Introduction
Sydney festival is an example of the International Avant-Garde art exhibitions festival which is a major event on the international stage. In this case, it is not only the festival that is essential but also the experience of the festival itself in the areas where it is carried out. On this basis, an international hotel company provides an outlet for foods and beverages as per the agreement in the sponsorship deal. Importantly, the provided outlet is as a result of the hotel’s marketing strategy which; is supposed to be implemented at the festival and at the same time attract media attention so that it could act as a form of advertisement.
It is worth noting that, the outlet itself would act as a form of art where the food and beverages outlet would come from a seemingly standard shipping container. On the last day of the festival, the food and beverages would be backed into the container so that the container could be used in the future at other festivals worldwide. On this basis, all these activities outline the concept of utilizing a shipping container as a building for hospitality.
International Avant-Garde art exhibitions take place in international stages; where different people from all over the world come to show their art and also view what others have. In this case, an example of this exhibition is the one which happens annually in New York City which; is very significant not only because of the arts present but also the experience of the festival itself. At this festival, different foods and beverages were provided by a certain hotel company which had signed a contract with the festival directors.
Bearing in mind that this was an international festival, the food and beverages were provided in a form of a shipping container that had outlets that acted as arts by themselves. It is of importance to note that, the hotel company which provided the foods and beverages had some laid down marketing strategies; where the outlet took the point at the festival attracting the media attention. By doing this, they were advertising the hotel’s foods and beverages where many other people would come to know about them through the media (Brown, 2002).
The day to day food and beverage menu
A point to note here is that a day-to-day menu was prepared to start from the first day of the festival up to the final day. On this basis, this menu indicated the prices of all foods and beverages offered as per the supermarket prices. A point worth noting is that the foodservice operation in this hotel happened in such a way that customers ordered food and served themselves. In this hotel, most of the food and beverages were provided during lunch hour and dinner hour. Concerning the menu, it took into account the below-outlined issues (Gordon & Brezinski, 1999).
Festival setting
It is of importance to note that, this Avant-Garde festival was set along the ocean and at a harbor in particular. This was to make sure that, the ship that had the shipping container would be well placed to ease the provision of food and beverages. In addition, the festival had all arts from all countries in the world where each country had all its arts in one position for easy viewing. Further, the exhibition happened on a ship because it was an international festival and people from every corner of the world traveled by water as the cheapest means of transportation. A point worth noting is that this exhibition took three days where each day people would interact and come to know each other well. Additionally, the festival was opened at around 8.00 a.m by the president of the U.S.A. on the first day. It should be noted that the hotel at the festival was situated at a place where it was easy for the customers to order and serve themselves. By doing this, the congestion of customers waiting to be served by the hotel waiters is reduced. (Mearly, 2006).
Further, each country had ample time to explain her arts and also had a chance of learning from other countries’ arts. On this basis, in every place inside the hotel, there was a food and beverage menu; which eased the work of food and beverage provision in the festival. Additionally, each country had its main menu placed in a strategic position to be viewed by everybody from that country. It is of importance to note that, all major types of food and beverages from all countries were available and hence each member of any given country was catered for. On the other hand, the food and beverages menu contained alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (Hayes & Ninemeier, 2003).
The demographics of an Avant-Garde arts festival
Generally, the Avant-Garde arts festival in New York was attended by a huge number of people of all genders and age brackets from all over the world. As America was the host country, it had the highest population percentage of the people who attended followed by the United Kingdom, China, Japan, and so on in that order. In terms of the population percentage present per continent, North America had the highest followed by Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America in that order. It should be noted that, youths were more than the old people and hence most of the food and beverages which were sold; were mostly those that are associated with the youths. In the arts festival, each age group was catered for as far as foods and beverages were concerned as all types of foods were available (Brennan, 1972).
