Bored with your traditional continental breakfast and cheese mirror-anchored conference menus? Wish you could find an alternative to the $90 gallon of coffee? Here are three strategies for busting out of your culinary comfort zone.
Think Local
Tapping into the local food trends and regional favorites is as much about celebrating your meeting destination as it is about nourishing the attendees. Hotel chefs are sourcing ingredients from local growers and purveyors and event attendees appreciate the taste, as well as your attention to the meeting’s carbon footprint. Your attendees look forward to trying lobster in Maine, Tex-Mex in San Antonio or low country cooking in Savannah. Sampling the fruits of the terroir could be a regional wine-tasting or a dessert highlighting Georgia peaches.
Select Seasonal and Sustainable
Formerly seasonal foods are now available all year round thanks to international shipping. Yet we still crave the Jersey tomatoes and sweet corn of summer. The solution? Call the chef. Chefs know things like the one-month hiatus figs take in the summer or when hard squash becomes better than zucchini. They can also recommend fish options that are sustainable and thus, more per-person cost-friendly, while tasting equally delicious.
Be Flexible
A variety of factors influence the price and availability of staple ingredients that we take for granted. Floods have affected corn and wheat yields. Bird flu has driven up the price of eggs. Hurricane Mathew decimated Haiti’s banana fields. When disaster strikes our food supply the impact can have a very long tail. The budget you created last year may not reflect these increases. Use your property’s culinary experts to keep costs in line.
In a recent presentation, Erin Wade, divisional director of catering & event services for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide shared these additional tips:
- Avoid upcharges for special meals by incorporating delicious meat-free, gluten-free and vegan options into the buffet.
- Check out online tools to explore which fruits and vegetables are in season for peak flavor and friendly pricing.
- Consider shorter receptions with upgraded food which allows you to invest in creative food and presentation.
- Encourage customization and fun with “make your own” packages. Make your own trail mix for an energy boosting break or appeal to the kid in all of us with a mashed potato or donut “bar.”
Getting back to the coffee. Yes, the pricing stings but there is little you can do about it. Hotels know the world is fueled on coffee and tea. So focus on reducing coffee waste by asking servers to put out 6 ounce cups versus 12-ounce ones. Provide to-go cups upon request and not on the buffet or swap out afternoon coffee with refreshing fruited waters and pitchers of iced tea and lemonade.
Finally, if you’re not sure if swapping out the croissants for an oatmeal station will satisfy your attendees, try small changes. You don’t have to throw out your entire menu! Your customers will notice the changes and let you know if you are moving in the right direction.
Beth Mauro is the Director of Strategic Marketing & Events for the Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association. An avid cook and baker who loves exploring regional cuisine on her travels. She ranks “the big bowl of shrimp” as the one offering reception-goers seem to remember the most!
