"Reinvention" the catchword for banquets & catering

By Marni Andrews

A few years ago for a prominent wedding in a Vancouver hotel, singer Bryan Adams was flown in from London, England to serenade the bride. His appearance was a complete surprise to her and the guests. He sang his hit, “Everything I Do, I Do It for You.” Everyone was suitably impressed, and the hotel’s banquet manager Michael Salhani has not stopped talking about it since. Now director of food and beverage for The Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport, he says that events of that magnitude just don’t happen anymore in hotel catering.

“During my career I have catered, booked and looked after some very high end events — huge weddings, eight-course dinners, amazing wines, etc. You don’t see these kinds of events much anymore,” he says. “Even incentive groups are careful not to flaunt their events in order to keep the public perception of the company intact.”

Banquet facilities at The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto

At The Westin Bayshore in Vancouver, director of catering & convention services Waleed Abouchacra says that banquets are still very popular, though food trends change year over year. The Bayshore’s banquet facilities were built in 2000 with the conference centre given its own entrance separate from the hotel entrance. This allows for more private events, says Abouchacra. The décor of the ballroom, which is located at street level, is very neutral, which allows clients to use the space for regular meetings as well as to add any type of décor for a themed event. There is no pillar in the 15,000-square foot Bayshore ballroom and it can be divided into six sections with air walls. The ceiling has 14 rigging points for additional lighting and all power equipment is built in.

Recessionary pressure

The recession lingers. Salhani of The Westin Wall Centre says that since event planners have become so budget conscious, hotel banquet and catering departments have had to reinvent themselves to survive. They no longer carry the large inventories that they used to; instead, they will order on demand. While this has brought cost savings, it also means there’s much less opportunity to accommodate the last minute changes that customers may have.

Ray Perkins, president of Steelite International Canada Limited, which provides china and porcelain tabletop to the banquet industry, is happy to fulfill orders on demand and says that his company is renowned for their Just in Time delivery. His most popular products include several embossed patterns from the “Distinction” line. Perkins is finding that while banquet venues are as popular as ever, people are looking for smaller, intimate facilities as well as a more sophisticated venue.

“Customers are demanding quality of service and atmosphere. They want a signature experience reflecting the event. Food presentation and the experience is what they leave with,” explains Perkins.

Christine Emerson of the International Caterers Association confirms that clients are booking late because of the recession and using the poor economy as an excuse to negotiate lower prices as opposed to scaling back their event.

“All types of caterers — on-prem, off-prem, hotels, banquet facilities, etc. — have had to reinvent themselves and look for new revenue sources,” says Emerson. “These can include creating a new division, such as an upscale caterer opening a budget-friendly BBQ division, or wholesaling signature foods to local outlets. Caterers have refocused on firing clients, too: analyzing the business that is not profitable and not taking that business anymore.”

WWRD Canada Inc.’s Jupiter Fine China

Due to lower occupancy rates, hotels are looking to save money across all operations include banqueting, says Tony Volpe of WWRD Canada, Inc., which offers a range of products to banqueting facilities. He has seen a definite slowdown in business and says that customers are still putting off purchases or are trading down to less expensive options. Volpe predicts a slow recovery. His Jupiter Fine China line, in the middle of the market, is a top seller due to its affordability, light weight, and five-year chip warranty. At the higher end of the market, Fusion Bone China is a “runaway best seller” due to its whiteness, durability and light weight. The Royal Doulton brand, which he feels is synonymous with quality, certainly helps with sales, he says.

Piper Gugenheim of PanSaver, which offers ovenable pan liners to hotels and banquet halls, says that the product is a great resource for hotel/banquet locations that have reduced staffing due to the economy. She says that cooking with PanSaver improves food quality by retaining moisture and it keeps the food at a higher temperature. The corners of the PanSaver feature a patented fit to ensure that food cannot get trapped there and wasted. Gugenheim notes that these saved servings end up paying for the cost of the liner.

Tighter labour market offers opportunity

Cardinal Meat Specialists have also benefitted from a tightening labour focus. President Brent Cator says that Cardinal’s fully cooked meat solutions can assist banqueting facilities who don’t want to invest substantially in back of house prep work. Since banquet venues and needs vary a great deal, there may be a need for pre-sliced, portioned Prime Rib to be served as a dinner item, for example, and the next day served on a Kaiser for an executive luncheon.

“By designing the base prepped product with these varied needs in mind, operational ease and cost requirements can be achieved,” says Cator. “Fully cooked solutions have a bearing on equipment and staffing for most banquet facilities that use them. If you can take pre-production work out, it allows you to focus resources on delivery of a great guest experience.”

Claudio Baldinelli is national sales manager for Alto-Shaam Canada, which manufactures a complete line of cooking, holding, delivery and blast chilling equipment for the banqueting industry. He says that banqueting sales continued to be a main driver for his business in 2009 with refurbishments/renovation leading the way as some of the larger banqueting projects were pushed out to 2010.

