Blog Archives

10th December 2015

Arena Christmas Event

Foodservice Marketing Agency - Arena Christmas Event The Arena Christmas Event is the official start to the Christmas festivities for the foodservice industry and as the leading foodservice agency we make a point of attending every year. This year there was a double bill, featuring a review of the year from Horizons and a key note speech from Wendy Bartlett of Bartlett Mitchell, not to mention a fabulous meal at the Mandarin Oriental. The day kicked-off with coffee and complimentary porridge, courtesy of our client Ferrero, who’s nutella hazelnut spread added a much needed sweet addition to the hand-held porridge pots, and was especially appreciated by those attendees who had an early start to make it into Knightsbridge for the Horizons briefing.

Then it was time for Peter Backman and his team to take us on a romp through 2015 and a look ahead at what might be in store for 2016. Taking each month at a time we enjoyed a summary of the highs and lows, winners (Costa, Byron, Leon, Wahacca) and losers (soft drinks companies) of the year. From the raft of acquisitions over the year to the somewhat disappointing Rugby World Cup, the review took in everything from ‘ones to watch’ high street brands on the up (Cau, Turtle Bay and WrapChic to name but a few), to examples of casual dining and QSR operators venturing outside their comfort zones in order to attract consumers in an increasingly competitive market place (Subway in a car showroom, McDonald’s table service, alcohol in Burger King and breakfast at Five Guys). With all day dining and ‘what you want when you want’ driving menus, hand-held options seems to be the future with ‘wellbeing’ rather than ‘healthy’ firmly established, along with American and Mexican influenced dishes still going strong. From Jamie’s sugar tax to the rise of technology in all its forms impacting on foodservice, be it payment apps or online ordering hubs like Hungry House and Just Eat, not to mention social media, the face of foodservice is ever changing. The good news though, things are pretty positive and although consumer confidence is fragile the ratio of new opening restaurants to closures hasn’t looked this good in years (although mainly driven by group casual dining operators as independents continue to struggle).

Then it was onto the year ahead and what might be on the Horizon (so to speak!). With the terror threat ever present, a likely referendum in the offing over Europe and continued austerity, as well as the impact of the national living wage, there is a backdrop of uncertainty both with business and consumers. Whilst on the positive side we have Rio 2016 and Euro 2016 to look forward to next summer. The secret to success in the year ahead? Peter Backman would urge operators to innovate and move outside of their comfort zones to stand out from the crowd – sound advice at any time. So after a morning of food for thought it was then on to the actual food of the day, with a stunning lunch prepared by the team at the Mandarin Oriental and having had an elegant sufficiency, it was then time to hear from Wendy Bartlett…

First off she took the opportunity to set the record straight and make clear that Ian Mitchell is her friend, not her husband, a widely held misconception in the industry. As Founder and CEO of Bartlett Mitchell, the hugely successful boutique contract caterer, with 87 locations, 800 staff and over £30 million turnover, Wendy knows a thing or two about contract catering. She, like many other achievers in her field came from a Sutcliff Catering background which spawned so many contract catering companies. She took the brave move fifteen years ago when she and Ian left their stable careers in contract catering to set-up their own business from Wendy’s back bedroom with two phones (after Ian resigned on her behalf, would you believe, after leaving an incriminating document on the photocopier at their current work – oops!). With no salary for two years (but a holiday booked as soon as they set-up oddly enough!) the company started off with a £20,000 budget from each founder and a tight hold on overheads (despite Ian’s allowance for dry cleaning his shirts – a top priority).

Having started out with their first ever contract with a Swedish TV company, now Wendy is one of the top 100 influential people in hospitality, has an MBE and Bartlett Mitchell is counted amongst the ‘Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work for’ and is accredited by the Sustainable Restaurant Association. All in all it’s safe to say things have gone pretty well. Indeed, Wendy never found being a woman in foodservice a barrier, as without the worry of a wife and kids to support she feels she had the freedom to take risks her male counterparts might have shied away from, and loves the business as much as ever, especially the food and the people side. She welcomes the national living wage and to date 50-60% of their clients have taken this on and will always put forward sustainable options to clients, but accepts that they are spending other people’s money so often the decision is out of her hands. Her words of wisdom to the room included – working with friends, not using a lower case font for a logo as it causes a nightmare with autocorrect and to mentor and nurture the next generation of leaders to ensure the industry has the right talent coming through. Her Christmas wishes included…the end of demitasse cups, easier Wi-Fi codes, a simple qualification for chefs – so we’ll have to see what Santa brings.

Then it was time for the charity draw, with Wendy doing the honours, and the great news that the event had raised £1,540 for Hospitality Action. As the day drew to a close and the bar called, there was a little more time to catch-up with contacts old and new and toast the imminent festivities. Well done to Lorraine and the team at Arena, as well as Peter and the team at Horizons and Wendy Bartlett on a great event, as well as the sponsors that make it all possible. Roll on 2016 and what will doubtless be an excellent line-up of events. To find out more about Arena visit their website.

