More Than a Chef: Hotels Seek To Combine Kitchen Leader, Food and Beverage Director Role
Staffing Issues, Costs, Consumer Behavior Drive Managers To Adapt and Innovate
Some hotels are looking to combine the job of executive chef and food and beverage director as staffing issues, inflation and changing consumer behavior have taken on a whole new flavor.
Adaptation is the name of the game, according to a cross section of executives and analysts. Danny Py, vice president of food and beverage for management company First Hospitality, said management has had to adapt after a record year in 2019 when the thinking was that the sky was the limit for food and beverage. That might mean breakfast served in grab-and-go fashion, scaled-down menus and meals where there are “fewer plate touches” — where meals are easier to execute, but "still deliver on quality and consistency. “
"Not every plate is getting the tweezers treatment,” Py said.
Sean Largotta, a partner at the Gansevoort Hotel Group, which operates Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC in New York, said the hotel underwent a $30 million renovation and rebrand during the pandemic and introduced multiple new food and beverage outlets, each with its own distinct personality.
He said finding experienced staff across all of these new venues — specifically after travel bans and indoor dining restrictions were lifted — was difficult, but almost a year later, “we are in a much better place.”