Food & beverage
of his career, this was not always the case. “We were using beautiful rabbits and pigeons from France,” he explains. “But in Grasmere, we’re blessed have a lot of the best stuff we can get on our doorstep – and I truly believe in building relationships with the suppliers, which I can then pass on to a guest, and then they can know everything about what we’re cooking.”
Customer-focused dining
Above: Paul Leonard, head chef at the Forest Side in Cumbria.
Below: A decorative dish of sliced radish topped with caviar.
Below right: The Latymer’s take on a chocolate macaron.
This is certainly the goal at the Latymer, where the team is constantly pushing to exceed expectations through service and food, whilst maintaining a welcoming atmosphere. “When we’ve got guests in the dining room, we want to treat them as if they’re our friends rather than our customers,” says Smith. “We want to make them feel wanted throughout, to give them an experience that they’re going to go away and talk about.”
Smith notes that, in recent years, customers have become much more interested in food, and more knowledgeable as a result. “So, it’s really trying to keep in front of them,” he says. This goes hand in hand with sustainability, with diners increasingly concerned with where their food has come from – a concern shared by both Smith and Leonard. “Climate change is quite worrying, so if we can do our small part, then it can only help and spread the word,” says Leonard, who reflects that while working in London at the beginning
The Forest Side and the Latymer are testament to the future of hotel dining, where a majority of people who book a room do so for the enticement of the restaurant. “I’d like to think a good 90% of people who stay with us are here for the restaurant, and our occupancy is through the roof,” says Leonard. “It’s very rare that people stay with us and do not dine. We’re a one-stop shop: guests can have a beautiful room in a beautiful area and come for a banging dinner as well.” He credits the lasting appeal to the warm welcome diners receive, because many guests return time and again. The other side of it, as Smith reveals, is that a hotel setting enables guests to fully unwind. “It gives people an opportunity to make a clear break and get away for a few days,” he says. “As a result, it’s easier to fill our restaurant on Wednesday nights and Thursday nights than if we were a neighbourhood restaurant.” One thing is certain: while a hotel and a chef can have individual prestige, when you combine them, they elevate each other to another level. This is because hotels give chefs a platform that is consistently busy, meaning they are not shackled to ephemeral trends and pomp. Instead, they can focus on creating enduringly delicious food and responding to guests’ needs with a consistently friendly service. “Ultimately it comes down to being able to cook for your customers and giving them a good experience,” Smith states. “If you don’t have happy customers, then it doesn’t matter a jot about the property or the chef.” ●
54
Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
The Forest Side; Latymer
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61
