Spark a conversation
“(At The Bistro), one of our bartenders, Octavia, has the most unique way of getting guests to interact with each other. She will ask the names of the folks at the bar and introduce them. She then will usually ask a single general question related to work, sports, home, anything really. This sparks a conversation and extra time at the bar as these guests get to know one another. On many occasions, it has entertained the guests until closing and taken away some of the loneliness that our guests can feel while on the road.”
--Keith Weinberg
Director, F&B, Vision Hospitality Group, Courtyard by Marriott Nashville
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Practice team engagement
“At Kimpton Epic Hotel and Area 31, we encourage our bar team to work collectively on the restaurant’s bar program. This is a great way to strengthen team support and ensures mutual accountability. By bringing the team together rather than having one lead personality, we have strengthened communication and have found that the team takes pride as a whole when receiving written credit on our menus. Creativity, imagination and team engagement have increased, creating a more open and positive environment. This practice has also helped leadership to identify the personalities who thrive in this type of environment.”
--Amy Currens
Director, beverage, Kimpton Epic Hotel
Cultivate like-minded partnerships
“We love to work with rising star chefs looking to debut a new concept. Our intention is to have our restaurants and bars (such as Hotel Revival’s rooftop restaurant Topside, shown above) serve as a living room to both residents and hotel guests, and the experience found there extends to private events held at our hotels. Our beverage program is just as important as our food menu. Our venues incorporate spirits and wines from small producers, with an emphasis on hyper-locality.”
--Matt Stuhl
VP, Restaurants, Bars and Events, Two Roads Hospitality