Susan Wickes

24th November 2015

FSM Awards 2015

Food Service Marketing - FSM Awards 2015 From event catering to healthcare, CSR to marketing, the FSM Awards (Foodservice Management Awards) aim to celebrate the best and the brightest in the field of contract catering. This year the glittering awards night, was held at the Lancaster London and hosted by Mark Durden-Smith (a foodservice favourite it would seem). The awards were dispersed between courses, prepared by leading contract caterers Elior, Sodexo, CH&Co and of course our hosts for the night, The Lancaster London – all of which were equally delicious.

The format worked well and as the evening progressed the conversation flowed along with the wine, as we welcomed onto the stage the well-deserved winners to receive their awards. The charity nominated for the evening was Sue Ryder who offers support to those suffering from life changing illnesses, offering hospices and neurological care. The charity was one close to the heart of Robyn Jones who sadly passed away earlier this year and in tribute to the outstanding work Robyn did in the contract catering industry she was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award which her husband Tim Jones collected for her. It was a poignant moment which honoured a hugely respected and much missed figure in our industry.

The full list of winners can be found here FSM Awards 2015. Congratulations must go to all the nominees and winners, along with the sponsors of the evening (which included our client Pritchitts) and of course the great team at H2O headed up by Alan Dewberry. Another great event celebrating the best talent in the realm of contract catering.

jellybean is a leading food service marketing and communications agency. We help top brands with food service pr, food service marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

13th November 2015

Propel Multi Club Event

The Propel Multi Club events are a must attend for those in the pub and casual dining world. Offering a range of expert industry speakers covering everything from the economic outlook to practical case studies, these events throughout the year have to deliver solid content in order to justify a day out of the business for these key players in the industry. The programme is very much aimed at multiple operators looking to build and grow a successful business and as such they offer a great opportunity for brands to highlight their products and services and even get to sample their wares. With an exhibition area used for breaks and lunch there is ample time to get face to face with the kind of individuals that are very difficult to pin down any other way.

With an attendee list that reads like a who’s who of the pub and high street dining world the day kicked-off with a look at the current economic trends and how they may impact on the eating and drinking out market. Speaking with no notes (quite an achievement) Ian King of Sky News talked knowledgably about the past twelve months and what might be in store for the months ahead, in what he termed as currently a pretty ‘benign’ market, as the impact of the national living wage takes effect.

The day went on to cover the headline grabbing world of mergers and acquisitions, synonymous with the pub sector, with Peter Hansen from Sapient Corporate Finance looking at the structure of the market and the impact of the MRO (market rent only) option. He ran through and what models are available in the market, from free of tie leases like Duck and Rice, to joint ventures with pub co freehold and Managed Expert Programmes like Hippo, where everything apart from the labour is controlled by the pub co and the manager receives a percentage of income. With low food inflation, low interest rates and a recovering economy the pub sector is looking good for the moment despite uncertainty over the possible impact of the MRO and growing competition from casual dining and retail. However with rates in London soon to rise and the possibility of food and energy costs increasing we will have to see what happens. Although it is fair to say that with more flexible options available there are still opportunities in the sector, although those with less than five years on their leases face an uncertain future and would be well advised to look at what deals can be done with their pub co’s property director.

Keeping with the finance theme, accountancy firm haysmacintyre took to the stage to advise the audience on the best way to manage their tax liability. My main take out…I think I’m in the wrong job, as there looks like there is some serious money to be made in pubs! Then it was on to hear from Enterprise Inns about building an 800-strong managed pub estate and the investment and progress in the leased and tenanted part of the business. Paul Harbottle talked us through the profiling of the Enterprise Inn estate and threw in some top tips when opening a site, such as getting prominent PTA, WI or Parish Council individuals on-side to help ensure its a success. In his experience it takes twelve months for a pub to get up and running and you should never expect to change history, if a site has a drug or violence problem then the chances are it still will have when you take over. But most importantly he stressed getting the right people who were ‘up for the challenge’ and made the point that often a good landlord doesn’t make for a good pub manager.

Then it was time for delegates to catch-up and network over lunch and take a stroll around the sponsors’ stands and after a delicious meal from the team at The Lancaster London it was time for the afternoon session. Toby Smith of Novus Leisure showcased their makeover of the Balls Brothers concept along with their real time social media feedback loop employed in everyone’s favourite nightspot – Tiger Tiger. He was followed by the irrepressible Martin Wolstencroft of Arc Inspirations whose passion for his business came across from the off. With thirteen (and one in the pipeline) bars/restaurants, predominately in the North, he’s been building his operation for the last thirteen years and has a portfolio of nine brands, ranging from sophisticated cocktail bars in city centre locations like Manahatta to American inspired craft beer and ribs concept ‘The Pit’. By ensuring all his staff really care, sourcing locally and insisting on consistency across the estate, he has built up an extremely successful business with concepts to match any location. Run on home-grown talent, many of his senior team started out as part time bar or restaurant staff as students, but by offering a culture they love (not to mention the odd performance related ski trip or jaunt to Ibiza) Arc have managed to keep staff engaged and motivated to deliver the very best for their customers.

