Roundtable interview with Mahiul Islam, Director of F&B, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway

• What are some of the latest trends in the F&B domain?

Trends have changed dramatically since the pandemic, and the same is true for the food and beverage industry. Guests are becoming increasingly interested in vegetarian, vegan, and flexitarian diets. People have realized the importance of it and are changing their eating habits.

We can ascertain this mindset by looking at the increase in plant-based meat consumption, which is sustainable, lower in fat, higher in nutritional value, and more fibrous.

• What untapped opportunities can hotels explore by utilizing their existing F&B infrastructure?  

1. To generate revenue, hotel spaces can be converted into office/shop spaces and rented.
2. Ancillary services such as outdoor catering and special brunch in a box offering.
3. A portion of the hotel kitchen can be rented out to cloud kitchens.
4. Letting out hotel parking spaces can also bring untapped revenue to the hotel.

• What about hotels leasing their F&B spaces to standalone marquee restaurant brands on a revenue-share model?

Yes, this is a fantastic opportunity for revenue generation as well as cross-promotion of the standalone restaurant and the hotel. This benefits the hotel by adding diverse food options to the F&B portfolio, which increases footfall. The standalone restaurant has a fantastic platform to promote their offerings through the hotel’s clientele base.

• How are training and development being taken up by the hotel for its F&B division?

Training is an essential component of the hotel and F&B division at Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway. As the hospitality industry evolves to keep up with the latest trends, training has become an essential component of the employee’s work life. The hotel’s SOPs and brand standards are simplified, and employees are trained according to predetermined schedules. This aids in employee upskilling and the maintenance of the highest guest standards. Perseverance, engaging training material along with managers being role models helps in the training and development of employees.

• Should hotels consider leasing kitchens for cloud kitchen requirements during non-peak hours?

The peak of the pandemic created numerous opportunities for food and beverage entrepreneurs to launch cloud kitchens. The cloud-kitchens trend gained popularity as people were restricted and there was an increase in the work-from-home culture. Renting out hotel kitchens during off-hours is a great way to capitalize untapped revenue as hotels have invested in full-fledged kitchens that helps the cloud kitchen company to set up shop quickly and creates revenue for the hotel with minimal effort.

• How is the hotel handling food wastage?

It has been observed that the majority of food is wasted when stored. Purchasing high-quality raw ingredients reduces ingredient waste. Customized menus based on the needs of the guests also aid in reducing food waste. Training all kitchen and F&B staff on maximum ingredient utilization and minimal waste and effective food wastage SOPs are critical factors that help in controlling food waste.