Restaurant Business-Interested Topic: Quick service in Japanese Restaurant

Sushi Express Group is chain restaurants originated from Taiwan. The business of Sushi Express can be separated to sushi take-out service and restaurant store and the feature is that Suchi Express brings the Japanese food, sushi, to enter a quick-service store and low price segment. The first sushi take-out outlet is introduced to Hong Kong in 2009. Until now, Sushi Express has extended to almost 50 stores in Hong Kong. The fast extension and unique success could be explored from the following factors.

Market:
Fast food restaurant is very popular and welcoming in Hong Kong. The sushi take-out outlet targets on those customers who would like to control their time easily. Otherwise, customers may choose to patronize the restaurant to buy the service which is not only the food, but also the intangible things like greeting by servers.

Concepts:
The low price strategy used by Sushi Express to speed up the order deal. It makes a change in the customer's mind that having sushi is not an expensive consumption at all because most of its sushi costs only $3 each to buy. It is an attractive selling point for customers and it is widely accepted by customers.

Location:
Location is one of the key points for the success of Sushi Express. Many sushi take-out outlets are located inside or outside the MTR Station. It is convenient for customers to consume a few pieces of sushi when they just pass by the outlet.


Reference: http://www.sushiexpress.com.hk/content/%E9%97%9C%E6%96%BC%E6%88%91%E5%80%91

Restaurant Business-Recent Local Trends and Practices

Local Trends of Restaurant Business

1. Pop-ups

Pop-up restaurants, also called supper clubs, are temporary restaurants. These restaurants often operate from a private home, former factory, or similar and during festivals.

Pop-up restaurants have been popular since the 2000s in Britain and Australia but they are not a new phenomenon. Pop-up restaurants have existed in the United States and Cuba.Diners typically make use of social media, such as the blogosphere and Twitter, to follow the movement of these restaurants and make online reservations.

Pop-up restaurants, like food trucks, are an effective way for young professionals to gain exposure of their skills in the field of hospitality as they seek investors and attention pursuant to opening a restaurant or another culinary concept.

Pop-up restaurants have been hailed as useful for younger chefs, allowing them to utilize underused kitchen facilities and "experiment without the risk of bankruptcy". By 2013, this restaurant style had gained steam and prevalence in larger cities thanks in part to crowd-funding efforts that offered the short-term capital needed to fund start-up costs.

It’s been in vogue in retail for a few years, especially in London and New York.

Hong Kong is no stranger to the phenomenon, with recent pop-ups ranging from American Apparel to Taschen Books.

Applying the pop-up model to restaurants has been catching on, and it takes whimsical dining a step beyond the private kitchen.

“I think we will definitely be seeing a lot more pop-up concepts in Hong Kong,” says Alan Lo, co-founder of the Press Room Group, which owns several restaurants including The Pawn and Classified.

“With rising rents, a shortage of space and increasingly curious consumers, pop-up concepts will take flight. They are great ways to dip your toes in the market and test one’s product.”

Classified

The Pawn

2. Fusion Being Redefined

The term “fusion cuisine” evokes visions of some neon-walled 1990s-era restaurant trying to be edgy by featuring stuff like wasabi-infused pesto.

But if you think about it, all cuisines have overlapped with others in some way over the course of history, and all have lent or derived some semblance of influence.

Noticeable of late is a disproportionate flow of influence from East to West.

“There is obviously more use of Asian ingredients amongst European chefs,” says Margaret Xu, owner and chef at private kitchen Yin Yang and executive chef at Cantopop.

“I see that Western chefs in Hong Kong are getting prouder to use some popular Chinese flavors in their cooking and therefore contributing to Hong Kong establishing its own style of Western cuisine.”

Fa Zu Jie

The French quail marinated in Chinese wine and served with cold sakura noodles is a unique delicacy.

3. Branding
People buy for the experiences instead of just buying a food in a restaurant nowadays. Why don't people go to Cafeholic or My Kafe but they go to Starbucks or Cafe Pacific? Because they know the brand.

