Emma Banks – Hilton| Buffet hype & the importance of F&B in sustainability

This episode will leave you hungry for more! Emma Banks Vice
President, F&B Strategy & Development Europe, Middle East,
and Africa at Hilton joined us for an episode of SMACK at the
recent Future Hospitality Summit in Abu Dhabi hosted by the Bench
to tell us her story. Fritz and Emma discussed the gourmet plate of
all hospitality topics: F&D. Wait, F&D?! Yes, Food &
Drinks as Emma rightfully calls it. Let’s be honest: has anyone
ever used the word “beverage” in a normal context? Emma and Fritz
talked about the most important meal of the day, breakfast and its
impact on customer satisfaction. Emma’s love and hate relationship
for buffets, and how to generate an ethical and fiscal win for
hotel owners and customers by reducing food waste with the help of
AI. She explained that food waste makes up an incredible one-third
of global carbon emissions – and we couldn’t agree more with her
and her team that The future of hospitality is sustainability, not
only in terms of food waste and plastic reduction, but also in
terms of sourcing locally and responsibly. Her love for
#hospitality clearly showed as she talked about her own career
path, including what went wrong with the original plan of becoming
a criminal pathologist, and the possibilities that the industry
offers for those in love with F&D. As Emma said: If you want a
career full of color, hospitality is for you! 🫵 Enjoy the show!