Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, Hershey, PA
William Liedholm, General Manager
Rudy Oddo, F & B Cost Controller

Hershey Entertainment & Resorts operates several premiere entertainment attractions– including two a historical theme parks and multiple lodging, entertainment, restaurant, club and spa facilities. When Hershey decided to become an Avendra customer, they selected the 665-room Hershey Lodge & Convention Center as their test case, keeping a close eye on quality, service and supply availability.

“The price savings were only part of what we were looking for,” says Bill Liedholm, general manager. “We are always looking to maintain and improve quality. In an environment where food prices were escalating, we knew we had a challenge ahead.”

Were they pleased with the results? Suffice it to say that Hershey Entertainment & Resorts has already made plans to roll out the Avendra program to additional properties. According to food and beverage cost controller Rudy Oddo, who manages the programs day-to-day, Avendra produced significant savings on his list of Top 100 purchased products -- which account for more than 50% of the total dollars spent on food & beverage.

“We’re looking at 10% savings over the first five months,” he summarizes, “while improving quality and maintaining our brand’s integrity.”

Bill Liedholm stresses that Avendra has proved to be flexible and responsible in developing a good working partnership. “We have been very impressed with Avendra’s willingness to work with us, on everything from suppliers to quality assurance processes. They want this to work.”

Tracking a Priority
From the beginning, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts made it clear that they were interested in tracking the number of Minority & Women-Owned Business (MWBE) vendors on their supplier list.  “We are committed to making progress in this area,” says Rudy. Using proprietary purchasing information & analysis tools, Avendra has been able to document Hershey’s participation with minority suppliers, as well as identify areas of opportunity.

In sum, the relationship is healthy and growing. “I would say that we’re still discovering how much Avendra can do for us,” summarizes Bill Liedholm. “Their value is much broader than we have been able to take advantage of so far.”