2016 was a big year for hospitality food and beverage, with new designs, new technology and new trends changing the way people eat in hotels. In case you missed them, here are some of HOTEL MANAGEMENT's top F&B stories from the last year, presented in no particular order. What was your favorite food-related news from the year? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook!
1. Hotel lobby bars go multipurpose
“Over the past few years, the ever-growing millennial generation has changed the very nature of the hotel lobby and the lobby bar. A few armchairs are no longer enough for a lobby, and a simple watering hole in a dark corner is no longer an acceptable lobby bar. As the younger generation gathers in open spaces to work, socialize and—yes—enjoy a drink or two, lobby bars have evolved to become multipurpose hubs.”
2. Chicago hotel restaurant scene blooming
“Several Chicago hotels are updating or creating new food-and-beverage items to wow guests and locals.”
3. Mealtimes an opportunity to win millennials' hearts
“The old saying is that the fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but that bit of wisdom might need to be updated to refer to millennials instead. Food and beverage might be the best way to win their hearts and wallets (and, of course, repeat stays).”
4. 5 tips to keep breakfast buffets safe
“Hotel guests love breakfast. But if the proper precautions aren't taken, those popular buffets can become hotbeds of bacteria and germs with the potential to make those who consume wish they had not. Fortunately, there are a number of steps hotels can follow that reduce the risk and keep satisfaction high.”
5. Hotel restaurants offer challenges and opportunities
“Despite benefiting from a targeted clientele, Mark Anderson, VP of food and beverage for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, said hotels also face a series of challenges unique from restaurants outside of hospitality.”
6. Hotels take innovative steps to reduce food waste
“Food waste is a huge issue in the United States, with Feeding America estimating that 70 billion pounds of food are wasted in America each year. An estimated 25 percent to 40 percent of food grown, processed and transported in the U.S. will never be consumed. A number of hotels have taken the issue to heart and are working to reduce those numbers.”
7. Guestroom F&B series
Recent technological advances have improved guestroom F&B, with new devices allowing guests to determine more easily what they want in their room before and during their stay. This three-part series examined in-room food and beverage service of the future, and what hotels will be expected to supply.
8. What it takes to be successful in F&B
“Erica Standish has been with DelMonte Hotel Group for five years, and currently is the food-and-beverage director at the company's Hilton Garden Inn Rochester/University & Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y. Standish oversees the 136-room hotel's entire F&B operation, including the banquet facility, private dining room, roomservice and the property's Italian restaurant, Grappa. She also creates the wine list, helps determine the cocktail list and works with the Grappa chef on menu updates.”
9. Group F&B pushes boundaries like never before
“Around the country, executive chefs and catering managers are exploring flavor profiles that put rubbery chicken and rice pilaf to shame.”
10. How are hotels coping with the food-delivery phenomenon?
“UberEats, the on-demand meal-delivery service, has announced plans to expand in a number of European cities, a move that gives Deliveroo strong competition in the food-delivery business. The offerings have opened up opportunities for hotels to provide food for non-guests, but also challenges existing roomservice.”