Event Sponsor Fishbowl then took to the stage in a double header to take us through the technology behind sophisticated menu engineering which can help maximise both profit margins and customer base. With impressive case studies from the US, some of the more techy elements may have met a few blank faces, but the message was clear – with the use of the right programmes you can ensure you have the best money making menu possible. Whereas once gutfeel was all there was, now technology can let light in on the magic of a successful menu.

Loungers was next up to share their learnings. With seventy one sites and another four planned before Christmas the chain, which started with three friends and a vision, is big business now with venture capital backing. Their all day dining concept and strategic decision to go for secondary high streets has worked well. They even have their own in-house build team which means they can streamline fitting-out a site in five to six weeks. They also have the Cosy Club brand which although smaller is doing well with seven to eight opening every year. With Loungers seeing 100% overtrading honeymoon period for new sites, that can last up to four months, they are certainly doing something right and Nick Collins MD plans to continue the journey for a long time to come.

Another operator who seems to have made a niche for themselves is Brewhouse & Kitchen. With an actual craft brewery on every site they offer not just a bar and restaurant but an experience. With brewing days and masterclasses hosted by their master brewers, not to mention gift ideas I might very well have to take a trip up to Islington (the nearest one to us in leafy Leatherhead).

The day ended with an insight into what makes a great leader with Anne Elliott, event sponsor, sharing the outputs of many a conversation with some of the most successful individual in the industry. The answer? Vision, listening, asking why?, engaging, surrounding yourself with the best, helping people achieve what they never thought possible, saying thank you, putting yourself in others shoes, being yourself and leading from alongside your team. Indeed, many felt they were still learning every day. A topic which was then taken up by the panel discussion with business leaders from Spirit, Ego Restaurants and Thorley Taverns to get their thoughts on the principles of high quality leadership – and on that inspiring note the day came to a close.

Well done to Paul Charity, Jo Charity, Sharon Dickinson and Adam Dickinson, the team behind this great day, not to mention the sponsors who make it all possible. To find out more about Propel or sign-up to their e-newsletter visit www.propelinfonews.com

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing agency and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, food and drink pr, digital and foodservice design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

19th October 2015

EDUcatering Awards 2015

When it comes to unsung heroes school caterers are definitely up there. Juggling challenging budgets, picky pupils, government guidelines, special dietary requirements and of course forever doing all they can to keep parents and governors happy. But every year the EDUcatering Awards seeks to give these hard working individuals the recognition they deserve with a gala awards night. This year the awards took place at the prestigious Royal Garden Hotel. With over two hundred and fifty entries across fourteen categories and twenty eight judges, only the highest quality entries made it through to the list of nominees and then only the very best were lucky enough to walk away with a coveted EDUcatering Award.

The evening kicked-off with the irrepressible Alan Dewberry, who began proceedings in his inimitable fashion, however this year he handed the compere baton over to Tim Baker, Head teacher of Charlton Manor Primary School, which is known for its standout school meals programme. The evening flew by in a haze of good company and fabulous food from the team at the Royal Garden headed up by Steve Munkley, but some of the highlights included…founder of Mary’s Meals, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow being honoured with The Special Award (which was collected by London Mary’s Meals fundraiser Gerrard McMahon), a standout performance from the renowned Sylvia Young theatre school pupils and of course Jeanette Orrey, founder of the Food for Life Partnership at the Soil Association, receiving her Lifetime Achievement Award. You can of course view the full list of winners here, but without naming them all, suffice to say congratulations must go to all the nominees, winners and of course the sponsors and organisers H20. A great night for a great sector!

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing agency and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, food and drink pr, digital and foodservice design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

13th October 2015

Lifting the Lid on The Out of home Opportunity

The out of home market, foodservice, eating out, away from home, catering, HORECA – whatever you call it, it’s a growing market that has long been the poor cousin to retail.

This comes down to a number of reasons, one, retail, although highly competitive and hard on margins, is a bigger market and realistically the number of trade buyers you need to convince to make your brand a success can fit into one room (although you probably wouldn’t want them to be). Then, once you understand your consumer, it’s all about reaching them wherever they may be, with a strong (ideally emotionally engaging) message and then prompting them to purchase with effective shopper marketing during their retail journey. Whereas with the out of home market, although margins can be healthier, it is a complex and fragmented beast, which, when viewed by the untrained eye, can be rather daunting. First there’s the route to market listings that need to be secured through the national big hitters as well as the myriad of regional wholesalers, then there’s the challenge of communicating to thousands upon thousands of buyers with vastly different agendas, both independent and group and ensuring that messaging is tailored to them and their particular needs. You might manage to get listed at head office in a huge organisation, but if it’s an undisciplined multiple (not working off a centrally developed menu) pulling those sales through is quite another challenge. Whilst the independents can be fickle creatures opting for whatever is on promotion at the time. Sounds fun doesn’t it! (And that’s just the start).

So why bother? Why not just ignore it? Well, as the out of home market accounts for over a third of consumer spending on food (38.8p in the pound), is valued at £85.3bn and growing at 2.8%*, I think you’ll agree that although it might be a tricky nut to crack it’s well worth it! However, when it comes to convincing the board and colleagues who may not appreciate the out of home opportunity there is nothing quite like facts and stats (and of course the accompanying ‘so whats?’) to give credence to your argument for budget, resource and focus on the out of home market. That’s why we’ve created our ‘Out of Home Facts in a Flash’ infographic – lifting the lid on the out of home opportunity in an easy to digest format which is available to download here. We hope it helps you fight the foodservice corner and of course you know where to come when you decide to go for it!

