Crockery speaks for your hotel

By: Héctor Gómez Pérez

That the world of hospitality is a world of details is a statement that admits little doubt. Details ranging from the choice of furniture colors to the layout of spaces, just to mention a couple of examples.

Even the slightest thing in a hotel should be well thought out because the universe of hospitality is much more than a room to sleep in when you are away from home, as many industry representatives know.

A Chinese proverb says that "a picture is worth a thousand words" and popular wisdom has always stressed that "everything enters through the eyes". Hence the importance that food acquires in a hotel, the colors of it, the way it is served and of course, the crockery in which it is offered.

To talk about the leading role that tableware plays in the industry, HOTEL AND RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT invited three experts in the field to give their opinions on the matter: Sergio Franco, general director of Oneida S.A de C.V; Jorge Mario Urrego Restrepo, institutional product manager of Vajillas Corona, and Carmen Benítez, Sales Manager for the Caribbean, Mexico/ Central & South America of Steelite International America.

Tableware, an element to strengthen the brand
The first to approach this concept was Sergio Franco to specify that depending on the type of hotel, the choice of crockery will have two considerations. In that sense, he said that 5- and star hotels are more inclined to the design and quality of the tableware, while in the 3- and 4-star hotels the decision to buy a crockery will depend on the price/quality ratio.

For his part, Jorge Mario Urrego said that "everything enters through the eyes and if it is about tasting a delicious dish with which a true sensory experience is achieved that activates the five senses and that exceeds the expectations of the diners, the image that the food has is fundamental", to refer to all the elements that enter the scene when serving a dish, among which the crockery stands out.

Although a few years ago personalized tableware was very fashionable, Franco points out that "today simplicity is synonymous with elegance, coupled with the fact that replacement times will be much shorter for a non-personalized tableware." However, the crockery that a hotel uses in its restaurants or in the room service depends on what the hotel wants to project on its guests. This means that the value proposition of the hotel must be perfectly aligned with what its customers expect.

"The issue of tableware depends on multiple factors: whether the focus of the hotel is mainly banquets or room service, the type of property, the menu, the atmosphere you want to create, the location, the number of rooms and the budget," said Carmen Benitez.

Industry-facing features
Although each establishment has a particular need for its tableware, there are a number of features that apply to the entire industry. Generally speaking, a tableware for the hospitality industry must comply with the following:

• Stackability: this is that the pieces can be stored intelligently with each other, optimizing the use of spaces.

• Resistance to use in microwave oven, conventional oven and automatic dishwasher.

• Resistance to temperature changes (thermal shock).

• Good resistance to overflow or chipping.

• Enamel hard enough to scratch us.

• Excellent replenishment service.

Carmen Benítez said that "there is an increase in the demand for small pieces with curves or in the form of a rectangle and square creating a dramatic presentation, allowing an impressive framework for appetizers, desserts, accompaniments and tastings, which can be used individually or in combination with a square dish.

It is not a matter of chance
It had already been said that hospitality is an industry of details, so the choice of crockery for a hotel or hotel chain is not a decision that can be left to chance.

In this sense, it is necessary to be clear about the type of need that you have and the characteristics of the hotel, without ignoring the menu that will be offered to diners to define the pieces for the service. Although it is not surprising, as Urrego said, that in some places there is talk of "resegmantization", that is, that establishments give themselves the freedom to propose plating in different pieces. "It will not be strange for us to find an appetizer, for example, presented in a cup or a succulent dessert plated in a pasta dish," said the representative of Corona.

Very much in line with what Urrego said, Benitez showed himself, saying that sometimes collections are designed for specific uses, but finally the user gives them a use for which they were not initially designed. "It all depends on the creativity and imagination of the chef. For example, the specific font designed for sushi can be used for tapas in a Spanish concept; a glass vase can be the perfect item to present specialty sauces and a metal mold can be the next deep container for an ice cream."

It is important to note that crockery is part of the decoration and atmosphere of the hotel, so there must be a relationship with the general concept and a supplier that manages to find customization options according to the needs of the establishment.

Finally, the product must comply with a minimum of technical and functional specifications, among which the replacement service is a fundamental variable.

And the replenishment what?
The three guests agreed that the theme of the replacement of the pieces is fundamental when talking about tableware. "It is important that hotels quote companies that guarantee the prompt replacement of their products and that offer tableware designed for institutional use (Foodservice). There are small companies that offer products that will be difficult to replenish since they do not have inventories or are discontinued and poor quality lines," Franco said.

Benitez referred to this aspect as follows: "It is a very important issue and sometimes overlooked. It is imperative that in a business transaction products are purchased from a reputable manufacturer and that is a specialist in products designed for the hospitality industry. If you buy products that are sold at retail sometimes you do not have the guarantees that they will be available when you need to reorder."

A typical mistake within the hospitality industry in relation to tableware is to consider price as the number one variable when making a purchase decision. On the one hand, an economic product may not be endorsed for all the technical and functional specifications required for use in a hotel, and on the other hand it may not have a good replacement service.

It is important to analyze what is the purchase price versus the possession price, which is closely linked to an initial investment to acquire a quality product, but that will be a saving factor in the future since you will not have to incur high costs for replacement of the parts.

"Variables such as personalization, pre- and post-sale accompaniment, the replenishment service, personalized attention to complaints and claims, among others, should be considered," said Urrego in front of the factors that in addition to the price must be taken into account before making an investment of this type.