Food and Beverage Essay

Hotel Les Fontaines has a strategy that differs very largely from any of its competitors, as it is one of a kind in its region. The company will focus on delivering a service that provides a more personalized and refreshed service style. There would be more attention to detail especially in the restaurant outlet of which has been proposed as this would be a value added for Les Chalets Des Mosses. Also the operation costs would be lower in the restaurant area compared to rooms, as clients who stay at the hotel are budget guest who like to spend less and in return expect quality service and product. The hotel operates for ten months throughout the year. The restaurant opens for service during lunch and dinner. For the lunch period simple, smart, and affordable dishes catering to the customers needs will be served. As most of the consumers will be children from ages four to twelve and parents from early thirties to late forties, a menu healthy and enjoyable menu for the guests will be designed. Even though quick service would be offered for lunchtime the quality of the food and service would not be compromised. This would allow for the restaurant to make a good first impression in order to encourage the guest to return to Pomodoro On the other hand, the dinner will have a drastically different objective. The average dish will be more luxuries and elegant and will be served in an a la carte fashion. The atmosphere at dinner will promote a sensational and comfortable time for our guests. Both the hotels image and the restaurant harmonize in theme. The hotel Les Fontaines provides a great experience for the clienteles, enticing them to return to Les Chalets des Mosses. Vision: Hospitality is all about the individual and at Les Chalets des Mosses we pride ourselves on our unique service culture. We are in business to meet our customer’s needs and promises that each guest will be treated with a positive service attitude at every point of contact. From the hotel manager to the cleaner and everyone else in-between plays a vital role in delivering a memorable guest experience. Mission: The mission of the restaurant is to deliver the most comfortable and soothing experience for the clients. With exceptional service, responsible stewardship, and high quality food an excellent experience can be provided. Therefore, the Pomodoro’s main objective is to focus on the customers’ best interests. Les Chalets des Mosses provides budget travelers and tourists with a choice of excellent hospitality products that offer excellent value for money, while assuring a good return to owners and inspiration to employees. Objective: The main object of Les Chalets de Mosses is to have a return on investment within two years form Pomodoro’s. Building a loyal customer base and a long-term marketing strategy are what Hotel Les Fontaines is seeking to achieve. Pomodoro is an ambitious concept that is currently, planning on growing and expanding by the year 2020. Also the Pomodoro is trying to aim for eighty to eighty-five percent occupancy rate for the lunch, which will operate for two and a half hours daily. As for dinner Pomodoro’s is trying to attract around seventy to seventy-five percent occupancy. By having a total of hundred twenty seats prepared in the restaurant, the Pomodoro will be the main focus of the company’s F&B branch. The restaurant has made a completely different transition from its original concept. Not only did the restaurant change in its size, the type of services and it dishes the market segments has also changed. The most effective sales and marketing tactics have been selected to define the restaurant’s image. The name, Pomodoro, is the first major change to help identify the new Italian restaurant that has opened in Les Chalets des Mosses. The restaurant also has a bar, which would play an important role as while guest are waiting for the table they could spend time at the bar. During the waiting time guest’s may spend money at the bar allowing the restaurant to further maximize its revenue. Also, this new concept of the bar would be perfect after a long day at the ski slopes. The Hotel Les Fontaines will also incorporate three major principles (Schultz & Horvath, 2008). The first principle is the training and development process of staff members. By creating a strong and effective program for the staff members, the employees will be able to satisfy even the specific needs of the customers. The Hazard analysis and critical points (HACCP) will be incorporated in the training program to deliver a food safety and social responsibility. With this our guests would feel at ease to eat at Pomodoro’s and families would be more than happy to be with their children. The training program will have to take place before the restaurant begins to operate in 2013. The second principle is the ability to operate efficiently. The restaurant should be able to deliver highly effective operations to the clients. Lastly, the culture of customer service should be noted. Without the necessary service to deliver the satisfaction and gratification of the consumer, a loyal customer base cannot be built. Les Fontaines will incorporate the referral