*M&C Allegra Eating Out Report 2015

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing agency and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, food and drink pr, digital and foodservice design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

5th October 2015

Arena Face2Face with Ch&Co

It speaks volumes that the very first external event to be held at Lambeth Palace was this week’s Arena Face2Face. A key date in the calendar for any food and drink pr agency, this year Alistair Stewart was face to face with not one but two industry heavyweights. With the big news in contract catering being the merger of CH&Co and HCM Group; to have both, Bill Toner – Group CEO and Tim Jones – Chairman, there in person was quite a coup for Arena.

The day started with a tour around the historic Lambeth Palace and its stunning grounds. Home to archbishops through the ages, the palace was stunning and the talk very informative. Then it was onto the main event – the Face2Face. The fact that Tim made it along at all was a real achievement and testimony to his professionalism, in the light of the sad passing of his wife Robyn Jones last week. Alistair paid tribute to Robyn as the hugely respected business woman with a passion for the industry and the driving force behind the merger which it turns out was really her vision.

Alistair Stewart kicked off the interview with a question on how the merger was received by the banks. Predictably with the city, they needed convincing and reassuring that the current brands would retain their brand equity and that the whole would, as they say, be greater than the sum of its parts. Bill, Tim and Robyn were confident that merger was the right course and went to great lengths to ensure the team dynamic worked and the business strategy benefited both parties with high performing brands remaining managed by their separate MDs. The message was clear to the banks and the industry it would be business as usual, but with a tougher business edge.

The interview then turned to what advice Bill and Tim had for the rising stars of the industry. Tim advocated gaining a range of experience in your twenties across a portfolio of companies without jumping around too much. Then looking to set up on your own to reap the substantial rewards, both financial and personal. Whilst Bill, who was very happy as a corporate man, also recommended the startup root, as having experienced both he was happy to say that going out on your own is far more fun.

When it comes to recruitment they of course want people who are driven and ambitious, but equally they have to care about the business and understand it. They look to get exactly these kinds of people onboard and by delegating effectively they have built strong teams where people have the opportunity to shine and show initiative, responsibility, and challenge the business to do better. Of course renumeration is an important part of attracting quality people and the national living wage can pose a challenge for business, but it’s one that is welcomed by both Tim and Bill. Plus, as part of their CSR commitment (which is even written into their investors contract), they support both Hospitality Action and Springboard and offer apprenticeships, as well as a comprehensive staff development programme, which gives them an enviable retention rate and helps attract the best and the brightest.

At the heart of their business is of course the food and with Tupperware their biggest enemy (as consumers often choose to bring in food from home over eating at work – including much to his continuation, Bill’s lawyer son) they have to ensure their food offer is on trend, high quality and offered at a reasonable price. With menu fatigue a constant danger they also have to keep things fresh when it comes to staff feeding with innovation and pop-ups to trial new cuisines and concepts.

As for the ideal supplier…It has to be a partnership where trust is paramount. Innovation and quality are of course very important, but honesty is key, as nobody likes nasty surprises. Whilst purchasing tends to specify supplier partners for each of the operating brands, Tim was keen to stress that clients can be specific if there is a particular product they want, as in his words, “the client is king”.

The interview then turned to the wider world and how the economy affects business. Working in so many sectors of staff feeding they believe their sales offer a fair measure across different sectors, but overall consumers seem to be more confident and are spending with a stabilised economy. As much as things do change, people will always need to work and eat when they are there. So with a growth strategy aiming to get them to £300million in the next 3-5 years and a growth strategy ‘somewhat different to big boys’ it will be interesting to see how Robyn Jones’ legacy develops under the guiding hands of Tim and Bill in the coming years.

With the interview drawn to a close by Alistair, Lorraine took to the stage to announce the winner of the charity raffle along with a new trial format for the rest of the event, based around bowl food and crucially more opportunity to network. Then it was time to adjourn to the great hall to enjoy five delicious dishes (not to mention the amazing canapés) and some rather stunning cheeses courtesy of sponsors, Futura Foods.

With conversation and wine flowing, the afternoon went by in a flash, as yet another successful Arena event came to a close. Well done to Lorraine and her team on breaking new ground and trying both a new venue and new format. The jury will soon be in as to its popularity as the new format was gauged via live feedback on tablets at the event so everyone got to have their say.

But here’s a worrying thought – the next event on the Arena calendar is the Christmas Lunch at the Mandarin Oriental on 7th December which will doubtless be with us before we know it so I’d get booking now if I were you! Maybe see you there?

jellybean is a leading food and drink pr agency and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, food and drink pr, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

24th September 2015

Down on the Farm

Well they say there is more than one way to skin a rabbit, but it seems that if you’re going to do it properly there is only one way to skin a deer. This and much more I discovered at the Universal Cookery and Food Festival this week.

