INTERVIEW
‘Keep learning and challenging yourself to master your Art’ Sukumar Shetty, F&B Manager, Indore Marriott Hotel With a rich experience within luxury hotels of about 15 years, Sukumar Shetty has adapted robust processes and a great amount of knowledge while working with some of the best hotels in Mumbai & Bengaluru. He started his career in the food & beverage department as a server in The Taj Mahal Palace & Towers, Mumbai and gradually climbed the hierarchy ladder while working with Taj and then with Shangri La. His last assignment before joining Indore Marriott Hotel was with Sheraton Grand Bangalore at Brigade Gateway. He is a result oriented person and his extensive knowledge about unique F&B concepts has always helped him to deliver results. With an understanding of international trends, event operations & ODCs, Sukumar believes in delivering quality & consistency. In an exclusive interview with Sharmila Chand, he talks about work philosophy and more… What do you enjoy most about being a Food & Beverage Manager? I enjoy the opportunity of learning something new every day since our industry is very vast and dynamic. It is my constant endeavour to try to make my associate’s work life much better and create an environment where they enjoy working.
Is your job challenging? Can you point out 5 challenges? I enjoy combating the challenges as: Introducing and maintaining quality consistency in the product that we introduce for our guest which showcases the Marriott standard. With new avenues opening retaining quality employees is quite a task in our industry In today’s competitive world introducing new concepts and keeping our guest interested in the product. COVID has hit a major toll on our industry due to which it becomes very important to bring in changes keeping in mind the financial aspect of it. No hotel is perfect but the endeavour to constantly work on the guest feedback and deliver to them what they expect ensuring the guest loyalty towards the brand and the hotel.
What kind of pressures have you encountered at work? Due to the COVID era, there is a pressure on having financial stability for the company,
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so there is a constant push month on month to achieve your goals. As a Food and beverage leader it is my responsibility to introduce product and service which stands up to the brand image.
Can you suggest any tips or insights you exercise to strengthen your team? Have a strong framework of the processes of your department which helps you to identify the flaws and opportunities to improve or continue on the same. Know your team members, their strength and weakness so that you can put the right person for the right job. Have robust training processes to identify and work on the weakness of your team members. More importantly you need to spend time on the shop floor to understand what their expectations from the company and from you are.
How is your experience at the present job? Well I have joined this hotel very recently. I’m enjoying every bit of my time in this welcoming city. Indore is very vibrant in nature where people are food enthusiast and enjoy exploring. Having worked in Tier 1 cities for almost 15 years the experience of working in Tier 2 cities is quite different. At times it become quite challenging and time bound to introduce new concept with limited quality resources from the local market.
Hammer Food & Beverage Business Review
What is the USP of your F&B outlets? Indore Marriott Hotel has a very dynamic food and beverage offerings catering to different sections of society. ‘Indore Kitchen,’ our all Day Dining Restaurant offers regional and international cuisine. The buffet offering is one of the largest in the city and talk of the town. ‘54 Praangan’–Indian specialty restaurant, an all open alfresco restaurant specializes in kebabs and biryani’s. The restaurant is also an ideal place for family as well as romantic dinner. ‘One Asia’ – The Asian Specialty restaurant offering a wide array from China, Thai and Japanese, is ideal for corporate lunches and social get together.
What is your working philosophy? Keep your basics right. Listen - listen to your people, be it your boss or colleagues or suppliers or guest. Keep challenging yourself.
What is your take on how best to cope with challenges of the pandemic times? COVID has deep impact of every industry and I believe that it won’t go away very soon. Keeping this in mind as a business we need to be patient and constantly evolve around it giving priority to hygiene and sanitization process and constantly look for new opportunities. Relook into your cost aspect.
June-July ’22
