As part of its brand standard, Ritz-Carlton is making a worldwide effort to do away with draped banquet tables and old-style chafing dishes. “The essence of what we’re trying to do,” says Michelle Caporicci, former senior corporate director of meetings and special events, now hotel manager of the Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, “is to give banquet functions more of a residential-restaurant feel.”

The company is achieving this by using smaller table configurations and, whenever possible, buffets or action stations using residential-style tables. “The thought is to eliminate the traditional six-foot and skirt,” explains Caporicci.

NEW TABLES, NEW LOOK
Whether the tables are wood or wrought iron with glass tops, any type of “residential table” is preferred for elevations or to tie into a theme. When it comes to adorning tables, Caporicci says Ritz-Carlton got away from “fluff” years ago and is going toward no linen at all, which helps with cleaning up spills “and provides a nice clean look.”

That means Ritz-Carlton had to upgrade its tables. Although it seems residential tables might present storage and stacking issues, Caporicci claims there are several tables on the market with a residential look that are easy to break down and fold away. Their new design, she says, isn’t any more costly or labor intensive than the traditional banquet setup—although providing a luxury experience is still the primary goal.

“Our customers hold events and often entertain in their homes,” says Caporicci, “so we want to create an experience. It shouldn’t be a traditional banquet setup, particularly when dealing with a luxury hotel. We try to mirror a restaurant feel.” That also means smaller and individually composed offerings of food.

Throughout North America, Ritz-Carlton is moving away from chafing dishes, something most of the company’s international properties have already done. Food can be kept warm sans chafing dishes by using cast iron skillets and induction burners. As Caporicci observes, there are many ways to keep food warm, so food and beverage staff need to think creatively about how to avoid using a chafing dish, “which is so predictable.”

MIX & MATCH FOR A HOMEY FEEL
Caporicci says Ritz-Carlton achieves configurations that mimic restaurant tables by getting away from six-foot round tables for ten and instead use a variety of smaller or larger table configurations that mix and match—squares, rectangles, and rounds.

The look and feel of a banquet space can be established by separating areas into different “pods” and by using a mixture of seating such as benches and cubes instead of traditional banquet chairs. “In some cases, customers ask to have more of a soft-seating, lounge type of environment. We may suggest couches or other alternative seating and do away with tables or have a few highboys or community tables sprinkled throughout the room.” The genesis of Ritz-Carlton’s new mandate, says Caporicci, “is to offer something customers haven’t seen a lot of … and to make it as comfortable and homey as what they would have in their homes.”

Most parties held at home, Caporicci points out, end up with people gravitating toward the kitchen, so Ritz-Carlton brings the kitchen to the front of the house at many banquets to replicate a residential environment. Taking advantage of its partnership with Viking, the hotel can create a gourmet kitchen setting since “that’s where people feel most comfortable.”

It is a Ritz-Carlton standard to provide customized proposals for every customer, adds Caporicci. “Every event is unique, and it’s our responsibility to customize it to the needs of the client.” Social events such as weddings tend to be more traditional, “but it’s our job to offer options and creative suggestions. We make sure to propose everything so they know what the options and capabilities are. Whether or not they choose it, we want to offer them that creativity.”

Beth Rogers is a frequent contributor to HOTEL F&B.