Held at Vallum Farm, the Craft Guild event attracted chefs from all walks of life, as well as suppliers, farmers and even little old me. I kicked off my day with the intriguingly named ‘Feature & Fur’ tour. Not for the faint hearted, chef Jose Souto set about skinning and butchering a deer (minus the head and antlers in case you’re interested). With hints and tips galore for any budding game chefs on how to get the most from the carcass, it was rather more Dexter than To the Manor Born, but all the same very interesting.

Then it was time to take a turn around the big top tent, where suppliers, including our friends at Essential Cuisine, displayed their wares for chefs to sample. From chef knives to edible flowers, Cornish salt to water from just down the road, there was lots on offer and the tent was abuzz with chefs chewing the fat (mainly metaphorically speaking, but possibly literally in some cases).

Then it was time for lunch, and as you might expect from a chef event, the food was to die for! I opted for black n blue beef burger in a blue cheese and white chocolate roll – amazing! After lunch it was time to catch up with familiar faces, take another turn around the tent and wander outside to meet some of the livestock in attendance (and that isn’t a rude reference about the chefs I might add).

You have probably heard of Wagyu beef and how it is renowned as one of the very finest meats in the world. And I can assure you having sampled a little (prepared by the talented Nigel Crane) that it is indeed very tasty. However, what you may not be aware of, is that they are also amazingly cute. If they didn’t retail for breeding at over £6,000 and I didn’t live in a Victorian end terrace, I might have been tempted to take one back home with me (much to the consternation of Virgin East Coast I suspect). Having stared lovingly at the beasts, there was then just time to hear all about the rise of Wagyu in the UK and take a look at the rare breed pigs and sheep before embarking on the farm tour.

Run by husband and wife team, Vicky and Peter Moffitt, the farm not only hosts events like this one, it also has a tea room, full restaurant, mini cheese production, bakery and space for budding food producers to use. And if that weren’t enough, they also have their own chickens and vegetable & herb garden, which helps stock the tea room and restaurant, plus plans to add a bee hive. Goodness knows how they also manage to run the working farm on top of all that, but they do!
Back in the tent the speaker and demo programme hosted by Nigel Barden continued with industry movers and shakers (including Terry Laybourne, John Williams, Nigel Howarth and Craig Bancroft) sharing their thoughts on how the industry has changed along with a good few recollections, including bed hopping hotel guests, pot washers who doubled as bookies and even tales of Mrs Thatcher’s love of M&S ‘ping’ meals.

It made a fitting end to a busy day for me as I boarded the shuttle bus back to Newcastle and left the chefs to tuck into the local beer and dance the night away with the band and BBQ. As I write this on the train back down south I’m sure the party is in full swing, but what I miss out on this year I promise to make up for next year when the #UCFF2016 heads to Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire. Maybe see you there!

But before I sign off, praise must go to Billy and Jacki and the team at McCullough Moore, The Craft Guild and Vallum Farm on a great event – well done guys!

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing agency and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, food and drink pr, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

18th September 2015

M&C Allegra UK Eating Out Quarterly Market Report – Top Take-outs

Now in its seventh year the M&C Allegra ‘Eating Out in the UK Report’ quarterly debrief offers a great snapshot of the out of home market. Usually the sole domain of subscribers, we were lucky enough to be invited along to hear what’s what in the out of home market, hot off the proverbial presses. Held at The Royal Society, a rather fitting location for such an academic study of the foodservice market, the findings were derived from both top down and bottom up research, with a few assumptions thrown in for good measure to deliver insight across the market.

With a cram-packed agenda interspersed with some musical interludes handpicked to match the subject matter (yes, it was a new one on me but was, I have to say, rather endearing) the morning session covered: an overview of the market and its size, the competitive landscape, consumer trends and their journey from pre, during and post all through to the future outlook of the market. There was a lot to take in, but with some furious note taking I managed to get some handy take-outs…

