NEW YORK? F&B makes up one of the most dynamic areas of lodging and savvy program directors are looking at the big picture when it comes to deciding the tastiest trends that will translate well to the bottom line. What about the tabletop items that frame that picture? Unless the look is retro, out-of-style china, glassware and linens can torpedo a menu concept before a guest takes the first bite. ?Everybody in food and beverage, whether in the restaurant and/or banquet arena, is striving to become something other than a commodity. They?re asking, what can I do to be a little different, a little brighter, a little faster? Of course, we look to quality and service, but I think one of the final things is how does the table look?? said Philip Kendall, vp/f&b for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. The corporation is in the process of redefining its f&b programs for its brands, which include Sheraton, W, Four Points, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection and Westin, and reaching for new levels of tabletop creativity is definitely on Kendall?s plate. Toward that end, the vp recently planned a day-long presentation at Starwood?s corporate headquarters in White Plains, NY, in which select china, glassware and silverware vendors trooped in to show their ideal settings and a variety of tabletop concepts that might find a fit among Starwood properties. ?We gave them certain parameters and told them we?re going to put in a core menu for Sheraton, and part of that core menu program will be to have six or eight or 10 different menu shell looks. I told them to come to us with several complete settings that may work for three-meal restaurants, banquets, upscale restaurants,? Kendall said. Kendall asked the 16 vendors not just to present individually? ?I can look at china at any trade show I go to?? but to partner with other tabletop suppliers of glassware, silverware and linens for a complete setting that might be appropriate for one or all of the menus. He even requested they design a menu folder. ?I got a tremendous amount of interest,? said Kendall, who noted the day-long event, also attended by executive corporate f&b staff, was a first-time effort using this combined concept. ?In the past, I?ve gone to Oneida, Hepp, Villeroy & Boch and others and said ?show me what you?ve got.? This time I told them to bring it to me all together, and if they were so inclined, to pick a linen pattern and a menu they thought would match the china, glass and silverware,? Kendall said. As part of this show-and-tell process, Starwood intends eventually to establish ?Tabletop Concepts,? an online intranet catalog to be administered by distributor Supply America. The venture will offer one-stop shopping to meet the needs of Starwood properties under renovation or going through reconceptualization, and will address all aspects of tabletop design and planning, ranging from selecting accessories to decorating according to each brand?s/restaurant?s style. ?I?m looking for looks,? said Kendall, zeroing in on ?The Spot? restaurant concept being planned for Sheraton. ?When we roll this out, it has to be complete. We have to have the [tabletop]element to it…I have a concept that has to speak to an awful lot of people in a straightforward, recognizable fashion. I need to put together a product for that.? In addition to ?The Spot? designs, other stylings called for traditional, European, contemporary, Asian, American (e.g., Californian, Southwest, South), casual, seafood, lobby lounge/bar and pool bar. What?s Out While the range of presentations was substantial, Kendall was able to narrow the field by expressing what Starwood definitely did not like. For instance, forget using mauve, turquoise, chintz or mixing more than three colors in a color scheme. Say goodbye to crystal, etched, engraved or crackled glassware, as well as pewter, sterling silver or vermeil and gold electroplate flatware. Also out the door as far as textiles are linen, printed chiffon, patterned silk, str