Starbucks

4. Globalization

McDonald's offer standardized menu of food among its branches located in all over the world.

5. Shared Locations
a. Airport

Food court at Hong Kong International Airport

b. Shopping Mall

Food court in the Citygate outlet

6. Open Kitchen

the open kitchen in Simplylife 

7. Serve with wine
Caroline Chow, of Lan Kwai Fong Entertainments, which runs Kyoto Joe, Indochine, and several other Lan Kwai Fong establishments, notes that “wine has started to become a cultural habit for locals.” Think of it as a trickle-down phenomenon.

In 2009, Hong Kong overtook New York and London as the world’s largest wine market. Sotheby’s and Christie’s have each sold bottles of wine here for small fortunes. In May 2011, a buyer purchased a single bottle of 1961 Château Latour for US$216,000.

Hong Kong's new role as a literal funnel for fine wine owes everything to the government’s 2008 decision to eliminate duty on imported wines. Since then, nouveaux riches on both sides of the Shenzhen River have been eager to slurp down wine at an unprecedented clip.

Local Practices of Restaurant Business

1. High Rent = Marginalized Quality

This being Hong Kong, upward rent pressure features in two of our trends.

“High rent squeezes our ability to do anything very, very good,” says Paul Hsu, executive director of Elite Concepts, a restaurant group whose portfolio includes Michelin-starred restaurants yè shanghai and Nanhai No. 1.

“It marginalizes the quality of the operators and the restaurants because so much of your bill is paid on rent.”


2. Healthy Menu Design

• low calories
• low fat
• low carbon-hydrate
• traditional school of thought in Chinese medicine : certain ingredients can actively strengthen specific organs in human body

3. Food Safety & Public Health Issue
Customers concern about where is the food from and what are those food made with.

Man Ho Chinese Restaurant

4. Use of Technology
a. Social Media to Market the Restaurant

-like Facebook page to get the coupon
-promote in Twitter, Instagram
b. The Smartphone and Social Media Effect

Openrice, Hong Kong's online home of user-generated restaurant reviews, packs more clout for most of the population than either Zagat or Michelin, offering in-depth reviews of everything from the decor to the service.

“We even see customers taking out smartphones to help them make menu choices,” says Bridget Chen, partner of 798 unit & co. and Just-a-Restaurant.


Reference
http://travel.cnn.com/hong-kong/eat/top-hong-kong-restaurant-trends-600866

http://www.cnwinenews.com/html/201107/1/20110701173527115075_1.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop-up_restaurant

Difference between chain restaurant and independent restaurant

There are two major categories of restaurants: independent restaurants and chain restaurants. Independent restaurant owners usually only have one or two restaurants in a small radius, and they manage those restaurants themselves. Chain restaurants are corporate restaurant chains with a board of owners and are found throughout an entire region or nation. When opening a new restaurant, it is important to check into the pros and cons of each restaurant type to decide which option is best for you.

Independent Restaurants

Independent restaurants are just what their name entails: independent. The owners, whether one person or a group of people, are in charge of all the financing, marketing, brand design and training involved with running a successful restaurant. Many former chefs or others with vast experience in the restaurant industry are ideal candidates for starting an independent restaurant. Owning an independent restaurant involves a lot of work, because you have to design everything yourself. However, any profits made are yours to keep, because you do not have to pay royalties to the owner of your concept.

Other characteristics shared by independent restaurant owners include:

• Trail blazers. Rather than buying into a franchise and opening another cookie cutter restaurant, independent restaurant owners use their creativity to design and develop a brand and concept that goes against the mold. Many of the most successful chain restaurants started out with one person thinking outside the box. Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, is an example.
• Entrepreneurs. True entrepreneurs not only want to own and operate their own business, they want it to be their own idea, too. Independent restaurant owners start with a concept idea and work hard to make their idea a reality.
• Type-A personalities. Independent restaurant owners often have many traits characteristic a Type-A personality. Many are aggressive, competitive stress-junkies that have to have everything their way. The workaholic attitude of someone with a Type-A personality allows them to do whatever it takes to make his or her restaurant a success.

