Contributed by Jeanette Hurt
As travel and pandemic restrictions ease, hotel kitchens are ramping back up, but operations and staffing haven’t returned to their previous pre-COVID existence. It has caused F&B leadership to pivot on the fly and get creative with offerings that will meet scrutiny and draw interest from still-wary guests.
Buffets no more
At the Prince Waikiki Hotel in Honolulu, its signature dining venue, 100 Sails Restaurant and Bar, previously operated under a buffet service model for breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day of the week.
The hotel had to pivot to take-out and a la carte because Hawaii has restricted buffets, said Joseph Almoguera, executive chef. To meet the existing regulations as well as guest expectations, the hotel switched to create a “hybrid buffet.” “We created action stations that allow the chefs to safely prepare dishes in front of guests from behind glass partitions,” Almoguera said. “What was once your typical buffet area has transformed into an exhibition kitchen. Other menu items are part of table side service, and it truly is unlimited.”
Philipp Vogel, Johannes Linster in the kitchen at Hotel Oriana in Berlin.
To accomplish this, Almoguera and his team had to completely reorganize their kitchen operations. “This meant increasing the number of chefs to adequately staff the action stations and creating new positions that never previously existed in our kitchen,” he said.
Buffets have also been eliminated at the Hotel d’Angletterre in Copenhagen, Denmark, and staffing has also changed. “Unfortunately, we had to release a few members of staff due to COVID-19 and lockdown,” said Steen Kaspersen, executive banquet chef. “Work tasks have been divided and shared between more departments.”
The d’Angleterre Michelin-starred restaurant, Marchal, operated an extremely popular take-away program through 2020 and much of 2021, but the restaurant has recently reopened. “We are quickly getting back to the normal, pre-pandemic times and business is returning,” Kasperson said. “Due to the operational resources, we have had to discontinue the take-away going forward, even though it was an enormous success.”
Outdoor dining at the Conrad in Washington, D.C.
Kitchen team work
During the first and second lockdowns, Orania.Berlin (Hotel Orania in Berlin) had fixed teams, which operated completely separately from each other. “That way, we could change the whole team in case someone came down with COVID, which luckily never happened,” said Philipp Vogel, managing director and chef at the Orania. “Now, as all of our chefs have had their vaccinations, we can mix the teams again.”
The Orania, Vogel said, tests all staff members regularly, and everyone still wears a FFP2 mask, and all touchpoints like door handles are disinfected every 30 minutes.
For the reopening of the Salisterra restaurant at The Upper House in Hong Kong, logistics were a challenge. Jun Tanaka, who collaborated in opening the restaurant, is based in London. “He was kept apart from our (Hong Kong team) by travel restrictions,” said Yvonne Cheung, director of restaurants. “Jun and Chris Czerwinski, our chef de cuisine, and our team in Hong Kong had to work virtually to develop the concept and the menu.”
“From the beginning, we were open and realistic about the unlikelihood of in-person collaboration, and we made very decisive contingency plans for the worst-case scenario, which ended up being our reality,” Cheung said.
Using sophisticated video and audio and working with ingredients that both chefs were familiar with, Tanaka and Czerwinski overcame the challenges to open the restaurant. “During the launch of the restaurant, Chris even had Google-like glasses so Jun could be with him in service, from the preparation work to the presentation, and Jun has remained present throughout this despite his physical absence,” Cheung added.
Space innovation
At the Conrad in Washington, D.C., utilizing outdoor spaces effectively and converting them to innovative dining experiences is something the hotel will continue to do. “When we had to shut down all of our indoor dining, we created an experience for our guests on one of our outdoor terraces called the Hidden Terrace, where we presented a three-course meal in a very innovative fashion,” said Troy Knapp, director of food and beverage. “As our city has now fully re-opened, we’re taking lessons we’ve learned throughout COVID and applying them to our operations as we continue on our re-opening path.”
Such lessons include the social distancing and cleaning operations, but also in using QR codes and displayed menus so that guests can have a touchless experience. “We also have implemented an ordering system so guests can order and pay for food and beverage items from the comfort of their room, all through their phones,” Knapp said.
Retiring masks is the biggest and best change for the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. “It is so much easier to read facial expressions and interact with our guests,” said Max Scherff, general manager. “Other than de-masking, the vast majority of cleaning protocols remain the same.”
Semi-private dining room at Upper House’s Salisterra restaurant in Hong Kong
Staff challenges, interactions
But the biggest challenge remains staffing. During much of the pandemic, the hotel streamlined its operations, and it found more effective and efficient ways of operating. “Now that things are returning to normal, staffing has become our biggest challenge,” Scherff said. “There just are not yet enough people returning to the work force to allow the property to operate at full capacity.”
Staffing is also a challenge at the Lotte Hotel, Seattle. “We’re focused on recognizing our limits,” said Cherry Tsui, director of food and beverage. “One really big pitfall would be going beyond what our business can handle. We are pacing ourselves until we have sufficient manpower and equipment to fully reopen.”
Tsui said that the Lotte in Seattle continues to review hygiene and safety protocols to ensure that everything is as safe as possible. “We’re focused on providing a safe environment without creating an uncomfortable experience.”
Engagement with guests has been a priority at the Ashford Castle in Ireland, as many guests stay for multiple nights, and they want a completely different dining experience every evening. “For example, in our Dungeon Restaurant, we are now offering our new signature starter, steak tartar, prepared tabloid from a trolley,” said Chris Murphy, director of food and beverage. “Likewise, in our George V Restaurant, we have elevated our signature beef trolley by offering to flambé it at the table, as well as carve. Its’ a very simple way to have engagement with guests and showcase the front of house skills.”
During the lockdown period, chefs were exploring their interests and continuing to develop their skills, and the Ashford Castle’s service team underwent consistent training so both the front and the back of the house were ready when guests returned. “We did virtual trainings with suppliers and did tastings, and we also had meaningful discussions on what we could improve and how,” Murphy said. “It meant that when we got back into the operation, our staff were fully engaged and could easily transition back. We were fortunate that all staff were kept on board by our wonderful owners, which was a rarity around the world, let alone in Ireland.”