The out of home market (including retail on the go) is valued at £85.3bn with around 329,683 outlets, with retail, travel and leisure making up £18.8bn and 98,443 outlets, hotels, pubs and restaurants making up £62.4bn and 168,430 outlets, and contract catering (both B&I and public sector) making up the remaining £4.1bn and 62,900 outlets.
Market growth – Good news! Current turnover growth is a healthy 2.8%.
Market drivers – Are the 5A’s – affordability of eating out, absorption of foodie culture, adaptability of operators, accessibility across the UK, availability of a range of cuisines.
Consumer spend on eating out – is running at 38.8p in the pound, bouncing back from recession times when it dipped to 37.7p.
Eating out expenditure & frequency – Frequency is up 5% driven by 18-34 year olds, but average spend is down 3% (again as millennials tend to spend less and visit lower end outlets), however participation is up 1% (and expected to rise further) which means average spend per head per month is up 1% and total spend it up 2%. In general Londoners and millennials over-index when it comes to eating out, but interestingly there is life outside London and 18-24s in the North are increasing spend. Indeed with rents through the roof in capital the regions are increasingly key to growth.
What’s growing and what’s not? – Branded new fast food and street food is growing (although from a low base) and in general branded and managed operators in pub, bakery and hotel segments are seeing growth (with smaller agile millennial brands nipping at the heels of the bigger boys and the danger of brand fatigue ever present). London and the East Midlands is growing, as far as foodservice outlets, whilst independent restaurants and tenanted pubs feel the squeeze.
What do consumer want? Well from the consumer panel research undertaken it seems what they ‘really really want’ (as the spice girls put it) is a treat! (Don’t we all!). Generation Y tend to choose where to eat based on cuisine type and use vouchers regularly, while older consumers go for convenience, and women are of course the decision makers! (No surprises there). As far as branded concepts go, millennials are open to experimentation and newer brand like Chicken Shop, Friska, Red’s True BBQ, Dishoom, Pizzabuzz and Thaikhun are certainly ones to watch.
The eating out journey – Younger consumers will tend to view menus online to decide on where to eat out. Food quality is important, but other factors such as service rank just as highly, especially when it comes to repeat visits, whilst recommendations and online reviews are hugely important for all age groups – as no man is an island.
The future – On the up side this is a market sector set to grow by over £9bn by 2018 (a rise of 48% on the previous 3 years!). Eating out activity is expected to rise, driven by generation X and Y and consumers termed as ‘pleasure seekers’. Food culture has gained cool status, whilst the current price-led issues in the grocery sector benefit the out of home operators. Plus, more landlords recognise the benefits of foodservice outlets. However, on the downside, how the national living wage will impact on profitability is not yet known. There are rising property costs in London and across the country. In some areas there is concern over market saturation, whilst as operators try to be everything to everyone there is a danger of them losing their identity and competitive edge. And, of course, the rise in home delivery choice and quality may adversely impact the eating out market.
In a nutshell however, MC Allegra put it this way ‘Tune In – Millennial Movers Making Waves in Upbeat Eating Out Market’.

All in all it was a great event, informative and entertaining in parts, so little wonder it attracted the likes of Five Guys, Wagamama, Pizza Express, McDonalds and of course the great and the good from supplier side brands. But if you weren’t there and these snippets have peaked your interest you can find out more at www.mcallegra-fs.com

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing agency and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice public relations, food and drink pr, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

28th August 2015

A Postcard from Stein-Ville

When it comes to foodie breaks it is fair to say you can’t beat London for its diverse cuisines and experiences, and you certainly won’t go hungry in New York! But there is a less obvious contender when it comes to eating out in style and there’s not a skyscraper in sight. I talk of course of Padstow, lovingly nicknamed Stein-Ville,this Cornish coastal retreat offers a foodie paradise nestled between the rolling hills and breaking waves of Cornwall.

This August we stayed over the estuary, in Rock (playground of the rich and famous – in fact Gordon Ramsey is rumoured to have just bought a holiday home there!). Travelling by ferry and sea taxi (I can’t recommend it enough – not a tailback in sight) we made numerous forays into Padstow and the surrounding area to check out the foodie delights on offer.

We were lucky enough to rest our heads at the St. Enodoc Hotel which is home to Outlaws, Nathan Outlaw’s restaurant (one of three as he has one in Port Isaac and another at The Capital in London) and we enjoyed two fabulous meals there, not to mention the breakfasts! The food it must be said was great and as you would expect from Nathan Outlaw there was an array of delicious fish dishes to choose from. But on the subject of fish, no holiday to Padstow would be complete without a visit to Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant and it didn’t disappoint, throw in Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen at Watergate Bay, Scarlets healthy spa food at Morgan Porth, a lunch at Paul Ainsworth’s No.6, sourdough pizza at Rojano’s, a pasty and cream tea from Rick Stein’s Patisserie and you can see why I’ll be hitting the cross trainer this September!

It was of course all fabulous and shows how amazing our industry is. Indeed, working in the hospitality sector, some might say it’s a busman’s holiday, but as the leading foodservice agency I think it’s important to keep in-touch – it’s a tough job but someone has to do it! (cue the violins!)

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing agency and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, food and drink pr, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

3rd August 2015

From Mexico City to The Abbeville Road

Food Service Agency - Comensal Well, after many years of Mexican being heralded as the next big thing in the UK foodservice market it would seem its time has finally come. Having been in foodservice marketing for fourteen years I can recall many a debate at the NRA show with my British counterparts on the issue of ‘will the UK follow the US when it comes to Mexican cuisine?’. The stock answer was very much a ‘probably not, just look at the demographic of the US population, of course Mexican food is popular, the UK is very different, I can’t seeing it taking off over here.’ Oh how they must be eating their words now, as in 2015 our appetite for Mexican eclipses all other cuisines it would seem. In fact Mexican food has overtaken Indian in the ready meal wars with spend up 12.8% to £264million in one year*. Mexican cuisine is now an established out of home flavour trend observed by the likes of Horizons, Technomic and Allegra, with restaurants including Wahaca, Chipotle, Tortilla and Las Iguanas dominating our high streets.

It’s nice therefore to see that in this sea of chains there are some stand-out independents. One such restaurant is Comensal on The Abbeville Road in Clapham Common. It is run by John Sim and Cati Bego, who met in Mexico City in 2013 and decided to bring a taste of authentic Mexican cuisine to the UK. With all the food freshly prepared by an in-house team of Mexican chefs, Comensal positions itself as ‘an authentic taste of modern Mexico, in a leafy neighbourhood setting’.

