Call it personal sustainability
Almost everyone loves excess, once in a while at least. Witness Las Vegas. The enduring popularity of the buffet. Yet, like so much else in our personal and professional spheres, the pandemic’s effect lives on even if the plague itself has been declared dead.
In the F&B orbit, that enduring impact is evident now in what attendees want from catering at events: excess is acceptable, even welcomed, on occasion—but health is higher on the must-have menu. Call it our collective need for personal sustainability.
With the news of JetBlue becoming the first U.S. airline to serve non-alcoholic beer, it’s clear more and more of us are “sober curious,” a term that means actively drinking less alcohol or not drinking it at all. A recent consumer study found a third of Americans are currently trying to drink less alcohol, with Gen Z averaging only three alcoholic drinks per week, compared to baby boomers and millennials, who average five each.
Zero-proof beverages continue to proliferate in availability and inventive appeal, but a newer twist on “healthier” drinking has appeared as the spirit-forward microbar. You’ll find it at several Hyatt properties across the country in the form of mini cocktails that “eliminate the fear of buyer’s remorse or overindulging,” to cite a Hyatt press release.
Read More: Essential F&B: Can Crafted
These mini cocktails can simply be smaller versions of classics. At Conversation Kitchen & Bar at Thompson Seattle, for example, the Negroni, Vesper and Manhattan are all offered in scaled-back sizes. At other Hyatt locations, bartenders are creating signature small-format beverages.
“Excess is acceptable, even welcomed, on occasion—but health is higher on the must-have menu.”
Parker’s, the jazz lounge at Thompson Central Park in New York City, offers a teensy Man Baby built with bourbon, vermouth, Grand Marnier and Angostura Bitters. And B-Side, a hidden speakeasy at Revival Baltimore, has a craft mini cocktail menu that includes Gin on the Fly, which pairs the herbaceous spirit with Chareau Aloe liqueur and white vermouth.
Health in the Lobby
But the cocktail bar is not the only place where your attendees may demand healthier options. You may know that a handful of convention centers now have rooftop gardens (Javits Center, New York City) or inhouse hydroponic gardens (Greater Columbus Convention Center, Ohio) to use freshly harvested produce for catering. But late last year an entire Marriott hotel brand went further to provide guests with free, farm-fresh produce while on the road.
Element Hotels, whose extended stay properties come with fully equipped kitchens and a wellness ethic, has partnered with Lettuce Grow, a nationally recognized leader of hydroponic gardening, to make eating healthy meals easier while away from home.
At select hotels like Element Tampa Midtown in Florida, the brand’s signature Rise breakfast is garnished with fresh herbs and greens sourced from a Lettuce Grow Farmstand in the lobby. During their stay, guests can also harvest their own produce to bring up to their private studio kitchens.
Read More: Healthy You: Biohacks for Planners
Each of these farmstands yields the equivalent of a 40-square-foot farm, all within a four-foot-square footprint. Each Element Farmstand is planted with up to eight varieties of leafy greens and herbs that are sustainably grown and non-GMO, ranging from butter lettuce, arugula, rainbow Swiss chard, bok choy and green onions to herbs like parsley, dill and cilantro.
Element guests are also given recipes inspired by the local cuisine of each hotel curated by award-winning chef Sammy Monsour.
For small groups, Element locations feature Studio Commons, an industry-first room concept that blends a hotel room with a home rental, providing a flexible living space anchored by four private guest rooms, complete with a fully equipped kitchen for groups to spend time together privately.
“We’ve made it a top priority to provide locally grown options and sensible choices for our guests,” says Marlon Whyte, global brand leader for Element. “Lettuce Grow helps us achieve this in a way that is environmentally friendly, while also creating a fun, unique and complimentary experience for groups to come together and reconnect over a nutritious meal.”
This article appears in the July 2023 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.
