Comparison Of Food And Beverage Service Areas At Two Renowned Hotels: May Fair London Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort

Food and Beverage Sector

Discuss About The Fair London Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort.

he research report aims to draw a comparison between two food and beverage operations or businesses. Davis et al. (2013), state that food and beverage sector consists of establishments, which are engaged in the preparation of different types of food and beverages, for customer order or buffet and for immediate or delayed consumption, on or off the premises. The operations in the food and beverage sector involve a number of activities engaging the staff with purchase of raw materials, equipment, inventory management, maintaining services quality, presenting and serving the food and beverages. The size and nature of the food and beverage operation management determine the size of the service area and also affect the style of service delivery. The types of equipment also get changed with different type of services. This is a huge industry that operates all across the world and is continuously growing (Ashraf, Rashid and Rashid 2017).

Food and beverage sector grew out of the need from tourism. When people used to travel to another places for some reason, they needed to take a break to have food and beverages. The locals took this opportunity to supply the travellers with food and drink. From this concept, the food and beverage industry grew into a massive one and it did not stay local anymore. Today, the operations of the food and beverage industry are diverse in terms of offerings, types of services and deliveries, equipment and ingredients (Lovelock 2011).

The thesis statement of the research report is the comparison of the two types of food and beverage service areas between two renowned hotels of the world. It aims to focus on how the service areas are different in styles, type of equipment needed, the advantages and disadvantages of the service styles across the two hotels.  

The May Fair Kitchen from May Fair London and Misono Japanese Steakhouse from Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa, Gold Coast, Australia are the two restaurants chosen for this research report. May Fair Hotel in London is one of the most luxurious 5 star hotels, and modernized historic hotel in London. It presents a modern and contemporary design coupled with a legendary royal past.  The hotel was opened in 1927 by King George V and Queen Mary and had gained a status of most stylish and elegant hotels in the Europe (virtualfieldtrips.edu.au 2018). It offers 12 signature suites among 404 luxuriously spacious bedrooms. It also offers rooftop penthouse with 270 degree views of the capital city. The May Fair Kitchen offers fine dining experience to the guests. It includes global cuisine, starting from Mediterranean, Spanish, Italian, Mexican, Peruvian, along with signature drinks. There are private dining room, the terrace and the kitchen offering different cuisines and dining options (themayfairhotel.co.uk 2018). The hotel also has a bar that offers signature drinks as well as, small plates, breakfast and brunch menu.

May Fair London and Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort

Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa, Gold Coast, Australia is award winning and one of the most popular luxury resorts and spas in the Gold Coast area of Australia. The resort provides spacious accommodation facilities, intuitive service, with a luxurious experience along with dining options with many international standard cuisines. The resort has 304 rooms in an exquisite location amidst the white sandy beaches, sparkling lagoons and cascading waterfalls. It also offers best quality international cuisines through variety of dining options, such as, Misono , Citrique, and Chapter & Verse bar and lounge (virtualfieldtrips.edu.au 2018). Thus, there are multiple operations under the food and beverage sector that operate in Surfers Paradise Marriott. Citrique Restaurant is a seafood lovers’ paradise, as it offers a huge variety of seafood along with some continental fusions and desserts and delicacies. Misono Japanese Steakhouse is the other dining option in Marriott, which provides exclusive experience of preparing the ordered food on the table of the customers itself (marriott.com 2018). This is one of the largest teppanyaki restaurants in the Gold Coast, Australia.

The May Fair Kitchen and the Misono Japanese Steakhouse kitchen are quite different in nature. The May Fair Kitchen is the name of the restaurant itself and its specialty is Mediterranean dishes, along with Italian and Spanish small plates and contemporary Peruvian and Mexican dishes. It also offers the signature cocktails and finest wines with the food. It serves breakfast, afternoon tea, lunch and dinner to the guests. Being situated in one of the most coveted hotels in the heart of London, the May Fair Kitchen has most state-of-the-art interiors, which is a mix of tradition and contemporary interior. It is situated at the back of the house. On the other hand, Misono Japanese steakhouse in surfers paradise Marriott in Australia has one of the most modern kitchen amenities and appliances. They have both back house and open table kitchens. Some of the food is prepared at the back of the house kitchen while some teppanyaki items are prepared by the chefs directly at the table of the guests, who choose the ingredients themselves (virtualfieldtrips.edu.au 2018). Even the backhouse kitchen is an open one, where the guests can watch the chefs preparing the food. Misono wants the guests to live the moment and enjoy the food making experience while the May Fair Kitchen has a tradition style of service and food delivery.

Comparison of Kitchen Service Area

The chefs in the kitchen are the most crucial people in a restaurant. They are mostly responsible for making a good memory for the guests. The customers come to a restaurant for enjoying a meal. Thus, the chefs have the responsibility to not only make a high quality food but also to present it in a most attractive and interesting manner to invoke the hunger in the customers. In both the restaurants, the highly qualified chefs and kitchen staff are hired. In the May Fair Kitchen, the chefs and the kitchen staff are trained and experienced in Mediterranean, Spanish, Italian, Mexican and Peruvian food, while, in Misono, the chefs are highly expert in Japanese and teppanyaki cuisine. They are also highly skilled in juggling the ingredients to make the food making process a visual treat for the guests. They are also expert in communicating with the customers directly at the table. The chefs and the kitchen staff in both the restaurants must wear uniforms and chef’s hat.

