Scaling Revenue: Smart Strategies for F&B Growth

Edelmira Delgado [00:00:00]:

Is very important to know your cost and also it's important to be able to play with the numbers and see if maybe there's a different ingredient that you can change that keeps the quality of the food of the item. But then the cost is lower.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:00:17]:

Right?

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Edelmira Delgado [00:00:18]:

And that's the most like here like we see like the rule of law, you have food cost, bed cost, labor cost and then the rest it's in if you the controllables will be labor cost, BEP cost, sometimes food cost. But right now bed cost and food costs have are changing so bad like with the different tariffs.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:00:53]:

Welcome to another episode of WISKing It All. We're joined today by Elmira Delgado, FNB director at the Perry's Hotel. Eldamira has more than 15 years of food and beverage experience, beginning while she was earning a bachelor's degree in business administration and international Business at Youngston State University. Her resume also includes FMB management roles at major hotel brands including Hilton Hyatt, as well as some really cool boutique hotels that we'll talk about. Without further ado, I want to welco welcome Edelmira to the show.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:01:25]:

Hi. Thank you. Thank you for having me.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:01:27]:

Yeah, of course. Excited, excited to chat about your experience and your journey. I'm always curious to understand how and why people got into the space in the first place. So maybe a good place to kick off is just what drew you to hospitality.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:01:42]:

I think honestly it was like I was never able to stay in one place and just being tied down to one specific office or just you know, like being behind a desk 20, 24 7, that wasn't me at all. I also say that when I started hospitality it was my way of like doing something else. Like I kind of like, like any other college student. I had like quite a few part time jobs going on at the same time somehow some way everything was hospitality, restaurant, hotel, front desk, housekeeping, everything was hotel. So by the time I had graduated and I was looking for something else, I had my, my thing was like what can. I had a degree in business international. I do. I always wanted to travel, always wanted to do something different.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:02:34]:

So when I got my opportunity in my first job, which was like as an assistant outlet manager, I kind of was, I went for it, I tried it and I loved it. I love the fact that long hours, I like the fact of like I got to talk to people, talk to a team. Like I love being in the whole team industry. Like team like talk. Like it was so many different kind of people. When I started working, I Was also like considered like a very green manager. Very shy, very, how can I say, very green. I was young and like my servers, some of my servers had like 20 plus years in the industry.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:03:14]:

My bartender is like one of my top bartenders. Like she had been working in the same hotel for about like 25 years.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:03:22]:

Wow.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:03:22]:

So I had to earn their respect and kind of like I learned from them and they were kind of like, I feel like my first proper property is a property that told me like, hey, this is what you want to do. And that's one of the main reasons I stayed.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:03:38]:

That's really cool. And you've worked with, you know, like I said earlier, global hotel brands all the way to the boutique resorts. And I'm also curious how did those different environments maybe shape, you know, the type of leader you are today?

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Edelmira Delgado [00:03:52]:

I feel that my first boutique hotel, I was, it was Oakland Beach. I love that the resort was amazing. Five star resort. It was the culture there out of this world. My FME director at that point, he was an amazing mentor and teacher. And I think I learned so much from him. That and the rest of the team there. So it was the difference with being on a Hyatt that it was very structured, which I believe that as a food and beverage or even hospitality manage, starting with a brand like Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott, that kind of like gives you the sense of this is the general profile for a guest.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:04:42]:

This is what you have to do. This is what you need to do. Kind of like help me out. That when I went to PGA national, which was the big golf resort, I already knew the expectations as a food and beverage manager. But then I got to play more with the operation itself. But when I went to O, O was the culture of O and how their team members were treated and the beverage, everything, it was another level. And that kind of made me love like the boutique hotels. It was like, it was a nice love and understanding for it.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:05:24]:

And also because they were able to create their own culture. They were able. They were not, they were not standards that they had to. So which was the beauty of it because, like you have like Hilton, especially Marriott, like it's there all the time, but it was different. So that's why I like, I'm always a sucker for a good boutique hotel. It's kind of like my passion and my weakness because I could be very set on like an Amer property. And then they're like, hey, this is going on. I'm like, okay, let's try it.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:05:58]:

