If you want to keep a person's heart, please keep a person's stomach first. For thousands of “foodies”, trying the delicacies of tourist destinations may be their biggest motivation for traveling.

For a B&B, if the catering is unique, it will definitely be a highlight, and the Ctrip rating may go up. After all, in "eating, drinking and having fun", "eating" comes first.

Chicken Soup Wontons

I have been to many B&Bs in the past two years, and there are quite a few delicious foods that left an impression on me, and I am attracted by the food pictures posted by the B&B hosts in my circle of friends all day long. Temptation: high-end Japanese food like Bodhi Valley, lakeside dinner at Qiandao Lake on the west slope, Australian Wagyu M9 steak and French pan-fried foie gras at ANADU Manor, Western food at Sundu, vegetarian food at Yiye Mountain Residence, etc.

There are more down-to-earth ones, such as Hangzhou Jianxiang’s lard bibimbap, Tingjian’s chicken soup, “Distant Mountain”’s pickled vegetables and bamboo shoots noodles, and Tasha Duduo’s nine-square breakfast. There is also Xiao Cui’s homemade bayberry wine from Lin Qi Guyin, and the authentic bowl of Henan braised noodles cooked by Cui’s father himself...

Sometimes, your memory of a place may be fixed in A certain moment, or a simple delicacy. Years later, you may not be able to remember most of the details of that B&B, but you will often miss the taste deep in your memory. Therefore, it is really important for B&Bs to play the "catering" game well.

Editor of this issue | Lu Yan

Writer | Wang Ye, Ma Zuobo, Liu Li, Lu Yan

Xin Junmin | Chef of Moganshan Shangpo Holiday Villa

Food and beautiful scenery are the same combination

A wonderful vacation experience

Food is a major feature of Shangpo. Most of the surrounding B&Bs are run by local aunts. Shangpo has 7 guest rooms, but it is equipped with 2 regular chefs from star hotels. It can be said that no expense is spared in introducing standard hotel kitchen management. Considering that most guests have the need to go out for fun during the day, Shangpo catering focuses on dinner, serving Chinese and Western food alternately, and has won a good reputation second to none in the Moganshan area.

The owner of Shangpo has a light, luxurious and romantic culture, so Western food is naturally the best match. We carefully select high-quality imported ingredients, and Shangpo also prepares a large number of high-end foreign wines. The crystal cup is the seasoned salt that the owner brought back from the Czech Republic to sprinkle on the steak. It is also the seasoned salt that the owner brought back from the foot of the Himalayas.

Chinese food also uses local original ecological and healthy ingredients, including fresh bamboo shoots in winter, spring and summer, fresh seasonal vegetables, bamboo chicken, braised pork, sauce duck, mutton pot...all are delicacies that you can enjoy. Even the simple lunch menu is a golden signature. How many people come back again and again just for our "handmade oil-splashed noodles".

The mountainous area where Shangpo is located sometimes has temporary power outages due to overloaded electricity. Under the bright moon, luminous glasses of grape wine and casual candlelight dinners often become unforgettable memories for guests. Shangpo will also provide customized energy lunch boxes for guests to take when hiking or doing other outdoor sports. In addition, roasted whole lamb and roasted suckling pig are also available. Of course, these require additional charges, but they are not income-generating projects. They are just to provide guests with more choices.

Shangpo has always believed that tasteful catering services are an important factor that distinguishes B&Bs from other B&Bs. In order to enhance its appeal, Shangpo included meals in the room rate. This high cost performance was the first of its kind in the area and has not been surpassed so far.

Aze | Operations Manager of Bodhi Valley

Customized catering activities

Created new revenue points

Most guests of Bodhi Valley All three meals were eaten at the B&B. We specialize in Japanese cuisine and Chinese creative dishes, all made using seasonal and local organic ingredients to the maximum extent.

Paschy, a multi-national cuisine chef from Taiwan, presides over our Japanese restaurant. The hot pot dishes launched every winter are well received, and many customers come specifically for our catering. In addition, Chinese dishes such as braised local pork, local chicken soup, steamed reservoir fish, etc. are all must-order dishes for regular customers.

