CHICAGO—Out of the mouths of babes and right back into them might be the operational thought process that best describes what Hyatt Hotels & Resorts is pioneering when it comes to providing more healthful, nutritious food choices for its younger guests who, by default, usually order from the kids’ menu.
Earlier this summer, the Windy City hotel chain launched its “For Kids By Kids” initiative, an effort to revamp the menu choices it offers the more than three million children served annually in Hyatt properties in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. Gone are items like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, hamburgers and mac and cheese; in their places are dishes like a shaken chopped salad of roasted chicken, vegetables, brown rice and yogurt basil dressing or a breakfast offering of cinnamon pancakes, granola, maple syrup and/or fruit sauces.
Susan Santiago, Hyatt’s VP/food and beverage-North America operations, said when the company started to re-examine what to serve, it was uncertain what direction it would take, only that it would build off Hyatt’s established f&b philosophy described as “Food. Thoughtfully Sourced. Carefully Served.”
Hyatt reached out to customers to see what food items they wanted for their children and the feedback skewed strongly in favor of more healthful choices.
Hyatt also decided to link up with the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which is working with the private sector to stem the obesity trend in children, and who’s honorary chair is First Lady Michelle Obama.
Hyatt is the first hotel company to make such a move and its commitment is specific. It includes reducing calories and items like sodium in all of its menu items by 20% in 10 years. Another aspect specifically targets the kids’ menu in that it must carry two items that would meet the new federal guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (aka MyPlate) for balanced food offerings for children. “We also had to commit to the elimination of free refills of soda. Now we offer free refills of milk and water,” said Santiago.
As Hyatt looked to advance the kids’ menu, Santiago and VP/Culinary Operations Susan Terry worked with a team of Hyatt f&b directors and chefs to create what the items “could and should be, using the Partnership’s commitment as a guideline, but certainly not the end result of what we wanted it to be,” said Santiago.
A wake-up call about kids’ tastes came during a meeting of the PHA and its new partners in Washington, DC, that highlighted celebrity chefs cooking healthful items on a budget for kids.
“The light bulb went off when [celebrity chef]Tom Colicchio put an item down in front of this six-year-old boy, who ends up just kind of spitting it out in his napkin. I looked at Susan and said, ‘This is about what the kids want, not what adults want,’” said Santiago. “We said our menu needs to be written by kids for kids.”
Pre-teen chef Haile Thomas, who has an online cooking show aimed at kids, also was at the same conference and after hearing her speak, Hyatt asked for her help in crafting the new kids’ menu.
“We used Haile as a litmus test for the first version of the menu,” said Santiago. Chefs created dishes; Thomas taste-tested and provided feedback. Approved dishes were then cooked in an all-day session that included the chefs, Thomas and a group of 10 children aged five to 12 from Thomas’ school, as well as children of Hyatt team members, all of whom decided on the palatability of the dishes. The children also gave their input on the menu design.
One of the big takeaways was the youngsters like to have an interactive approach to their food and the “Top Your Own Taco,” which features whole wheat tortilla, scrambled eggs, cheese and other fun toppings, was, and continues to be, the most popular item. A grilled petite steak is second.
“We also realized in talking to them that their palates are much more sophisticated. They’re much more discerning, much more daring and are willing to try new items,” said Santiago. She noted the For Kids By Kids menu is more extensive in Hyatt’s resort properties as opposed to its business hotels, since children are usually staying longer.
“The [physical]menu itself is very interactive. We added a QR code onto it where kids can actually scan it with their parents’ phone and then go to a website, Hyattfood.com, to learn more about food,” said Santiago. Starting this month, the menu link will go to a kid-specific site, “A Flavor Journey,” to give a more interactive, educational take on food.
The latest twist to the program is the involvement of iconic chef/food activist, Alice Waters, the proprietor of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA.
Waters crafted a summer menu for the program that is totally organic and features a tri-part offering that includes romaine lettuce hearts, carrot curls and a radish rose with lemon vinaigrette for dipping; grilled chicken with pesto sauce, roasted potatoes and cherry tomatoes; and strawberry and orange slices served with a sweet juice in a hollowed-out orange cup.
“She is such a pioneer and has, for so long, spoken to health and the wellness of children. Right now, her advocacy is specifically around getting [healthful]food in our public schools,” said Santiago of Waters.
One of the key challenges of the collaborative effort centers on the supply/demand equation and distribution that will ensure the criteria are met to fulfil the organic and locally sourced targets. For example, a Waters’ sorbet that originally was destined for the kids’ menu could not be accommodated because Hyatt was not able to identify the product as 100% organic in all of the chain’s markets.
“Our early-on commitment to each other was we were only going to do this if we went all in,” said Santiago, “with the mutual understanding that there would be certain items that we could not go all in on at this point. That’s how we landed on the menu that we have right now, with items we feel we can source most consistently, 100% of the time in an organic fashion.”
Waters will develop seasonal menus throughout the year for the program, said Santiago.