This latest instalment of FCSI’s Projects Podcast, goes behind the scenes of an innovative project, converting the buffet dining hall at the Cherokee Hotel & Casino in West Siloam Springs to a food hall concept. Tina Nielsen hears from Arlene Spiegel FCSI, owner and president of Arlene Spiegel & Associates; along with food and beverage director Eric Shoemaker and operations director Jason Darrow of Cherokee Nation Entertainment, about the experience of implementing such radical change.
Spiegel outlines how she developed a concept that could fit in with a post-pandemic world where self-service had to change. “Guests didn’t want to share tongs, they were worried about sneeze guards but they didn’t want these grab and go salads either, so we started to think about how can we create a business model that would enable us to always have something open,” she says.
“Getting rid of the buffet was a tough decision because it was so popular; everybody loved it. The biggest challenge in front of us was just change – it was such a drastic change from what we had historically offered, for us and for our guests,” says Darrow.
FCSI’s Projects podcast is a new series, featuring leading members of FCSI The Americas along with their clients and collaborators in significant foodservice projects. Giving an insight into the projects they work on, they share challenges and lessons learnt with listeners.
You can listen to the podcast below:
This podcast series is supported by American Panel. For more information, please visit: www.americanpanel.com
Listen to episode one of FCSI’s Projects Podcast about moving from catered to in-house dining at Georgia Tech Dining here and episode two about providing quality meals in large volumes at Meals on Wheels in Tulsa here
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