That's right. That's awesome. And you, and you touched upon the idea of, you know, having. Having a mentor. I think, you know, for, for any industry, really. Having a mentor, I think is just like a generally a good life hack, right? Like, find someone who's done it, who's done what you want to do and, and kind of guide you. But I'm curious to just touch on that a little bit because we have a lot of, you know, hospitality professionals tuned in and a lot of hotel operators or FNB managers or directors. And.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:06:25]:

And so what advice would you give them? Because you, you quickly touched on, on the idea of a mentor. And so I'd love to. For you to maybe expand on that. On that idea.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:06:36]:

I always think, I think, like, you learn something from every property. But I will always say that my biggest mentors were the ones that they were very early on my career first, the ones who gave me my first opportunity. The ones that they saw and they were like, hey, this is a very young girl who is almost zero FNB experience. Let's give her the chance. And that's what I consider my first, like, my first property. And I was like, I want to be like her. I want to be on her position. I want to learn from her.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:07:10]:

I want to get to be her. And I always like the few months that we spent together on that property. I was like, that's. That's how I want to be. But I also took very important lessons from all of my properties. But the ones that really defined me was like, my first property, Hyatt, my director, my FMB manager, if it wouldn't have been because she gave me the first opportunity. And I was like, this is this. She's my role model for the near future forever and always.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:07:44]:

Or like my manager who showed me how I can be better or like that I wouldn't be where I am. Because if, when I moved from Pittsburgh to Florida, it's a whole different culture. The hotel hospitality in Florida, it's. It's a different beast. I feel like if you go like the north, it's like our standards are there. It's more passive, all that. But Florida, you have everyone here. And the properties where I ended up working at, it was like, this is it, this is there.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:08:17]:

Like, I was like, I learned so much in my first few months at pga. Then I got a build me up for next. So I think I took very important lessons from different people and I took them as mentors and there were people that I will go in and I could even like text like I have one. My FME Director from pga. Anytime I do, like, I'm looking for an opportunity or, like, I'm like, they're offering me something. I was like, hey. And he's like, he still mentors me to this point. And he's like, no, do it this way.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:08:48]:

I believe you should. And those are the friendships that we. We move on and. But at the same time, it's. It's there. They will always be there for me, and I'll always be there for them because we build that report.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:09:01]:

Right? I love that. And, you know, I always think there's a lot to learn from, you know, challenges, and I'd love to maybe touch on some of your early challenges. So when you think about, you know, looking back, what was maybe one challenge early on in your career that. That you. That helped you prepare for this, you know, director level, I feel it's when.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:09:26]:

I just move here, like I said, like, it's a cultural shock because I was a food and beverage manager back North Pittsburgh super at a Hyatt, and it's so based in a standard that I knew the expectations, I knew everything. So moving here, my first job, I'm like, what is going on? Like, this is the. The team in up north is different than the team here in the. In Florida. So getting to learn their perspective and kind of like taking ownership and learn a different operation. It's not different, but the culture. The culture change between Pennsylvania north and then you have Florida, It's a whole different thing. So I feel like I took it, I got used to it, I learned it, and that's why I.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:10:17]:

I stay in Florida. Like, if I will ever go back, I know how the. I know the culture over there up north, but I do. I got to learn a lot from our culture and like, all standards on the people here in Florida.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:10:31]:

I love that, and I'd love to kind of do get a. Get a sense of a day in the life. Right? So why don't we just switch gears? I want to talk a bit about your. Your current role. And so you're at the Perry Hotel in Naples. Naples, Florida, of course. Looks like a beautiful hotel. I've never been, but it looks beautiful.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:10:48]:

So I'd love to kind of hear from you. What does leading food and beverage ops look like behind the scenes? You know, for you?

