The hotel restaurant can be a huge profit center for your property by becoming a dining destination, instead of just being the guest’s default, last resort option. Want to know how and why? It’s because chefs are thinking “local, seasonal, and fresh” and that’s just what their diners are craving.
Chefs are shopping at the local farmers market to satisfy a desire for a farm fresh menu. Executive Chef Anthony Sicignano, of The Breakers in Palm Beach, sums up why chefs are undertaking this effort, “You know you can’t cook great food if you don’t have good products to begin with.” For those who live near major growing regions finding those products is easy; for others, it’s a little more difficult but worth the effort. Sicignano, who buys his produce both locally and then relies on some vendors who are further a field, does so because he realizes he can only deal with what Mother Nature hands him.
The Breakers, Palm Beach FL |
Matt Seeber, Executive Chef of Craftsteak at MGM Grand arrived in Vegas from New York and learned fast that Vegas chefs have to work around their agricultural challenges. He comments, “[Farming] is not really doable here. On the other hand Los Angeles is very close and it is a hub for Southern California growers; there they’ve got the Santa Monica farmer’s market which we make use all year round. ” Bountiful farmers markets inspire ever changing menus reflecting the best of the season. Chefs are relying upon these farmers with whom they’ve built relationships, to ensure the best ingredients end up on their plates.
In Las Vegas, a town where chefs used to be complacent about the food they were putting out because they knew the draw was pretty girls and gambling, things have changed. Seeber comments on why and says," The way people eat has certainly changed over last 10 years in every way possible. People are very educated about it and once they have found something they like they will go back and look for it again.
Chef Bryan Ogden, Caesars Las Vegas |
Executive Chef Alex Stratta (of Wynn’s fine dining restaurant Alex) notes that there’s some education that goes on in the dining room but that overall he’s got very sophisticated diners. He comments, “People who do know will ask [about the origin of the ingredients].” At Bradley Ogden at Caesars (Las Vegas) Executive Chef Bryan Ogden has been a pioneer in the quest for seasonal and local produce and he has inspired others in town to follow his lead, even if sometimes the diners are trailing behind. Fortunately bringing diners up to speed and getting them just as excited about the fresh vegetables and fruits they are about to consume is easy, with the cooperation of knowledgeable servers. Ogden notes, “The floor staff converses with the guest to determine if they’ve been here before and provide an explanation of what the restaurant is all about. That way guests are well aware of our philosophy and it adds to the charm of the restaurant.” 
Chef Alex Stratta, Wynn |
Some guests are so charmed by the vegetables that menus are sometimes updated during service to compensate for a run on a certain dish. Seeber shares, “People tell us we have the best vegetables. People come now and expect a certain product quality with what they see priced on the menu. They are not going to pay $11 for a side of vegetables unless it’s really good. Vegetarians come here. And we’re a steakhouse!” Stratta concurs that pricing is not an issue when the quality matches. He remarks, “It’s about expectations and getting your money’s worth. For me the integrity is charging what we have to, not what we can. ” Stratta makes sure his customers are getting their money’s worth by looking around at other restaurants in town that attract the same kind of diner. He says, “What we look at is the saturation point at which you think you’re pushing. You do the comparative pricing but you can’t really compare it. Compared to Guy Savoy (Caesar’s) and Robuchon (MGM Grand) we’re a bargain. Compared to Picasso (Bellagio), which is very good, we’re considerably more.”
Pricing is strongly considered on both sides of the kitchen door, particularly as food costs come into the equation. Sicignano appreciates the positive impact on his bottom line that he sees when buying locally. He explains, “Waste is always a huge factor. You could buy a case of lettuce for just $25 and only use 20% of it and it ends up costing you more. What we find is that if you have a large lettuce producer/distributor they truck it from up north and it gets distributed to produce vendors and then by the time it has gotten through cleaning, sales, etc. the lettuce is a week or two out of the ground. And we have to get rid of a lot of it.” Seeber adds his thoughts on paying for a local farmer’s labor, “I want to get the best product I can get and I am willing to pay for it. He [the farmer] is out there pulling weeds; he’s going to water it. I am happy to pay him.”
Chef Noah Bekofsky, Fairmont Chicago |
In Chicago, at The Fairmont Chicago, many paying guests are not only happy to fork it over for the food on their plate but eager to pay $100 to do the shopping too. The hotel’s Executive Chef Noah Bekofsky offers “Shop with the Chef”; a monthly off-site adventure for a small group of guests who get up early and accompany him on his greenmarket excursion. There he shares his excitement about and knowledge of the produce before returning to the hotel kitchen to prepare a meal for them from the produce they’ve selected.
Getting the best products into your guests hands can mean waking them up at farmers’ hours or letting them wander into the dining room fashionably late to feast on the garden’s harvest, but either way as long as they know the freshest produce is on the plate diners are happy to be there, paying for it.
