Could coronavirus close the hotel buffet breakfast for good? International hotel adviser Russell Kett says "the breakfast buffet is likely to become a thing of the past."
The COVID-19 crisis led to major structural and operational changes for the restaurant industry, from the implementation of new health standards to adaptation to new customer expectations. We offer 100 ideas to allow independent restaurateurs or operating in hotels to meet these challenges and choose from this list the most suitable ideas for their activity.
It's been difficult for many operators and the only past experience we can use to best understand how to come out of this situation is the learnings from past recessions or economic downturns. And common sense would tell you that starting a business in hard economic times is a bad idea. As the current situation has caused businesses to close and now needing to re-open, this is no different to starting a new business during hard times. Something one would normally advise against. Overcoming this challenge will truly define the entrepreneurs amongst us.
On Monday 11th May, restaurants and bars were among the few public establishments in Switzerland allowed to reopen. The move was preceded by lengthy Federal Counsel regulations made available to all restaurateurs setting out the now rather familiar guidelines: 2m distances between tables, maximum 4 people at a table, strict hygiene measures, service staff in masks and required contact details of each customer.
Who said that setting up shop in a central, fancy location with state of the art decor was the way to secure a Michelin star? These three examples showcase the fact everything is possible, award-wise, if your produce is top quality, carefully-sourced, imaginatively put together and consistently delicious.
COVID-19 has officially been a pandemic only since March 11, but its effects on the economy are already dramatic. For several industries, the current crisis is likely to become the most severe since the Great Depression. This is notably the case for the travel & leisure industry. In this article, we investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the fine wine market which represents the upper segment of the wine market and which is closely connected to the hospitality industry.
In the 2 to 3 years it could take for the economy to get back on its feet, restaurants have an opportunity to restructure their venues to match the "new normal." Here are some of the changes I believe we will see as the world reopens for business.
Sous vide, the French term for "under-vacuum," is a method of precision cooking in which food is vacuum-sealed, then submerged in a water bath at a specifically regulated temperature and gently cooked. The process, expounded by food scientist Bruno Goussault in 1971, has many positive aspects, most notably maintaining food textures and flavors without compromising its natural integrity.
If you are a manager of a private club, restaurant, or other foodservice business, you may be wondering what you can do right now, or how you should proceed with your business during COVID-19. This is an unprecedented occurrence; however with thoughtful planning you can nurture a more productive outcome.
It's Friday evening and virtually everyone in the whole country is at home. On a regular Friday, people would go out, meet friends, drink beer and celebrate the weekend. Not today thanks to coronavirus.
There's an emerging trend that is none-too-friendly to your hotel restaurant's beverage sales. Encapsulated by buzz terms like 'dry January', 'sober curious' or 'mindful drinking', more people nowadays are abstaining from alcohol or are drinking less overall.
During this disruptive time, most hoteliers and F&B managers agree on one thing: A not-so "business-as-usual" future will follow the current changes. We know that as the hospitality industry begins recovering from COVID-19, there will be many new challenges ahead. But what can be done with F&B outlets now, to come out of this crisis stronger and better prepared for these future changes? Together with industry experts, we compiled best practices for providing reassurance to customers and employees during the closure of your F&B outlets. Furthermore, we offer you some suggestions on how to build up relationships with your suppliers and benefit from the current situation.
The restaurant industry is not dead. It just became a temporary tragic victim within a global traumatic condition that threatens its very survival.
Since the beginning of the spread of the virus, all industries worldwide have been heavily affected. It has consequently left its impact on the wine market which has started to deteriorate at the announcement of the cancellation of some major local, national or international events. Amid these events, Divinum Switzerland, where I have the honour of being the ambassador and that allows more than 300 winemakers to exhibit their products and participate in maintaining existing and developing new customers, has been cancelled. On an international scale, the world of wine vibrates with Vinexpo and Prowein, where important economic decisions related to wine are made, have been cancelled.
As the Coronavirus has continued to spread rapidly, the full scale of the risk to the global economy has hit markets with rarely seen violence: the speed of the sell-off in equities and "risky" asset classes has only been matched by the rise in price of safe haven assets such as US government bonds or Gold.
When people hear the term food cost, they generally think of the simple calculation of cost / selling price = food cost %. This calculation does little more than give you a percentage. Understanding and controlling food cost is much more complex.
The impact of COVID-19 is devastating. Now, it is not a question of whether the coronavirus pandemic will cause a global economic downturn. The damage has made. It is about how much the economy will shrink.
Controlling the beverage cost is a big deal in hotels. People like to drink and that's great for the bar, but you have to remember the people serving your drinks need a tight set of checks and balances or else they will help themselves to your supplies. It's just human nature to mess around with the stuff at your fingertips all day long. There is a certain sense of entitlement as well because the wages are small, and people rely on tips. Bigger portions or the odd free one for a client can make a big difference in the tips left behind.
We are in unprecedented times with the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the travel and hospitality sector. Public health organisations and governments may advise us on how to deal with the disease here and now, but there are many unanswered questions as to how to deal with the fallout.
Bear with me on this one, as I see troubles ahead for restaurant wine sales in the not-too-distant future. It comes down to two major economic forces and their effects on overall customer behavior.