Thoughtful Kitchen Prep Helps This NYC Hotel Feed Thousands of Guests

This episode of Large Format goes inside the dining rush at Arlo Williamsburg, where hundreds of diners stream into the onsite restaurant, Sungold, while guests simultaneously order room service.

Executive chef Michael King chats about how the massive kitchen goes through more than 2,000 eggs a week and constantly churns out big, fluffy pancakes for brunch. In addition to serving nearly 4,000 hotel guests each month, the kitchen also supplies five event spaces and three bars on the property, bringing in another 1,00 guests each week.

“There’s certainly a misconception that in a hotel restaurant the first thing that suffers at that volume is the quality of ingredients and the execution,” King says. “The commitment that we have to ingredients, technique, cooking from scratch lends itself throughout the building and to every plate of food that we put out.”

Prep is a key piece of the puzzle. Managers plan out every bit of time in the kitchen, figuring out what needs to be made in advance for large incoming crowds. Rooftop pool events are common, where Sungold dishes are made into party bites, such as the spicy fried chicken slider.

Across the kitchen, cocktail batching and daily prep for nearly 800 garnishes supports the $8 million beverage operation. Head bartender Armando Aceredo is the mixologist behind some of the hotel’s top-selling cocktails, including the frozen passionfruit margarita.