Now I might never have found this South London gem had they not taken it upon themselves to leaflet the local area offering complementary margaritas for local residents coming for the first time when it opened last June – so firstly congratulations on your launch marketing. This proactive approach led my friend who lives a few streets away to suggest an evening out to sample what this new addition to Clapham’s foodie scene had to offer.

Well, all I can say is one year on I am a complete convert and have been back numerous times, tempted by the huge (I’m not joking) bowls of delicious homemade guacamole and tortilla chips, not to mention the amazing margaritas, fabulous Mexican street food and naughty, but very nice, churros. With its relaxed atmosphere and great food it’s good to see they are holding their own against the big boys by offering a more personal approach and possibly the best Mexican food I have ever eaten. So although I may still be seen in a Wahaca now and again (I love their Hibiscus Mojitos) my heart lies in Clapham with Comensal.

Next time you find yourself in Clapham make sure you drop in to enjoy this vibrant independent Mexican restaurant, you won’t regret it! www.comensal.co.uk (Indeed, if there is any justice in the world they should definitely win ‘Best Newcomer’ in the Time and Leisure Magazine food and drink awards 2015 – I for one have voted for them.)

*The Mirror

jellybean is a leading food service agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

Awards & Events

24th July 2015

Glastonbury For Chefs

The Universal Cookery and Food Festival is a bit of a mouthful both literally and metaphorically – bringing together everything a chef could want to know about, this annual event from the Craft Guild (now in its third year) has been dubbed ‘Glastonbury for Chefs’ – quite an accolade! This September (the 23rd to be precise) it will be leaving behind River Cottage (the venue for the 2014 UCFF) and heading north to Vallum Farm in the wilds of Northumberland to showcase the very best of the North East. And what better setting for an event dedicated to, I quote…‘farming, learning, provenance, sustainability, trends, taste, seasonality and development’? Having spent some time in Northumberland I can assure any ‘Southern softies’ that it is well worth the journey. Once there delegate or should I say festival goers will be spoilt for choice when it comes to things to do. There will be farm tours, ‘feather and fur’ butchery demos, an innovation zone, farmers market (where chefs can meet suppliers and get inspired), not to mention chef demos, talks and debates on trends, and even clay pigeon shooting! Despite our butchery skills not being all they might be (!) food pr agencies such as jellybeanwere there to learn all we could that can benefit our clients.

With a line up including: Sat Bains, Paul Lewis, Seb Homes, Terry Laybourne, James Close and Asson Mulliss it’s the hot ticket for those chefs looking for a real chef to chef event, and with beer and a BBQ in the evening things could get a little messy! To find out more or book your place visit www.cookeryandfoodfestival.co.uk or call 01293 854403. I for one will be there – and by the sounds of what’s on offer you’ll probably find me shotgun in hand eating a burger whilst listening to pearls of wisdom from some of the top chefs in the country (health and safety inspectors beware!).

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing and foodservice digital agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

17th July 2015

A Night of Mother's Ruin

Foodservice Marketing Agency - The City of London Distillery Tour with Wirehive There are few things that will motivate me to head into The City of London on a hot and sticky Wednesday evening, but luckily for Wirehive, gin ranks very highly amongst these few things. So I hot-footed it (quite literally) from the end of the tube line at glamorous Ealing Broadway via the lovely Central Line to The City of London Distillery, a hop, skip and a jump from Chancery Lane tube, to mix and mingle with digital gurus and geeks alike at the Wirehive gin tasting event. Wirehive is a digital hosting company and also well known for its Wirehive 100 Awards (which we eagerly await the shortlist for!). And I have to say I rather like the company’s approach to new business, which is far less ‘hard sell’ and far more ‘get ‘em tiddly on gin and have a chat’. Now it is safe to say that our Digital Director Andy was very much amongst his own, surrounded by other men in jeans and shirts talking UX and disaster recovery galore. I however may not be a fully-fledged digital geek, but with the help of our regular internal workshops from the digital team and a bit of extra-curricular reading I managed to keep up and throw in the odd salient point here and there.

As everyone gathered in the private area of the basement bar there was a seemly never ending stream of gin and tonics with pink grapefruit (no complaints here!). We then moved onto the business of the evening – the gin tasting, with four gins to taste, either on their own or with a little water accompanied by a detailed description of the flavour profile and ingredients of each. I have to say my favourite was the sloe gin, but equally the gin and tonics with pink grapefruit went down a treat too and Andy was very taken with the Square Mile Gin (even buying a bottle at the end of the evening). Then it was time to hear all about the history of gin. From its ori‘gin’s (see what I did there?) with the Dutch (hence ‘Dutch Courage’), through to its use as an alternative to water for the poor (good thinking!) and on to its reputation as mother’s ruin, all the way up to the modern day renaissance of gin, with niche distilleries crafting distinctive high quality gins for the connoisseur. As fate would have it, just a few short steps from our private table, The City of London Distillery houses just such a craft distillery where they create some very fine gins! The beautiful copper stills shone in the basement lighting as Luke, our host for the evening, talked us through the finer details of the distillation process. Then it was back to our table for more chat, more gin and tonics (would you believe it!) and a charcuterie and cheese board – very much required after the amount that everyone had imbibed.

