F&B and Other Budget Tips

Presented by

Bonnie Wallsh, MA, CMP, CMM Chief Strategist

Bonnie Wallsh Associates, LLC.

Moderated by

Zachary Chouteau Content Director, Features and News

Meetings Focus

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

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Today’s Speaker:

Bonnie Wallsh, MA, CMP, CMM Chief Strategist

Bonnie Wallsh Associates, LLC

bwacmp@carolina.rr.com

Learning Objectives

• Communicate with the chef to plan creative food and beverage

functions within your budget

• Anticipate and fulfill individual special needs of attendees

• Identify methods to improve the accuracy of your guarantees

• Discover the latest trends in food and beverage

• Other “tricks of the trade” to save on your overall budget

Presenter:

Bonnie Wallsh, MA, CMP, CMM,

Chief Strategist

Bonnie Wallsh Associates

Ph: (704) 491-0921

bwacmp@carolina.rr.com

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

PLAN CREATIVE FOOD & BEVERAGE ON A BUDGET

Obtain Information from the Meeting Sponsor

• What information is needed?

• How do you obtain it?

• What do you do with it?

Impact of Meeting Goals & Objectives on F&B

• Budget

• Profile of Attendees

• Special Needs/Cultural Diversity

• Program

- Time framework/Speakers/Entertainment

• Geographical location of meeting

• Historical Data

Communication

• What does the chef need from the planner?

• What does the planner need from the chef?

• How can the chef and planner partner together in planning menus?

Menu Planning

International Meetings

• Latino/Hispanic

• Asian

• Middle Eastern

• South American

• Africa

Regional within USA

Menu Planning

Religious

• Kosher/Glatt Kosher/Passover

• Muslim/Halal/Ramadan

• Hindu/Buddhists

• Catholics/Lent

• Mormons/hot caffeinated beverages/alcohol

• What else?

Themed Events

• Decorations

• Audio Visual

• Lighting

• Music/Sound

• Special Effects

• Attire

• Catering

• Tables

• Chairs

Costing

Liquor Consumption

• ALWAYS use a trained bartender

• Bar set-up ration

• Cash vs. host bar

Costing

Food service

• Quantity or per person?

• Butler service or buffet?

• Plated or buffet?

• Packages or a la carte?

Service charges/gratuities/tips

Foods that Enhance Attendee Alertness

• Red Breaks – Heart

• Blue Breaks – Brain

• Leafy and Colorful Vegetables – Brain

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Brain

• Folic Acid - Brain

Menu Planning

How do you Plan a Menu that won’t Break the Bank?

How do you Plan a Menu that Fulfills Your Objectives?

Planning Menus to Enhance Your Program

• Breakfast

• Refreshment Breaks

• Lunch

• Receptions

• Dinner

• After Dinner Reception

• Hospitality Suites

• Team Building

Menu Planning How Do You Plan Menus for Your Groups?

Southern Reception

• Fried green tomatoes

• Squash & Vidalia Onion Quiche

• Shrimp & Grits

• Southern Mac & Cheese

• Collard Green Wontons

• Fried Pickles

• BBQ Chicken Sliders

• Fresh Fruit Display

• Garden Veggie Platter

• Signature Drink

Anything But Ordinary Palindrome Lunch – Sponsored by Tampa Bay Area Chapter at MPISEC

Salad

Fresh spinach salad w/ raspberries, bleu cheese, Vidalia onion Vinaigrette

Entrée

Grilled Churasco steak

Fresh summer Succotash salad

Dessert

House made shortcake, peaches, mint, and sour cream

Entrée

Roasted coconut curry Wahoo, pepper, and onions

Salad

Shaved fennel, citrus and radish salad, olive oil, salt, and peppers

Creative Menu – Sponsored by FEDEX at PCMA Annual Conference

“Re” Constructed salad - Make your own salad

Ingredients:

• 1 slice of Texas vine ripened beef steak tomato

• 1 Dallas made crème fraiche burrata

• 1 basil leaf

• 3 baby yellow pear tomatoes

• 1 pinch micro greens

• 1 pesto croustade

• To taste Red Hawaiian sea salt

• To taste cracked black peppercorns

• 1 spoon aged Balsamic vinegar

• 1 spoon roasted garlic basil oil

Creative Menu

• Place tomato on plate

• Top with fresh basil leaf

• Place Burrata cheese on top of tomato and basil leaf

• Place pesto croustade up against Burrata cheese

• Add yellow pear tomatoes to plate as garnish

• Add pinch of micro greens to top

• Add pinch of sea salt to taste

• Add pinch of black peppercorn to taste

• Top with 1 spoonful of roasted garlic basil oil

• Finish with 1 spoonful of Balsamic vinegar

Share your great salad that you made with neighbor

Celebrate PCMA Luncheon Menu a la Montreal – Comfort Food

• Fresh baked cheddar cheese and vegetable biscuits

• Fresh salad greens with vegetable crudite, herb ranch dressing

• Buttermilk pan roasted boneless chicken served with pan gravy

• Roasted butternut squash

• Stewed green beans with caramelized onions and bacon

• Strawberry chocolate Romanoff

• Freshly brewed coffee, decaffeinated coffee, herbal tea, iced tea

Celebrate PCMA Luncheon Menu a la Montreal – Healthy Trends

• Multi-grain walnut and cranberry baguette served with avocado oil

Portion size: 4 oz. calories: 200 carbs: 40 protein: 7 fat: 3

• Hydroponic bibb lettuce salad rose with quinoa and mandarin orange, citrus

onion vinaigrette

Portion size: 6 oz. calories: 96 carbs: 22.5 protein: 1.45 fat: 2.5

• Turkey medallions with diced papaya and sweet cipollini onion marmalade

• Pan seared baby sweet peppers and winter scallions

• Basmati rice with edamame and red beans

Portion size: 10 oz. calories: 264 carbs: 44 protein: 22.67 fat: 3.5

• Medley of fresh fruit compote with baba au rhym

Portion size: 4.5 oz. calories: 114 carbs: 22.3 protein: 0 fat: 3.5

• Freshly brewed coffee, decaffeinated coffee, herbal tea, iced tea

Celebrate PCMA Luncheon Menu a la Montreal – Small Plates, Big Tastes

• Assorted fresh baked breads, flatbreads and lavosh

• Served with guava preserves, herb cheese dip and butter balls

• 1905 romaine lettuce salad with shaved parmesan cheese, herb ranch

dressing

• Medley of sweet and redskin potatoes

• Latin yellow rice and glandules

Tapas Plates:

• Mojo open-faced chicken with beans, rice, capers, and tomato

• Fresh artichokes and onion straws with lemon vinaigrette;

• Barcelona beef sausage and potato stir-fry

• Key lime dessert shooter, chocolate dessert shooter

• Freshly brewed coffee, decaffeinated coffee, herbal tea, iced tea

Celebrate PCMA Luncheon Menu a la Montreal – Classic French

• Fresh baked mini croissants and French bread with sweet butter

• Arranged Caesar salad with lemon

• Fresh Roman cheese crostini, classic Caesar dressing

• Chicken Wellington with rosemary demi glace

• Blended Wild Rice

• Bouquetierre of battonet carrots, parslied tomatoes, & sausage

• Vanilla bean crème brulee

• Freshly brewed coffee, decaffeinated coffee, herbal tea, iced tea

Creative Presentation

Lifestyle Trends

Health Conscious

• Diets

• Allergies

- Peanuts, Seafood, Gluten-free (Celiac),

Garlic, Dairy

Vegetarian/Vegan

Impact of Green Movement

Beverage Awareness

• Bottled Waters, Diet Soft Drinks, Decaffeinated Drinks, Herbal Teas

Latest Trends

Fruit is becoming America's favorite snack - being creative with ways to

showcase fresh fruit.

i.e. fruit salad in martini glasses, parfaits, fruit juice shooters

Detachment from microwave cooking

American palate is up-grading –

Spices and herbs popularity are increasing

Lifestyle Trends

• Family Style

• Home style foods – Comfort Foods

• Southern Good Old Boys Upgraded

• Individual Smaller Portion Sizes

• Interactive Stations

• Food as Art

• Handcrafted beers from local breweries

Latest Trends

• Martini stations

• Specialty cocktails

• One Bite Items

• Mousse Shots

• Slider Packages

Latest Trends

• Products

• Artisan Breads and Cheeses

• No Trans Fat

• Locally Produced Foods

• All Natural Foods

• Organic

Latest Trends

Theme events using ethnic foods that are less costly

Chicken marinated in cumin, coriander, and a splash of lime juice

… Marinated Mexican Spiced Chicken

Couscous, quinoa, amaranth, or farro instead of potatoes

Lower costs of meat/ protein with different cooking techniques like

braising or slow roasting to both tenderize and add flavor

Dishes built around cuts or slices of meat and poultry instead of whole

pieces

Latest Trends

• Innovative centerpieces such as a Lazy Susan with buffet lunch

• Creative, inexpensive centerpieces – plants/ alstroemeria (long

lasting flowers) /fresh fruit

• Food trucks

Latest Trends

• Trail mix bar – Bins of dried fruits, granola, M&Ms,

nuts with scoops and small bags

- Guests create their own trail mix

• Afternoon Smoothies – Juices leftover from breakfast to make

smoothies.

