REPORT FROM THE U.S.—As Brad Nelson sees it, tastes change with the turning of the seasons.
And with summer almost officially underway, the VP of culinary and corporate chef at Marriott International said the company is making a few tweaks to its restaurant offerings.
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| Lobster on the menu at the Fairmont Scottsdale. |
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For instance, braised ribs are tasty, sure, but the dish might not be so appetizing when the days are already hot and sticky. But a light pasta with peas and asparagus? A divine summer dish.
Cooking for the weather is something to which Patrick Turcot, executive chef at the Fairmont Scottsdale in Arizona can relate.
“When you’re out and it’s 100, 110 degrees in the summertime, I’m not sure deep-fried foods or a casserole is something you’d want to have by the pool,” he said, laughing. “You want something lighter.”
The changes being made to menus at Marriott and Fairmont are indicative of the changes hotels are making to their F&B operations in an attempt to keep their offerings current with diner demands.
Savvy, casual customers
Customers are becoming savvier in terms of what they want to eat, Turcot said.
“I don’t think people are looking for volume anymore,” he said. “They want quality rather than quantity.”
Ed Layton, VP, hotel food and beverage at the 560-room Island View Casino Resort in Gulf Port, Mississippi, has seen the increased customer knowledge firsthand.
“It’s amazing how wise they are,” he said. “There’s a lot who have wine applications on their phone and they know how to match up.”
One way Island View has adapted to changing customer demands is by downsizing its portions, and thus lowering prices for consumers still stinging from the sour economy.
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Ed Layton
VP, hotel food and beverage
Island View Casino Resort
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The property’s Carter Green Restaurant, one of three on the site, has reduced its portion sizes for steaks down to 12 to 16 ounces from 18 to 24 ounces.
“The customer doesn’t want to experience sticker shock,” he said. In addition, the restaurant includes sides with the meal rather than charging extra, Layton said.
Customers also are more frequently looking for healthy dining options as the passage of health-care reform has put healthy eating at the front of a lot guests’ minds. Island View, for instance, has added gluten-free options to its menus.
“I don’t know if it works or not,” Layton said, “but it can’t hurt.”
Change in business mix
A churning business mix also can lead to changing tastes and menus.
While the Fairmont Scottsdale’s group business has fallen off, transient business has picked up steam, and the hotel is seeing an increase in family bookings, Turcot said.
The property has adjusted accordingly. In addition to the traditional kids’ fare of burgers and hot dogs, the hotel has added healthier choices for kids.
It has also added menu items that are more likely to appeal to both adults and children, such as its cheesecake lollipop dessert, added 8 June. “We don’t want to be too formal in our offerings,” Turcot said.
Search for sustainability
Sustainability also is playing a large role in what is appearing on menus. Island View chooses meats that are antibiotic- and hormone-free and come from sustainable farms, Layton said. And the grapes used to make the wines on its menus have not had pesticides used on them.
The Fairmont Scottsdale has a program under which all seafood is obtained from a certified sustainable supplier.
And some J.W. Marriott properties have added onsite gardens from which chefs can handpick their ingredients, Nelson said.
“There’s nothing better than having tomatoes just picked that afternoon by a cook who’s making it for you at 7 o’clock,” he said.
