Hotel Operations

🍴 Paddy Maher, head chef at Pearly Queen, admires Gordon Ramsay and would choose a big hungover Chinese meal as his last. He started as a kitchen porter, despises bad attitudes in the kitchen, and values simple, well-defined flavours. Maher suggests hard work is key in the industry and cannot live without a Thermomix. He opts for à la carte over tasting menus, favours Chapter One in Dublin for his best meal, loves McDonald’s, prefers MasterChef, and would ban vegans as a hypothetical restaurant dictator. His signature dish is cuttlefish lasagne or buffalo oyster.

🍔 Hawksmoor, a UK steakhouse group founded in 2006 by Will Beckett and Huw Gott, could be valued at £100m in a potential sale. Stephens investment bank is handling the sale, targeting potential buyers. The group has 10 UK locations and is expanding internationally, with the latest opening in Chicago, following a New York City debut in 2021 and a Dublin site in 2023. Since 2013, Graphite Capital has owned a 51% stake after investing £35m. Beckett and Gott retain minority ownership and intend to lead the company post-sale.

🍴 Jöro, blending Nordic and Japanese cuisine, initially in a shipping container in Kelham Island, is relocating to Oughtibridge Mill in Sheffield. Announced earlier in 2023, the new destination includes two bars, an outdoor BBQ kitchen with live-fire cooking, and terrace dining. The expansion features five studio rooms, two one-bedroom apartments with Scandi-inspired design, and a retail deli called Shop by Jöro. Jöro, launched in 2016, featured in the National Restaurant Awards top 100 list. The original container will reopen under the Konjö brand.

🍽 Jöro, a Sheffield restaurant known for Nordic-Japanese cuisine, announced earlier this year a relocation from its original shipping container site in Kelham Island to a larger dining destination in Oughtibridge. This new site will include two bars, an outdoor BBQ kitchen developed in partnership with Big Green Egg, and Scandi-inspired accommodation offering five studio rooms and two one-bedroom apartments. The expanded space will allow the restaurant to alleviate table turnover pressure, introduce new concepts, and provide foodie stays with homemade breakfasts. Additionally, Jöro, launched in 2016 and previously recognized in the National Restaurant Awards top 100 list, will operate a retail deli shop called Shop by Jöro. Owners Luke French and Stacey Sherwood-French also manage the east Asian street food brand Konjö and boutique hotel brand House of Jöro, with plans to repurpose the original Jöro site for Konjö.

💸 DerbySoft, a high-performance distribution services specialist, has partnered with SAS hospitality revenue management company, IDeaS. The collaboration integrates IDeaS' G3 Revenue Management System (RMS) with DerbySoft's Property Connector to provide enhanced distribution connectivity for individual properties and small chains. The G3 RMS offers scientific pricing, forecasting, and rate availability decisions at the room type and rate code level. This integration ensures real-time updates across all channels, aiming to drive optimal revenue performance and enable hoteliers to save time, execute revenue strategies effectively, and leverage enhanced analytics for a competitive edge. Klaus Kohlmayr of IDeaS and Duane Overgaard of DerbySoft underscore the partnership's potential in revolutionizing hotel operations and revenue optimization.

🍣 Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao, after being a single-location, Michelin-recommended eatery in Flushing, Queens for 16 years, has expanded to 11 locations, including markets outside New York City like Boston and Philadelphia. Spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, they adapted their soup dumpling recipe for freezing and distribution. The brand offers full-service and express restaurants, with sizes of 1,200-1,500 square feet for express outlets. They launched an app for ordering and promotions, and have begun franchising, with the first franchise in Boston and others underway in Houston and North Carolina. They aim to reach every major U.S. city. A commissary in New Jersey was established to maintain dumpling quality for all locations.

🍗 In New York City, Pat and Bret attended a pig roast at Back Bar, Eventi Hotel, where Chef Laurent Tourondel's team cooked pigs from noon to 6 p.m. using a charcoal-fired "caja chino." At Heritage Grand Bakery, owner Lou Ramirez bakes with "population wheat," a mix of 17 grains. Perkins, renamed to Perkins American Food Co., focuses on bakery items, while Huddle House emphasizes its core menu, avoiding too much flavor innovation. Both chains form part of family-dining chains reinventing their menus.

📝 Homebase survey shows 62% of small business owners and 64% of hourly workers value coworker relationships. Poor team communication can hinder collaboration and lead to job dissatisfaction, particularly during seasonal demand. Flexibility is crucial for preventing burnout and improving job satisfaction. Streamlining communication through a single app for scheduling and timekeeping is recommended for small businesses to enhance flexibility and reduce back-office work.