PROFILE - 2 ::

KUMAR IS KEEN ON UPLIFTING F & B AT COIMBATORE VIVANTA

BY P S SUNDAR

If Vivanta Surya Coimbatore by Taj is hailed to be the preferred culinary rendezvous for the city-dwellers and visitors, that gives the General Manager B C Kumar a level of satisfaction equivalent to professional excellence as his thrust is on uplifting Food and Beverage to complement the global standards of stay at the hotel.

“Already, we have improved the chef-strength to provide variety including regional and home-style cooking.  Be it buffet for regular meals or for select events or ala carta style, our endeavour is to keep the taste buds satisfied with quality and safe food”, he told me.

He manages quite a few food serving areas in the hotel.    The ‘Latitude’ is an all-time multi-cuisine restaurant. The ‘Red Pearl’ woos guests with the best possible Chinese servings.   The ‘Smoke in Water’ is a terrace-based adventurous avenue with spa support.   Food is also served at pool-side.   Banquets and celebrations demand his expertise on the lawns.  And, there is ‘Tease’ bar.   All these, in addition to room service.

Consequently, he manages variety through innovation. The ‘Street Food of India’ is such an innovation; details on this appear in a separate article in this blog.  “We are making this customer-centric.   So, there is variety every time the event is on”, he said.

The Badaga cuisine and Ramasseri Idli are other examples of innovation.  Separate articles appear on these in this blog.

And, for traditional wedding meal, he has introduced plantain-leaf service.

Hailing from the tourist-centric Nilgiris district, Kumar handles these with ease and excellence.    He has come to Coimbatore Vivanta after a rich experience that began at Taj Savoy Hotel in Ooty in 1985.  From there, he moved over on periodical transfers to Taj Residency, Bangalore, Fernhill Hotel, Ooty, Taj Garden Retreat, Coonoor, Taj West End, Bangalore, Taj Coromandel, Chennai, Taj Krishna, Hyderabad, and Taj Fisherman’s Cove, Chennai.   Yes, he had worked in various capacities from front office through operations to be the General Manager before becoming the second GM at the recently opened Coimbatore Vivanta.   And, in every place that he worked, Kumar has a proven track of achievement and challenge-management.

Now, he heads a huge hotel with 180 rooms which creates a task to show high occupancy rate every day!   “This is the largest hotel inside the Coimbatore city limits as it is located in the heart of the city”, Kumar told me.

He heads a team of 13 HODs and 315 employees at various levels.  

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com).