Food & Drink Awards 2019
Page 68 www.lux-review.com LUXlife 2019 Food & Drink Awards Such a beautiful and high-profile location as Punta del Este is always in the spotlight. This means the Yacht Club must keep on its toes and react to a changing market accordingly. ‘I foresee very important quality real estate developments,’ says Ricardo, ‘which surely will bring us more member subscriptions.’ He relished the challenge. ‘We are prepared to receive them delivering excellence to them as usual.’ Yacht Club Punta del Este serves A1 customers only the highest quality food, but with standards ever increasing, so must the restaurant. Fortunately, with people like Ricardo at the helm, it seems likely that the members of the Yacht Club needn’t worry. With the constant aim towards perfection, it seems certain that they’ll be able to live the high life for a long time to come. Contact: Juan Alberto Etcheverrito Company: Yacht Club Punta Del Este Website: www.ycpe.org.uy/5937/Inicio Set against the backdrop of the Yacht Club Punta del Este, there is nowhere more charming to enjoy your meal. With a touch of class, a pleasant atmosphere and good food, it sets standards that must be matched across the region. We caught up with Food & Beverage Manager Ricardo Guillemette to find out more. Yacht Club Punta Del Este: Best Harbourside Casual Dining Venue - Southeast Uruguay Found in the ‘Monaco of South America’, Punta del Este offers something truly delightful to its patrons. Being a members- only club means that only the highest standards of excellence and the best quality of food can be given. Offering a warm and elegant atmosphere overlooking the port, the delicious Mediterranean dishes, the freshest fish and seafood, and the international food on offer make Punta del Este one of the most desirable eateries in the area. When it comes to staffing such a respected club as Punta del Este, there is a constant pressure to improve the quality of food and service available. Ricardo is a big believer in quality circles. ‘All the best you are performing today, it must be better tomorrow,’ he says. ‘Keeping this premise in mind, we have designed consistent quality circle processes to achieve and maintain goals towards ex- cellence.’ It’s a consistent program, allowing employees to engage with the business and feel part of making it a better company. ‘We have regular monthly meetings with all personnel. These meetings are important for us to maintain a close link with employees on a human one-to-one exchange. For our daily communications, we implemented a WhatsApp group which assures a quick, constant and immediate response.’ The use of WhatsApp might seem odd, but the use of this popular software means that Ricardo can track who has seen messages, who has replied and who has yet to see the messages. As a private members club, the restaurant sees a lot of service over the summer season, dropping heavily over the rest of the year. Punta del Este maintains its staff employees over the winter months, a minimum of 15, rising to 50 during the summer. Some would see this as a challenge if there are no clients to serve, but to Ricardo, it’s an opportunity to try out something new. ‘We compensate this lack of clients during winter time, selling different kinds of events,’ he says. It’s not the only challenge that the club faces. You might think that being a part of the prestigious Punta del Este Yacht Club would be enough to set the restaurant and bars apart, but Ricardo is dedicated to keeping the standards high. ‘It is a very competitive industry indeed,’ he admits. That said, he knows the secret to maintaining the high standards already achieved is to keep aiming higher. ‘Clients in general are more and more demanding,’ he smiles. ‘We stand out from our competitors by keeping our facilities and equipment, with elegance, charm and good taste.’
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