DULUTH, GA— The legacy of Kemmons Wilson, founder of Holiday Inn more than a half-century ago, continues to thrive, this time as part of a nostalgic food and beverage concept designed for InterContinental Hotels Group’s new corporate-owned brand prototype here.
Wilson, who died in February 2003 at the age of 90, remains a strong presence in the 143-room Holiday Inn Gwinnett Center outside Atlanta via Kemm’s Café, a 50-seat, three-meal retro-style restaurant the brand sees as a key component of the prototype evolving into the Holiday Inn of the future.
“One of the things that’s essential for Holiday Inn in its segment, which is midscale with f&b, is that indeed it takes a leadership position with f&b,” said Mark Snyder, senior vp-brand management, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, North America. “It’s been a long time since Holiday Inn stepped up and said to owners that want to develop the brand that we’ve also got some guidance on a great concept that we know is going to track very well with our consumers and it’s also going to be an easier thing for you to implement, and you don’t have to worry about what most developers have to worry about when you start talking about food and beverage, which is losing a lot of money.”
The brand worked with Cuisine Solutions and its own corporate f&b team to develop the concept.
“It really couldn’t be more simple or more straightforyou traditionally begin to think of when you think of great comfort food,” said Snyder.
Dishes such as spaghetti and meatballs, cheeseburgers, meat loaf, roasted chicken, southern fried chicken, catfish, barbecue baby back ribs and apple pie are expected to recall a simpler time when the dining out experience was not usually calculated by consumers according to carbs or fat grams or whether a three-course meal was available in handy bar or liquid form.
Snyder said a variety of options were considered for each menu categories.
“We had to have a pasta dish, and some of the answers that came back were penne pasta and some of the pastas that are more in keeping with what the world thinks of it today. But it wasn’t classic to Holiday Inn. It wasn’t classic comfort food. From a pasta standpoint, could there be anything more comforting than a classic spaghetti and meatball? There’s no rocket science here. It’s all just great comfort food that is reasonably priced and can be easily accessed and has the kind of flexibility that customers are looking for,” he said.
Baby boomers remain the primary market segment for Holiday Inn, with Gen-Xers the only increasing market segment, particularly in terms of business travel. Snyder said the comfort food menu could be navigated by those concerned with dietary and nutritional influences, and on regimens such as low carb.
It was noted beyond salad there are not any designated vegetarian items, although Snyder indicated that market makes up only approximately 4% of Holiday Inn’s customer base. However, based on the type of feedback the brand intends to elicit from its guests, “it’s something that can be easily changed,” he added.
Bucking The Trend
With midscale properties that incorporate f&b historically lagging their non-f&b midscale siblings in the recent past, Snyder is hoping Kemm’s Café’s characteristics will induce developers to give the concept and the prototype some serious consideration.
“This is a turnkey solution that we’ve created as part of this prototype to allow developers to do a great restaurant concept, give customers what they want, position their property perfectly in the marketplace in terms of brand standards, and at the same time, not lose money,” said Snyder. “We’ve really come up with a very efficient prototype here.”
Part of that efficiency is streamlining the restaurant serving process, and the brand is testing a wireless electronic menu. Diners are being offered an 8-inch by 10-inch “e-Menu,” along with a traditional menu, from which they can make their choices via text and photographs.
“This is family dining. We feel it’s best enjoyed— and sort of takes the mystery out things— when they can see a photograph of what they’re going to get,” said Snyder.
The e-Menu also offers several languages which plays to the brand’s global customer diversity. Clicking on the e-Menu connects the diner directly with the kitchen to relay the order. Like a retail “add-to-cart,” the e-Menu calculates the tab as items are selected.
Diners can also surf the Web while waiting for their orders, finding out more about the hotel, hotel events, local attractions, airport information and Holiday Inn, including Priority Club loyalty club activity.
“Most travelers who are eating alone bring a book or newspaper to the table. Imagine being able to have this dynamic piece of technology at your table that you can use, to keep yourself connected with what’s going on in your business day,” he said.
Exploring Options
The capability to check out of the hotel via the electronic tablet also is an option being tested, and an online survey of the restaurant and hotel experience will provide feedback.
“It’s one more way Holiday Inn is showing its trend-forward movement in terms of staying current and trying to deliver what could be a very traditional experience in a way that’s got some real activity to it,” said Snyder.
Eventually the tablets may be used to bypass room-service ordering as well as for advance ordering, e.g., the night before, so food is waiting at the table when guests arrive at the restaurant.
To round out the f&b concept, the brand is introducing “Kemm’s Collection,” a line of salad dressings, condiments and sauces used at the restaurant, with Wilson’s image highlighting the signature labels. Snyder said it is a way for guests to take home a reminder of their Holiday Inn experience. Wilson’s five children— the catalysts to his founding the brand in 1952— were “very excited” about the launch, he added.
“[Wilson] loved this kind of food, so they thought this was very appropriate,” said Snyder.
The Kemm’s Café concept will be a standard for all the prototypes, to tandem with the “Best 4 Breakfast” menu and “Kids Eat Free” program already in place.
The overall concept is more efficient than a traditional Holiday Inn f&b outlet, not only in terms of size, but operation, said Snyder. The spectator-style kitchen is compact, a testament to the simplicity of the fare and its prep, and the total staff requirements are about one-third that of a traditional Holiday Inn.
“It’s much less intensive. You’re not figuring out specials every day. You don’t have the dynamic of the fresh fish and all the stuff that really creates a lot of cost and potentially creates a lot of spoilage that creates a lot of waste that creates the financial impact,” said Snyder.
As developers continue to show an interest [in the concept], Snyder said the brand is setting up a program to allow it to be implemented into existing Holiday Inns.