Not Your Fatherís Buffet Hotel Restaurants Moving From Standard Dishes to Creative Cuisine by Stephen Qualiana Restaurants in hotels go together like bacon and eggsóbut not if those bacon and eggs come from a buffet. Although many of us have fond memories of Mom and Dad taking us to the big-spread buffet at the local hotel on Sundays, in the last decade or two hotel restaurants having been moving from American standard fareósteam-table food, club sandwiches, burgers and steaksóto higher and healthier cuisine. Cabo Restaurant Washington, D.C., diners seem to have a particular attitude against restaurants in hotels, according to Paul Grove, general manager and co-owner of Cabo restaurant in The Westin Fairfax (soon to be called The Westin Embassy Row) in Washington, D.C. The prime minister of Luxembourg stayed there recently; nearby embassy personnel often frequent the restaurant. Cabo has a menu based on French-Californian cooking. "If you go to L.A. or New York, some of the best restaurants are in hotels, but for some reason this town seems to have a stigma about hotel restaurants," Grove sai d. Changing the mind-set of hotel guests is where Grove is aiming his efforts. "Many hotel guests will come down, and simply because of the stigma of being a hotel restaurant, they think they will need to go out," said Grove. One of the ways Grove is trying to get over this stigma is by making it more conducive for the hotel guest to come into the dining area via the lounge. "They come in and instead of just seeing an empty bar and thinking they need to go somewhere else, weíve been able to attract [a crowd] to make it more of a happening bar by hiring a DJ." But Groveís biggest challengeóas is many of the others who were interviewed for this articleóis to bring in the outside business. "We are battling with [established nightlife areas]," noted Grove. "You have certain areas that have reputations, such as Georgetown. Guests say, you know, ëLetís go to Georgetown for dinner.í" What makes a hotel restaurant successful is to bring in business from the outside, said Grove. "You know you are going to get the hotel guests for breakfast. Itís whether or not you can get people from outside to come in for breakfast or lunch or especially dinner. If you do not get outside business coming in or do not get a reputation that attracts that outside clientele, quite frankly you will not have a successful hotel restaurant." Cabo opened just several months ago, replacing the well-known Jockey Club that was a fixture at the hotel for decades. One distinction that Grove made is that The Jockey Club was owned by the hotel: Cabo is not. "We are an independent restaurant. We are not part of Starwood [the owner]." The Jockey Club used to be part of what was formerly the Ritz-Carlton, and then eventually it was encompassed by Starwood Hotels. Grove said that times have changed for hotel restaurants, and they have to alter their strategy to compete today. "Forty years ago, when The Jockey Club was around, there were very few restaurants around, besides your small mom-and-pop and ethnic restaurants. For high-end restaurants, there just werenít that many around. "Of course, the competition has become much keener now, and the hotel industry understands that if they want to make their restaurants profitable, they have to move to outside sourcing. They need to make them more of an amenity to the hotel instead of just a function of the hotel." Another thing that may make a hotel restaurant different from an outside restaurant is that business seems to be transacted there quite often. Grove said that this is not only true for the dining rooms, but for the lounge as well. "In our situation, where there are quite a number of meeting rooms, what we find is that itís the people who do not want to pay the charge for meeting rooms." That works out fine for Grove because "Iím already open," and businesspeople are happy to order food and drink while they cut deals and transactions. Although he is seeking outside customers, "right now weíre more reliant upon the hotel for business than I would hope to be," he said. "Business is more determined by the night. This is a business hotel, so instead of being a tourist hotel, most of our business occurs Monday through Friday, and people check in Sunday and Monday nights. So Sunday and Monday night can be busy nights for us." Grove said this is the way it works at his restaurant: People check in on Sunday or Monday nights and because they are just settling in, they eat their first meal at Cabo. The second and third nights they almost always go out to places such as Georgetown or Adams Morgan and try something else. "If they really enjoyed the food on the Sunday or Monday night they ate here, they go and try two or three other places, and say: ëWe went to all these other places, and still the best food we had was back at the hotel,í" he pointed out. "If I can get them again on Wednesday or Thursday night, then I look at that as a success." Donnaís Restaurant Another Washington, D.C., hotel restaurant is Donnaís, which opened in June 2000 and is located in the St. Gregory Luxury Hotel & Suites. The restaurant is one of several in a local chain based in Baltimore, Md. "The restaurant is a leased operation, but it is a seamless operation because our guests can come from the hotel or have room service or catering, as if the restaurant were part of the hotel. Our guests never really see the difference," said Hector Torres, vice president of sales and marketing for the St. Gregory and the Governorís House, which are both owned by Capital Hotels. Torres noted that foreign business people and diplomatic staff, who may or may not be guests of the hotel, find Donnaís attractive because: "First, we have a multilingual staff that is quite capable of handling the international traveler. Secondly, and more important with the restaurant, Donnaís cuisine has a Mediterranean flair, which is nice because it reaches broadly to a