American Airlines Broke a Basic Rule — and Flight Attendants Are Furious
A hotel bar has the potential to turn a good stay into an extraordinary one. Success comes from a clearly defined concept that’s executed with intention, said Allison Kafalas, director of beverage & operations support, Americas at Hilton. “A bar’s identity isn’t just the menu; it’s the total experience,” she said. Everything, from glassware and plateware to cocktail garnishes and lighting, and, of course, staff, “working together to create a cohesive concept,” Kafalas said.
Consider the newly opened and renovated Waldorf Astoria New York. It was essential for Hilton to reintroduce the famous Peacock Alley bar while ushering it into a new era. Every element of the experience was reimagined, getting a boost via a partnership with renowned mixologist Jeff Bell. “We paid close attention to the details that shape the atmosphere,” Kafalas said, including uniforms and evening entertainment: a Cole Porter piano is now back in the Peacock Alley lounge.
How a bar feels should mirror the hotel. For Marcus Hotels & Resorts, whose portfolio spans historic landmarks and lifestyle properties, that alignment is critical.
At the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, guests find an elegant, traditional vibe that matches the property’s legacy. At lifestyle-driven hotels like Saint Kate, also in Milwaukee, or The Lofton Hotel in Minneapolis, the bar scene skews more eclectic and trend-forward.
Successful bars, noted John Wise, VP of food & beverage at Marcus Hotels & Resorts, feature live entertainment and high-quality, elevated food, from sushi to made-from-scratch pizzas. “These all complement an intelligent, seasonal beverage menu,” he said.
FOLLOWING THE MONEY
Beverage margins not only outperform food margins, but alcohol is also less perishable. It’s a reality that shapes strategy.
“Beverage margins are always significantly higher than food margins,” said Tony Mosca, managing director of Rosewood Washington, D.C.’s CUT + CUT Above bars. “The bottle of alcohol on the shelf can remain there until you sell it, whereas with food, you’re dealing with day-to-day reservations and walk-ins.”
Cocktail pricing often carries more weight than food increases. “If people are drinking one, two or three drinks, it will balance out that way,” Mosca said. “The key is the right product mix.” At CUT, beer represents less than 2% of sales. Programming, instead, focuses on spirits and wine. “When people are sitting and dining in the main restaurant, we’re heavy on the wine side,” he said. “In the lounge, it’s more cocktail-driven. On the rooftop, it’s more weighted toward cocktails.”
CHANGING DRINKING CULTURE
As wellness continues to reshape drinking behavior, hotel companies are adapting bar menus that feature healthier options. “The trend over the last few years is elevated zero-proof menus and low-ABV programs,” said Mosca. Guests, for instance, might start with a full-strength martini and back it up with a lower-alcohol or alcohol-free option. “They feel like they’re still participating in the ritual of drinking and being at a bar, but they’re not feeling alienated because they are having alcohol-free beverages,” Mosca said.
Several brands across the Hilton portfolio are elevating wellness as a core pillar, said Kafalas. Tempo by Hilton, for one. The brand offers a signature “Spirited” and “Free-Spirited” cocktail program and recently partnered with author, wellness coach and no- and low-alcohol expert Derek Brown to debut a reimagined lineup of cocktails. “Our goal remains to deliver the full experience of a well-crafted drink, with or without alcohol,” said Kafalas.
Monthly beverage inventory, point-of-sale analysis and scheduling systems that review pacing, same-period-last-year data and reservation trends help ensure staffing levels align with demand. “It enables us to schedule staff accordingly, so we don’t have too little or too many at the time,” Mosca said.
Creativity also plays a role during slower periods. “When I was working at the Playboy Club in New York, we created a ‘Statue of Liverty’ made out of chopped liver for a 4th of July event. It was silly, fun, tasty and we got a few TV stations to show up,” said Marcus Hotels’ Wise.
LESSONS LEARNED
Relying on perception rather than data is one of the most common mistakes teams make when engineering bar menus, according to Kafalas. “When asked about top sellers, bartenders may often name the drinks they personally like or think are trendy—not the ones actually driving sales. Menu development must be grounded in real data and built for the guest, not the bartender.”
