Determining your 'F&B DNA' : are you a entrepreneur?
The aubergiste, the entrepreneur, the restaurateur and the undecided (c) Thibault Prugne & Stéphane Bellon
In my very first post of this series, I suggested that the F&B strategy in a hotel is largely driven by the executive’s experience and attitude to the culinary side as a whole. I introduced the idea that there are four types of hoteliers, and that your approach to F&B can tell you a lot about which category you fit into. I believe there is a strong alignment between the general manager’s “F&B DNA” and the hotel’s F&B strategy.
In previous posts, we considered the aubergiste and the restaurateur. Today, I’d like to look at the third category of hotelier: the entrepreneur.
The entrepreneur is not a restaurateur and has perhaps has never worked in the restaurant business at all. He or she is more closely associated with the aubergiste. However, the entrepreneur abandons the traditional F&B model of the aubergiste and prefers the association of the brand with creative industries like arts and culture.
The entrepreneur is in the lifestyle business and seeks to set trends, or at least follow them closely. The entrepreneur is an opportunist (in the best possible way) and ready to move quickly if new business opportunities arise. She or he is also ready to invest in the best external talents available on the market, which can sometimes compromise the promotion of internal talents.
A celebrity chef, celebrity designer or association with a strong brand is a must for the entrepreneur, who acts as a “talent-mixer” – to motivate the best talents and make them work together.
The entrepreneur treats the restaurant as a brand in itself and sees it as a strong differentiation factor for the hotel. The entrepreneur understands innovation, luxury, branding and marketing. Top management holds ties with creative industries such as fashion, music and design and is a trend-seeker or even -setter. If the entrepreneur does not have the technical know-how to handle F&B, he or she will still have a relevant vision and will find the resources to achieve it.
Stay tuned for the next post about the “undecided.” Have you identified your niche yet? Have you worked for an aubergiste, a restaurateur or an entrepreneur? What were the advantages and drawbacks?
Stephane Bellon is the founder of Studionomie, an agency specializing in creating and developing original dining concepts. Previously, Bellon was vice president of corporate F&B for Kempinski Hotels for four years, overseeing the company's worldwide F&B strategy. Before joining Kempinski, Bellon worked alongside Alain Ducasse, prospecting new business opportunities and developing restaurant concepts. A graduate of business school HEC Paris, his book, “Gastronomie et Hôtellerie, secrets de cuisine” has been welcomed as a reference in the industry.
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