Hoteliers' Strategies for Increasing F&B Sales

Hoteliers are adopting various strategies to increase F&B sales, such as adopting robotic solutions and executing "on-demand" apps.

FREMONT, CA: The pandemic disrupted almost every aspect of hotel F&B operations.

As restrictions were slowly lifted and these spaces became capable of hosting guests again, hoteliers faced new challenges, including enhanced sanitation guidelines and mask mandates were part of Covid protocols.

Hotel F&B professionals are facing the same challenges today as we come out from the dark days of the pandemic, along with seemingly endless challenges such as staffing shortages and supply chain issues. The good news is that hoteliers are moving forward with optimism and new solutions, integrating the lessons learned from the challenges they faced into their current day-to-day operations.

Food & Beverage Staffing Issues: In the wake of the pandemic, many hotel workers sought new employment in other industries, and when the business began to pick up again, restaurants found themselves short-staffed. Furthermore, many of those left were overworked and exhausted. In order to overcome the staff shortage, the industry had to find solutions without sacrificing service, food quality, or overall guest experience.

Hoteliers are turning to automation and robotic solutions to help overcome labor shortages and improve food safety. Food can be prepared and even served by robots. With a keen focus on food safety since the outbreak of the pandemic, robots eliminate the need for human touch and cross-contamination. Even though robots cannot account for every variable, such as gluten-free dishes or extra salt requests, they can help with overall efficiency.

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In addition, hoteliers have found success with implementing "on-demand" apps, which allow cooks, waiters, and bartenders to see which restaurants or bars give them ad-hoc access to jobs each night. They can also choose when they would like to be paid, such as at the end of the week, through these apps.

Additionally, the hospitality industry   as a whole needs to increase wages and examine new payment methods to remain competitive.

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Program updates for Food & Beverage: In order to maintain quality service and guest expectations, hotels must adapt their current programming in light of the lack of readily available staff. It can be accomplished by looking for food prep vendors that offer sous vide solutions, such as Cuisine Solutions, that relieves hotel management of some of the pressures caused by the pandemic, including labor costs and food inflation. Managers can free up their staff to complete other tasks in the kitchen and dining room when they have pre-prepared, quality-assured solutions.

For understaffed F&B hotel teams, sous viding is a great way to prepare quality food without extra steps or procedures. A chef with proper training will find sous vide to be a fast, efficient way to prepare quality food. Sous vide also reduces waste, something that food leaders are increasingly concerned about. These meals help reduce waste by 20 - 30 percent due to innovative packaging methods. Additionally, chefs can save 15 - 20 percent of the natural juices from the foods during cooking, which eliminates the need to purchase additional products to enhance the meal. Furthermore, these programs also help alleviate many global supply chain disruptions.

 Hoteliers should install sanitation stations at the front of their properties and be more transparent about their cleaning practices.