The Alamite

In 2023, a boutique Marriott Tribute Hotel with two restaurant concepts faced major operational inefficiencies and an under performing food and beverage (F&B) department. The property lacked structured F&B leadership, had no integrated restaurant management system, and was missing key controls around cost of goods sold (COGS) and purchasing.

Culinary Guide Shop designed a tailored leadership structure based on siloed roles and accountability, applying a “divide and conquer” approach to budget ownership. We led weekly Academy-style calls to instill foundational restaurant management practices, delivered SOP frameworks, and implemented a comprehensive Restaurant Management Software system. This included database build outs, recipe costing, inventory protocols, invoice approvals, and end-of-period P&L reviews. A declining budget model was also introduced to guide ongoing purchasing decisions.

By 2024, the hotel’s F&B department hit targeted industry benchmarks (30% food cost, 22% bar cost), saw significant operational turnaround, and rose to the #1 ranking among all Tribute Hotels nationwide. The ownership group has since extended CGS’s involvement in a fractional leadership capacity through 2025.