wide range of tastes. However, the menu is diverse enough to be appreciated universally. There is something for everybody in that menu, and it was very carefully done." Another of Torresís restaurants that is a popular business watering hole is the 17th Street Bar & Grill in the Governorís House, also in Washington, D.C. The bar and grill serves "innovative American cuisine in an informal atmosphere," said Torres. "The interesting thing is that a new chef just came onboard, and we will be launching a new menu of his creation. Itís always been a very popular place for people to conduct business luncheons and dinners, and itís also very popular with the diplomatic community because itís right on Massachusetts Avenue." Bar Rouge and Topaz Another manager in charge of two hotel restaurants is Carl Halvorson, area general manager of Kimpton Hotel and Restaurant Group. He manages the Bar Rouge in the Hotel Rouge and the Topaz Bar in the Topaz Hotel, both in Washington, D.C. "Our restaurants are run as a separate business from the hotels, even though they are both owned by the same company," said Halvorson. "In that respect, there are restaurateurs and entrepreneurs behind the restaurant instead of hotel food and beverage people running the restaurant operation." As did Grove at Cabo, Halvorson noted the trend of business: A lot of the clientele prefer to go to a restaurant that is a separate operation from the hotel. "I think with your outside clientele thereís a stigma: They donít want to go to a hotel to eat. They want to go to a restaurant. And by offering an operation that has a separate entrance, that has itís own identity, that has itís own businessóguests respond to that." Halvorson also noted that there was a shift in the last 20 years from what hotel restaurants used to be. "Theyíre catching on very much to make sure that their food is cutting edge, and they listen to what the clients are asking them," he added. "In the restaurant industry, things are changing so much they want to keep abreast of it and keep up with things that are happening." Bar Rouge and Topaz focus on the food, which is the creation of chef John Wabeck. "We have what we call ësmall plates,í" said Halvorson. "Theyíre not tapas, and theyíre not main courses. They are like little tastes of Wabeckís cooking. The Topaz has Asian-American fusion food, ranging from the salads to gingered grits to chips and dip, which is a humus with crabmeat." Wabeck adopted more of a Latino influence with his food at Bar Rouge. The kitchen serves concoctions with names such as smoked salmon-wrapped ahi tuna poke with carrot-tequila emulsion, for example. An interesting point Halvorson raised about a factor that might be influencing the switch in cuisine is the surge of women doing business. "I think the tastes of the businessman have changed, but I think that there are a lot more businesswomen now, and generally they demand food of high quality and right portions," he said. "Hotel restaurants are moving away from buffets and the good old steak and [fries]," noted Halvorson. "The food trends have changed so much in hotel restaurants in the last 20 years that itís definitely gone in different directions with the food styles." A hotel restaurant can no longer rely solely on the business coming from the hotel. It has to establish a reputation for its food to be successful. Grove from Cabo said that one of the restaurants that has made a name for itself outside of the hotel is Michel Richardís Citronelle in The Latham Hotel, which has a renowned reputation because of its food. Citronelle Chef Michel Richard "never views Citronelle as a hotel restaurant," noted Jeff Ragonese, manager of Georgetownís Latham Hotel, owned by Meristar. "The deal that Michel has with Meristar is basically heís an outside contractor, and thatís his restaurant and he runs it as such." He attributed Richardís freedom to operate the restaurant as one of the keys to its success. "I really think that Citronelle has been successful because of Michelís experience [in this business]. Heís owned several restaurants in L.A., bakeries around the world and other restaurants in Philadelphia, so heís not your typical chef. What we do here at Citronelle is not typical of hotel restaurants. Itís Michelís place, and he really takes ownership of it." Citronelle, which serves French cuisine, is a four-star restaurant that draws a powerful customer base. "A lot of the customers are lobbyists, and then there are congressmen and heads of state," said Ragonese. "By and large, much of our business is business diners." Ragonese pointed out that the only reason Citronelle is not a five-star restaurant is because it does not offer 24-hour room service. One reason restaurants that are integrated into the hotel business often suffer is because when it comes time to make cuts by the owners, itís the restaurant that gets hit first because of its higher expenses for labor and food and beverages, said Ragonese. "Itís easier to cut those areas, and what happens long term is that you suffer in quality," he noted. Ragonese downplays any particular trend in hotel restaurants. "I think the trend in restaurants in Washington depends on where you are in Washington and who you are trying to attract. The trend is still very simple: quality food, the best ingredients. Personally, I think people do not mind paying $30 or $35 for an entrÈe as long as itís high quality and your service is very good." When a hotel and restaurant are working together the result should be synergistic, said Torres of Donnaís restaurant. "What happens is that hotels put forth a very special effort in designing meals that are pleasing to the guest, so that the guest had not only a satisfactory food and beverage experience, but also one that complements their hotel stay. It goes hand in hand: The restaurant complements the hotel and the hotel complements the restaurant." Stephen Qualiana is a restaurant reviewer and editor of The Washington Diplomat.