Marriott hopes Crossroads lead to market share - Marriott Management Services' Crossroads Cuisines menu program for corporate foodservice operations - includes descriptions of the program's modules

NEW YORK -- Setting itself up to compete "with the restaurants on the street," Marriott Management Services has unveiled a major menu program.

Called "Crossroads Cuisines," the plan consists of 17 themed stations representing a wide variety of menu concepts. Operators are free to choose any or all of the stations, depending on customer preferences and space limits. The program was introduced June 4 at MMS' Union Bank of Switzerland account here. Crossroads Cuisines, which took nine months to develop and has been in test for three months, is also in place at American Express and Merrill Lynch, also in Manhattan.

"With the introduction of Crossroads Cuisines, every station for us has become a branded station," said Chuck O'Dell, MMS president. "We have created a consistent look, feel, taste and touch that puts us squarely in competition with the outside market."

There are 17 stations in Crossroads Cuisines, each with several substations. More than 600 recipes had been developed to complement the program, making this by far the most ambitious menu reconstruction Marriott has undertaken.

Each module has its own signage, menu items and promotional support. Business and industry accounts -- Crossroads Cuisines is currently available only to the Corporate Services division -- can opt for all or some of the concepts, depending on customer preferences and space limitations.

"The strength of Crossroads is the depth of the menu," said Bob Jantzen, president of Marriott Corporate Services. "We are able to offer a price choice, a quality choice and a menu choice, meaning that Crossroads truly has something for everyone."

For example, noted Wil Chizmar, regional vice president of Marriott Corporate Services in New York, the Sage Deli has two submodules. Gourmet Spreads and Breads is the upscale side of the deli, with innovative gourmet sandwiches, such as "The Italian Connection": grilled chicken, smoked mozarella, roasted red peppers, lettuce, tomato and pesto mayonnaise.

Down-Home Deli Selections offers the more traditional deli sandwiches. Unit managers and clients can choose to feature one or both of the submodules. Jantzen said the impetus for the new program was what he called "encroachment of retail."

"The commercial restaurants have grown closer and closer to our customers," he explained. "Whether it is by walking, driving or having food delivered to their offices, it has become much easier for our customers to access commercial venues. We felt we had to address that encroachment aggressively."

O'Dell acknowledged that the introduction of Crossroads comes at a time when many of MMS' clients are downsizing. "There are a lot of entrees you might not expect from us," he noted. "It might seem like an about-face to make such an upscale statement. However, the best way to succeed in foodservice is to delight the customers. I won't divulge the secret of how we measure that magic point of delight, but we believe with crossroads that we are on the threshold of delight."

The New York metropolitan region was chosen as the area in which to develop Crossroads because of the strength of the commercial competition, Jantzen said. "We had an extra competitive advantage here," he added, "because of our talent in New York City."

He was referring specifically to Chizmar; Lisa Larsen regional marketing director for New York; and Rick Melfi, regional executive chef.

"We also have the strongest chef's guild in the country in this region, and we wanted to tap that expertise and ability," he added.

Chizmar, Larsen and Melfi formed the nucleus of the design team, which included 17 New York metro chefs. They brainstormed, created, experimented, designed and tested for six months before rolling out the program in the city. Chizmar admitted that the group was not above stealing other people's ideas. The idea for Charleston Market, for instance, was taken directly from Boston Market.

"Let's face it, people," Chizmar said, "we want to delight the customer, but we also want to build sales. So we're willing to adapt proven ideas to our own operations."

One module not seen in the Crossroads rollout is a health-oriented station. "Rather than dedicate one station to healthful eating, we decided to weave healthful alternatives throughout the program," Chizmar said. "We wanted to demonstrate you can eat healthfully no matter what category of food you are choosing."

The benchmarks for each station have been defined by "meridians," according to Larsen. "In the dictionary you will find that 'meridian' is defined as either 'pinnacle of success' or 'where the dateline meets tomorrow,' " she said. "That's what we want to accomplish with Crossroads."