In addition to the two daily dishes, we also have a higher-standard Bodhi Family Banquet, which is also booked by local guests from Hangzhou. Bodhi family banquets and spring picnics have become part of our daily activities. At our recent outdoor dining event, we cooked wildfire bamboo rice. The guests participated in the entire process and had a great time. This type of activity is currently part of customized activities and is also a revenue point.

The difficulty in catering for a B&B like ours may be that it is located in the mountains, and the ingredients are not so rich and diverse. At the beginning, we also tried to stock up on ingredients like city B&Bs, but the result was a lot of waste and a big loss in the freshness of the ingredients.

So now we order meals in advance, and most of the ingredients are sourced nearby and locally. Organic fruits and vegetables from our vegetable fields are an important source. On the one hand, such ingredients are closer to the local food system, and have a uniqueness to the mountains; On the one hand, it also ensures the freshness of the raw materials to the greatest extent.

If the attractiveness of a B&B is 10 points, I think catering accounts for about 4 points. "Food, clothing, housing and transportation", in fact, "food" is ranked before "living". But our guests come to the mountains mainly to relax and experience the mountains, so the environment is also an important part of the B&B’s appeal.

Yao Jiangbo | Founder of Moganshan Suli Brand

“Eating” is guest experience

The first entrance to local culture

< p> The meaning of "eating" for a B&B is not limited to eating. From the starting point of B&B, the earliest English name ‘BnB’ appeared, its meaning is ‘Bad and Breakfast’, and food accounts for half of it. Chinese people especially like to eat. The most direct way to experience local culture when staying in a B&B is to eat!

Suli has made five main aspects of catering settings. One is to choose top chefs, and a five-star chef from Shanghai is hired. But when the chef went to the mountains, he also required his techniques to be combined with local specialties, emphasizing local production methods. While the production process brings earthy flavor and local characteristics to the guests, the cooking skills, presentation and styling of the dishes maintain the high level of a five-star chef.

The second is to choose the "catering system" to ensure that guests eat the freshest ingredients, but at the same time it is more environmentally friendly and does not cause too much waste. Generally, the store will communicate with guests who have made reservations one day in advance, asking them about the time they will arrive, what meals they need, and any taboos, and provide some dishes for guests to choose from.

The third is that the source of food ingredients is guaranteed. When purchasing ingredients, the store will give priority to those that can be provided by the village, and will go to the market to purchase those that cannot be provided by the village. The fish must be purchased from the wild. At the same time, Suli also has long-term suppliers in Deqing, providing free-range chickens and eggs.

Fourthly, the restaurant will launch different dishes according to the season. In winter, there is an emphasis on nutritional supplements, including simmering soup, hanging pot roast chicken, and tripe chicken. In spring and summer, more seasonal vegetables are served.

The fifth is to provide customized restaurant services. We can help arrange personalized restaurants and services according to guests' needs, such as birthday banquets, candlelight dinners, wedding meals, and outdoor dining.

Snow Lotus | Founder of Nanjing Xundu B&B

I hope you remember

those tastes of happiness

In my concept, do B&Bs should be people-oriented, and food is the first priority. Therefore, "the taste of food" has become the top priority that Sundu has long adhered to and continued to innovate. We include breakfast service for guests staying in the hotel, and implement a meal ordering system for guests who need lunch and dinner. Due to the influence of my family since I was a child, I am a good eater and have always been picky about "eating".

As a Jiangsu native, I am good at Huaiyang cuisine. Of course, I also like Cantonese food, Hokkien food, and now I also like Western food, so I often "mix and match", hoping to present healthy and nutritious meals. . Most of the customers now come for our meals, and it is said that my soy beans have reached a "five-star" standard. After our official account mini program is completed, we will regularly share some short recipes and videos with our members.

We basically organize an event every month, and each month has a theme. For example, this month, I am sharing the "Taste of the Mountains". I hope to share our delicacies with everyone in nature, and even participate in the production, with the spring breeze as my companion, the grass as my mat, and the clear bamboo as my utensil. I like this lightness very much. of romance.

