21 May
A few months back we wrote about the food truck phenomenon and restaurants. Well, now hotels are getting into the act. Yes, they’re taking to the streets with their fine cuisine and making it available to consumers on the beaches of South Beach, in Washington, D.C., and Quebec, Canada. According to a recent article in USA Today, as a result of the recent boom in high-end hotels enlisting award-winning chefs into their establishments, it’s a natural fit for them to want to capitalize on one of the fastest-growing segments in the restaurant industry: food trucks. In Miami’s South Beach, the Setai Hotel in 2011 opened the Beach Kiosk, a high-end hotel food truck. Michelin-starred Executive Chef David Werly designed the menu items, which include ceviche, Wagyu hot dog, and salmon Burgers. South Beach’s SLS Hotel is planning on having a stationary food truck at its pool. Scheduled to open in May, the food will be the creation of celebrity chef Jose Andres. And the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C. will open a pop-up barbecue restaurant during the months of April, May and June outside its Westend Bistro. Why the trucks? Many hotels that have brought in top chefs into their operations want to draw the local community in addition to their patrons to their restaurants. Having a food truck is way of extending and promoting their brand to the locals, and encouraging them to get a taste of the fine cuisine their restaurant serves up. In the USA Today article, Melody Wendt, marketing and public relations manager for Setai, is quoted as saying that the hotel wanted to make dining as hassle-free as possible for guests while letting the public sample it’s gourmet fare. “We found a way to make it a more refined presentation than the traditional food truck on the street,” she says. It taste good to us… Risk Advisors of America specializes in insuring the hospitality industry, including restaurants, throughout the country. We would be happy to speak to you about your insurance program – just give us a call at: 877.881.0743
Add a Comment