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Edelmira Delgado [00:10:57]:

I feel it's. It's the funniest thing ever, because I'm never doing something that I'm expected to do. Like, my plan mapped out, and then somehow there's 20 things happening. And then I'm like, okay, did I did something that it wasn't my to do list? Yes, maybe two or three. But at the same time I tackle something else like I'm supposed to do. Or like we started looking at other things. Like right now we're looking at, we're starting a brunch menu. How to.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:11:30]:

We're looking at brunch items, we're looking at the beverage items. Then like the holidays are coming and I feel like fmb, somebody who's not in FMB or who doesn't work in hospitality, they don't realize that for us to plan something for the fall, that's already been planned planning mode since like August, like maybe July, like Halloween. It's like, no, we should have started marketing. Had already had to start. Like we're planning a huge event for like Halloween, not Halloween. So it's kind of like we're already, already starting. Hey, what are we going to do? What are drinks? Like let's do, let's move it forward. Like we need to do this, we need to do that.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:12:15]:

Like it's a whole planning thing and it's just like going with the trends. What is trend right now? What kind of food, like what kind of tequilas can we use? Like drums, like those things. So that's the beauty of F and B. I feel like we are in our office like maybe 20, 25% of the time. But I always like for me, like I carry my laptop with me and it's kind of like extension. I forget it. Like they're like, oh, what's in the kitchen? I'm like, okay, it's in the kitchen. No, it's in this office.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:12:45]:

It's in the host because like I'm carrying it with me. Because I would never like if I'm in my office, how am I going to be in the operation?

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Angelo Esposito  [00:12:52]:

Right.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:12:52]:

So that's my personal thing, I think. Like I'm not my regular days, like emails, checking, responding to you know, important like sales events. Then operation. What is going on with the operation? Then like okay, what kind of meetings do we have to schedule? What kind of plans? What are my follow ups? And then like operation dinner. Then checking what is going on like for the rest of the night if we have any events. And then like always like my family always blames me for this. But my, my phone is attached to my hand so I have to respond to text messages and everything. It's just like my natural reaction.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:13:27]:

So. Right, right. And I mean I'd love to get Your opinion on, you know, at Wisk, what we do is we're softer. We help hotels and hospitality venues in general with what we call the boring but necessary stuff. So a lot of the back house stuff, so inventory and invoice management and recipe costing. And so, you know, a good example is like, you know that an event you guys are planning and you're coming up with new cocktails and different tequilas. Well, just making sure they're, they're profitable and they're to your liking. Right.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:13:57]:

And so that's what we do. But I'd love to hear from you when it comes to maybe the back of house stuff. So managing, you know, perfect example, coming up with that menu and making sure these items are profitable. And how do you think through that side of the business?

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Edelmira Delgado [00:14:13]:

We go in deep because like right now with the current levels and like the changes of pricing, it's insane how things go from one day to the other. So this property itself, they got a very good detailed software and created a bunch of different spreadsheets. So if something changes, we update it. We print in house and for liquors and all of that, we build that cost recipes for from the get go. Like I feel like when you are a new hotel, new restaurant, new something like it's very important to know your cost. And also it's important to be able to play with the numbers and see if maybe there's a different ingredient that you can change that keeps the quality of the food of the item. But then the cost is lower.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:15:05]:

Right?

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Edelmira Delgado [00:15:06]:

And that's the most like here like we see like the rule of law, you have food cost, bed cost, labor cost, and then the rest it's in if the controllables will be labor cost, bed cost, sometimes food cost. But right now bed costs and food costs have, are changing so bad. Like with the different tariffs, you know that like they're different. Like I get emails on text, hey, I don't have this tequila right now. I will get it next week. Or hey, you need to. The price of your of the coffee is going up 30 or 40%. And I, I think I was ridiculous at one point I was like, okay.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:15:47]:

They were like, hey, it's going up. So I'm like buying like 20 cases just oh God. Before it goes down. So it's kind of like I want to keep like for us, like if we keep increasing our prices, like we're going to lose guests, clients, revenue.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:16:04]:

No, it makes sense. And, and you nailed it. It's funny because again, not, not to make this about whis, but it's just an analogy. I always tell people like doing your costing once is reasonable and it's doable. And a lot of hotels and, and hospitality venues do it, you know, and in some type of sheet when they first start or when they kind of update their menu. But one of the most annoying parts that people sometimes forget, it's a subtle detail, but it's the maintaining. And so what I tell people is like costing out that cocktail, that old fashioned ones, easy, right? Put it in, put your portions, figure it out. Costing out that hamburger, pretty easy.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:16:44]:

