The Assignment
The award-winning Lyrath Estate Hotel in Kilkenny prides itself on making its guests feel special from the moment they arrive by creating a complete 5* experience.
As a destination for fine-dining and relaxation, every detail is given great care and consideration. Coffee was one area that Patrick Joyce, general manager of the hotel knew needed some attention.
"We'd been having numerous servicing problems with our coffee equipment as well as issues with our coffee supplier. We also felt that we needed to develop a coffee offer that was of the same high calibre as the food served in the hotel," says Patrick Joyce, general manager.
The approach
Hot beverage category manager, Alison Lynch, from Pallas Foods knew that its new coffee partner, United Coffee, had the expertise and commitment to customer experience to provide Patrick with just what he was looking for.
“I met with Pallas Foods and United Coffee and was impressed by the cutting-edge equipment, quality coffee and after sales support they were able to offer while the concept of a one-stop-shop solution, meaning I can get everything I need from one source, rather than having several different suppliers, made complete sense from a business perspective.”
Sean Francis, United Coffee’s business development manager, carried out a comprehensive site survey to develop the best equipment solutions for each of the different areas of the business.
“There’s never a ‘one size fits all solution’; the equipment has to fit the style of operation, the customer demand, the surroundings and the skill level of the staff,” comments Sean Francis.
Automatic bean-to-cup Tiger machines, which serve barista-standard speciality coffee at the touch of a button have been installed in each of the two fine-dining restaurants. Chosen for their ease of use, they give restaurant staff the reassurance that each drink served will be of the same high quality.
To add some barista-style theatre, a Black&White Touch CTS has been installed to serve the bar areas and the relaxing conservatory area. It produces high quality espresso shots at the touch of a button and the cool touch steam wand allows staff to hand-finish drinks.
A BUNN Titan bulk brewer was installed in the 1500 delegate convention centre to deliver high volumes of quality coffee for the many conferences and events at the hotel.
Once the equipment was chosen, it was time to think about the coffee. Following a coffee tasting session, Patrick and his team opted for Grand Café 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee.
“It delivers on quality and taste and offers our customers reassurance that they are enjoying an ethically sourced cup of coffee,” continues Patrick.
Once the new coffee was in place, Sean worked with Patrick to develop a signature drink; a three-shot cappuccino, that’s totally unique to the hotel.
“It’s extremely popular. We’re able to charge €4.75, a mark-up of 40% on a standard cappuccino, so its proved to be a real profit driver,” continues Patrick.
The Results
“The transition was seamless from start to finish - United Coffee delivered on 100% of its promises. The equipment is reliable, there is no coffee wastage and coffee sales have increased by 10% in just three months. Being able to get our coffee delivered by our foodservice distributor has helped enhance efficiencies within the business,” continues Patrick. “Customers are receiving consistently high-quality coffee and the feedback from them has been fantastic.”
“The Lyrath team has been extensively trained and has developed a real passion for coffee. The equipment is much quicker and easier to work with and everyone is 100% confident in the quality of the coffee they’re serving. The team at United Coffee are committed and passionate about they do and that really makes them stand out from the crowd. Thanks to them and Pallas Foods, we now have a coffee offer that is a true reflection of the Lyrath experience,” concludes Patrick.
For more information on United Coffee Ireland call Sean Francis on 0868177186 or visit www.unitedcoffee.ie
For more information on Pallas Foods email Alison Lynch at Alison-lynch@pallasfoods.eu