marketing for the market strategy. The referral marketing is no doubt the best way to maximize the revenue and raise the awareness of the company and standards to the local customers (Schmitt, Skiera & Bulte, 2011). F&B Strategy: Diversification is one of the strategies that best fit the new operations situation, as Les Fontaines is in search of a new product and market (Gine, Pisano, Sorell, Szigety, 2006). The restaurant has taken extreme measures to differentiate itself from the competition in the Les Mosses region. As the restaurant caters to a niche market, it will have minimum competition with the surrounding business in the region. This is due to the fact that Pomodoro’s offers various activities for children of which the surrounding hotels do not offer. The psychographic, demographic, geographic, and purchase behavior of clients were analyzed in order to help Les Chalets des Mosses strengthen it own image (Yankelovich, Meer, 2006). In order to create such strategy, the restaurants must create an engaging and rigorous loyalty program. The goal of the hotel is to have local customers who will visit the hotel on a regular bases during the various events that take place in the region of les mosses. Since, the hotel will promote its special offers via newsletter through the zip code, not only does the newsletter grab the customers attention, but also the local customers will become frequent clienteles. This marketing strategy would benefit the whole hotel, not just the restaurant. By sending out newsletters promoting events or special offers in both the hotel and restaurant it may encourage guest to not only use the food and beverage outlets but also to stay and enjoy the experience. The company will take a step forward by taking surveys of the clienteles regarding the activities and subjects that interest them. This way Les Fontaines will be able to predict what the clientele’s hobbies or taste are and provide a service that incorporates partnerships with other companies. For example Pomodoro’s can promote a snow-tubing event to the customers by providing ticket deals. According to Michael Porter, a Harvard Business School professor and the reigning guru of competitive strategy, competition within an industry is driven by five basic factors (Porter, 1979): 1. Threat of new entries. 2. Threat of substitute products or services. 3. Bargaining power of suppliers. 4. Bargaining power of buyers. 5. Rivalry among existing firms. We understand that using one strategy is impossible in todays society, as the range of customers are more diverse as globalization has a larger impact in today’s society. The Les Fontaines will be promoted in various ways. The newsletter will act as a tool to commercialize the company’s anniversaries and offers. Unlike, the other rivals the company will begin to engage the customers with a more personal touch. The snow tubing company in Les Mosses will further advertise the hotel and vice verse due to their partnership. Furthermore, the referrals will function as the company’s key promotional tool. Both Pomodoro and hotel Les Fontaines will attract customers through the various services, products, offers, and business proposals. None of the competing hotels and F&B outlets substantially reshaped their business strategies and market segments like Pomodoro’s. The awareness of the hotel will most definitely rise as the customers and other partnering companies spread the word. The company will have a dominating number of advertisements in comparison to the other competing ventures due to their various partnerships. The hotel provides a pleasant and sophisticated service that was specifically designed to differ from other surrounding hotels within the region. Both the restaurant and the hotel will offer a personalized touch to the service that will be provided. This will attract new customers and build strong customer relationships, as the customers will return to the venture on a frequent basis. Despite the cluttered market, the unique products that were designed to meet the specific needs of the customers makes the Les Fontaines stand out from its competitors. List of References: Gine. F, Pisano. G, Sorell. M , Szigety. M. (2006). R&D Portfolio Strategy, Diversification And Performance: An Information Perspective. (Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University) Retrieved from http://hbr.org/1979/03/how-competitive-forces-shape-strategy/ar/1 Porter, M. E. (1979). How competitive forces chape strategy. (Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University)Retrieved from http://hbr.org/1979/03/how-competitive-forces-shape-strategy/ar/1 Schmitt, P., Skiera, B., & Bulte, C. V. D. (2011). Why customer referrals can drive stunning profits. (Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University)Retrieved from http://hbr.org/2011/06/why-customer-referrals-can-drive-stunning-profits/ar/1 Schultz, G. C., & Horvath, A. G. (2008). Strategic plan: 2008-2013. Informally published manuscript, Finance & Business, Pennsylvania State Yankelovich D, Meer D. (2006). Rediscovering Market Segmentation. Retrieved from: http://hbr.org/product/rediscovering-market-segmentation/an/R0602G-PDF-ENG