Chain Restaurants 

In the chain restaurant system, the owner of a trademarked restaurant brand and logo allows another person to purchase the rights to use the chain’s brand and marketing materials for profit. Chain operators pay royalties and sometimes advertising fees to the trademark owner. In exchange, the franchisor provides training, marketing materials and other benefits that independent restaurant owners have to develop themselves. Ownership and management are usually separate in large chains; large firms assign management functions such as operations, marketing, human resources and financial accounting to specialists; the role of management changes as a firm grows in size; and large firms are geographically dispersed.

Chain restaurants are ideal for individuals that want to own a restaurant, but do not necessarily have a lot of experience operating a commercial kitchen. Characteristics of owners include:

• Personal wealth. In order to buy into a franchise system, most franchisors require a certain amount of startup capital to come from personal, non-borrowed funds. For example, if you want to open a new McDonald’s restaurant, McDonald’s requires a 40% down payment that “must come from non-borrowed personal resources.”
• Team player. Restaurant franchises have marketing, training and management systems already in place, which is what helps make the brand successful. Ideal candidates will know how to follow the rules for the betterment of the whole brand.
• Little food service knowledge. In some cases, the less knowledge a potential chain operator has about the brand and the restaurant industry, the better. This allows the franchisor to mold the franchisee to fit the brand perfectly.
• Former corporate managers. Many downsized or retired corporate managers are a perfect fit as chain restaurant owners because they have management experience Oftentimes, these people are tired of the rat-race associated with corporate life and want to venture out on their own.

The impression that a few huge quick-service chains completely dominate the restaurant business is misleading. Chain restaurants have some advantages and some disadvantages over independent restaurants. The advantages include:

■ Recognition in the marketplace allowing quick penetration into new markets
■ Greater advertising clout
■ Sophisticated systems development
■ Discounted purchasing by economies of scale regarding materials and supplies

However, independent restaurants are relatively easy to open. All you need is a few thousand dollars, a knowledge of restaurant operations, and a strong desire to succeed. The key advantage for independent restaurateurs is that they can “do their own thing” in terms of concept development, menus, decor, and so on. Unless our habits and taste change drastically, there is plenty of room for independent restaurants in certain locations.

Restaurants come and go. Some independent restaurants will grow into small chains, and larger companies will buy out small chains. Once small chains display growth and popularity, they are likely to be bought out by a larger company or will be able to acquire financing for expansion.

Reference: http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/education/how-to-start-a-restaurant/opening-a-franchise-vs-starting-an-independent-restaurant/c28276.aspx

Restaurant Business - real life examples

Independent restaurants

Monsieur Chatté

Sitting inconspicuously on Bonham Strand is a little slice of France. Jean-Yves Chatté, who first moved to Hong Kong 20 years ago, opened Monsieur Chatté in 2008. Today his daughter Caroline helps to run the gourmet food store. The two-storey shop stocks only French food, including cheese, cured meats, patés, jams, tea, fondue, and a diverse selection of wine, and most of the food is imported from the southwest region of France, where the Chatté family originates. Madame Chatté picks out the French music that gives the shop its chic European ambience, and also makes her own foie gras in the shop’s kitchen. Caroline describes the store as serving “homey gourmet food,” adding, “we really try to find quality [food], but not too expensive as well... French food is mostly seen in Hong Kong as really big restaurants with very expensive, fancy plates. We don’t eat like this every day in France.” Caroline holds regular wine and cheese tastings in the store, which are attended by locals and expats alike. A whisky-and-cheese tasting session will be held on September 21. 121 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan, 3105 8077;


Reference: www.mrchatte.com.hk.