Another common mistake is a lack of balance. “A well-designed menu should offer a mix of spirit types, brands, cocktail styles and flavor profiles,” said Kafalas. At Leonessa, the Italian apéritif rooftop bar at Conrad New York Downtown, the bar menu was created in partnership with tastemaker Ariel Arce and designed to celebrate the best of Italian cocktail culture with a balanced selection of spritzes, bitters, martinis, non-alcoholic options and wine and beer.
For Wise, relying on too few suppliers for products is another misstep. “To get the best products, you need to do the research and utilize a larger supply of vendors,” he said. It’s also important to not put an artificial cap on what the guest spends. “Be competitive and offer fair-priced value, but understand there are always guests willing to spend more for an amazing glass of wine or a high-quality bourbon or tequila,” he said.
Beyond concept, margins and programming, there is one element that helps define a great hotel bar: storytelling. “People want to feel connected to the place that they’re drinking in, staying in and dining in,” said Mosca.
1 OF 10
RT Bistro
WHERE: San Francisco, California
This burger was inspired by an off-menu special at Rich Table’s bar, and recently found a permanent home at RT Bistro next door. “It was a very messy burger at the bar, and the idea of keeping it neat and clean was important to us,” says chef Evan Rich. The thick char-grilled patty from Olivier’s Butchery includes 10% dry-aged ribeye for extra umami, and Rich mixes California cheddar with grated Parmesan for a Mornay-style sauce that melts like American cheese. “The aged parm and cheddar work perfectly with the aged beef,” he says. Dill pickled onions add a crunchy, tangy contrast, and their signature burger sauce includes garlic aioli, hot sauce, an Old Bay-inspired spice blend and Dijon mustard, all tucked into a housemade bun.
2 OF 10
The Ranch at Rock Creek
WHERE: Philipsburg, Montana
At The Ranch at Rock Creek, Chef Zachary Ladwig uses equal parts shoulder, culotte, brisket, and short rib from Montana Wagyu Cattle Co to make the perfect burger patty at this 6,600-acre luxury dude ranch. “It’s a throwback to a Midwestern-style juicy Lucy that I’d have on road trips through Minnesota,” Ladwig says. The patty is stuffed with black truffle, onion, short-rib and fontina fondue, then garnished with a bright frisée and celery salad dressed in truffle and aged balsamic vinaigrette to cut through the gooey indulgence. A housemade Amish potato roll bun toasted in housemade salted butter from Kalispell Kreamery cream holds everything together, with a recommended pairing of Montana craft beer or whiskey.
3 OF 10
The Alston
WHERE: Chicago, Illinois
Chicago’s hottest new steakhouse, The Alston, also serves up the city’s best burger, courtesy of Michelin-starred chef Jenner Tomaska, with many guests ordering burgers as an appetizer to split. Tomaska dry ages prime chuck meat from DemKota Ranch Beef for 60 days for intense beefy flavor, then adds sweet and tart caramelized red onions stewed in red wine and vinegar, clothbound cheddar, raclette, and a luxurious hit of charred bone marrow for subtle smokiness. “This burger is meant to sit somewhere between a classic steakhouse burger and something a bit more French in spirit,” Tomaska says. “The mix of clothbound cheddar and raclette brings a slightly funky, savory note that ties it all together without overpowering the beef.”
4 OF 10
Cataloochee Ranch
WHERE: Maggie Valley, North Carolina
This Relais & Chateaux resort in the Smoky Mountains serves a killer smashburger made from their own herd of around 25 Black Angus cattle, which are grass-fed and corn-finished for the last three months for a unique sweet marbling. Chef Jeb Aldrich uses a mix of brisket and chuck for the patty, and sandwiches double-burger patties on soft potato buns, topped with melted onions and a mountain of Gruyère cheese. “Our smashburgers feel very true to the ranch,” Aldrich says. “Everyone loves a classic juicy burger when you’ve spent the day horseback riding or hiking, but ours are extra special thanks to the high-quality meat from our Black Angus cattle.”
5 OF 10
Pasjoli
WHERE: Santa Monica, California
The burger at neighborhood bistro Pasjoli is the best-selling item on the menu, a blend of beef tenderloin and dry-aged New York strip that’s ground and seasoned in-house.
