As a company working with most 4 and 5-star hotel and resort groups in Vietnam, how do you see the tourism and resort economy in the next five years?
Vietnam is entering a golden age of luxury resorts. Five to ten years ago, a resort’s main advantage was its location or design. But from 2026 to 2031, the key to keeping guests and boosting TRevPAR (Total Revenue Per Available Room) is the F&B Experience.
High-end guests have changed what they want. They do not just look for luxury. They want refined flavors, clear food origins (Traceability), strict cooking standards, and Sustainability. F&B is no longer a side service just to fill guests’ time. It is now a main strategy for hotels and resorts to stand out in the market.
What opportunities and challenges does this shift bring to the F&B business?
The opportunity is huge, because F&B revenue makes up a growing part of total income at 4 and 5-star resorts. However, F&B Directors and Executive Chefs face challenges like never before. Customers know more and are much stricter. They can easily tell the difference between real pasture-raised Wagyu beef and fake meat or taste the true freshness of cold-water seafood. So, F&B Directors and Executive Chefs are under pressure to constantly update menus while keeping their gross margin stable.
In your opinion, what are the hardest problems 4 and 5-star hotels and resorts in Vietnam face in F&B operations today?
Working directly with hundreds of Culinary Leaders and Purchasing Directors, we found five core operational challenges:
● Sourcing & Supply Chain Security: Global politics and climate change disrupt the supply of premium imported goods (like Truffles, French butter, and fresh seafood). A 5-star restaurant cannot say they are “sold out” just because a flight is late or customs take too long.
● Menu Innovation & Speed-to-Market: There is major pressure to change menus for different seasons or themes to attract local and global guests. But most hotel R&D teams lack the time and resources to create new dishes quickly.
● Cost Optimization vs. Quality: Food costs are rising, but hotels cannot easily raise menu prices. How can they keep the same portion sizes and top quality while maximizing profits?
● Consistency: A kitchen must ensure that the 1,000th plate at a wedding tastes and looks exactly like the first test plate.
● Labor Shortages & Prep-Time: The global F&B industry lacks skilled culinary professionals. Spending too much time on basic prep work costs money and lowers the culinary leader’s creativity.
As a “Trend Setter” in Hospitality, what global F&B trends is Classic Fine Foods bringing to Vietnam?
As part of a global premium food group, Classic Fine Foods has early access to the latest food trends in Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific. We do not wait for trends; we lead by introducing three main waves to Vietnam:
● Smart Kitchen Solutions: We are changing the traditional way of running kitchens by introducing pre-prepared ingredients made with modern technology. Examples include quick-frozen vegetables, five-star quality concentrated stock, frozen bakery products, and ready-made meals.
● Sustainable & Ethical Gastronomy: More 4 and 5-star resorts in Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, and Da Nang want to become Carbon-Neutral. Classic Fine Foods leads in supplying certified sustainable products responsibly caught seafood (MSC/ASC), antibiotic-free free-range beef, and traceable organic dairy.
● Micro-Trend & Heritage Storytelling: High-end diners eat with their feelings as well as their taste buds. Classic Fine Foods brings unique items to Vietnam, like limited Artisan cheese from French family farms, or Single-origin chocolate. These give culinary experts the right materials to tell artistic food stories.
“Business Solution Provider” sounds great, but how does Classic Fine Foods do this every day with high-end hotels and restaurants?
Selling a product (a Stock Keeping Unit, or SKU) is just a simple trade. CFF’s core value is providing solutions that help clients solve running problems, boost sales, and stand out. We act as a “Solution Provider” through four main pillars:
● Culinary Expertise & Masterclasses: Classic Fine Foods has a team of professional culinary specialists. Through regular in-depth training programs conducted with international chefs, we help customers stay up-to-date with the latest food trends and cooking techniques, improve their plating skills, and enhance the capabilities of their kitchen teams.
● Assortment Optimization: Using data analysis, we help F&B Directors review their ingredient lists. We remove items that are doubled or not useful and replace them with flexible items used for many dishes. This frees up cold storage space and improves cash flow.
● Bespoke Sourcing: For Fine-Dining restaurants or 5-star resorts that want exclusive dishes, Classic Fine Foods uses its global network. We find the rarest ingredients exactly as the culinary leader asks.
● Co-Creation at Classic Fine Foods Kitchen: The Classic Fine Foods Kitchen center in Ho Chi Minh City is a place for culinary leaders to come and try new ingredients. They can test recipes (tasting) and finish their menus here before serving guests.
Looking at the next five years (2026-2031), what is Classic Fine Foods’ vision and promise for the Vietnam Horeca market?
Classic Fine Foods Vietnam’s strong mission is to be the most trusted bridge. We aim to bring the world’s best food to Vietnam and raise local F&B operations to global standards.
In the next five years, we will focus on three strategic promises:
We do not see hotels, resorts, or restaurants as normal “customers”. They are our strategic partners in a shared ecosystem. When a partner creates amazing dishes, cuts costs, and grows revenue (Innovate - Differentiate - Grow), that is when Classic Fine Foods has done its job.
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