Month: October 2018

a focus on hotel food and beverage

3 Reasons Why Your Hotel Needs to Focus on Food & Beverage

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Pleasing the palate of hotel guests is no easy task. Their expectations and demands are always shifting, keeping hotel managers on their toes at all times. Not keeping pace can spell trouble and result in decreased revenue streams due to lost opportunities. Recent trends in hotel food and beverage indicate positive growth opportunities for hotel managers, so it’s time you develop a strategy.

3 Reasons to Focus on Your Hotel’s Food & Beverage Strategy

1. Grab-n-Go Concept Growth

In a recent report from Avendra, a group purchasing organization for hospitality, the changing climate of hotel food and beverage strategies are highlighted. Included is the growth of the hotel pantry concept, where guests have quick and easy access to snack and beverage products.

The concept is an alternative to vending machines, which can sometimes be troublesome and aren’t as visually appealing as a small, well-designed convenience market. Chip McIntyre, VP of marketing for Avendra, says “limited-service hotels are seeing outsized volume growth from grab-n-go type occasions. This lodging segment is seeing a larger share of the 2 percent industry supply growth.”

2. Higher Standards Expected From Guests

When it comes to a food and beverage strategy for your hotel, guests are setting the standards. To remain competitive, hotel managers need to keep up. What are the new standards?

  • Local options
  • Creative cocktails
  • Housemade meals

These three elements combined create a fully unique experience, one they can’t get from a chain restaurant in a hotel. As Fernando Salazar, SVP of food and beverages at Interstate Hotels & Resorts says, “I hate hotel restaurants. I like restaurants that happen to be in a hotel, that have their own concept.”

For luxury and independent hotels in particular, a unique food and beverage experience is easier to accomplish as they are not beholden to any corporate or brand requirements.

3. Demand for Fresh Foods

It’s nothing new that consumers are increasingly health-conscious about their food. That’s why many of the pantry and market concepts offer fresh products for guests. As the Avendra study reports:

“Just over half of the sample of hotel industry participants are selling fresh/refrigerated foods in convenience or a market format today. We expect this segment to see further growth as about one-third of those who do not offer fresh foods in a market concept are planning to do so within the next year. On average, about 45 percent of hotel sites that offer fresh foods within on-site convenience stores are seeing better-than-expected revenue growth.”

While sweet and savory treats are always nice to have, a lot of travelers want healthier options. The proof is there.

So whether you’re a luxury, select-service, or limited-service hotel, there’s a food and beverage strategy for you to implement.

 

coffee cup from office coffee service

Choosing a Coffee Pot or Single Serve Machine for Your Office?

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Every workplace needs coffee. Whether it’s for a small office or a large manufacturing facility, coffee is the fuel that gets people going in the morning. But what kind of coffee machine is best for your office? Should you use an office coffee service to handle it for you?

The answer is determined by several factors:

  1. How many employees there are
  2. How important it is for the coffee to taste good
  3. How much time do you (or anyone) want to spend dealing with coffee

Employee Count

If your office is small and doesn’t have a lot of employees, it wouldn’t make sense to have a full pot of coffee sitting there every day. You could end up just pouring money down the drain…literally.

The Importance of Taste

Some people are pretty picky about their coffee, and we don’t blame them. Some coffee makers provide higher-quality coffee than others. Take a quick survey of employees to see how important the taste is.

Time Constraints

Not that making a fresh pot of coffee takes a long time, but it can take you away from work for a few minutes. That can get frustrating if you’re the person in charge of keeping fresh coffee available. A few minutes here and there throughout the day, every day can get old.

Now that you have an idea of what kind of demand there is for coffee in your office, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both types of machines.

Single-Serve Coffee Machine

There are several different types of single-service coffee machines out there, but Keurig is perhaps the most popular. It’s convenient and offers a variety of flavors.

The pros:

  • Brews coffee in under a minute
  • Variety of flavors
  • Make coffee, tea, hot chocolate and more

The cons:

  • The pods can be expensive
  • Coffee doesn’t taste as good as fresh-brewed
  • K-cups are not recyclable

Coffee Pot

The biggest question you’ll face if you’re going to choose a pot over a single-serve machine is whether or not you want a commercial grade or consumer grade coffee maker. This will largely depend on how many people work in your office. For small offices up to about thirty people, a consumer grade machine will suffice. But if there are dozens or even hundreds of employees, a commercial grade coffee pot would be better.

The pros:

  • One pot can serve many people
  • The coffee tastes better
  • Just pour and go

The cons:

  • More maintenance
  • If empty, you have to wait for a new cup

Whichever you decide you want, Supply Wizards can connect you with a local office coffee provider that and offer a full range of coffee flavors and brews. Contact us to get started!

Woman enjoying office snack service

3 Ways to Provide Office Snacks For Employees

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There’s no doubt that every workplace needs some form of office snack service. Whether your employees got stuck in a long meeting and didn’t have time for lunch or simply need a tasty pick-me-up towards the end of the day, providing snacks in your office makes for a better workplace culture.

  • Productivity
  • Engagement
  • Happiness

These are the results of offering snacks for employees. But the question is, how can you provide them? Here are three approaches to an office snack plan.

1. Vending Machines

Provided your office has space, vending machines are a good option if you’re looking for a quick and inexpensive way to offer snacks and beverages in your office. If you choose a full-service vending program, the machines will be delivered, installed, and maintained all at no cost.

2. Micro Market

Micro markets are great for larger office and workplace settings and allow for employees to purchase items through a kiosk. The convenience of a micro market is what makes it an attractive option for an office snack service.

3. Snack Delivery Service

Many employers are providing snacks as a perk to help attract and retain employees. There are several ways to go about purchasing the items, including a snack delivery service. This helps eliminate the hassle of sending an employee to the store to purchase all the product. The Supply Wizards online ordering platform connects you with a local vending operator that has hundreds of products to choose from and can deliver your choices in 1-2 days.