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NATIONAL REPORT-At first glance, on-sire employee dining would appear to be a no-brainer for a hotel. Employees need to eat, and management would probably prefer that they do so without leaving the property.
"An employee dining facility within the hotel is vitally important because this is not a typical business where workers can go out and have lunch. They are too busy," said Al Stento, the Houston-based regional director of operations for Holiday Inn. "And they have no place to go, so giving them their own space is important."
This is a given for most hotels with food and beverage, but beyond that, there are different approaches to executing an employee dining strategy-usually depending on the size and segment of hotel. Experts say a balance has to be struck between the provision of employee comfort versus the bottom line necessary to controlling the cost of the facility.
Throughout the industry, the value of subsidized employee dining varies widely. Its most vigorous supporters consider it a primary tool for recruitment and retention, while some large management companies choose not to subsidize employee dining.
For those who endorse the concept, the execution is fairly straightforward: Without making a capital investment, management must find nonrevenue-producing space in the hotel (usually the back of the house or the basement) that is large enough to...