In the midst of our new Towers Lobby renovations, we have also opened another area of the hotel that is near and dear to our hearts, our Palace Market Team Member Dining.
In our post Dining in the Library, we provided a behind the scenes look at the temporary cafeteria that was being housed in the Villard Mansion Library. Now, the facility has moved to a spacious area that is designed to make our employees feel relaxed in a warm atmosphere. The designers and engineers visited New York University’s cafeteria and met with their management team to identify cafeteria trends to make sure our dining hall was up-to-date. For example, based on research, we eliminated the use of trays to have a more sophisticated dining experience. The majority of the furniture, including some tables, chairs and light fixtures, was repurposed from the hotel’s 39th floor and Gilt restaurant.
The new dining hall comes complete with hot and cold food bars, a salad bar, cereal station, deli section, and healthy snacks like wasabi peas, craisins and more. Executive Director of Food and Beverage Abby Murtagh says, “In working with other dining halls, we felt that it was important to incorporate allergy-sensitive menu items and hydration stations.” As a result, employees now have a robust choice of beverages, courtesy of top-of-the-line soda fountain Coca Cola Freestyle that serves everything from Seltzer to Mello Yello.
The cafeteria also includes enhanced green features like electronic bulletin boards. Before the renovation, the hotel printed daily newsletters so that our team would be abreast of current Palace happenings. Now, the dining hall features several flat screens that will play a constant rotation of hotel news and other vital information that our staff members need to know.
Employees were stunned by the new cafeteria at the ribbon cutting ceremony held yesterday and had nothing but great feedback about the outcome of the renovation.
Victor Arce of Hotel Packaging said, “This is amazing and really elegant.” Concierge Isabella Ibragimov agreed that “the food is really mind-blowing.” Elizabeth Concepcion in Sales said, “I am totally impressed and it takes a lot to impress me. With the music and atmosphere in the cafeteria, I feel like I am at a hotel.”
Before and After
Stay tuned for more of our updates from both the front and back of the house at The New York Palace.