Food and Beverage Department in hotels: how to manage it?

In this article we expose some points of view on the correct management and control of the food and beverage department of a hotel.

Conrad Hilton (among others) said when he was asked what criteria he followed when opening a hotel for its success, that the most important were three: “Location, location and location.” If we take into account that a Food and Beverage department is generally, and unfortunately in most cases, an addition to the many facilities of these emblematic buildings, we understand that this first premise must be covered and benefit in itself. to operations. But what later contributes to its success? With this article I would like to share my own experiences (as well as those of a great professional called Guillermo Pantoja), ideas, hopes and points of view with all the people who read our Blog.

SUPERVISION OF THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE DEPARTMENT IN HOTELS

In recent years we have seen how many hotel professionals, and especially many teachers, training programs, and education centers, insisted to the students of the different hotel management courses on the topic of costs and their management as essential element of hotel management. It is not that I am going to criticize this concern, since I dedicate a large part of my time precisely to that, but I cannot at least remind all those colleagues who have an interest in this industry, that the success of the hotel industry is and will always continue to be mainly in the management of operations, in their supervision and control on the front line of fire.

The importance of quality

Quality, which we have been talking about so much for many years, is not reduced to a manual on the table that tells how things should be done, but to the physical fact that they are done well; To the extent that this occurs, the rest of the elements that make up the activity will remain within the predetermined limits. It is of little use to analyze costs at the end of the month, if day after day we allow quality losses due to lack of constant supervision of operations to cause extraordinary costs.

Customer experience should be a priority

Customer experience should always come first. The director of the Food and Beverage area in a hotel cannot be an office animal, but rather a leader who manages through what Americans define as “Managing by Walking Around”, which is nothing other than the insistence on being in the day by day of all the things, all the moments, and all the details of the operation of a hotel’s catering service. The nature of this industry requires personalized treatment with both clients, subordinates and colleagues, as well as a push in the form of encouragement that is the supervision and control of everything that was planned to produce the final satisfaction of all of us. the big family of a hotel.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AS A GOAL

I make this reflection because, tired of finding professionals who barricade themselves behind their office tables and the reports produced by administrative departments, I believe that we are not being sincere with the origin and reason for our activity: the client and your satisfaction. The day-to-day operations of a hotel’s Food and Beverage department become very routine in itself, and it is for this reason (and the reality that we are in a people industry), that our role must be eternal guardian of the values of service and customer service, always trying to exceed the expectations of our guests.

Where can we improve?

The planning and design of operations (programmed quality) takes place once in a while, depending on our creativity and the mix of our clients. The supervision and control of our operations represents, however, 95% of our work (quality delivered). Customer satisfaction (perceived quality) will always be our goal. Cost control is something very important, but it should not blind us. The experience our clients obtain should always be our reason for being. This experience will be the engine that helps us generate income in the Food and Services area within any hotel or resort. In our next article, we will write about strategies that serve to increase income in the Food and Beverage area within any hotel. Thank you very much for visiting our blog. If you found this article useful and interesting, please share it!