How low is too low - how far can you push poor quality?
Sri Lanka is unquestionably going through the toughest time that the country has ever faced in its 73-year independence; a crippling economic crisis that has not even escaped the rich; for the first time they are finding out that having oodles of cash is useless if there’s no food or fuel to buy with it. Amidst such adversity, it’s understandable that the standards we typically expect in food and beverages served in hotels or restaurants have to be somewhat tempered. After all, we have to be tolerant; everyone is going through an incredibly hard time. I get that and only recently penned an article on how innovative thinking can turn ‘less into more in F&B’.
However, what is the breaking point? How low can the bar sink before you simply have to say, “enough is enough”? In other words, is it alright to serve stunningly mediocre food to guests at a wedding? Let me illustrate my case with a recent experience at a heritage hotel in Colombo that’s been around for over 150 years. I’ve dined at this hotel in the past and have found it to be fairly acceptable in the F&B arena – not fabulously outstanding, nor notably mediocre. My latest experience would slingshot this hotel into the latter.
Anyone who is in F&B and caters to Muslim weddings in Sri Lanka will know that if it’s a dinner function, you can’t expect a significant portion of guests to walk in until after 8.30pm. That’s just the way it is, they will typically leave their homes after the last prayers of the day, which are around 7.30pm at this time of year. So, you can imagine my disappointment when the starters, consisting of spring rolls, pakodas and samosas were wheeled in at around 8.45 pm as the hall was filling up, and they were colder than Nuwara Eliya on a December’s night. Clearly, they had been deep- fried several hours earlier, and had not been placed in the food warmer - at the very least!
Alrighty, let’s give them a pass on this. Maybe they are saving electricity to keep the main event toasty. After all, the highlight of a Muslim wedding is the Biriyani – and being Muslim, I can openly and publicly say this. The biriyani arrived, and was set at the table in all its grandeur, creating a rather appetizing spectacle, and I couldn’t wait to dig in. My wife was busy putting our infant son to sleep and therefore I was taking the first ‘eating shift’ – as parents of infants can well relate. I filled my plate and inserted a hand into the delectable smorgasbord of food (for our overseas readers, biriyani is best when eaten with hands, not cutlery).
As that first mouthful, approached my fired-up nostrils, and, before it entered my mouth - I thought I had caught Covid-19 and had lost my sense of taste and smell. Apart from the stone-cold nature of the biriyani and accompaniments, it was like eating a mass of cardboard – tasteless!. A second mouthful evoked the same result. My wife, had by then returned with our son in one hand, and I had served food onto her plate. She took a mouthful and told me “I think I may have caught Covid-19; I can’t taste or smell anything from this food”. That was when we realized we had just encountered the Worst Biriyani…IN THE WORLD (if you know Jeremy Clarkson, you should read those last three words in his voice).
What do you think dear reader? Is it acceptable for a heritage hotel to serve such dismal food, and expect people to stomach it? Thankfully, I didn’t face any adverse effects the next day.
The classification guidelines issued by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority in respect of Heritage Hotels, where it states says “Food and Beverage services provided shall be of the highest standards”, was grossly violated that night. Embracing the historic character of the building as a point of differentiation alone, will not suffice nor is it the sole focal point of any dining experience -where everything else does not matter.
Getting a Biriyani right is just as important as receiving the dinner function.
Ashraaq Wahab - Technical and Marketing Director Hospitality Sri Lanka, Automotive Journalist, Marketer and Writer, who enjoys penning his thoughts, insights and ideas on a variety of topics.
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