If you had told us in early March 2020, that we'd be writing this article today, we would certainly have raised our eyebrows!
No physical menus. Nobody to take food and drinks orders. No handwritten check orders being run to our kitchens. No cash accepted. Nobody creating guest bills, nobody physically accepting guest payment. WiFi everywhere in the gardens. Basically, a Hospitality Revolution!
And as for dining, Bistro al Fresco in the gardens!
And not only the above combination, but in a timeline July 6th 2020 onwards and lasting less than 8 weeks, that we would successfully process over 10,000 guest orders, using an App? Or rather, THE Balbirnie House Hotel App.
This was created for Balbirnie, by Criton:
Our re-opening was certainly assisted by a lovely article in The Courier:
Every single component was focussed on what we thought we could deliver for our local Fife community, emerging from Lockdown. Great food and drinks, great value. Savings enabled by technology, but deployed into increasing Hospitality even further.
The initial dozen focussed everything we had in Hospitality, knowing that what we were about to deliver, could or could not help bring our colleagues back to work.
What amazed us on opening day, was the fact that arriving guests weren't only familiar with the concept of the App, it was the fact that they had already downloaded it, and were already familiar with the menus, and even the overview of how to process an order.
Bistro al Fresco wasn't a matter of opening up and starting. It was a couple of months in planning, conceived by those who were still working during March to July Lockdown.
We shifted all reservations into ResDiary.
In tandem with ordering via Hungrrr.
Our guest reviews for the first two weeks were basically 100% guest delight.
As news of al Fresco then started bringing guests from beyond our core of regulars, this did bring a few further reviews which brought the technology into question, specifically if someone was for example trying to download the App, on a phone which was so old that it was incapable of doing so.
Fundamentally, one of the main reasons for transitioning to App, was to deliver contactless service between brigade and guests, and the next reason was to be able to collect guest information for what we thought would eventually turn into a 'track and trace' system for Scotland Hospitality. We were correct!
Some guests were disillusioned about having to input their payment information, at the point of placing each phase of order. But we worked with the technology suppliers to successfully then customise this into a one submission process.
Other guests were disillusioned that there was no way to leave a gratuity, so again, this capability was customised.
Very quickly after the opening days, we started getting busier, and busier, and busier. Watching guests arrive one after another, and being visibly so happy to be out after Lockdown, in many circumstances meeting friends and loved ones after months apart, well that was such a joyful aspect for us to see. Recognition that we'd gone a country mile to deliver safe social distancing for service, was certainly another.
Our previous food and drinks service systems were designed to cope at ground floor level, with up to 100 guests. Quickly, as we began to bring more and more colleagues back to work, we needed to change systems, to create workflows capable of handling up to 350 guests per day. In amongst all of this, fully incorporating all new Covid-related and social distancing requirements.
In many circumstances our working roles also changed. Personally, my own resources at outset were best deployed on The Pass, which is the focal point at which food transitions from kitchen, to front-of house service. Basically, 6 chefs delivering dish after dish onto a hot stainless steel 2m x 1m, and 'building' individual trays leaving the kitchens, with all cutlery, gourmet salts, accompaniment and dressings, at a rate designed as one tray per minute. You will either run The Pass, or it will run you!
In so many ways, a re-connection with Hospitality, taking this 53 year old back to being a teenager working as a chef in London kitchens.
The view to the right:
And, the view to the left:
Each printout, a multiple course meal for each table, all needing to be coordinated at the same time. Potentially up to 30 tables each 2 hour session. 6 sessions per day. (GDPR compliant image for Vibe Manager)
Some hoteliers might have sat back and simply continued as is, when we began to achieve delivery for 300 guests per day. To the contrary, at that point we pressed the pedals further, and began introducing more new dishes, and better new dishes. This has been a quite amazing exercise in consistency, and I especially pay tribute today, to the efforts of Executive Chef Oscar Sinjorgo, and our entire kitchen brigade.
At 19.59 on 29th August 2020, we received App order number 10,000!!! It was a pleasure to personally serve those two Classic Prawn Cocktails, and of course, we despatched a bottle of Champagne, on the house.
And facing the continuing future, and ongoing social distancing mixed into autumn and winter ahead? We're basically going to shift Bistro al Fresco inside, into Ballroom Bistro, sub-titled 'food in the woods', taking everything we've taken this to thus far, and then adding even more ahead.
A totally new take on Fixed Price 2 and 3 course lunch deals, a brand new take on Afternoon Tea, unprecedented gourmet sourdough Pizzas from our new Italinox oven, and also for the first time in our 3 decade history, a brand new offering of fondue. Our version, we're rolling with a blend of gruyere, fontina, and gouda.
'Knock, knock!'
'Who's there?'
'Fondue!'
'Fondue who?'
'Exactly!' 😘
Ladies, tradition has it that if you drop something in the fondue (subject in 2020 to social distancing), you need to give every guy at the table a kiss! Gents, if you drop something in the cheese, you need to buy everyone at the table a round of drinks! By Balbirnie App!!! 😂
Còsagach and Hygge ahead!
During August 2020, incredibly in the context of timing and global pandemic circumstances, our wedding planning team have taken future bookings for 20 weddings. Nobody knows when we will be able to cater for weddings without social distancing in place, so in the meantime (and continuing to provide a 12 week rolling review for all wedding clients), we'll be continuing doing all we can for the evolution of Balbirnie's Bistronomie.
Al Fresco has been so much fun, to conceive and deliver. We've had so many people asking us to repeat again next year, so we're going to have a very careful think about how we could perhaps do this, but it would only be potential to do so at times when our many weddings are not using the gardens.
With the nights now drawing in, our 8pm table guests in the final weeks are arriving with blankets, into darkness, with table centre heat lamps, and the spectacular backdrop of the house lit by LED. Summer 2020 Hospitality we'll never forget you.
With all best wishes from the brigade,Nicholas
MD Balbirnie House
2020 summer Memories were Made of This:
The cherry on the top. Baked Alaskas, centred with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sorbet.
