to eat anything, in moderation,

of course.

New Neighbor Starbucks opened its first coffee

shop in Beijing in the China World Trade Center, adjacent to the Shangri-La’s

China World and Traders hotels. As in the United States, Starbucks

sports its green and black trademark. Fourteen beans are available,

along with the full range of beverages and pastries served at Starbucks

locations throughout the world. A Grande (medium) regular drip coffee

is RMB 15 (US$1.88) and a Grande latte is RMB 24 (US$3.00).

While Starbucks attracts street traffic that might

otherwise frequent the China World Hotel’s gourmet shop, the hotel’s lower

prices and refined service continue to satisfy guests. Because it attracts

curious customers, Starbucks draws additional leisure traffic to the

area, traffic that has increased visits to the hotel’s entertainment

center.

F&B PEOPLE

• Peter Schoch, most recently executive chef at The

  Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore, was appointed corporate

  chef by Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co...

• Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong,

  appointed Bruno Sohn chef of the Restaurant Pétrus...

• The Omni

  Saigon Hotel, Vietnam, welcomed Executive Chef Stephane

  Tremblay...

• Loews Coronado Bay Resort named Andrew Stegen

  F&B director...

• The

  Century Plaza & Tower, Los Angeles, appointed Andreas Nieto

  as executive chef...

• The Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa added

  Chef Larry Quirit to its culinary staff...

• The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia appointed Kai

  Lermen executive chef and Christoph Zbinden executive

  assistant manager, F&B...

• Westin Fairfax, Washington, D.C., welcomed

  Carl Halvorson, F&B manager...

• Hal Nabavi joined the Hilton Anaheim, Anaheim,

  California, as assistant director of F&B...

• And Stefan Gruber was appointed

  F&B director of the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale,

  Florida.