adisson Hotels & Resorts is moving ahead confidently with expansion of its Tasteful Choices menu insert program, developed and launched in early 2006 in concert with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). The move is central to Radisson’s desire to decentralize menu development and, on a broader scale, give guests more of what they want.

The program was launched in January 2006, but Radisson’s partnership with the Hyde Park, New York-based CIA goes back to 2005. It came about “because of demand and what was happening in the hotels among the dining public,” says Martha Bader, director of brand food and beverage for parent company Carlson Hotels Worldwide.

“We noticed that our guests wanted more choices when traveling, whether they be healthy, low-fat, fewer calories, low-carb, or indulgent.”

“We are seeing a shift in dining preferences, as some guests, whether they say they're dieting or not, choose healthier menu items when they travel,” says Nancy Johnson, Radisson’s executive VP and brand leader at the time of the launch. “Still others view dining out as an opportunity to indulge. The variety of options on the Tasteful Choices menu includes gourmet entrées prepared to fit any dietary lifestyle.”

The program supports Radisson's brand positioning, which invites guests to “Stay Your Own Way.” “It's just one more way guests can maintain more control over their experience at our hotels,” says Johnson. The chain’s strategy for providing guests with more choices has also taken the form of upgrading the majority of its beds throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean, and by launching Express Yourself, the industry's first online check-in system.

“OUT IN THE FIELD”
Bader and associates were “out in the field looking for different companies or consultants to work with” when the CIA’s name came up. The group, she reflects, was “a natural because of their name recognition among the general public—not just in hotels, but also with consumers.”

A contest was held in which chefs across the Radisson system were invited to submit recipes. “We said to the chefs, ‘Tell us what you think is local, what you think is good. Send us pictures and recipes. Send us what you think is each recipe’s nutritional value, and we will get it validated,’ and the CIA did validate them.” The winning chefs eventually met with CIA chefs, including Victor Gielisse, whom Bader calls “the main guy we work with at the CIA.”

The program has been rolled out to 165 properties—80 percent or more of the system— across the United States, according to Bader. Those with chain restaurants on premise such as Houston’s, Friday’s or Chili’s were excused.

The program is “an enhancement,” says Bader, “a way to give properties a value-add, a better platform from which to sell menu items and to have some consistent recipes to offer guests.”

Gielisse, associate VP of the CIA, notes that food “tastes best, and is best for us, when it is prepared in its simplest form with fresh, highquality ingredients.”

The menu insert includes 15 options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, each designed to “appeal to guests’ unique lifestyles, appetites, or special travel occasions.” The recipes were developed by the CIA as a collaborative industry service to Carlson and feature options ranging from healthy and lower-fat to rich and indulgent. Guests can now try the new menu options at participating Radisson Hotels across the United States.

Examples of the Tasteful Choices entrées include Lump Crab & Forest Mushroom Omelet with Mascarpone, Grilled Spice-Rubbed Turkey Tenderloin, Scallop and Chicken Red Curry Stir- Fry, and Grilled Marinated Flat Iron Steak with Caramelized Onions and Artisan Blue Cheese.

NUTRITION PLATFORMS
The Tasteful Choices menu is built, the company says, on four basic nutrition platforms:

• Overall healthy and light, with each entrée consisting of no more than 800 total calories, 50 to 55 percent carbohydrates, 12 to 15 percent protein, and 25 to 30 percent fat.
• Low carbohydrate, offering a restricted amount of carbs, as well as healthy types of protein and dietary fats.
• Lower fat, using the most nutrient-dense ingredients and healthy ratios of fatty acids.
• Rich and flavorful, in which recipes are not fat-laden but prepared using healthy ingredients and solid cooking techniques.

The menu was tested at 10 different properties. The result: 69 percent of guests reported that the Tasteful Choices menu items were “important” to “very important” to them. Adds Bader, “They felt it was that much of a value to be offered to them when they stay in our hotels.”

Food cost for the menu varies with a property’s involvement. As Bader explains, each hotel is required to carry at least four new items per daypart. “If the hotel selects what it thinks will work well in its market, the food costs stay about the same. In fact, the costs actually go down because sales increase.” However, she adds, some hotels are “not the best when it comes to selecting what will work best in the marketplace, so of course there are food cost increases.”

Single-portion costs range from $1.08 to $5.32 on the 18 or more items that were introduced in January. For this second round of development, Bader says, Carlson sought to include more chefs in the process and generate more local recipes. “The feedback we had gotten originally was that there wasn’t enough local representation,” she confesses. Two of the new dinner entrées are a signature Spice-Rubbed Rotisserie Chicken and Pan-Roasted Salmon Fillet. Breakfast items include Bananas Foster French Toast and a Texas Breakfast Wrap.

The new menu items were also developed with an eye toward operational logistics. Neither new distributors or equipment nor more frequent deliveries are required to prepare the new items. Says Bader, “Part of the parameters we gave the CIA was that [the recipes had to use] items typically stocked within the hotels, so they don’t have to go out and buy anything special or new. The recipes have to be easy to make.” Radisson’s primary vendor is Sysco.

2007 Medallia scores, she adds, show a guest satisfaction score 4.8 percent higher for guests who have ordered Tasteful Choices.

Going forward, Bader predicts, there will be “more chef inclusion” and hotels will have “a bigger input in the direction of what is out there.”

Howard Riell is a frequent contributor to HOTEL F&B.