For the time being Crossroads will be found only in Corporate Services accounts. Jantzen said there are currently 26 renovation projects planned for the New York area alone, and all will incorporate aspects of Crossroads Cuisines.

"We will gradually spread out among our six operating areas," Jantzen explained. "By September we will have showcases in place in all regions in which employees can be trained and clients can experience. We want this to be an umbrella program for the company for as long as it goes. How long Ten years? Twenty years? I don't know."

However, O'Dell explained, Crossroads eventually will make its way into other Marriott market sectors.

"We will take the program back to our permanent lab in St. Louis, where we will work on the issues that define health care and education and use them to alter Crossroads to be successful in those markets," he noted. "We want to truly define Crossroads for each sector rather than just transplant it from Corporate Services."

O'Dell estimated that it would take about a year before Crossroads is ready for a more general roll-out.

RELATED ARTICLE: `Crossroad Cuisines' modules

The Cooper Pot: Soups, chowders, chili & stews. Menu styles: Country Kitchen, Classic Collection Great Chili Cook-off, Stews & Ragouts, Panini Petites and Savory lunch muffins & Drop Biscuits. Fresh Inspirations: "Where salads are an art." Menu styles: America's salad bar, the Charcuterie, the Cheeseboard and All That Jazz. Sage Deli: "Gourmet breads, premium meats & other "haute" stuff". Menu styles: Gourment Breads & Spreads, Down-Home Deli Selections and Pret a Manger Panini. Selona Grill: "The thrill of the grill." Menu styles: Selona Sizzlers, "America's Best" grilled sandwiches, Pollo Rustico, Santa Fe Burgers, Roaster's Club, Fryer's Club and Spice & Ice. Charleston Market: "The culinary pride of the South." Menu styles: The Rotisserie, Country Favorites, The Potato Patch, The Vegetable Bowl, Cornbread and Biscuits and All-Time Favorite Desserts. Cachina Cafe: "Top-of-the-order for south-of-the-border fare." Menu styles: Authentic Tex-Mex Cuisines, Southwestern self-service, Further South and Salsa Tabla. Pacific Traders: Authentic Pacific Rim cuisines. Menu styles: Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Veitnamese, Indonesian and other ethnic specialties, and Noodles Soup Bar. LaVincita: Pizza, pasta, panini. Menu styles: Abbondanza, Self-Service Pasta Bar, Pasta Padella Au Gratins & Casseroles, Pastallegro Sautes, Panini Forno hot gourmet sandwiches, The Pizza Piazza, strombolis and calzones. Chef's Features: "Homestyle dining at its finest." Menu styles: Down-Home Comfort Cooking and Melting Pot Cuisines of the Americas. Culter's: Fresh roasted meats carved to order. Menu styles: Entree or Sandwich Service, Everyday Sandwich Service, Specialty Condiments. Theme Cuisine: "Let's do lunch made-to-order exhibition cooking." Menu styles: Hot Performers, Cool Creations and a La Minute Designer Salads. Cafe Fresca: In-A-Flash Salads & More. Menu styles: Cafe Fresca Expressions, Mainstreamers and Briefcase Salads. Harvest Hill: Fresh breads, bagels, pastries, muffins & more. Menu styles: Breakfast Call, The Boulangerie and Takeout Tonight. Farmer's Market: Fruits, snacks & more. Offering include fresh seasonal fruit, prepackaged retail goods, gift items, snacks and candy. Finishing Touches: "Divine desserts." Menu styles: Old-Fashioned Comfort Desserts, Patisserie Fini Gourmet Desserts, Nice 'N Lite, Crepe Escapes and Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate. Beverage Bar: Hot & cold Refreshments. Offerings include fountain beverages, The gourmet Bean[TM] coffees and America's Growing Thirst. Corporate Catering: Crossroads' "special touch for special events."

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