From the population percentages in the Avant Gerde art festival, it can be deduced that most of the foods and beverages consumed were those which originate from North America. Further, most of the food and beverages consumed were those that are mostly for youths like the alcoholic drinks since their percentages outdid that of the old people (Breitfuss, 2006).
Based on efficient menu development; an eatery menu determines the kind of customers that would visit the restaurant, the personnel skills, pieces of equipment required as well as the number of transactions produced by an eatery. To develop an effective menu, the hotel in the festival had examined the customer counts and checked averages needed to meet their fiscal objectives. Additionally, the capacity restraining factors in this restaurant were addressed which included; the availability of seats, location, the number of working days and hours, a variety as well as size of equipment obtainable. Further, the hotel manager researched from the newspapers about the food and restaurant reviews to offer the best quality. Moreover, there was a good reassessment of the potentiality of the trade area (Leiber, 2006).
The restrictive nature of the kitchen and service space available
In the Avant Gerde arts festival, there was a rule which was implemented by the management stating that no unauthorized person should enter the kitchen. In this case, every customer was only supposed to order food and then sit down to eat. Concerning this, self-service was practiced where each person could order and get food by himself as hotel service workers were adequate. It can be revealed that the hotel management decided to restrict customers from entering the kitchen because they wanted to minimize overcrowding in the kitchen (Monkie, 2010).
It should be noted that the kitchen was spacious enough to hold all the cooking which took place there to adequately satisfy all people who were there at the Avant Gerde arts festival. To make sure that no one entered the kitchen without being permitted to, there were posters all over indicating that only the hotel staff was allowed into the kitchen. Further, the hotel management had employed a security guard who guarded the kitchen entrance throughout the festival period. On the other hand, the serving space available was designed in such a manner that it could hold approximately 1000-1500 seated customers at once. In this case, therefore, people found it possible to eat in this hotel throughout their stay at the festival (Hayes & Ninemeier, 2003).
As a result of adequate serving space, the wait time was minimized since even the workers were adequate and did their job competently. Additionally, since every kind of food was available and serving space was adequate; most customers flock there which resulted in the hotel making a lot of profit. From the menu, it can be revealed that there was a good mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. On this basis, examples of non-alcoholic drinks offered were; sodas and juices while those of alcoholic drinks included beer and red wine. A point worth noting is that a standard recipe card was prepared to indicate the number of all people present, the total number of countries present, name of the dish, reference source, preparation time, and time is taken in preparation. Additionally, the card comprised of cooking time in minutes, total time is taken in preparation as well as cooking and ingredient name. (Davis et al, 2008).
The hotel company’s marketing strategy
As has been said earlier, this hotel company marketed its foods and beverages primarily through the media. In this case, the hotel company outlet took the point at the festival where they could attract the media attention as a way of advertising its foods and beverages. Additionally, there were posters posted everywhere in the festival advertising foods and beverages offered by this hotel. It can be revealed that the hotel company that served customers in the Avant-Garde arts festival made a lot of profits as a result of this marketing strategy. In this case, the hotel management was well planned which made the customers come back with their friends every time they went to get food and beverages (Gordon & Brezinski, 1999).
The hotel manager before preparing the restaurant menu had considered the available market and production constraints. In this case, the food and beverages available in the hotel were locally produced which contributed to their relatively low prices. From the menu, it can be deduced that a list of drinks was indicated for every country and one for all countries for example soft drinks from Coca-Cola Company. It is of importance to note that, a drink recipe was reviewed before offering the drink to customers (Leiber, 2006).
Conclusion
To wind up, the menu prepared by the hotel company that served the people in the Avant Gerde arts festival accommodated the major kinds of food and beverages from all over the world. As a result of good management and marketing strategy, this hotel was able to make a lot of profits from the foods and beverages. It should be noted that when the festival ended the remaining food was backed to the container to be used in the next festival globally. It should be noted that this menu suited the objectives set out by the hotel manager.