Lok Cha Tea Shop

A sense of tranquility pervades this little tea shop, where the friendly staff will greet you with a cup of freshly brewed tea. The store stocks about 100 types of tea, according to owner Wing-chi Ip. “Most of the tea is sourced from small farms that have been searched by me personally,” he says. “I believe firsthand experience is key to find[ing] a good tea.” He sells rare yellow teas, such as Meng Ding, and pu-er tea cakes made in Yunnan. Ip also holds weekly tea-appreciation classes and lectures. UG/F, 290B Queen’s Rd Central, Sheung Wan, 2805 1360.


Reference: http://www.lockcha.com/?lang=cht

Chain restaurants

Fine Dining

Pierre

Pierre Gagnaire’s restaurant is located 25 floors up in the Mandarin Oriental hotel and proudly holds two Michelin stars. Famous for innovative items like their foie gras soup, Pierre is unquestionably a success for their new chef Olivier Elzer.


The staff are as friendly and welcoming as the complimentary pre and post meal amuse bouche.


With an impressive several multi-course express lunch set, there really is no excuse to miss out on this exceptional experience. Combine quality with unbeatable service and you have Pierre.


Address: 25/F, Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road Central, Central
Phone: +852 2825 4001


Reference: http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong/fine-dining/pierre/

Nadaman

Nadaman has several locations, one on Hong Kong Island, and another across the harbor at the Shangri-La in Kowloon; but the island location remains the first ever outside of Japan since its establishment in 1830.

They offer separate areas for foodies seeking premium sushi, teppanyaki, and a la carte dining.


Nadaman is known as the go-to Japanese restaurant of Hong Kong for business and casual diners alike.


Address: 7/F, Island Shangri-La, Supreme Court Road, Central
Phone: +852 2820 8570


Reference: http://www.shangri-la.com/hongkong/islandshangrila/dining/restaurants/nadaman/

8½ Otto e Mezzo

Named after Italian director Federico Fellini’s avant-garde classic, 8½ Otto e Mezzo is a sophisticated restaurant that’s every bit deserving of its numerous awards and accolades.


This should come as no surprise, seeing as the glitzy space is headed up by Umberto Bombana – a Ritz-Carlton alum who was once named “the Best Italian Chef in Asia”.


Chef Bombana isn’t afraid to flaunt what he’s got, especially when it comes to premium ingredients. He shows off expensive legs of ham in his custom-built aging cellar, gilds his drinks list with rare vintages and, when in season, he decorates carefully crafted Italian dishes with freshly shaved white Alba truffles.


Chef Bombana is a true maestro in the kitchen, managing to turn even the humblest dishes into something memorable.


Address: Shop 202, Landmark Alexandra, 18 Chater Road, CentralPhone: +852 2537 8859


Reference: http://www.ottoemezzobombana.com/hong-kong/en/homepage/

Lung King Heen

On the fourth floor of the Four Seasons hotel is the only restaurant awarded three stars in Hong Kong’s first Michelin guide, and for good reason. Lung King Heen’s ambience, service and food are unquestionably first class.


With everything from the local favorite, xiao long bao (soup dumplings), to the premium wagyu beef; it’s clear no compromises have been made.


From the dish to your mouth, the chefs ensure a perfect experience, while the uniquely designed cutlery makes the most of every bite.


Finally, the newly built hotel offers unparalleled views of the harbor and taking your time is recommended.


Address: 4/F, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central
Phone: +852 3196 8888


Reference: http://www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/restaurants/lung_king_heen/

Steak Houses

Blue Butcher

Newly-opened Blue Butcher isn’t even a month old, but it’s already attracting quite a buzz. Taking over the space where Republik once stood, this massive restaurant-cum-bar is a great place for the Hollywood Road crowd to hang out after work and sink their teeth into a steak, such as their signature 32oz Australian Mann River farm wagyu ribeye.

108 Hollywood Rd., Sheung Wan, 2613-9286,


Reference: www.bluebutcher.com.

