All Inclusive Exposed Part I

All inclusive resorts seem to be the ultimate answer for modern and trendy travelers, however it can also be the ultimate and most terrifying nightmare for those who manage the food and beverage department, breaking your heads figuring out on how to control costs, trying to cut back everywhere, spending one whole day per month through fatal inventories, squeezing the last drop of juice.

For those who doesn’t know how and All Inclusive works, for every single Guest, you have a pre established budget, let’s say that you have $15 dollars per Guest per Night, $10 is destined for food and $5 for beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), remember, unlimited food and beverages for $15 buckaroos, breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, late snacks, margaritas, beers etc. but just remember when you go to a bufette to have lunch, you probably won’t eat breakfast so you can fill every last space of your hungry stomach, now figure that out for 24 hours.

That is certainly awful but read further for a few very cost effective measurements that will allow you to gain your yearly juicy bonus:

---Every single cent counts, cents make dollars, so try to save as many as you can, and I’m not suggesting on buying cheaper, reuse some diminishes for stocks or soups.

---Monitor each day your forecasts, as this changes all the time, that way, your warehouse requisitions will be more close to reality.

---Hire the greatest Pastry Chef; you would prefer people stuffing out with bread and cakes (cost effective as normally desserts are around a 7% cost vs. retail price) than with beef fillet.

---Usually All Inclusive offer a buffet, make sure to arrange dishes in a strategic way, at the beginning, set spectacular salads, with lots of toppings and dressings, don’t get cheap on vegetables, make them look fresh, crunchy, bright and colorful, this will attract the Guest eyes easily.

---If you host breakfast buffet, cook the best waffles and hot cakes, as well, make sure to include all sorts of sweet toppings, marmalades, fresh fruits (seasonal), whipped creams (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry), hot caramel, hot condensed milk, at the end, make sure people drool just at the mere sight of it, and also make sure it is sweet enough, as people would want to get their thirst quenched, with GALLONS OF ICE COLD WATER (instead of many pina coladas).

---You can’t possibly guess how much alcohol there is in a frozen cocktail, so fill in the blanks.

---Send your waiters during day with trays full of snacks such as chicken wings, deep fried tacos, quesadillas, nachos, chips; but be careful, as salty snacks gives you thirst that you will eventually would like to thirst, so think logical, 3 minutes after the snacks waiter, send another with frozen beverages (ice always costs less than juices and alcohol). By the end of this experience, people would be so full that they will end up asking just one or two courses during dinner.

---At the same time people are sitting for having dinner, make sure your Chef sends them a nice plate of appetizer (flour based), but make sure it is the most delicious appetizer they will ever have, this will prevent of over asking for dishes you will end up throwing half into the trash.

Stay tuned for part II…