📰 You Can’t Please Everyone, And That’s OK!
Let’s be honest, standard hotel food & beverage menus look the same.
There’s always a burger. Always a pasta dish. Caesar salad makes its expected appearance. And somewhere in there, a chocolate dessert that “sells well” but no one raves about.
Why? Because we have fallen into the trap of creating menus that “please everyone.”
But here’s the thing, and its a conversation I have regularly with hoteliers, in trying to please everyone, we end up inspiring no one.
Generic F&B Doesn’t Build Loyalty
When we are working on hotel concept development project or shaping a food & beverage strategy at Auden Hospitality , this idea of “broad appeal” is often the first mindset we try to challenge.
See how we pull together our concept development projects
A lack of identity is the quickest way to get overlooked.
Your guests aren’t walking through your doors to get what they could get anywhere. They want something memorable. Something meaningful.
I share the statistic often when speaking by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, who report;
'65% of travellers are now booking hotels because of food & beverage.'
Before you get excited, this isn't always the F&B in your hotel but the restaurants, bars and coffee shops locally that they want to visit.
It’s no longer enough to be “fine.” Your hotel restaurant, bar, café must have personality, purpose, and a point of view.
Being confident in your direction helps your guests understand what you stand for and gets you on the radar of those 65%!
“If You Confuse, You’ll Lose.”
That line is from Donald Miller’s book Building A StoryBrand.
It’s one of the most valuable branding books I’ve read, and it applies perfectly to hotel F&B.
“If you confuse, you’ll lose. Noise is the enemy, and clarity is your friend. ”
Clarity doesn’t mean simplicity for simplicity’s sake. It means being sure about your F&B concept, making it clear to every guest what makes it you!
The 80/20 Rule (And Why It Matters)
On The Diary of a CEO podcast, Jane Wurwand, CEO of Dermalogica, shared a bold insight:
“We had to piss off 80% of the market in order to win the 20% who would become our loyalists.”
That’s stuck with me ever since.
Because it’s true in hospitality too.
When you try to appeal to everyone, you usually don't please anyone.
But when you double down on what makes you different, you attract the people who get it.
I’m not saying you need to upset guests. But I am saying that being unmemorable, trying to tick every box, is a much bigger risk than taking being confident in a clear direction.
Want To Be Remembered? Take a Stand.
Here’s what happens when you stop trying to be everything to everyone:
You create a memorable experience that feels considered, not copied.
You attract the right kind of guests - and they come back.
You build a team that’s proud to tell your story, not recite a script.
In today’s market, and in the eyes of 65% of your guests, your hotel’s food and beverage offer can be your biggest differentiator. But only if you’re bold enough to embrace a different mindset and think differently!
Hospitality is about connection.
So the next time someone says,
“We need something for everyone…” Maybe ask instead:
“What’s our story, and who do we want to tell it to?”
Not everyone will love it. But the right people? They’ll never forget it
Have you seen our visit to the Homies on Donkey's?
We share the story of the brand, some of the best dishes and how we helped them to become favourites with Infatuation, Time Out, Hardens and The Good Food Guide.