FMJ.CO.UK CATERING FOCUS
MAY 2021 33
going to fundamentally change in terms of
healthy balance, other than how customers
and guests receive it. For example, salad
is still being o„ ered, just not an open selfservice
style of delivery.”
Mahoney: “It’s simply about good planning
and thorough execution. Caterers are very
agile and can amend their propositions
quickly to meet the needs of the customer.
On the whole, we expect to have our usual
nutritious menus available but o„ er the
customer a choice of how they can order
and receive it, depending
on the structures and
mechanisms put
in place by the
client.”
Hurst:
“We’ve
increased the
range of grab
and go items
packed in
100 per cent
plant-based
packaging
for customers
to choose
from, along with
replacing self-serve
counters with fully
sta„ ed counters.
Moving more and more transactions online
has also allowed our customers to browse
menus, order and pay from the comfort
of their desks or mobile phones before
collecting from sta„ restaurants.”
With a move towards more hybrid working
modes at least in the short term, how can
catering facilities deal with unpredictable
customer volumes?
Prentice: “This is our biggest long-term
challenge. The answer really depends on
who you talk to. We know that people are not
going down the 100 per cent home working
route but degrees will vary. We need to be
prepared for any eventuality and we know
that customer service is going to be more
important now than ever before.
There are some certainties. Whatever
model is deployed, people will want the food
they couldn’t have at home, and hospitality
in workplaces is going to be less about
corporate entertaining, and more about
team collaboration.
We feel there will be a greater demand
for take home kits, if people are working
from home the following day. The key
requirement for us is flexibility. People are
used to living di„ erently so we will have to
adapt.
I believe it will di„ er from sector to sector,
and geography will matter too. For example,
the City is going to be the biggest challenge
and regions will be less impacted. Blue
collar working won’t change much as home
working is much less of an option. As things
reopen, there will be patterns developing
and we will need to continue to be agile and
adapt. Caterers are very used to this.”
Mahoney: “Even pre-COVID, we would work
closely with clients to determine volumes,
external visitors and behaviours on a very
regular basis. It is in the interests of both
the caterer and the client to ensure that we
are monitoring building footfall and staying
abreast of activity within the organisation
to understand what type of service will be
required. This collaboration is going to be
vital moving forward.”
Hurst: “Being agile and dealing with ever
changing fluctuations in demand is no
di„ erent in catering than in a restaurant or
pub where demand has always ebbed and
flowed with changes in the weather and all
sorts of other external factors.
By ensuring our menus are engineered
to allow production to be quickly flexed
and our sta„ trained and empowered to
make decisions to deliver on this, along
with constantly compiling and analysing
occupancy and sales data, we minimise
wastage.”
Will new technology such as pre-ordering
via apps play a big part in streamlining
catering services?
Prentice: “This is a massive part of all
reopening plans. The pandemic has actually
sped up the adoption rates of di„ erent tech.
I’ve been trying to get clients to adopt some
apps for years, the process was slow but it
has sped up massively since the pandemic.
There are a lot of other elements to
consider too. For example, smart vending is
becoming more popular, frictionless fridges
are increasing, cash is dying fast, pre-pay
is on the rise. All of these developments
will help to manage sta„ ing levels and
movement of people too.”
Mahoney: “Technology will play a broader
role than just streamlining services, it will be
an essential part of the transaction between
customer and caterer.
Pre-COVID, uptake of technology may have
been slower, but it has since ramped up as
all parties understand the importance of the
role it needs to play. Click and collect, preorder,
hospitality, meeting catering etc are
all going to require technology to funnel and
channel activity.”
Hurst: “Yes. There’s no doubt that COVID
has accelerated the digitalisation of our lives
and our operation has certainly benefitted
from a sudden upli‰ in our customer
embracing the tech we’ve spent the last few
years putting in place.
We’ve obviously been in the delivered-in
space since our inception so we have a good
understanding of how tech can enhance our
clients’ operations.
As an agile boutique caterer, we’ve always
We know that there will be an element of
‘staggering’, be it people in the building on any
given day, or even phased lunchtimes. Whilst we
won’t necessarily get the usual ‘blitz’ of people
coming down for lunch at once, we know we
have to put measures in place to control what
we can.
This is where the use of apps and tech are
going to be vital. We have an app which helps
with pre-order and collect, either from the
restaurant or a safe space. We are also o„ ering
‘click’ and ‘deliver’ services where appropriate.
There are other ways in which we are working
with clients to utilise space. For example, if
there is any unused space (such as a reception
area which no longer houses visitors due to
restrictions), we are seeing whether these
can be temporary collection points.”
Mahoney: “The fabric of buildings are
not likely to change in the short-term as
many of the measures being introduced
are not likely to be permanent, however,
wayfinding is going to be crucial as
we move into the next phase. We are
working with clients to ensure we have
developed good comms on where to
go and when to do it. This will largely be
dictated by how they see their workforce
behaviours changing and what measures they
are putting in place with regards to attendance.”
Hurst: “This has actually been pretty easy
to achieve in most o„ ices as the reduced
headcounts deriving from distancing
requirements and hybrid working models, has
allowed for novel use of space. This includes
breakout areas, training rooms and even
previous desk space to be turned over to create
additional sta„ restaurant seating areas in many
cases.”
How can caterers provide varied and
nutritious food choices to consumers when
self service delivery methods are currently
limited?
Prentice: “We will continue to be provide
healthy, well balanced menus, but just delivered
di„ erently. As part of any menu cycle, new
dishes will be introduced but our o„ er isn’t
Pre-CO9I', uptake of technology
may have been slower, but it has since
ramped up as all parties understand the
importance of the role it needs to play. Click
and collect, pre-order, hospitality, meeting
catering etc are all going to require
technology to funnel and
channel activity.ƌ