While cooking for large banquets traditionally was done using “armies” of people, today’s changing labour environment, as well as greater demand for food consistency, improved food quality, safety and growing questions on ROI at all levels have forced many operators to think creatively. Consequently, Baldinelli has focused its resources not only on manufacturing equipment but on working out solutions for customers in need of less-traditional options. One difference that he has seen is the replacement of traditional ovens, steamers and ranges with combi ovens. Second is the implementation of blast chilling to take food through the “danger zone of 140 to 145 deg F.” Once product is chilled, it can be plated in a cold state and stored in walk-in refrigerators. On the day of a banqueting event, the plated meals are wheeled out of the walk-in refrigerator directly into a combi oven (on the same rack) for rethermalization, says Baldinelli.

“This process allows labour to be streamlined. With the five-day shelf life being extracted for most foods through blast chilling, cooking and plating for main events can go on during the week when labour is there, minimizing work to be done on a weekend event day, significantly reducing labour and optimizing efficiencies,” he explains.

The last stage of maximizing labour, says Baldinelli, is to use a mobile warmer such as the Halo Heat, which extends the holding ability of plated food from 15-20 minutes to up to two hours.

Green, local still strong

Of the F&B trends identified for 2010 by New York City-based Joseph Baum & Michael Whiteman Co., two focus squarely on the embrace of Green and Local. One is termed “Neighbourhood, Local” while the other, closely related, is “Authentic, Real.” Emerson notes that in the last few years, “Green and Local” are just about the only thing that people talk about anymore. Whether it’s because the client wants their guests to know they are supporting this ideal or whether they’re truly committed ideologically, biodegradable disposable plates, cutlery and “glassware” made of bamboo or corn products accomplish this handily. Food that is grown/raised locally also fits this category, which for fresh produce is much easier in a temperate climate. Such items are frequently found on caterers’ client menus and, subsequently, on the menus that guests see at the event.

Chef David Garcelon on the rooftop garden at The Fairmont Royal York hotel

The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto has its own garden on the rooftop of the downtown hotel. It also produces fresh honey from bees kept there. This allows executive chef David Garcelon to pay special attention to banquet guests for whom he says vegetarian dishes are often an afterthought. One of his most popular creations is Fire-Roasted Ontario Tomato stuffed with Eggplant, Black Rice Risotto and Sweet Pea Emulsion.

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Adam Brunner of Fort Marketing Ltd. notes that banquet facilities are pursuing LEED certification as another way of appealing to clients’ desire for environmentally-responsible options. This certification is achieved by accumulating LEED credits, which are awarded in part based on the environmental impact of the equipment and furniture used by the facility. Brunner says that banquet tables made by Southern Aluminum, for example, have at least 20 per cent post-consumer content and can be used without linens. This saves the expense of washing, which benefits the environment as well.

“We are the innovator of the lightweight, custom-made aluminum banquet table,” says Jessica Martin, marketing media planner for Southern Aluminum. Their most popular product line is the Swirl Table, which does not require linens.

Contract Supply Corp. Ltd., which offers stacking chairs, tables and dollies to the banquet industry, has developed a refurbished chair program that allows hotels to refresh their old chair frames at considerable savings, says president Eugene Honcharuk. However, he says that this is only possible if they purchased quality products to begin with. Contract Supply was also able to develop a stacking event chair to recreate the original 1924 wood chair used at a client’s historical property, he said.

Personalization at The Queen Elizabeth

Joanne Papineau, regional director, public relations, Eastern Canada, for Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in Montreal is seeing a different sort of focus on local. One that reflects their customer base. After the hotel’s Salon St-Francois banquet hall was renovated to change the layout from two levels to just one and reservation parameters were changed to focus on local events, weddings and social functions, Papineau says that business is doing vHiltoery well.

“Guests can now reserve one year ahead (previously not possible) and we work closely with clients to personalize their events,” she says. “We find there is a trend for nostalgia, history—guests who want to marry where their parents did, guests who want a grand hotel feel, the appeal of the 1950’s and 1960’s or the Lennon/Ono peace era.” (The hotel opened in 1958 and the famous John Lennon/Yoko Ono Bed-In for Peace took place at the hotel.)

Papineau notes that there is a big focus on the menu and the ambiance. She says The Queen Elizabeth is famous for its gastronomy and creative menus, and they are happy to propose unique menus and one-of-a-kind décor to work within budget. She sees guests wanting less but of better quality and more original.

In the end, what a banquet or catering customer wants more than anything is to experience the same quality of food and atmosphere at a large event that he/she would experience at a fine dining restaurant with a dinner for two, says Baldinelli of Alto-Shaam. He says that is where the ultimate bar is located.“Believe it or not, we are getting there!” he says.