We will also host some small parties, such as birthday parties, department activities, small proposal parties, in short, we will do things that make me happy. Catering in B&Bs is relatively difficult, as their capacity is not large, and B&Bs are usually only busy on weekends and holidays, so it is impossible to hire a good team of chefs, so you can only do everything yourself.

"Xuelian's Kitchen" is now only open to the public two days a week. The rest of the time should be reserved for Xuelian to relax, read, take photos, and do sports.

Zhou Lei | General Manager of Hermitage Suzhou District

Use "One Table" Private Kitchen

to convey exquisite food culture

At Hidden House Tongli Villa, "eating" is a very important part. Our "only table" private chef is not only popular with guests, but many locals also come to order meals.

Exquisiteness is the biggest feature of the Hermit House family banquet. The chef is a Cantonese chef with many years of experience in Suzhou cuisine. His cooking skills combine the light health of Cantonese cuisine with the rich red sauce of Suzhou cuisine.

The ingredients should be eaten from time to time, not only in season, but more importantly, at the moment. There is no stock in our refrigerator. All the ingredients are selected by the chef himself according to the market supply of the day, so we cannot provide a la carte dishes.

For example, there are requirements for the fatness and thinness of the Zhuang Yuan Hoof and elbow. In addition to being fresh and wild, white fish must reach a certain weight before it can be served on the dining table of the Hermitage. The craftsmanship is also very particular. The lion head is made by the chef himself, first cut into small shreds and then into small dices, and then served with fresh diced lotus root to make meatballs. The proportions of all ingredients are accurate to the gram, and the kitchen is also equipped with a gram scale.

The per capita consumption of dinner at Hidden House is at least 300 yuan, but after eating it, I feel that it is worth the money. In addition to Subang cuisine, we will also make some fusion dishes based on the needs of guests, combining Cantonese and Western food. We will listen to Kun Opera, eat caviar, drink red wine with Soviet-style snacks, and also have candlelight dinners for Valentine's Day. At present, Hidden House Private Kitchen has gradually gained a reputation, and 70% of its guests will eat at least one meal in the store.

There are only five rooms in Tongli Villa, so why do we need to put so much effort into catering? First of all, of course, we cannot do without our customized services. Tongli Villa provides a "ceremonial lifestyle", and food is indispensable. At the same time, we believe that for high-end boutique B&Bs and hotels, catering is essential, and it must be sophisticated, elegant, and healthy! Regardless of whether you make money or not, otherwise you will feel unbalanced just like a person who is glamorous on the upper body but ragged on the lower body.

Zhou Feng | Founder of Anji Pinecone Garden B&B

A restaurant without a menu

There are always people driving long distances to eat

In my opinion, if the attractiveness of a B&B is 10 points, then the food can account for 8 points. I am a food lover myself. I have opened a cafe and a Western restaurant. The reason why Pinecone B&B was born is also related to food. Because after tasting so many delicacies, I found that I missed the taste of my childhood more and more. It was the vegetables that my grandfather planted by watering and repelling insects with his own hands, and the unique taste that my grandma made with firewood at the stove.

I built an independent restaurant of nearly 200 square meters in Songguo, and contracted 30 acres of land in the village to grow vegetables. I do not use any pesticides or chemical fertilizers to ensure that the ingredients are fresh and healthy, including chickens and ducks. When it comes to poultry, we have signed an agreement with the villagers to ask them to raise them carefully. Moreover, the poultry here are all free-range and are caught and killed immediately.

For the best taste and experience, reservations are required for Pinecone’s catering. It only entertains 10 people per day, and reservations are required 2 days in advance. Every season, Song Guo only cooks 12 dishes, and every time the season changes, 1/3 of the dishes are changed. All dishes are designed by the boss alone, mainly Western food and home-cooked dishes. The emphasis is on "combination of Chinese and Western food", making farmhouse dishes feel like Western food, and also adding Chinese elements to Western food.

The restaurant is open to the public and charges per person. There is no menu. It is made based on seasonal ingredients. Every meal has surprises and every dish is made with your heart. In order to eat this meal, there are always people driving two hours from Shanghai every day.