BLT Steak

With great views of the Victoria Harbour, BLT Steak has one of the best views in town. First opened in New York, this offshore branch serves US prime steaks with all the trimmings. These are American-sized portions, so get ready to bite off more than you can chew. There’s also a range of non-beef items such as poultry, shellfish and seafood.

G62, G/F, Ocean Terminal, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2730-3508.

Grand Hyatt Steakhouse


Featuring prime cuts of beef from the US, Canada and Japan, this restaurant serves its patrons with the passion that is the hallmark of its head chef David Campbell. There’s also an adjoining cigar lounge and bar, the perfect place for a group of lads to hang out after a big merger or before heading out for a night out on the town. For a truly special occasion, be sure to book the private VIP room.

Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbor Rd., Wan Chai, 2588-1234,



Reference:www.hongkong.grand.hyattrestaurants.com/steakhouse.

Hugo’s

Newly reopened in the Hyatt Regency, this age-old restaurant has been a favorite for many generations—it’s not uncommon to see a grandpa dine with his extended family here alongside couples out on a romantic date. Old school favorites like lobster bisque and Caesar salad made tableside are perfect starters to the scrumptious steaks on offer. But be sure to save room for their flaming desserts.

Hyatt Regency, 18 Hanoi Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 3721-7733, www.hongkong.tsimshatsui.hyatt.com


La Pampa


The first Argentinian steakhouse in town, La Pampa is located in the heart of Soho and offers in-house specialties such as beef sirloin and tenderloin, chorizo, and roast beef with mustard sauce. The wine menu has a number of Argentinian wines to choose from.

G/F, 32 Staunton St., Central, 2868-6959,
Reference:  www.lapampa.com.hk.

Bakery Cafe

Bread Elements

Gregoire Michaud, the former head pastry chef at the Four Seasons, recently broke off from the hotel to do his own bakery project – one that has been proofing in his heart for years. Bread Elements is not strictly a boulangerie – rather, they are a wholesale bakery building up a loyal base of local hotels, restaurants and cafes who will be serving and selling their breads. Michaud set the project up with three other bread lovers, including Gäelle Gognau and her husband, and Mark Yeung (also formerly of the Four Seasons). Some of the best breads and pastries in town are all handmade at their Chai Wan factory before being delivered fresh daily to clients ranging from 22 Ships to Chez Patrick Deli (the former from which you can purchase the breads to take home). Currently their repertoire includes black olive rye, multigrain loaf, sesame challah, figs sourdough, baguettes, croissants, fruit danishes and more. Our favourites so far must be the sourdough-based baguettes (which have a moister crumb) and pain au chocolat made with oozing (rather than ganache-like) dark Valrhona chocolate.

Bread Elements, Block A, 24/F, Unit 3, Fortune Factory Building, 40 Lee Chung Street, Chai Wan; +852 3996 8570


Reference: https://www.facebook.com/bebreadelements

Le Salon de Thé de Jöel Robuchon

Located just one floor below the time-honoured restaurant of the same origin, Le Salon de Thé offers up light sandwiches and deliciously decadent refreshments, along with some of the most delicately baked breads in town. As well as being a café, the bakery offers up some of the most scrumptious meals served at reasonable prices. With croissants that simply melt in your mouth and baguettes that line the shelves, this is the perfect pit stop when running errands in and around town.

Le Salon de Thé de Jöel Robuchon, Shop 315, The Landmark, Central; +852 2166 9000


Reference: http://www.robuchon.hk/

Passion by Gérard Dubois

As part of the up-and-coming Wan Chai neighbourhood, this bakery-cafe opened by Swiss-born baker and owner of La Rose Noire Gérard Dubois features some of the most beautifully crafted French breads in town. Some of the signature breads from Dubois include the crunchy French traditionelle and pain au levain sourdough breads as well as their twice-daily baked baguettes. The café menu also features elegantly presented sandwiches, croissants, Danish pastries, salads and even an evening menu. With so much on offer, it’s hard not to spend an entire afternoon snacking on pastries and gobbling down slices of sourdough.

