Hotel Operations

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor with expertise in food and beverage trends, joined Nation’s Restaurant News in 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality in 2016. He hosted "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast and wrote "Kitchen Dish" for The New York Sun between 2005-2008. In Thailand, he was a writer for Manager magazine and Asia Times newspaper from 1992-1997. Thorn won the 2006 Neal Award for his column, studied French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu in 1986, and was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014. He holds a BA in history from Tufts University (1990), studied at Peking and Nanjing Universities in 1988-1989, and contributed to the Oxford Encyclopedia (2012) and Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets (2015). Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on social media.

🍽 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality since 2016, previously wrote for The New York Sun from 2005 to 2008. He hosts the podcast "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" and won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award for his column in Nation’s Restaurant News. Thorn, a magna cum laude Tufts University graduate, also studied French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu and Chinese language at Peking and Nanjing Universities. He was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014.

🏨 Hotel TVs, designed for safety and functionality, differ from home TVs in aspects like secure stands and swivel ability. They can enhance guest experience with features like custom content, streaming service logout synchronization with checkout, and room-specific connections. Newer hotel TVs allow remote setup and maintenance, saving time and money for managers. Hospitality smart TVs may also offer HD content without set-top boxes and come with longer warranties, up to five years, compared to home TVs' one-year warranties. Jacob Benner from LG Business Solutions USA, a major hotel TV provider, emphasizes the importance of specialized hotel TV features for guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.

🏠 Osip restaurant, launched in 2019, faced a six-month pause due to early investor issues and funding problems. Back on track as of January, the restaurant was partially funded by a crowdfund. Johnny Smith and Daniel Willis provided financial backing without operational roles. Osip's move from a Somerset boutique hotel to a countryside coaching inn from the 1600s includes a modern glass kitchen extension and brings a contemporary auberge experience with pre-dining exploration and four bedrooms, set to expand. The Osip team runs off-site growing operations but plans on-site herb and asparagus cultivation. The locavore restaurant maintains close ties with three to four top-notch local suppliers. Osip's cooking style combines classic Francophone techniques with contemporary finishes, heavily influenced by top-quality ingredients. The tasting menu remains at £125 for around 15 courses, adding signature dishes for sharing. The opening is slated for later in the same month after the original Osip's closure on June 30, aiming to minimize operational downtime and retain staff. Chef Merlin Labron-Johnson aspires for Osip to gain international recognition, building on its national success, including a Michelin star and a spot on the UK's Top 100 restaurant list.

📝 All employees at Mad University underwent a thorough training program for a new curbside pickup service, requiring completion of videos and quizzes. Trainers and business coaches personally visited each shop to conduct real scenario test runs. During peak times, cashiers, expediters, or managers may run the food out. The innovative service tracks customer arrival, eliminating the need for parking, and has garnered positive reactions for its convenience and surprise element.

🍞 American consumers prefer familiar yet slightly different food when eating out. Restaurants, facing declining traffic, offer items like potatoes for profitability. Major chains such as Arby's, Sonic Drive-In, and Long John Silver's innovate with potatoes; Sonic introduced "Groovy Fries" in May to 3,500 locations. Technomic reports 66% of on-premises orders include potato items, dropping to 50% for delivery. Arby's brought back potato cakes on July 1 after social media mentions surpassed 10,000. Long John Silver's added Crispy Waffle Fries in late July to its 530 locations. Chefs like Maneet Chauhan explore adventurous flavors using fries as a canvas.

🍴 Olly Oakley, Head Chef at The Harcourt Arms and The Plough Inn in Oxfordshire, favors à la carte dining over tasting menus for repeat customer appeal. Starting as a commis chef and waiter at Ascot Racecourse, he admires Joan Roca of El Celler de Can Roca, Spain. His cooking style is relaxed with a focus on flavor, influenced by English and Spanish barbecues. Oakley values hard, smart work, questioning, and learning in the industry. His essential kitchen item is a coal or wood-fired grill.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation's Restaurant News since 1999, also joined Restaurant Hospitality in 2016. Wrote for The New York Sun from 2005 to 2008. His podcast "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" features foodservice experts. Won the Jesse H. Neal Award in 2006. Authored entries in the Oxford Encyclopedia (2012) and Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets (2015). Magna cum laude from Tufts University, studied at Le Cordon Bleu, and was in Beijing during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. Inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014. Lives in Brooklyn, NY. Contact: [email protected], LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter: @foodwriterdiary, Instagram: @foodwriterdiary.

🍴 Will Guidara, at age 26, took over Eleven Madison Park and turned it from a two-star brasserie into the world's #1 restaurant according to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. At MURTEC 2024, he discussed "unreasonable hospitality," focusing on automation with a human touch, creating extraordinary dining experiences, and fostering team cooperation for service excellence. He also provided tips on blending authority with innovation in a 3-minute video.

🍴 The National Chef of the Year 2024 finalists include senior chefs from restaurants like Frog by Adam Handling and Northcote. Top 40 chefs crafted an amuse-bouche or pre-dessert themed ‘a taste of summer.’ The finals are on October 8, with chefs refining their original menus. Past winners include Gordon Ramsay. Finalists: Adam Fisher, Cleverson Cordeiro, Craig Edgell, Danny Young, Jethro Lawrence, Lee Tyler, Matt Ramsdale, Nick Edgar, Orry Shand, Paul Gamble, with reserves Murray Cooper and Sergio Cinotti.