F&B as a Profit Center: Indigo Road's Gabriel Perez on Culture, Cohesion and Restaurant-Led Hotels

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This Week’s Guest:

Gabriel Perez - Chief Operating Officer, Hotels, The Indigo Road Hospitality Group LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thehotelier

Your Hosts:

Zach Busekrus — Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/

Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambenwolff/

Gabriel Perez, COO of Hotels at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, makes the case that food and beverage should be a profit center, not an obligatory amenity, and Indigo Road targets double-digit profitability in every outlet. His first rule for developers: bring the F&B operator in from day one, before kitchens, hoods and life-safety systems are designed, or it's fatal "11 out of 10 times." He explains why Indigo Road prefers operating both the hotel and its restaurants, since a split operation fractures the guest experience, and Zach shares a New York stay where he couldn't charge dinner to his room. Gabriel says long-term success comes down to culture: hiring good humans over great résumés, a director of culture who regularly visits every property, and career paths that move waiters into marketing, accounting and purchasing. He talks about choosing operators who balance creativity with financials, giving concepts time to earn community trust, and the Indigo Road "groupies" who follow the brand from restaurants to hotels. He also explains why comfortable classics done well often beat trends. With co-host Ben (Onera), who is adding F&B for the first time, the conversation stays practical.

Key takeaways: Treat F&B as a profit center; Indigo Road won't accept break-even outlets. Involve the F&B operator from the very start of design and development. Operating hotel and restaurant together keeps the guest experience cohesive. Culture is maintained deliberately: selective hiring, a director of culture and visible career paths. Creativity and profitability align when chefs and GMs understand the P&L.