Passion by Gerard Dubois, 74-80 Johnston Road, Wan Chai; +852 2529 1311


Reference: http://www.passionbygd.com/

F&B Operations-Interested Topic: Outstanding customer service in Mainland China

HaiDiLao Hot-Pot is a well-known chain-store in Mainland China because of its outstanding customer service. The first time I went to visit the store which is located in Shenzhen. From my perceived experience of having meal in China, the environment may have a little bit messy. As you can see, However, the environment is a quite tidy and spacious. The decoration and atmosphere also make customers feel grand. 

One of the selling points of this restaurant is outstanding customer service. For example, the server would act the greeting when the customer enters the store. They perform to be courteous and to keep smile of the time that make customer feel being respected. Server may ask customer whether it is the first time to visit the restaurant and then may give some suggestive selling. The restaurant has offered the free salad bar and seasoning for customers to take the favour they want. To raise the customers satisfaction, server would first deliver some fruit for them.

The restaurant has been using the electronic device to replace the food order sheet when customers issue the order. Customers only need to tick the food item on screen and then click the confirm button to complete the order submittion.

The benefit I can see is more environmental friendly because of saving paper. In addition, using electronic device could avoid the chance of order missing and become more dependable since it can guarantee that there is no wrong charge to customers and the order record would be saved for each submittion. It is useful to smooth the service process and finally earn the reputation from customers. One more interesting thing is that there would be a special staff to act a performance with some dance when customers order a Chinese noodle.

Honestly speaking, this restaurant is performed quite well no matter on the tangible and intangible manner. However, the number of food items offered by the restaurant are not enough. It is better to offer a variety of food to fulfill the need of customers.

Reference: http://www.haidilao.com/index.html

F&B Operations - the functions and responsibilities of F&B operations

Basic Functions of F&B: serve food & drink to people and to satisfy their various types of needs.

Main aim of F&B: achieve Customer Satisfaction.


The needs that customer might be seeking to satisfy are:


–Physiological: the need of special food items


–Economic: the need for good value for the price paid


–Social: a friendly atmosphere


–Psychological: the need for enhancement of self‐esteem

–Convenience : the desire for someone else to do the work

Basic Responsibility of Foodservice:

Apart from shoulder the above responsibilities, F&B operation should take the following responsibilities:

Purchasing Food and Beverages:

As the basic function of F&B is providing food and beverages for the customers, thus, one of the responsibilities of F&B is purchasing the right quality and the right amount of different types of food.



Planning Menus:


The Menus of an restaurant can be the crucial factor of success or failure. A well-planned menu can stimulate the revenue and attract the consumers to come again.


Maintaining Daily Operation include:


- Maintaining a Cleaned Organized Environment in the Kitchen


- Maintaining Perfect Cleanliness of All Service Areas in Food & Beverage Outlets


- Providing Efficient and Planned Preparation of all Operating Equipment


-Maintenance of Machines

-Forecasting Labour and Cleaning Supply Needs


-Inventory of Chemical Stock


-Maintaining Strict Inventory Control and Monthly Stock Check



Food Service Hygiene:


Hygiene is a key element for an restaurant. Reputation of a restaurant is made based on its menu and hygiene. Thus, any tangibles things like the environment, staff, machines, utilities must be shown as well-conditioned. Certainly, the food and beverage which provide to customers must be in the good condition.


Beverage Control:

The record of the suppliers and the deliveries should be kept in case there are some problems, which allowing to chase back the sources. Stocking taking and related stock checking system should be develop to evaluate the number of stock and easier to do the repurchase and chase out the overdue product. CCTV should be set to monitor the staff work.



Steps of Cost control and budgeting:


1) Establishment of standards or goals.


2) Measurement of performance.


3) Comparison and analysis.


4) Corrective action.



