What is your career background?
I started my career working as a steward in an Italian restaurant in London, and went on to managing various restaurants and bars in international hotel groups throughout South Africa, where I am originally from. Today I am the director of food & beverage of a large scale operation with 16 outlets.
What are your responsibilities at the hotel?
I oversee the F&B department of the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek by setting the short- as well as long-term goals. This is done through co-ordinating the sales, marketing and operational activities of the outlets in order to drive revenues and guest satisfaction.
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In what ways do you train and motivate staff across the 16 F&B outlets?
I ensure that we follow Rezidor’s promise to all employees to develop talent. This is done by always setting a clear career path for each employee. Constant coaching and empowerment of my team is, in my opinion, a key success factor in fostering such culture.
Do you think that customers are always right, or can hoteliers say no?
The customer should always walk away feeling that they received value for their decision to patronise the hotel and its restaurants. A key factor in building loyalty is by ensuring personal attention is given to their needs.
Could you tell us a few of the trends in food and beverage developing in Dubai?
There is currently a clear shift from deal and discount-orientated dining decisions. Diners and those looking for a good meal have now turned to online review based choices. This has given rise to sites such as Zomato and placed a lot of power with bloggers. At Radisson Blu we have embraced this change and shifted our focus onto online reputation management.
What would you say are your most significant achievements in your role?
I would say my biggest achievement was driving the change to online reputation management. This has brought about a major shift in the running of the eight speciality F&B outlets in the Radisson Blu Dubai Deira Creek, which includes our very own Dhow cruise — Al Mansour Dhow. It has squarely placed a lot more responsibiitly on the outlet managers, who are also empowered to take full ownership of their outlets both from an operational, as well as reputation management perspective.
Five top tips to guarantee ultimate guest satisfaction:
1. A sincere and transparent approach to guest needs.
2. Creating value through a quality offering.
3. Empowering team members to use their personalities throughout the dining experience.
4. Ensure a personalised follow up with guests on their dining experience.
5. Stay abreast of market trends and implement ideas suited to your customer base.
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