Do you love to dine in 5 star hotel's restaurants?
By hexebella
@hexebella (1136)
Philippines
January 28, 2011 8:45am CST
Most of us would like to try expensive, cozy, fine dining restaurants at least on special occasions. Most of these fine dining restaurants can be found in 5 star hotels. What I would like to share you is not the experience of fine dining but the truth behind these fine dining restaurants in 5 star hotels.
For the past nine years, I have been working in hotels both 4 star and 5 star. One of the 5 star hotels I joined is having a famous brand worldwide and managed by one of the leading chains in the world. Since I am always part of the management staff, I always have the privilege to take my meals in the hotel's restaurant. I always make good friends with my colleagues even those who work in the service (waiters and waitresses) and in the kitchen. Everyday, before lunch, my friends will call me and give me a warning not to take this certain food as it is not freshly cooked, it is a left over from the past few days which they just re-heated. Some of them will tell me not to take this particular salad as the chefs did not wash that particular vegetable. I always get warning what food I should not take.
We also get complaint from one of the biggest company when they had their banquet n the hotel. One of the guests found a worm in one of the salads! It validates the warnings from my friends about the vegetable not being washed by the chefs! The hotel made amicable settlement with the company to prevent them from calling the media as it would be a big story, and definitely the media would feast on the issue as a famous hotel brand is involved.
One evening after I finished my duty, I passed by the back of one of the ballrooms, I saw one banquet waiter tidying up. He was gathering all the bottles of mineral water and collecting the left over water putting into one bottle. I was shocked to see that as I never expected this 5 star hotel would do this as a part of their cost cutting campaign.
Fine dining restaurants with elegant table set-up doesn't mean that the food you are eating is clean. The best is still the one we cook at home.
1 person likes this
5 responses
@Kalyni2011 (3496)
• India
17 May 11
Hello hexebella
What you are telling is true, the hotel looks big, clean tables, clean glasses, but if one goes to the kitchen in some hotels, one will never eat the food..
we have never stayed in 5 star hotels, just can't afford lol
during journeys i carry food from home.
thanks for this discussion
kalyani, namastey, have a nice day
@hexebella (1136)
• Philippines
7 Jun 11
Hi Kalyani!
That's a good idea, to pack food from home if there is time to do it because home cooked food is the best. But sometimes due to our hectic schedule, we are forced to eat out to save time. And during special occasions, we tend to go to fine dining restaurants for the experience, but not all of these establishments are handling food properly.
Cheers!
@jonnifc (1017)
• Philippines
26 Feb 11
I don't really dine at these expensive restaurants. Probably only about twice in a year, maybe. If the food safety practices are just the same with regular restaurants, then what's the reason why it's so pricey? Then I'll just eat at regular restos. Haha! Some of these expensive restos are so over-rated that you're really just paying too much for the ambience and the "reputation" of the resto. I prefer to dine in a place where I am comfortable and the food is great. But I also agree with you, that there's no better place to eat the best food than at home.
@hexebella (1136)
• Philippines
4 Mar 11
Hi jonnific!
Thanks for responding.
You're right that customers are just paying for the ambiance and they can not be sure on how clean the food was prepared as I saw it myself. They are just good with the presentation.
Food prepared at home are the best and the safest.
Cheers!
@amirev777 (4117)
• India
10 Feb 11
Hi
I dont think there is anything special about the food in 5 star hotels except the glamour quotient. Yes, the service is good, but the prices are also exorbitant. I prefer to eat in restaurants where you get food which tastes like home cooked food. Besides i am not really a foodie, i eat to live not live to eat.
@hexebella (1136)
• Philippines
11 Feb 11
Hi Amirev777!
It is the ambiance that we are paying and their 5 star service as they claim. But if people would see the exact scenarios in the kitchen and how the food were cooked and handled, I don't think they will still eat in those establishments. I'm not saying that all 5 star hotels are like that, I am speaking based on what I witnessed in the the previous hotels where I worked. You really can not count on the hygiene, home cooked food is still the best. Cheers!
@hexebella (1136)
• Philippines
11 Feb 11
It is a nice experience to dine in these 5 star establishments but how can we be sure that the food is really clean? They have very nice presentations, ambiance is perfect, what about in the kitchen? What's going on behind the curtain? :)
@Sunehant (57)
• India
10 Feb 11
I do belong from the same industry. I have worked as a waiter in five star hotels and cruise ships also. Let me give you a comparison of the two. Cruise ships are far more hygiene conscious than any five star hotel because they have to constantly undergo inspections from sea and foreign authority. So I feel It is very safe to dine in restaurants of cruise ship.
But there is no substitute to food cooked at home.
@hexebella (1136)
• Philippines
11 Feb 11
Hi Sunehant!
That's good if inspections are done more frequently, 5-star hotels are being inspected also but not regularly. It is always a surprise visit. But the authorities would not be able to see if the vegetables and meat were properly washed prior to cooking. As I mentioned above that the vegetables were not properly washed so the worm was included in the green salad.
Indeed that the home cooked food are still the best.