Factors to measure how well of F&B operation:

Food and Beverage Division

Food and Beverage Division Organization Chart

Reference; http://www.slideshare.net/rajendranabar/the-challenge-of-fb-operations-compatibility-mode

Recreation-Types of Clubs and their Functions

1. Country Clubs

• Offering recreational sports facilities such as tennis court and basketball court; lounges and dining services by its restaurants, and most have banquet facilities and wedding hosting  

• Full membership enables members to use all the facilities all the time

• Social membership only allows members to use the social facilities

• Other forms of membership can include weekday and weekend memberships

Hong Kong Country Club

2. City Clubs

• Predominantly business oriented 

3. Professional Clubs

• A group of people in a learned occupation who are entrusted with maintaining control or oversight of the legitimate practice of the occupationSocial clubs

• A body acting "to safeguard the public interest

• Organizations which "represent the interest of the professional practitioners

• Act to maintain their own privileged and powerful position as a controlling body

• Partly social, partly professional in nature and provide professionals with opportunities for advanced education, presentations on current research, business contacts, public advocacy for the profession and other advantages

Police Officers' Club in HK

4. Athletic Clubs

• Organized for sporting participants and primarily for spectator fans of a team

• Offer one or more recreational sports facilities to their members

• Meet to practice a sport

• Feature indoor sports, such as indoor tennis, squash, basketball, boxing, and exercise facilities

The swimming pool in the HK Football Club

5. Fraternal Clubs

• Social clubs of secondary or higher education students

• Membership in these organizations is generally by invitation only

• Meeting new people 

6. University Clubs

• Represent, support and enhance the campus lives of students

• Get involved in numerous campaigns run

• Offers graduates a range of sporting facilities and social spaces

7. Military Clubs

• Provide dining, banqueting and bar facilities, and even lodging services to armed forces originally

• Provide more family activities and facilities nowadays instead of alcohol

The In & Out Naval and Military Club in UK

8. Yachting Clubs

• A sports club for sailing and rowing

• Unite boat owners and promote boating activities and to provide boating facilities

• Some provides slipping and craning services and boat repair and maintenance facilities

• Some offers dining services

The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

Hungarian Wine Dinner Held by the RHLYC

9. Dining Clubs

• Meets for dinners and discussion on a regular basis

• Some are able to arrange reciprocity with other private social clubs with more facilities besides dining such as overnight guest rooms and a gym

10. Proprietary Clubs

• A single owner leases units to multiple tenants in it

• Examples of proprietary communities include hotels, marinas, office buildings, industrial parks, entertainment complexes, and ever-larger and more complex combinations of these

Reference

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club

https://www.countryclub.hk/index.cfm

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/HK_Causeway_Bay_%E8%AD%A6%E5%AE%98%E4%BF%B1%E6%A8%82%E9%83%A8_Police_Officers'_Club_entrance_stairs_Mar-2013.JPG

https://www.hkfc.com.hk/

http://www6.cityu.edu.hk/puo/CityUAdmin/Data/Story/News/20080821112107/images/group2_c.jpg

http://www.navalandmilitaryclub.co.uk/

http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/

F & B Operations-Recent Trends and Challenges

Recent Trends

1. Use of branded restaurants instead of hotels operating their own restaurants

Hotel and Restaurant Company Strategic Alliances


Reasons:

a. Create financial benefits

b.Provide customers with greater value

c. Improve a property's overall image

d. Create operational advantages

e. Focus on lodging operations

2. Small to mid-sized hotels opting not to offer food and beverage outlets

Examples:

a. Hotel Pop Jongno

Address: 186, Nagwon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea, Jongno-Gu, 110-320 Seoul, South Korea


b. Rodeway Inn Springhills Lake George

Address: 2447 State Route 9N, Lake George, NY 12845, U.S.A.


