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A hotel business is the combination of otherwise disparate products and services. From room design and maintenance to entertainment to food and beverage services, operating a hotel is multifaceted in every sense of the word. One facet in particular–the work of hotel food and beverage services–requires daily, weekly, and monthly attention to keep everything in optimal shape.
Hotel food and beverage services cover everything from room service to continental breakfast to in-house restaurants. Today we’ll be walking through the role food and beverage work plays in the hotel industry. We'll also cover how you, as a hotel owner or manager, can maximize your food and beverage services.
Food and Beverage Department In Hotel Businesses
The food and beverage department in hotel businesses is a busy operation. The hotel is responsible for providing guests with all their expected amenities. These include appetizing food, meals at an affordable price, and professional service similar to other hospitality establishments.
Those amenities include food and beverage options for any variety of guests. That can include anything from a buffet suitable for kids to a luxe lounge for adults looking for a hotel escape. For a hotel to offer that service, its food and beverage plan should include all those options at a moment’s notice for guests.
5 Hotel Food and Beverage Needs
Running a hotel food and beverage setup is similar to running multiple restaurants and bars. This hotel food and beverage setup definition may change depending on the size of your hotel and the food and beverage options you offer. But the overall idea remains the same.
“Key Takeaway: Hotel food and beverage needs include the same kind of work as a restaurant or bar in addition to the guest-focused needs of a hotel. The food and beverage needs in a hotel restaurant are focused on guest satisfaction above all else.”
To keep a significantly larger restaurant running smoothly, there are several offerings and systems that any hotel owner or restaurant manager should consider. These five hotel food and beverage needs and service ideas will get any hotel business started on the right foot:
5. Provide More Than Food and Beverage Services
While food and beverage services are the name of the game, when you add to the service experience, you add to your guests’ satisfaction. Providing more than food and beverage services can be something as simple as hiring live music entertainment for the dining space.
It can also be something more complex, like hiring a comedian to put on shows. Even a unique happy hour event with great happy hour drinks can add to the experience. Great event management can make any occasion special.
4. Hotel-Wide Levels of Service
Providing hotel-wide levels of service is the practice of having food and beverage services covering the entire grounds of the hotel. From a coffee bar by the front desk to a rooftop tapas or cocktail bar, adding dining experiences gives you room to explore several menu types.
3. Food Trends Matching Supply and Demand
This service tip is a two-for-one piece of advice. Having menu items that follow the latest food trends will increase your guest satisfaction, but designing your menu isn’t always a guarantee.
Supply chain management and issues can mess up your plans. Prepare for supply concerns while keeping your menu fresh by having multiple selections ready. That way, you can work with the ingredients you have on hand.
2. Utilize Technology to Optimize Operations
From restaurant management technology to restaurant technology for payments, i.e. restaurant POS systems, the technology available for a restaurant or bar business is equally important for a hotel restaurant. Using the right technology gives you one less thing to worry about for the day-to-day operations of your hotel food and beverage services.
Combining the right technology with a well-planned food and beverage program, as well as food and beverage storage and high-quality customer service, will make your business truly successful!
1. Price Options Across Types of Service
The number one business goal of a hotel is to make a profit, there’s no doubt about that. But how can you ensure that your food and beverage services are open to the highest profits with the entirety of your guest base? By offering price options across your services of course!
With restaurants, bars, coffee shops, hotel minibars, and room service all weighing in at different price points, you’re able to serve each guest effectively. Your plan for how to price a menu will depend on your business model. You can use a food cost calculator to develop profitable dishes and menu selections. It’s one of the most important factors to focus on when building your food and beverage department.
Food and Beverage Division In a Hotel
The food and beverage division in a hotel is responsible for everything from serving food to keeping dining spaces tidy to restaurant inventory. While the workers within the food and beverage division work for the hotel, their main focus is on the dining and beverage service.
In future blog posts on the BinWise blog, we’ll talk about hiring the best staff for your hotel restaurants and bars. Building a food and beverage division in a hotel is all about finding the right people to keep everything running. It also includes finding ways to continually improve the quality of the division and of the dining experience.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hotel Food and Beverage Services
Hotel food and beverage services cover a large range of the work that goes into a successful hotel business. Considering how far-reaching the department is in the hotel, it’s important to have a well-rounded understanding of the processes involved. Our answers to these frequently asked questions will help build your understanding.
What are the Types of Food and Beverage Services?
The four main types of food and beverage services are:
- Plate service, which is when your meal is prepared in the kitchen and plated before it is brought to the table.
- Cart service, which is when the food for the table is prepared on a cart transported over to the table.
- Buffet service, which is when you serve yourself helpings from a buffet. The food service wait staff serves to maintain the buffet and answer any questions.
- Family style service, which is when the food for the table is served on large platters, with individual plates provided for self-serving.
Hotels have the option of providing one or more of these services. In fact, most hotels utilize several across the various food service outlets they provide. For example, room service is a variation of cart and plate service, continental breakfast is a buffet, and family style service is common in classic restaurants
What Is the Importance of Food and Beverage Department In a Hotel?
The food and beverage department in a hotel is important for the overall guest satisfaction levels in the hotel. Similar to customer service in a restaurant, the service a food and beverage department provides is an important factor in how comfortable guests feel.
What is Hotel F&B Revenue?
Hotel food and beverage (F&B) revenue is the profits brought into the hotel from the food and beverage services. The direct source of this revenue depends on the format the hotel uses to make these profits.
Some hotels wrap the price of food and beverage services into a package deal. That price can still be tracked on the backend of the accounting system with hospitality procurement software. Other hotels charge for each meal and individual food and beverage service, which is easier to track, but more taxing on the guests.
Most hotels utilize a mix of these practices. Room service is typically charged per item and meal. Breakfast and sit-down meals are more likely to be built into the overall price of the stay.
Hotel Food and Beverage Services: Services for Home Away From Home
The overall success of a hotel is only as strong as every individual division within the hotel. From the cleaning staff managing cleaning supplies to the hotel food and beverage services being handled by the dining and beverage department, every section of the hotel needs to run seamlessly for the good of the entire hotel.
On the BinWise blog, we’re here for you to explore more about hotels, as well as a variety of topics in the hospitality industry. If you’re looking for more, you can always drop by our sister site at the BlueCart blog.