Mayan Riviera Mexico   Cancun Maya Riviera HotelsCancun Maya Riviera Tours   TravelYucatan.com - Yucatan Peninsula Travel Info
You are here:   Main » Mayan Riviera »

Behind The Scenes   Page 2

The Kantenah/Colonial side has three buffets and four specialty restaurants and the White Sand/Riviera side has two buffets and four specialty restaurants.

Palladium Kitchen There is one kitchen for each buffet. In the Kantenah/Colonial each specialty restaurant has a kitchen. In the White Sand/Riviera the specialty restaurants share one kitchen per two restaurants.

A buffet kitchen and it's satellite prep rooms are staffed by 70 employees. The specialty restaurants share kitchens with two to three specialty restaurants being serviced by one small kitchen. The stoves in the kitchens use gas LP.

There is one head chef per kitchen and an assistant to each Chef. There is a manager who oversees food preparation, service and food stocks for the Kantenah/Colonial side and one for the White Sand/Riviera side. There are six dishwashing stations for the resort.

The head chef is in charge of menus. For the buffets there is a seven day menu that is repeated every week [breakfast, lunch, dinner]. This menu is modified every six months. Specialty restaurants maintain the same menu with slight variations [depending on availability of some food stocks].

Palladium Food Prep In the kitchens for the specialty restaurants are pictures of the "plates" being served. Food preparers go by these photos to consistently prepare the same plate of food.

If one of the specialty restaurants [a la carte] receives negative comments because of the food, first they try to ascertain the reason. If there are problems with a menu [different nationalities have different expectations] they try new dishes, always keeping with the theme of the restaurant.

Slight variations in the menu do occur for of a number of reasons. Maximum efficiency occurs when the hotel is operating at 80-90% occupancy. During the periods that the hotel is operating at this level of occupancy there is no wait time on food. All food is basically shipped in, cleaned prepared and served.

Palladium Food Prep There is also apparently the perfect rate of kitchen personnel to guest ratio at this time of the season. During high-season the staff has to work at the maximum level. If there are personnel or delivery problems this creates new problems burdening the staff, which can affect the menu and quality of food. Low-season presents its own list of problems as the hotel must deliver the same quality and selection of foods on the menu as in high-season but with a dramatic reduction in guests. This is achieved by reducing food amounts which sometimes results in temporary shortages in some items to some kitchens because they are not ordering as much of certain items. Or the chef of another kitchen has got to the remaining item in stock before another chef.

Palladium Food Labels All dry-goods packages have a delivery date sticker placed on every package when the item is delivered to the hotel. When a package, bottle, jar or container is opened a new sticker is placed on the item with that date on it.

Food items do not stay on the shelf more than a few days before being used up but this quality control program is implemented regardless.

Damaged goods [dented cans, ripped packages etc.] are returned to the shipping department for return.

Head chefs visit the main warehouse every two days to restock their shelves.

There are two bakeries at the resort, one for Kantenah/Colonial side and one for the White Sand/Riviera side. These bakeries create all the bread and pastries you see there. Every item is made fresh daily. Breads are taken out of the ovens and sent to the buffets hot. Pastries are made and kept in the freezers until that day's service.

Palladium Food Labels

Some desserts for the specialty restaurants are assembled in the kitchen of the particular restaurant with the main components for the desert created in the main bakery.

Like all other rooms in the kitchen the bakery is also inspected three times a day.

Each kitchen has food-tasters who check samples during every service. Food in the buffets is temperature checked three times per service.

The most popular food item is the tomato [150 kg a day] with rice second.

Palladium Dish Washing Thirsty guests drink 300 kegs of beer a day in low-season and 600 in high. Tequila and rum are the most popular alcohol beverages and they go through 12 40oz bottles of rum per day in low and 24 in high season.

A two day stock of alcohol is stored in locked storage rooms on both sides of the resort. Easy access to alcohol and having a staff with an average age of twenty-one lead to drinking problems amongst the employees. Management took action and the problem was addressed with stricter security and upgraded services for employees living on site.

Training for all kitchens personnel is done at the hotel. Those who demonstrate an aptitude for food preparation and the eagerness to learn can quickly rise up the ranks. The hotel is more than willing to assist any individual who wishes to move up the ladder. It is hard to find good help. With so many jobs available to skilled resort kitchen workers an employee can up and move if they are offered two pesos more a day somewhere else. As hard as it is to find skilled workers it is harder to keep them.

The White Sand/Riviera was losing 30 glasses a day to breakage until they implemented a you-break-you-pay policy to staff. This reduced broken glasses to three a day. Accidents occur and staff is not required to pay if a genuine accident occurs.

Palladium Kitchen

In the restaurants, waiters usually work in pairs. A waiter will share tips "only" with their partner. In the bars it is different as tips are collected and shared with all persons working in the same area or bar.

continued...

 

Page:   [1]   [2]   [3]   [4]     NEXT PAGE >

 
Beach Information
Cancun Playa del Carmen Nightlife ClubsNightlife - Romance
Golf Courses
HOTEL LOCATOR
by availability
Check In:
Check Out:
Destination:
ENGLISH     SPANISH
hello hola
please por favor
beer cerveza
thanks gracias
bathroom baño
travelers de viajero
cash efectivo
credit credito
bank el banco
open abierto

Travel Green
Learn How!

Cooltan Tan-Through Swimwear

Click here for
Mayan Riviera
Snorkeling Locations
Tips and Info

Cancun Travel News

 
MAYAN RIVIERA
Overview
Weather
Beaches
Weddings
Golf
FAQ
Ruin Sites
Things To Do
Photos
Snorkeling
HOTEL INFO
Choosing a Hotel
Map of Hotels
Hotel List
Group Hotel Rates
What's All Inclusive?
Vacation Info
DESTINATIONS
Playa del Carmen
Playacar
Tulum
Akumal
Puerto Aventuras
Puerto Morelos
Kantenah
Paamul
Xpu-Ha
Chemuyil
Xcacel
OF INTEREST
Mayan Arts & Crafts
Jewelry
Centro Ecológico
Akumal Library
Montezuma Revenge
TRANSPORTATION
Getting Around
Map
Cozumel Ferry
cancun airport transfers
Mayan Riviera
Airport Transfers

Take a battery operated smoke detector and flashlight with you on your trip and keep it on the nightstand in your hotel room during the night.

 

Tale of the
Little Seamstress

Once upon a time, there was a little seamstress who sewed mightily on his sewing machine. The other machines in his neighborhood laughed at him, and shouted: "Fairy! Only old women are streamstresses!" So the little seamstress sewed shut the mouths of everyone who made fun of him. That is why, to this day, we do not know how the story ended, because no one could tell it.

 

 

The Mexican name for the Atlantic coastal region of the Yucatan Peninsula is Riviera Maya. The English use is either Maya Riviera or Mayan Riviera. It is used all three ways in this web site.


Last Mod:   April 21, 2008             © 2008 TravelYucatan.com   v5.0
Description:  Behind The Scenes At A 5 Start Resort
 
 

Cancun
e-mail TravelYucatan.com Top