russ blakeborough

Creating a Flavor Symphony

Whether eating, cooking, or creating a cocktail, the art of learning how to methodically taste all the elements of a dish can be something that lasts a lifetime and can be used daily.  Try following this outline taught to me by a renowned Hungarian Chef.

Let me explain.  First, you must learn how to interpret what you are tasting and then you can enhance and perfect the taste.  This same procedure can be used when creating a dish or a cocktail to make sure that it is well-balanced, full-bodied, and has flair.


Think about it as an artist would create a painting: The background of the picture is the depth or the base of dish, the middle ground is the storyline, or flavor accents, and around the edge (and sprinkled throughout) are the highlights.  The highlights give style and personality to the dish while dancing around and giving sizzle to the finished piece.  Then lastly, think about tying this all together as an exciting work of art.

The Art of Tasting
russ blakeborough

Concept creation is such a very important process. One in which you should spend a great deal of time and effort - much more than people generally do. After all, it will be the personality of your restaurant, your labor of love, for years to come. The decisions that you make during this process should not be taken lightly. In this day and age, where there are so many great restaurants, guests will only return to and tell others about, the ones that are truly memorable and that they can connect with on a deeper level.

 

As your concept creation consultant, I would begin by asking you a series of questions. Basically, interview you and find out all your deepest thoughts about what you want to the restaurant to be: what is your focus, your dream, and vision for your restaurant? Once I get a clear understanding of what’s in your head, I will research - starting with the area restaurants to evaluate what the competition is doing. For instance, what are the top 10 comp-set restaurants doing?  Then, I would evaluate all equivalent style concepts in the area to see if there are any missing concepts, which may fit the bill, or help us find any other needs that can be filled. It does not have to be necessarily a specific type of cuisine; it certainly can be, but you do need to have a distinct theme and personality. This persona will set the tone for how the restaurant is run, how it is marketed, and how it is viewed in the public eye. The goal is to create something that is memorable, inspiring, exciting, and unique. A concept that will show creativity, sensuality, style and personality.

The next step will be the Concept Creation. Based on research and your vision, I will draw up three concept boards that depict three separate ideas/possibilities for you. The concept board will show visually, the name and theme outline, all in a quick view format and design look. This helps us narrow down the direction to one concept. From there, I will create the final presentation concept.
 

The final deliverable will contain a name, style, design elements, décor, music, lighting, menu outline, beverage highlights, events that speak to the concept, the look, and style of the server, as well as, approach and wardrobe.

Creating a new Concept

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Why Boutique Hotels should have a Great restaurant

Your hotel can be super cool, well-decorated, in a great location, and have lots of interesting amenities, but it will always come down to the personality and charm of your food and beverage operations that will develop loyal and passionate followers.

 

Let’s look at what a boutique hotel is, who stays there, and why?  A boutique hotel is typically smaller--under 200 rooms.  It is often in an urban environment, although not always [there are many wonderful boutique resorts], with each hotel having individual personality, including chic, eclectic, and interesting décor and features that make the experience different.  The service tends to be individualized and more connected, where small differentiators and points of service make it stand out.

 

 

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What to demand from a property audit

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What to demand from a property audit

Three results you should demand

 

Some hotels and restaurants spend thousands of dollars every year on property evaluations. Some are required by the brand, the ownership, or other third party. Some are better than others, and many bring little to no value to the property. You are paying a lot for these visits - you should expect more from them.

 

What are you getting for you money?  Passing you audit is often the only real goal.  What should you really expect from a good property audit? A lot of money is invested in you and your establishment, and a lot is expected. What would be the outcome if you could increase revenues by 3%? If you can save 5% on the bottom line? If you can increase the level of satisfaction, you can double those numbers. How would that effect your life, your ownership, your staff, and most importantly, guests?

 

 

You should expect to find out answers to these 3 questions:

 

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10 Reasons why your Hotel Needs a Great Restaurant

10 reasons why you want to have a great restaurant in your great hotel!

 

Many folks spend many hours discussing the virtues of having a great restaurant in your hotel. Here are my top ten reasons to support having great Food and Beverage venues:

 

 

1.         Charisma - It gives your hotel personality, it is the face of your hotel, and is brings life to your hotel, it makes it more than just a square box with rooms!

 

2.         Revenue -  Food and Beverage can add substantial revenue to your operation. Many successful hotel restaurants produce more F&B revenue than Rooms revenue. I understand it is not as profitable; however, if you go into it with the right mindset, it can definitely deliver great results.

 

 

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Scores going down?

Are your hotel scores declining?

 

Revenues are going down, customer service feedback is going in the wrong direction, expenses are going up - and your boss is asking a lot of questions. How did we get here? Well, it happens easily, and happens to most of us at some point. We get caught up in the whirlwind of the daily business and fail to realize how a couple of small things start to grow into a larger problem.

 

 More importantly, how do we go about the task of fixing it? Really making a difference and actually improving the operation? Let’s review.

 

·         Identify - Confirm that you really have an issue is step number one. List out all of your metrics to last year, sixth months ago, last month. What has changed? Is this a short-term blip that will auto-correct or is it more?

 

·         Analyze - Doing some type of analysis is the next step. I found it best to call in an independent contractor rather than someone from corporate office or someone that is too involved in the daily operation. Have a full review of the hotel conducted by an unbiased outsider, who will review the operation, look at what people are saying, and work with the team to figure out where the issues are. Working with the whole team will bring real answers and also make sure that they are more likely to be on-board in leading the improvement, once identified. All aspects of the operation should be evaluated: service, quality, speed, atmosphere, cleanliness, marketing, culinary operations, purchasing, systems and efficiencies. Any review should include the hotel leadership team dynamics; are they the right fit? How do they work together? Are there training opportunities or other needs? Review the concept: is it working, congruent, and current?

Don’t think for a moment that this is too much for the team. I guarantee you that everyone [ok, most!] on your staff wants to work in great location that they can be proud of!

For help with a comprehensive assessment and a detailed plan to get your organization moving in the right direction, contact me anytime…..

 

Author, Russ Blakeborough, has extensive hospitality leadership experience and is Managing Director/Senior Consultant at Focus – F&B    www.focus-fb.com