ROUNDUP
Staffing, the guest experience, and sustainability drive a menu of ski area food and beverage tweaks and improvements. F&B INSIGHTS
By Linda Goodspeed
Fresh ingredients are a priority at Lake Louise, Alberta.
options without needing to stock addi- tional items or make substitutions on the fly in the kitchen.” Revamped Menus Other resorts are also expanding their dining and menu options, with an emphasis on quality and variety. At Boyne Resorts, SVP of food and bever- age Fred Barbier said the company will implement company-wide “fresh, nev- er-frozen” beef patties for all burgers, and forge new partnerships with local baker- ies for fresh-baked breads. Fresh burgers are also important for Lake Louise Resort in Alberta, said director of sales and marketing Emmett McPartlin. “Over the past couple of years, we have made careful adjustments to suppliers to prioritize freshness and qual- ity, ensuring every burger is homemade and that, wherever possible, ingredients come from local farms and ranches.” The resort is also factoring in “con- textual fit with the environment and activities that guests are here for,” said McPartlin. “Our partnerships with local breweries and distilleries not only sup- port the community but also give our guests a taste of the unique flavors our region has to offer.” Weigh in, check out. Elsewhere, Bear Valley, Calif., will open “Base Camp Pizza” inside the existing day lodge, open a new food and drink cart on the deck at the base area, and unveil a new menu at the main cafeteria featuring soups, chilis, and a “weigh” menu, composed of a vari- ety of items that are charged by weight as the guest exits the line. The weigh menu was a “huge hit” when Bear Valley tested it in early season, said Tim Cohee, presi-
dent of California Mountain Resort Com- pany, which owns Bear Valley. Kirkwood, Calif., is revamping and expanding the offerings at its quick serve restaurants: Monte Wolfes will offer new options like hot honey chicken tenders, pulled pork sandwiches, chipotle chick- en rice bowls, chimichurri grilled chick- en sandwiches, and BBQ pork mac and cheese; Timber Creek is adding cinna- mon roll “Alpine Bites;” and Jets Hangar will bring back its taqueria menu. The General Store, which offers quick serve and grab-and-go options, will have new breakfast offerings, plus an enhanced espresso and coffee selection. Blue Mountain, Pa., has revamped a number of eateries: The Waffle Cabin has been replaced with the Waffle Hut; Beers & Buns on Burma will replace Beers & Brats on Burma; First Chair Cof- fee will replace Rise & Grind; and the Cluck Truck is replacing Street Sweets. Sister resort Camelback will offer Raku- da Ramen, authentic Japanese flavors in steaming grab-and-go bowls. Menu trends. Despite many choos- ing to expand menu items, Ireland said chicken nuggets/tenders remains the top seller for ski areas, followed by grilled food and then pizza. “You can’t get by without selling those,” he said. “They sell, it’s easy. It’s so challenging to create unique items. Resorts fall back on what’s easy, what sells.” In addition to longtime favorites, many facilities create a “signature” item that is unique and sold in only one loca- tion, said Ireland. “It has the effect of drawing people from around the resort.” Other trends are small, container outlets that sell only one or two items,
Staffing issues—exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic—continue to affect food and beverage operations at North American ski resorts. “It’s a unique challenge,” said Ross Ireland, a partner at Vancouver-based Hospitality Arts, which consults on ski resort F&B strategy and design. “Resorts have to basically hire new F&B peo- ple every season. Many come back, but many are new. It’s a real challenge keep- ing staff, training new staff.” As a result, Ireland said many resorts are switching to more grab and go items in their high-capacity restaurants, and condensing cooking to a central kitch- en. “Day cafes are quite small and put things together. It saves on staff. They’re bumping out a lot of items and feeding a lot of people.” Case in point: Big White’s new (last season) Spuds outlet in one of its central day lodges, which, as its name suggests, serves iterations of the potato. Trevor Hanna, vice president of hospitality for the British Columbia resort, said limited staff was a key reason behind the popular new concept. “The menu is relatively small and uncomplicated. Staffing this outlet is simple with only a few front counter staff and a few cooks in the kitchen need- ed to operate at a fairly high volume. We made this decision in the face of a limit- ed number of available staff accommoda- tion beds and the need to maximize the return on each staff bed,” said Hanna. The low cost of ingredients and fewer dietary restrictions with pota- toes were also factors in adopting the concept, Hanna said. “We can easily offer gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan
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