Pinecone also often holds various parties, lighting bonfires, eating barbecue, and drinking beer in the beautiful nature, which has a unique flavor. This is a service we plan to focus on in 2019, and the goal is to achieve 30 games. Catering is not only a major feature of Pinecone, but its contribution to operations is also growing. Last year, it accounted for 1/5 of the profit, and it is expected to rise to 40% in 2019.

Li Yu | The owner of Yun'an Mountain Residence in Mogan Mountain

Making tea cakes with stories

and unique medicinal meals

1 Among the three meals a day, I personally feel that breakfast needs the most sense of ritual. Our breakfast here is mainly based on local specialty whole grains, including free-range eggs, freshly ground soy milk, and mountain dumplings. It is also paired with local tea cakes. Different tastes and different nutrients are matched with each other, and the richness and frugality depend on the person.

One more thing, our local tea cake has a special story. The elderly local farmers got up at around two o'clock in the morning. What are you doing up so early? In fact, they went to the breakfast restaurant in the small market closest to the village, drank a few cups of glutinous rice wine, brewed a pot of strong tea, ate a few tea cakes, and then set off back satisfied. The whole process took about 2 to 3 days. Hours.

According to my observation, they basically go there every day. In fact, the farmers are not going there to have breakfast, but simply looking for a place to gather and chat, talking about national affairs or bits and pieces of daily life. Oh, by the time I got home, it was just time to start farming.

Yun'an Mountain Residence does not provide Chinese food, but the dinner is very special, with medicinal food as the main course and local specialties as supplementary dishes. Medicinal diet in winter is mainly tonic, in spring and autumn the emphasis is on conditioning, and in summer it is mainly about strengthening the spleen and removing dampness. Many customers like our Sha Ren beef. They generally report that it has a faint medicinal aroma and has an endless aftertaste.

Roasted Pork with Dried Bamboo Shoots is also our specialty. The dried bamboo shoots are made from the highest naturally grown bamboo shoots in Mogan Mountain. They are steamed and dried in the sun.

You have to know that the dried bamboo shoots sold in the market are all cured with salt, and the taste is much worse than ours. Due to the difference in altitude and soil quality, the bamboo shoots at Yun'an Shanju are particularly soft and very popular among guests.

Ding Tao | Xiaoman’s yard owner

Keeping the guest’s “stomach”

Also keeping the guest’s heart

It is said that "food is the most important thing for people", and guests who are willing to come to a B&B to spend money must also be very particular about the ingredients and cooking methods, so Xiaoman's yard has put in a lot of effort with only one purpose - to keep the guests' "stomach". The breakfast at our B&B is basically the same. The varieties are changed every once in a while, and various nutritional combinations are taken into consideration, such as the most common eggs, fruits, and porridge. We also prepare snacks such as custard buns for guests. Snacks put guests in a good mood every morning.

Local Anhui specialties will be provided for lunch and dinner. For example, the roasted pork with dried bamboo shoots is the most popular and has almost become a must-order dish for hotel guests. Of course, the most critical factor is the freshness of the ingredients. The dried bamboo shoots are made from new bamboo shoots grown in the local bamboo forest in Jing County. The meat is also sourced from local farmers to ensure the original flavor. Guests who have eaten it will be full of praise. .

If we want to talk about our own characteristics, because I am from the Northeast, the braised fish nuggets with a slight northern flavor are also the main dish of Xiaoman’s yard. The local ingredients are paired with northern methods, and the guests also like it very much.

Now that it is spring, we will take guests to pick tea and dig bamboo shoots to experience a different kind of rural life. There is also a swimming pool in our yard. On summer evenings, we will organize some parent-child activities suitable for children. We can also barbecue and play games together. We also have a great rooftop terrace where you can watch the stars and play cards on summer nights. In short, all the facilities in the yard are free for guests.

When it comes to the difficulties of catering in B&Bs, I think the biggest difficulty is that there are not many types of dishes. Because local fresh ingredients must be used, due to geographical restrictions, it is impossible to prepare the delicacies of the mountains and seas in the city. Faced with this problem, my solution is to try to diversify the preparation of the same ingredients so that guests can have a different taste experience every time they stay.

Author: Erbasu

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