Resorts World Manila - The Winning Hand

In business, as with life, there are two types of risk-takers: one who takes a blind leap of faith, and one who takes on challenges after a careful study of the risks and consequences. Chef Hubertus Cramer, the Vice President of Food and Beverage of Resorts World Manila (RWM), the Philippines’ first integrated tourist hub, is a rare hybrid of both.

BUSINESS IS PLEASURE

“This.” Chef Hubertus says, referring to the wide, sprawling expanse of Resorts World Manila with a casual gesture. ”is essentially my playground”

And what a playground it is. Resorts World Manila, strategically located just across Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and adjacent to the Villamor Golf Course, is “a modern live- work-play community and the first tourism economic zone in the Philippines,” as its website states. RWM can claim bragging rights for being home to three reputable hotels—the five-star Marriot, Remington Hotel, and the luxury casino hotel, Maxims Hotel—a luxury mall called the Newport Mall, the Newport Performing Arts Theater, various gaming facilities, and, of course, whole slew of top quality restaurants.

RWM may primarily connote to casinos, but one cannot deny that it also brings to mind the numerous gastronomic destinations it houses. At the heart of these palatable pit stops is Chef Hubertus Cramer, who started out as a pastry chef in Europe, then worked his way up the culinary ladder, so to speak, and toward a different continent—and is now at the helm of RWM’s F&B Department.

Chef Hubertus has been living in Asia for the past 20 years, and has called the Philippines home for the past five to six years. He cannot imagine living anywhere else, especially after suffering a stroke a few years back. “My medical records are all here,” he explains, so it’s only logical that he keeps close to the hospital which has given him a new lease in life.

A typical workday for Chef Hubertus starts at 7 a.m. and ends well after 10 or 11 p.m., but he is quick to admit that in truth, he is working 24/7. Because he doesn’t feel that it’s work, he claims. “You enjoy what you do, you deal with customers, you solve their problems, and you’re getting paid on top of that,” he enthuses. Even during weekends and holidays, he still works and checks his email, as he doesn’t want to be kept out of the loop. “I’ve never had a Christmas in the past 20 years!” he exclaims with a chuckle.

PLAYING TO WIN

Time away from the kitchen, unlike his early years in the culinary industry, doesn’t deter Chef Hubertus from having the time of his life as VP of Food and Beverage. “The best part about my job is that your employees trust [me] more than they trust their own colleagues,” he reveals. He attributes this to his certain talent to get along with people without prejudging them, I’m able to make them open up to me,” he says matter-of-factly, without a shred of conceit whatsoever. “My relationships are not in quantities but in quality.”

Some might see it as micro-management, but for Chef Hubertus, it is personal leadership—he knows all of the F&B staff (all 1.000 employees’) by name, and can be seen striding through the establishments, inspecting the restaurants, the kitchens, his “playground,” on a regular basis. He confesses to continually reminding his staff about foodservice basics, In order to uphold and maintain standards, but also admits that he is his own worst critic. He shares that no task is too menial for him. He would pick up a stray table napkin or a dropped utensil on the floor himself—indeed, a hypocrite he is not. “You have to lead by example,” he says simply.

Another of Chef Hubertus’ work mantras is “You’re never right, the customer is.” He cautions against being prejudiced and judgmental toward customers. Even if the customer is not a wine or food connoisseur, there is no excuse for exercising culinary snobbery, he says.

A WINNING COMBINATION

 Chef Hubertus acknowledges that success doesn’t come easily—nor is it something that can be achieved alone. The enviable status of Resorts World Manila as one of the premier and most exciting tourist destinations in the country can be attributed to its productive partnerships with reliable suppliers, such as San Miguel Pure Foods, inc. - Great Food Solutions (GFS). To coincide with RWMs notable services, GFS provides them with the best ingredients like Magnolia dairy products and processed meat.

“A great institution is not determined by its size, but obviously through the people who have created what it is. We are not a small player either so it’s only natural that we work closely together,” Chef says. “San Miguel is a worldwide recognized brand: Resorts World is a worldwide-recognized brand, too.”

He maintains that the only two factors he takes into consideration when taking on partnerships with suppliers are quality and consistency. “Flexibility comes automatically if you are consistent, but not everyone who’s flexible automatically has the quality or the consistency. As a businessman, you have to have flexibility” he emphasizes “So when you have consistency, you have flexibility because otherwise you don’t have consistency. You need to be flexible because the inconsistency, by nature, requires you to be flexible, GFS as a partner has always been consistent and flexible.”

Being at the center of a world-class establishment has further molded Chef Hubertus strategies for success and enhanced his passion for the F&8 industry. He claims that every day carries a new lesson, and that even if he is already at the top of the food chain, there are still new things for him to learn. “l still read cookbooks; I still experiment with recipes. Not as often as before, but I still do,”