Both of the kitchens are equipped with modern and high quality appliances and Misono has additional appliances, such as, tables with grilling stations. The May Fair Kitchen uses traditional appliances as the kitchen is not open to the guests, but for Misono, the back kitchen area had to be decorated and they use high quality equipment needed for grilling and tossing the food at the table and in the kitchen. The safety measures are more in Misono due to the open kitchen concept.

Figure 1: Misono  Japanese Steakhouse Chef and food preparing process

(Source: marriott.com 2018)

The front of house (FOH) food and beverage attendant service area is the first service where the connection between the guests and the restaurants is established. The F&B attendants play a crucial role in both the restaurants. They are entitled to welcome the customers, if no table is available then ask them to wait in the waiting area, guide them through the menu and solve any query regarding the menu, take the order and communicate to the kitchen staff in case any special request is made, and ask for any help during the meal (Del Chiappa, Martin and Roman 2016). The duties are almost similar in both the restaurants.

The service styles in both the restaurants follow casual dining. However, the May Fair Kitchen is slightly higher priced than in Misono. The atmosphere is casual in both the restaurants, and the F&B attendants in both require uniforms. In Misono, there are entertainers who perform outside the sitting area for the guests and it is an attraction point for the restaurant. May Fair Kitchen provides an exclusive and large private dining area, in which the F&B attendants need to pay extra attention, while in Misono, there is only common dining area.

Comparison of Front of House F&B Attendant Service Area

The May Fair Kitchen belongs to one of the oldest and historic luxurious hotels of London. They like to follow the old traditional style of attendance. Hence, the attendants take the order using pen and paper. However, they use electronic system to check the availability of the vacant table. Reservations are required for both the common and private dining in May Fair. While May Fair has options for breakfast and afternoon tea and snacks, Misono only provides options for lunch and dinner. Hence, the attendants in the May Fair must have detailed knowledge about all the four types of meal options, while the F&B attendants in Misono refer to the chefs regarding the detailed information about the dishes. This is due to the fact that the chefs cook the food directly on the table of the guests using the ingredients chosen by them. The F&B attendants in Misono  also use pen and paper for taking the order and electronic system for checking available table status.

Figure 2: Dining area in The May Fair Kitchen

(Source: themayfairhotel.co.uk 2018)

It is seen that the concept of open kitchen is the major difference between the two above mentioned restaurants. Both the traditional and open kitchens have advantages and disadvantages. While the guests might not feel safety hazards in the May Fair but they might feel the lack of communication directly with chefs regarding the food and its preparation. On the other hand, the open table food making in Misono involves fire for grill, which might be a great experience for some guests, while some might feel that it is too risky, especially when children are brought along. However, both the restaurants serve high quality of food and service, making it quite popular in the respective cities.

Conclusion

The report addresses the comparison of two different services areas, BOH Kitchen and FOH F&B Attendant for two reputed restaurants, namely, The May Fair Kitchen, situated in the May Fair Hotel, London and Misono Japanese Steakhouse, located in Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa, Gold Coast, Australia. The former follows the traditional styles of service in both the areas, that is, in the kitchen and in attending the guests, while Misono offers a contemporary style and new experience for the guests, by introducing the open kitchen style to the guests. The chefs prepare the food directly on the table of the guests, and communicate directly. Hence, the guests not only enjoy the meal, but the get a whole new experience in Misono, which makes it hugely popular among the masses.

References

Ashraf, S.R.B., Rashid, M.M. and Rashid, A.H., 2017. Implementation of 5S methodology in a food & beverage industry: A case study. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, 4(3), pp.1791-1796.

Davis, B., Lockwood, A., Alcott, P. and Pantelidis, I.S., 2013. Food and beverage management. Routledge [Available at: https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=AAraeqRYz2UC&oi=fnd&pg=PR2&ots=QnaL_QhmHL&sig=Xn3kWpT5bQC73Za63jg7lickB74#v=onepage&q&f=false]

Del Chiappa, G., Martin, J.C. and Roman, C., 2016. Service quality of airports' food and beverage retailers. A fuzzy approach. Journal of air transport management, 53, pp.105-113.

Lovelock, C., 2011. Services marketing: People, technology, strategy. Pearson Education India. [Available at: https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/43169963/Services_Marketing__7th_edition_by_Lovelock___Wirtz.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1529555596&Signature=xpPkPH5HLBneP25bCwtqW8UdtDs%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DServices_Marketing_People_Technology_Str.pdf]

marriott.com, 2018. Japanese Restaurant in Surfer's Paradise | Misono Japanese Steakhouse. [online] Marriott.com. Available at: https://www.marriott.com/hotel-restaurants/oolsp-surfers-paradise-marriott-resort-and-spa/misono-japanese-steakhouse/57221/home-page.mi?scid=bb1a189a-fec3-4d19-a255-54ba596febe2 [Accessed 4 May 2018].

themayfairhotel.co.uk, 2018. May Fair Kitchen | Best Restaurant in Mayfair, London. [online] Themayfairhotel.co.uk. Available at: https://www.themayfairhotel.co.uk/en/bars-and-restaurants/mayfair-kitchen.html [Accessed 4 May 2018].

virtualfieldtrips.edu.au, 2018. Virtual Field Trip. [online] Virtualfieldtrips.edu.au. Available at: https://www.virtualfieldtrips.edu.au/vft/mayfair.html#mayfair_lobby [Accessed 4 May 2018].

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