It's maintaining that cost when that bourbon is changing price or those that vermouth is changing, whatever ingredients changing price even more so on food because you know, there's so many other ingredients in one single dish. But that's the part that's hard is maintaining that week to week when prices are changing. And it's one of the things that we've seen clients with software leverage really well. Why? Because sometimes or a lot of the times in hospitality, it's these little things that make a big difference, right? It's, it's that 40 cents less you're making on that margarita because tequila price increase, whatever it may be, right? I'm giving a simple example. But that 40 cents, you start looking at the numbers, you're like, wait, we sell on average a thousand of these a week. Oops, that's like 400 bucks a week, right? Like so you start looking at the math and you're like, okay, great, that's 400 bucks a week. That's 1600amonth. If I don't do anything at the end of the year, that's you know, $18,000 less.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:17:41]:

Just because I didn't realize the cost went up and it's that times a thousand because you have so many different menu items and so many ingredients within a menu item and it's like it just compounds. But I'd love to hear from, from your side, right? Like key part of the business, probably not the most fun part. So I'd like to love to know from you what's one part of your role that really kind of excites you most? You know, the thing that keeps you motivated day to day, I think it.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:18:10]:

Equals like creating things, creating drinks, being with a team while they create something. Because at the end of the day everything is about being the team. The team makes it or break it. Like your team is the one that they're in the front lines 24 7. They're them. So I will say they they're the ones I will follow and the ones that I, they, they will tell you they're looking for this, they're looking for that. So for me it's that.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:18:38]:

Yeah, it makes sense. There's a, there's a saying I'm sure you heard where it's like you're only as strong as your weakest link. And that's a, a perfect analogy. I, I always think about the hotel space. One area that's generally, you know, quite, quite profitable is, is, is banquets and events. But that also comes with a lot of pressure. Right? I know that. I know they're not easy.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:18:58]:

I love to hear your take, like, how do you handle or maybe balance this, right? You're already doing many, wearing many different hats. You're trying to, you know, run a business. You got these different holidays or themes coming up. How do you go about managing, you know, banquets and events?

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Edelmira Delgado [00:19:14]:

Well, banquets and event, it, everything depends on your outset having a good relationship with your catering manager.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:19:21]:

Okay.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:19:21]:

And being able to plan this from the get go because at the end of the day, like, if your catering manager is doing their job and they know how to sell your space and they know that you're going to be, you know, like the exact steps to make sure that the event runs smoothly and then you, you guys are on the same page. That's like, events will go flawless, will be flawless. It's not an issue. Like it's having that relationship and that understanding with them that makes sense.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:19:53]:

And you know, on the podcast we generally have people from all walks of life and hospitality, but hotels generally operate quite differently than, you know, just regular restaurants. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of crossover, but, you know, there is a lot of difference. And I'm curious from your point of view, I know you mainly worked in hotels, so, so I'm going to ask you the reverse question. Is what's one practice in the hotel world that you've learned that you think maybe restaurant owners can borrow for bar owners?

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Edelmira Delgado [00:20:28]:

Let me tell you, like, I had friends who work in standing restaurants and they describe how the difference between them and hotels are.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:20:35]:

Okay.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:20:36]:

I feel that one of the major difference between hotels and restaurants is that we are. Hotels depend on each other. Like the departments. So you have engineering, you have front desk, you have like all of these departments are a whole team. And like, while you're in the restaurant, it's just you, yourself and your, like, that's it. Like they, you have your general manager, your thing, but that's just that team, like. Well, I feel one of the practices the hotel do is like we have our BO meetings for events and that's why we communicate each other. Department meetings.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:21:14]:

It's kind of like we depend on a lot of what they do, but it's kind of like it's a circle. Whatever they start with, finish. Whatever they finish, we start. So I feel like that's the biggest thing. And also, which is kind of like, I feel like one of the main difference when you are working in a restaurant and you go to work in a hotel, you need to understand, hey, there is a front desk team. This is the engineering team and they need to learn to work like that.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:21:48]:

It makes sense.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:21:49]:

Yeah.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:21:49]:

I mean, like, I've seen it in restaurants. Like, a lot of them will have, you know, teams, but the team might be a one person team. You know, it's like you got the bar manager, you got maybe, you know, the someone at the front of house. You got, you know, your chef or kitchen manager. But yeah, generally the team is, Is a lot smaller. So. So your points definitely valid. When I think of hotels, I always like to think about how guest preferences, because we see this in the restaurant space as well, but keep evolving.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:22:24]:

So I'm curious, what guest preferences have changed a lot in recent years? Like, what trends are you noticing that every operator maybe should be paying attention to?

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Edelmira Delgado [00:22:35]:

Well, I feel like it's becoming a lot with, I don't know, I don't even say large parties, but it's. I feel like a lot of the trends that I seen, it's kind of like family style. So like tapa style. It's like food goes as comes as you go. It's not like first course, second course, third course, that's going. That's not going away. But more of the whole tapas is. It's happening.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:23:04]:

I work in a very. I have working rooftop. So I think like, everybody's loving a good rooftop vibe. Yeah, rooftops are there. They're never gonna go away. But I think I have seen so many more, like, compared to previous years when I started, like, rooftops are, are here and everything is about. And I know this is like set the aesthetics, how everything looks like you can have, like how everything looks on Instagram. Everything.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:23:32]:

It's like I feel like as guests, they all going for the look. Yes, the look. The look. The. The drink. The look. And it's, it's. I feel like they will give the restaurant a chance just because of a nice Instagram picture.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:23:49]:

Yeah.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:23:50]:

Which is not Gonna say anything because it. Sometimes that drink is amazing and like the hot. The restaurant is one of the best. But those are some of the things that I have seen. And also right now, like in culture, in regards to food, like there is such a fusion. Like the fusion of cuisines is happening. So much so I feel like those are a lot of things that are changing and FMB keeps changing. So something that might not be somebody might create something in the next couple weeks.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:24:23]:

And like the next year, restaurants will be opening with the same theme, right? You haven't even thought about it and you're like, okay, like you have the bakeries, like, oh my God, like the chocolate divide. Like all those things, like one little thing, one little post. And because of that post, you have so many different trends or restaurants or businesses start.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:24:48]:

No, it's true. It's amazing what sometimes one post could do with. With reality, right? You know, you think about, I mean, I forget how many years ago it was now, but the Ocean Spray cranberry juice, right? The guy skateboarding with that Ocean Spray cranberry juice and when mega viral and change his life. And you know, these are extreme examples, but they happen. They happen quite a bit. And you're right, these trends can catch on and people will go to a place just for a signature dish, a signature cocktail that they saw on Instagram or TikTok or sometimes to your point, a signature view. Right? Hence the whole kind of rooftop and aesthetics and Instagram moments. It's no longer nice to have.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:25:30]:

It's almost a. A must have, right. As we kind of slowly wrap up, I. I always like to get a sense of, you know, teams leadership and I know you touched on that. And, and it's really cool to hear how you. You acknowledge, right? Like the can't do much without a good team. But I'd love to maybe touch on how do you think through maybe inspiring your team, right? It's. You got to be motivated, you got to be a good leader.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:25:57]:

But part of being a leader is inspiring others. So how do you think through that? Any tips for people listening in on how they can maybe grow and inspire their team?

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Edelmira Delgado [00:26:06]:

I feel like as a leader, like, it's kind of like I like to look at people and be. Know that they can count on me, but also be able to hold people accountable and for them to hold me accountable. Because I will never say I'm perfect. I will never say I never made a mistake. Of course, like I'm a girl, sometimes I argue and like, I try to define my Point. But, but I will always be like, hey, my mistake. I will correct it. And I think that as long as they, the team knows that you can, you're there for them also, that you can do the same job that they're doing, that you're not going to be asking someone, hey, can you clean this table? When basically you could do it for them.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:26:59]:

And that's how I like to inspire people. I always like to. And I always say to my, to the young, to the, my young ones, if they're going to school, I'm always like, hey, school is your priority. If they have to work. And I'm like, this is your. This is fmb can be your life. No, hey, that. That's you.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:27:21]:

But if you're looking to do something, to change, to go to school, you need to focus on school. So I'm the first one who will push them to be like, hey, what are your glasses? What are your tests? Because I know that when I was, you know, at school, like, I had, like, my, My managers never pushed me, was like, hey, this is your. Can you work more hours? We're like, yeah, I can. But I also know that FMB is addictive. If you start as a hostess, you move to Forerunner or Buster Busser, you move to a server. Server, you move to bartender. And like, it's. FNB is addictive.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:28:01]:

No. Well said. It is.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:28:06]:

It's one of those things. And also I feel like the friendships they made when they're working are the friendships they keep forever. They're like, hey, I was a server with this person for so long. And I will say, also from my side, I feel like some of my closest friends are people that I have met in the industry, because the only ones who understand your pain are the ones who have gone through the same.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:28:30]:

Yeah, that's fair.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:28:32]:

It's kind of like, that's me. But I. To be a leader, I need to know that they can trust me, that they respect me, and they need to know that I respect them.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:28:43]:

I love that. I love that. And I know a big issue in general in hospitality is turnover. Right. What have you found? Right. I know there's no silver bullet, but, you know, we quickly spoke about labor costs, but what have you found works best for maybe keeping people engaged and sticking around?

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Edelmira Delgado [00:29:02]:

If you know how to build, like I. My last properties, this is my second opening, My first opening. I feel that how you build your team, how you look at the personalities, because everything is personality based. You cannot have two of the same because they. So if having Two, building your team based on the personalities that you have, based it on the guest service that you need. And then like my last property, my whole team was. I had 85% of my team from them. They never left.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:29:42]:

I kept them because they got to be family, friends, help each other out. And I will say it all the time, it's like they even now that after I left, kind of like they all started going their different ways, but they still close, they still friends, they still. So I feel like building into those personalities, I'm making sure that your team works as a team. If you're going to bring somebody who's new, that cannot work well with a very well established team. That's you were just hiring to hire. Also it will shake the whole structure of the team. My current team has been with us, has been here since opening. We have been adding people.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:30:29]:

So I feel like hiring the right people from the get go. But also understanding that you're going to make mistakes once you, you have those few weeks, months to realize if a team member is an error and you have to learn from that, that makes sense.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:30:46]:

Yeah. There's another popular saying which is, you know, fire fast, higher, slow. Right. So it's like when someone's not a fit, recognize it. But no, it makes sense. I love that. And as we maybe look to the future, I always like to wrap up with kind of, you know, futuristic thoughts and kind of advice. So maybe just quick one on the future.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:31:10]:

I'm curious, like if you had to predict this just totally personal, whatever you're thinking. Right. But if you have to predict maybe the next big change in hotel dining and beverage programs or just in that world in general, that FNB world in hotels, what do you think it would be? What do you think the next change coming is?

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Edelmira Delgado [00:31:28]:

That's a great question. I honestly feel like everything is going with. There's going to be a more definite division between luxury and standard. I feel that right now we are seeing a lot of like a regular chains like those are there, but they're becoming either more towards the standard and you're getting more of the luxury because when you're in the luxury style, guests are paying for the experience. That's why you go from your regular mom and pop like sandwich that costs 10 bucks to your 25 $30 burger with fries. Because you're literally in like the top of the top or this. I feel like that is. That is going to keep going.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:32:18]:

The divide is going to get. It's going to get worse.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:32:22]:

Yeah.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:32:22]:

I call it Worse, because you should always have, like, a minimum level. But I feel like if you're not with how prices are going, how things are changing, like, it, like, renting right now, like, in Florida is becoming crazy. I feel that it's. Whoa. I feel like restaurants are closing. Those restaurants that they're not hitting it on the first year. They're all closing really fast. And I feel like that our season is growing.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:32:55]:

Like, our off season. It's getting worse than what it was a few years ago. Like, off season is not off season. Before was like, okay, soft season. But right now, off season for a slower restaurant or a regular restaurant is tough. It's hard. And because of being tough on hard, we are sacrificing the experience. We're sacrificing labor.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:33:21]:

So once the experience is not there, like that, that goes hand in hand, like, for other restaurants or places where, hey, you're giving more of an experience, but your plates are like, twice the amount because you know that labor is not that bad. And the experience keeps getting better. So that is what I'm looking. I'm also seeing that a lot of, like, how, like, the trends are changing, like, so much. So many things are being more natural. Like, which is the difference between the high end, like, natural juices, like fresh oj, fresh lime juice, anything that's fresh, anything that you need, and the trends for, like, making drinks unique. So everything right now, I see that it's gonna be a big rift between, like, luxury and standard. And, like, we're all gonna keep going towards the experience.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:34:17]:

Instagram moments are gonna get better, better and better.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:34:22]:

So interesting. Very cool perspective. And. And to wrap up, I always like to end off with some advice so we have people listening in. And so because you're, you know, an FNB director, I'd love to maybe for either aspiring or other people in the FNB space, in the hotels, you know, give them some advice. So I guess the question is, what advice would you give to someone who wants to be an FNB director and is maybe already in that realm or new to the space and thinking of getting, you know, involved in the space?

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Edelmira Delgado [00:34:55]:

I will say, there's no stupid question. Ask questions, there's no super question. I feel like I have learned so much by asking stupid questions, and I have also made mistakes when I didn't ask those stupid questions. I learned from that. I also will say, find the people that make you better. Learn from them, whatever you can. Two things in life will help you. And if you're really, really into FMB and Hospitality.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:35:28]:

Nobody's gonna make you change your mind. Like, it's. It's there. It's in your blood. One of my major. One of the people that I always say, they say, like, hey, when you are fmb, you bleed ketchup, because that's. That's your life. That's your blood.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:35:42]:

Like, it's. You are never gonna move. You're never. And I said I would never. I don't see myself moving out of food and beverage. I don't see myself going. Doing something besides food and beverage, because I love this specific department.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:36:00]:

I love that there's a. There's a quote I'm paraphrasing, I'm probably gonna say properly, but it's like, you know, ask us. Ask a stupid question and be a fool for a moment and, you know, never ask the question and be a fool for a lifetime. And it's that idea of, like, you're better off. People, you know, think, oh, wow, what a dumb question for that one minute. And then people move on. Right. That's the worst case versus not asking and just never growing.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:36:26]:

Exactly.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:36:27]:

I love that. Okay. And I always like to end up with people just getting to know how to connect you. Right. Maybe people resonated. People liked your message. They're curious to learn more about you and what you do. Where's the place to connect with you? Is it LinkedIn is.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:36:40]:

I think LinkedIn. LinkedIn is my main thing. My hospitality is my page. I am honestly, I always think, like, I think I took the podcast just because I love talking about food and beverage. I talk too much about food and beverage. But if anybody ever needs anything, I'm there because I have think I have learned. I have made mistakes. I have been in situations where everybody will judge a face for how young you are.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:37:12]:

Hey, this is it. Like, it's preconceived notions of who you are just because of your things. But I always say, like, hey, anybody? I'll give advice to whoever asks for advice. And I also. I like to share what I have seen and what I have gone through, because that's how you grow.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:37:33]:

I love that. And you mentioned your hospitality page. Is it on. On LinkedIn, but Maya's hospitality, or is it Myra's hospital? Excuse me, is on LinkedIn or where can they find that?

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Edelmira Delgado [00:37:44]:

It is on LinkedIn and it is under my name.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:37:48]:

Okay. Okay, awesome. Well, make sure to put the link in this episode. These episodes will air on all podcast channels, Spotify, Apple Music, all that good stuff, as well as YouTube. So we'll make sure to include that link. So there you have it everyone. FMB Director at the Perry Hotel in Naples, Florida. We got Edelmira Delgado on the WISKing at All podcast.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:38:09]:

Thank you for joining us today.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:38:11]:

Thank you for having me. Have a good day.

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Angelo Esposito  [00:38:13]:

That was awesome. If you want to learn more about WISK, head to WISK AI and book a demo.

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Edelmira Delgado [00:38:30]:

Sam.

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