c. Cairns Queens Court

Address: 167-173 Sheridan Street, 4870 Cairns, Australia

3. Making outlets more casual atmosphere

a. Damon's




b. Chili's






c. Olive Garden

4. Using themes for a restaurant

a. Planet Hollywood






b. Hard Rock Cafe






c. Charlie Brown Cafe

5. Converting beverage outlet into a sports-themed bar

Damon's Grill & Sports Bar

6. Technology being used to enhance guest services and control costs

a. Online reservation and loyalty program






OPENRICE


b. Online ordering






PIZZAHUT


c. Use of QR code to promote






FOODSMEUN


d. Use of software to help controlling food quality and costs:

-MAXFood Safety ERP software


-CostGuard Food Costing software

7. More low-fat, low-carbohydrate menu item

a. O Green






Gluten free, sugar free, detox, and low fat dishes are the highlights of this Sheung Wan cafe’s offerings. Options include breakfast, tea sets, heartier rice and pasta dishes, and even pizzas.



b. IPC Foodlab






Offering a low-carbohydrate menu, IPC strictly sources ingredients from either local farms or its own pollution-free vertical vegetable and mushroom farm.

8. Franchising ownership

a. Brinker International Franchising

Challenges

1. Fickle Customers

Since more and more regions have become developed, customers are more knowledgeable and have higher requirements of choosing food and beverage. Customers care more about food nutritions, safety and the physical environment of the outlets, which represents their lifestyle.

2. Powerful Retailers

Nowadays, customers can get q wide range of instant food in supermarkets or convenience stores very easily. For example, cup noodles, pasta, pastry, etc. Other than instant food, Many supermarkets offer cooked food, such as sushi, rice, sandwiches, desserts, etc. Those food costs less and customers can enjoy at home. Therefore, retailers become a huge competitors to the food and beverage industry.

3. Tightening Regulatory Environment

Because the quality of products in the F&B industry is so closely tied to the health and safety of consumers, companies are constantly faced with the challenge of adhering to and staying in front of regulations. The 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is changing requirements for recordkeeping in F&B, which is prompting many executives to evaluate current IT capabilities around quality and traceability.

4. Shrinking Operating Margins

The competitive nature of today’s global economy has added considerable pressure to operating margins across the F&B supply chain. In response, many organizations focus on identifying areas for improvement in the quality of products and processes. Moreover, there are other factors impacting operating margins such as fuel price volatility, rising competition and developing countries, and heavy supply chain use.

5. Visibility into Supplier Quality

While leveraging the global supply chain comes with many benefits, it also has a significant impact on operational risk, especially in F&B. In many cases, organizations lack the level of communication and collaboration with suppliers needed to improve end-to-end performance and close the loop on quality management. Market leaders are working to offset geographical limitations and operational inefficiencies with IT capabilities.

6. Traceability and Data Granularity

An issue every food processor has to be prepared for is a product recall, which requires strong traceability capabilities. When an adulterated product makes its way into the market, response time and the recall process are instrumental in preserving brand reputation and, peripherally, long-term profitability.

7. Disconnected IT Architecture

A common challenge that nearly every large F&B company faces or has faced is a disparate software and applications landscape. A unified information management system around quality is vital for improving the other challenges noted above. Though, because of acquisitions and a shortage of long-term strategic quality vision, many companies are stuck with a tangled web of processes that don’t effectively communicate with one another.


Reference
http://books.google.com.hk/books?
id=G0AnmDecKpQC&pg=PA274&lpg=PA274&dq=Use+of+branded+restaurants+instead+of+hotels+operating+their+own+restaurants&source=bl&ots=soYCnChDJx&sig=DuWMl3mGjfIPzyF6CNxATm2K0pg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6qRpVJzeNoWxmgWx2YGICw&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Use%20of%20branded%20restaurants%20instead%20of%20hotels%20operating%20their%20own%20restaurants&f=false

http://www.damons.co.uk/our-restaurants/

http://www.damons.com/

http://www.olivegarden.com/home

http://www.planethollywood.com/

http://www.hardrock.com/

http://www.charliebrowncafe.com/

http://blog.spartasystems.com/5-major-challenges-fb-companies-facing-today/

http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/index.htm

https://order.pizzahut.com/home