In this case, this menu catered for every person who visited this hotel because the food and beverages prices were relatively affordable and they contained approximately all that is required in a balanced diet. In this relation, the alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks contained in the menu ranged from low prices to high ones. For example, the food and beverages selling price were 28% higher than the ingredients buying price hence accounting for some percentage of profit.
Attachments
Example of dishes present in the menu and their respective prices
Main dishes
Fish…………………………………………………………………… ………$ 20
Rice……………………………………………………………………. ………$ 10
Baked bread……………………………………………………………………$ 9
Beef stew…………………………………………………………………. …..$ 22
Chinese food……………………………………………………………………$ 25
1kg of roasted meat……………………………………………………………$ 23
Meat and chips…………………………………………………………………. $ 22
Sausages with mashed potatoes………………………………………………$ 19
Cured meat and vegetables……………………………………………………..$ 20
Cheese……………………………………………………………………………..$ 13
Chicken full…………………………………………………………………………$ 26
Yorkshire pudding…………………………………………………………………. $ 25
Sandwich……………………………………………………………………………. $ 13
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
Wine or cider was sometimes served with meals like roasted meat which amounted to a total of $ 43. On the other hand, non-alcoholic drinks included; fruits juice like apple, mango, and pineapple juices, coffee, tea, milk, sodas, and flavor water. Their prices were as follows;
Red wine…………………………………………………………………………$ 20
Cider………………………………………………………………………………. $ 20
A bottle of fruit juice………………………………………………………………$ 8
A cup of coffee……………………………………………………………………. $ 9
A cup of tea………………………………………………………………………..$ 7
A glass of milk……………………………………………………………………..$ 8
Soda 500 ml………………………………………………………………………..$ 16
Soda 300ml…………………………………………………………………………$ 10
An example of the main menu
Main dishes
Fish…………………………………………………………………… ………$ 20
Rice……………………………………………………………………. ………$ 10
Baked bread……………………………………………………………………$ 9
Beef stew…………………………………………………………………. …..$ 22
Chinese food……………………………………………………………………$ 25
1kg of roasted meat……………………………………………………………$ 23
Meat and chips…………………………………………………………………. $ 22
Sausages with mashed potatoes………………………………………………$ 19
Cured meat and vegetables……………………………………………………..$ 20
Cheese……………………………………………………………………………..$ 13
Chicken full…………………………………………………………………………$ 26
Yorkshire pudding…………………………………………………………………. $ 25
Sandwich……………………………………………………………………………. $ 13
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
Red wine…………………………………………………………………………$ 20
Cider………………………………………………………………………………. $ 20
A bottle of fruit juice………………………………………………………………$ 8
A cup of coffee……………………………………………………………………. $ 9
A cup of tea………………………………………………………………………..$ 7
A glass of milk……………………………………………………………………..$ 8
Soda 500 ml………………………………………………………………………..$ 16
Soda 300ml…………………………………………………………………………$ 10
Reference List
Breitfuss, A. (2006). Learn the 7 Fatal Mistakes of Menu Design. Web.
Brennan, D. (1972). Annual Avant-Garde of New York. Web.
Brown, D. (2002). The Restaurant Managers Handbook: How to Set Up, Operate, and Manage a Financially Successful Food Service Operation, 3rd edition, New Delhi: Atlantic Publishing Company.
Brown, D. (2002). The Food Service Professional Guide to Series, New Delhi: Atlantic Publishing Company.
Davis, B. et al. (2008). Food and Beverage Management, 4th edition, New York: Butterworth-Heinemann Publishers.
Gordon, R. & Brezinski, M. (1999). The Complete Restaurant Management Guide, New York: M.E. Sharpe Publishers.
Hayes, D. & Ninemeier, J. (2003). Hotel Operations Management, New York: Prentice Hall Publishers.
Leiber, S. (2006). Annual Avant-Garde of New York. Web.
Merely, L. (2006). Restaurant Menu Pricing, Design and Description. Web.
Monkie, G. (2010). Shipping Containers. Web.