information services, says properties in the United States have adapted their food and beverage offerings, installing food outlets that resemble grab and go mini-markets. The trend for convenience eating is also contributing to a decline in the traditional hotel restaurant that serves three meals a day, he says. They 're being replaced with casual food outlets offering items such as pre-packaged salads. It's all part of what Mandelbaum calls the Starbucks phenomenon, a property design and management philosophy that enables and encourages interaction between strangers. Combine this with the emergence of sociable millennials who prefer to mingle in the hotel lobby than order room service, and you have an industry and consumer move away from imbibing in the room. Is this such a bad thing ? For those who think inflated prices on items like tiny bags of macadamia nuts and mediocre chocolate bars are offensive, especially when nearby convenience stores offer the same stuff for a fraction of the price, the stocked in-room bar has always been an irritant. Simon Dell, vice president of operations of Thailand-based ONYX Hospitality Group, agrees. We do n't want to sell mini-macadamia nuts for $8.50. It's not what people want, he says. What's more, by eliminating minibars from rooms, hotels can actually save costs, says Dell. When -LRB- we -RRB- remove any content from the minibar it