“Ultimately, we wanted a burger that had varied textures and could cook like a piece of steak,” chef Dave Beran says. They season and baste the burger in foaming butter and aromatics like garlic, shallots, and thyme. Beran wanted his burger to be a little sloppy, so he garnishes it with charred red onions braised in sauce au poivre and bone marrow aioli, with housemade brioche buns. “When we finish cooking the burger to rest, we sear the buns in the cooking fat from the burger to add a depth of aged beef fat flavor.”
6 OF 10
Cowiche Creek Brewing
WHERE: Yakima Valley, Washington
The Smoke Jumper burger is named for the courageous smokejumpers who battle forest fires in the Cascade Mountains every summer, with bold smoky flavors to match. Royal Ranch, a carbon-neutral regenerative farm in Royal City, Washington, where Cowiche Creek Brewing owner, chef, and brewer Derrick Nordberg grew up, supplies all of the USDA Prime-grade beef. Nordberg cuts and grinds the burger patties in-house with a blend of chuck and brisket for the right balance of beefiness and fat content. Toppings include melted Tillamook smoked cheddar cheese, blistered jalapeños from their garden, fresh arugula, crispy dill pickles, sliced sweet onions and two slices of seared Buckboard Bacon from Carne Vita in Leavenworth, Washington, all sandwiched on a corn kaiser bun. They even make their own chipotle mayo, smoking, drying and grinding ripe red jalapeños from their garden for an extra kick.
7 OF 10
The Vermilion Club
WHERE: Boston, Massachusetts
The eight-ounce burger cooked to medium rare has been the best-selling menu item at lunch and happy hour since opening day at this John Fraser chophouse, the Vermillion Club. Pat LaFrieda grinds an 80/20 blend of Piedmontese beef, an Italian heritage breed known for lean, tender texture, and the patty is draped with melted white cheddar cheese with a classic brioche bun to soak up the juices. The secret to this burger is a medley of made-from-scratch sauces, including soy mayo, steak sauce, ketchup, and Montreal seasoning with toasted mustard seeds and Maldon sea salt instead of table salt.
8 OF 10
The Patterson House
WHERE: Nashville,Tennessee
The cheeseburger at Nashville’s most exclusive cocktail bar is available as a single or double, with grass-fed beef from Bear Creek Farms, aged cheddar from Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese, and fresh and hearth-smoked onions on a Martin’s potato roll. It’s styled off a classic French dip, with beef jus seasoned with house-made sourdough miso for smashing or dipping on the side. “We wanted something fun and interactive,” says chef Tiffani Ortiz. “The au jus is very allium-forward and made with beef bones coming off the same cattle the beef patties are made from, and seasoned with sourdough miso made from all of our bread service trimmings.”
9 OF 10
Prime + Proper
WHERE: Multiple Locations
This steakhouse serves only 10 burgers a day, often selling out before happy hour ends. Patties are made with dry-aged wagyu trim to eliminate food waste and add extra flavor, along with a blend of USDA Prime dry-aged brisket and fresh chuck. The pastry team proofs and bakes 10 fresh brioche burger buns each morning, and the prep team meticulously caramelizes sherry onions for hours to bring out their natural sweetness. Beecher’s Flagship aged cheddar and mayo are a rich, creamy complement to the flavorful beef, with a sprinkling of pickled mustard seeds as the final flourish for acidity. “The burger is an expression and culmination of everything that we have put into our dry aging and butchery program,” says Heirloom Hospitality CEO Jeremy Sasson.
10 OF 10
Félix Cocktails et Cuisine
WHERE: Charleston, South Carolina
Stewed onions from a secret family recipe for French onion soup passed down by owner Félix Landrum’s late French grandmother are the star of this burger at Felix Cocktails et Cuisine. Two short rib-brisket blended patties are topped with a generous scoop of stewed, caramelized onions before being blanketed with melty raclette cheese. With a final touch of dijonnaise, the burger is served between toasted sesame buns from a neighboring Annie Mae’s Bakeshop. “I aimed to capture the essence of French onion soup in a burger,” Landrum says. It’s been a menu staple since the restaurant opened in 2017, and for good reason.
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