The Cost of Employee Dining What hotels have done with their cafeterias during the downturn. By Michael Costa
The Broadmoor Colorado Springs, Colorado
Craig Reed, Director of F&B
“Our employees are our
most valuable asset, so
during these rough economic
times, we value our
staff and their contributions
more than ever. With
that in mind, our employee
dining program has
not changed in the past
year, and we do not plan
on any changes going forward.
The prices we charge
for our employee meals
are at our cost, and we do
not plan on adjusting our pricing structure. We continue to
maintain the quality of the food we have always served in
our employee dining room; the food is prepared-to-order
by our chefs, and the preparation will not be reduced either.
We are very pleased with our employee dining program, as
we feel that by taking care of our employees, they will take
exceptional care of our guests.”
Stowe Mountain Lodge Stowe, Vermont
Sean Buchanan, Executive Chef
“As a farm-to-table hotel, Stowe Mountain Lodge is always looking at costs and
how we can incorporate cost-saving strategies. The more we thought about our
waste stream, the more we evaluated what a normal hotel puts into its employee
cafeteria menus from its restaurant and banquet
leftovers. First, we run our restaurant like we
are owners, so we waste nothing. We grind all
of our trim, use all bones for stock, and turn
braising liquids into sauces. Nothing goes to the
cafeteria. For our banquet program, we ensure
that most of our unused product goes directly
into the outlet menus instead of the cafeteria.
One example would be our suckling pork tacos.
A cook breaks down an entire pig in front of the
guest at a banquet, and later, the leftover pigs
are broken down and used in gnocchi, pork
stock, and our bar menu quesadilla. This way,
less high-dollar local product ends up being
given away to feed our employees. We love
them all, but we need to be conscious of exactly
what it costs to feed them.”
Indiana Live! Shelbyville, Indiana
Duane Bohannon, Director of F&B
“Indiana Live! Casino has approximately
900 employees, and, despite the economic
climate, we have continued to improve
our employee dining program while also
improving our cost effectiveness. We began
our employee dining program with a
token system. Employees were required to
purchase a two-dollar token to access the
food line and choose from a variety of fresh
fruits, salads, and hot entrées. Since then,
we have added a variety of healthy options
including sandwiches, salads, and baked
dishes. Indiana Live! Casino is preparing
to change the employee payment process
to better serve those who prefer à la carte
dining. Those changes will represent significant cost savings for us, while allowing
us to continue offering a diverse dining experience for employees.”
The Peninsula Chicago Chicago
Pradeep Raman, Director of F&B
“We have implemented some cost-cutting measures in our cafeteria, including
offering a pasta option every day, serving portioned desserts, and
having cafeteria staff provide napkins to employees instead of employees
helping themselves to napkins, which
tends to be more wasteful. On the
other side, we have added some items
to our cafeteria menu that have cost
the hotel more money. We invest in
the health of our staff and feel it is
important that the employees have
healthy menu options. We have
added turkey and veggie burgers to
the selection, and we have increased
the offerings on our salad bar. For
many of our staff, the hot meal they
have in our cafeteria is their big meal
of the day, and many of them have
jobs that require them to be active all
day, so this meal keeps them fueled
throughout their shift.”