- Choose 2 or 3 different flavors

- Serve them in pitchers

• Large bowls of popcorn with scoops and bags

- Guests serve themselves

Latest Trends

• Buffet proportions

- Smaller displays/tables

• Use of greenery

• Fruit for centerpieces

• Interactive stations

• Ice bar

• Signature drink for reception

Guarantees

• Internal Factors

• Programming

• Time Framework Due dates

• Flexibility of facility

• Overset policy

• Tickets

• Meeting History

What should be included?

F&B Contracts

F&B $$$ Saving Tip$

• Work with the chef in developing your menus

• Piggy-back off other group’s events

• Theme events using ethnic foods that are less costly

- Chicken marinated in cumin, coriander, and a splash of lime juice

can be called Marinated Mexican Spiced Chicken

• Give grains a try. Replace potatoes and rice with couscous, quinoa,

amaranth, or farro

• Serve light lunches such as salads rather than heavy entrees

F&B $$$ Saving Tip$

• Use lower costs of meat/protein and use different cooking

techniques like braising or slow roasting to both tenderize and

add flavor

• Serve dishes built around cuts or slices of meat and poultry

instead of whole pieces

• Cut down on portions

• Reduce number of courses at dinner

F&B $$$ Saving Tip$

• Use innovative centerpieces such as a Lazy Susan with buffet

lunch

• Take advantage of edible centerpieces to avoid necessity of

proving a separate centerpiece

• Use boxed lunches, if appropriate

• Design creative, inexpensive centerpieces –

- Plants/ alstroemeria (long lasting flowers)/fresh fruit

- Theme events- check on in-house availability

F&B $$$ Saving Tip$

• Use food stations spread throughout the room

• Serve continental breakfast instead of full American breakfast

• Negotiate for facility to sponsor breakfast

• Take advantage of “dead stock wine”

• Serve lunch dessert as afternoon break

• Use food trucks

F&B $$$ Saving Tip$

• Place large bowls of popcorn with scoops and bags for guests to

serve themselves

• Trail mix bar – Set out bins of dried fruits, granola, M&Ms, nuts

with scoops and small bags so guests can create their own trail

mix

• Afternoon Smoothies –

- Use juices leftover from breakfast to make smoothies.

- Choose 2 or 3 different flavors and serve them in pitchers

F&B $$$ Saving Tip$

• Negotiate complimentary receptions

• Shorten time of receptions

• Eliminate soft drinks and bottled water

• Use opened bottles of liquor and wine for hospitality or VIP suite

• Create a signature drink for your reception

• Use butler service instead of buffet tables

F&B $$$ Saving Tip$

• People drink less at cash bars

• Instead of a single plated dessert, consider placing a plate of

small desserts in the center of each table

• Order by consumption not per person

• Know the menus in room service, restaurants, and banquet

prices. Use the best price for your group

• Consider scheduling your function in a restaurant rather than a

meeting room

• If you are faced with F&B attrition, enhance your meal functions

or provide bags with breakfast pastry and fruit upon checkout

Resources

• Other chefs

• Colleagues

• Industry magazines, I.e. food art, food and wine, culinary art,

Martha Stewart, etc.

• Food lovers companion - book used as a culinary dictionary

• Food channel

• Websites; www.food trends.com, www.epicurious.com,

www.foodnetwork.com, wwwconventionindustry.org

• APEX (glossary of terms)

Resources

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• Gourmet Food

• Meetings Focus

What are 3 things that you have learned from this presentation?

1.

2.

3.

What will you do differently when you prepare for your next

conference?

Questions?

Bonnie Wallsh, MA, CMP, CMM

Chief Strategist

Bonnie Wallsh Associates, LLC

bwacmp@carolina.rr.com

Zachary Chouteau

Content Director, Features and News

Meetings Focus Zachary.chouteau@meetingsfocus.com

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F&B and Other Budget Tips

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