So after both an enjoyable and informative evening it was time to wend our way back to Surrey, stopping-off at the bar to give a bottle of Square Mile Gin a good home (it had to be done). Congratulations must go to Rob (MD and official bag guard) and the team at Wirehive (namely Amelie who I am led to believe was very much the brains behind the night) on a fabulous event. Not forgetting of course Luke and the team at The City of London Distillery who have an amazing place and some fabulous gins. If you haven’t been I would highly recommend it – you can find out more here and even order their gins online! I for one will definitely be back!

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

10th July 2015

Cateys 2015

Food Marketing Agencies - Cateys 2015 The Cateys has always been the hot ticket when it comes to the hospitality world. So as the leading foodservice agency we were there in force to find out first-hand who would be walking away with one of the iconic and highly coveted Cateys ‘lady & shell’ statues. Now in its 32nd year, the Cateys celebrate the cream of the crop when it comes to the hospitality industry. With twenty one categories covering all facets of the industry the awards night itself is the culmination of months of judging and preparation.

This year was a corker with an amazing menu devised by Mark Sargeant and prepared by Nigel Boschetti and his team at the Grosvenor House Hotel. Following our appetiser and starter Jason Attherton took to the stage to make an announcement on behalf of industry charity Hospitality Action, stunning diners with their new hard hitting #ItCouldHappenToYou campaign featuring the likes of Heston Blumenthal, Tom Kerridge, Angela Hartnett, Jason Atherton and Ashley Palmer-Watts. The campaign drives home the message that when the worst happens (and it could happen to you!) Hospitality Action is there to pick-up the pieces, helping to support those in need in the hospitality industry. The call to action is a simple one, individuals can donate by texting Chef15 and either £5 or £10 to 70070*. As supporters of Hospitality Action we love this new campaign which builds on the previous one.

Following the HA announcement guests no doubt counted their blessings whilst enjoying the rest of their delicious meal, which was accompanied by wines sponsored by Matthew Clarke (although the delicious but rather substantial Crab Roll starter did make the rest of the meal a challenge for those in more snugly fitting evening wear – naming no names).

Then it was on to the business of the evening – the awards. Actor John Hannah of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Sliding Doors fame led the proceedings with his signature Scottish lilt. As ever, each category was hotly contested and the winners emotional. The awards culminated in the Special Award which went to Springboard’s Stephen Moss, the International Outstanding Achievement Award which went to Daniel Boulud, and finally the Lifetime Achievement Awards which went to the legend that is Nico Ladenis.

Then it was off to enjoy catching up with friends and contacts old and new at the bar and even to capture the evening for posterity in the mini photo-booth sponsored by our client Hotelympia (the evidence of which is to be found on our jellybeantwitter feed @JellybeanAgency). As ever, congratulations must go to the events team at The Caterer, the judges, the venue, and of course all the nominees and winners. It was truly a night to remember and we were honoured to be there. If you weren’t as lucky you can catch-up and see the full list of winners here, along with coverage on Twitter by searching #Cateys.

*(We often incorporate charity activity into client campaigns as well as carrying out fundraising ourselves for HA and Springboard, as well as a number of other charities we support. Funnily enough at the moment our client Wrapmaster is donating £5 to Hospitality Action on behalf of chef and caterers when they enter the #WrapChallenge, so if you’re working in a kitchen we would urge you to not only donate via the It Could Happen To You campaign text above, but also enter the Wrap Challenge – that way you can easily double your donation at a stroke – curtesy of Wrapmaster).

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing and communications agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

30th June 2015

Arena Summer Event 2015

Arena Summer Event - Foodservice Agency As the leading foodservice agency we can always be found at Arena events and the Arena Summer Event last Friday was no exception. Held at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower the day offered not one but two attractions on the bill, with Technomic running us through their observations and predictions for the UK casual dining market, followed by words of wisdom from Andrew Guy, CEO of Ed’s Easy Diner (a good pairing). As ever with Arena events it’s not just about the speakers, it’s also very much about the networking and we were lucky enough to catch-up with old contacts and meet some interesting new ones.

Technomic kicked off the day and shared their facts and stats on the market as well as their observations and here are my top five take outs…

1) Bills, Byron, Loungers, Ed’s Easy Diner and Côte are the fastest growing full service restaurant chains – all offer a defined concept which consumers buy into.
2) Top performing sectors – coffee/café sector is growing at 11.6% followed by Sandwich at 9.1%. Overall the top 100 UK FSR growth rate is 5.9%.
3) Fastest growing LRS’s are Papa Johns, Costa, Domino’s, Itsu and Subway.
4) There are 10 F’s of Fast Casual – food quality, fine ingredients, fitter wholesome food, fresh, first-rate décor, fair price, fast service, friendly employees, flexible offering and full view preparation.
5) Finally, the big trends are, wait for it…Fast Casual, Healthy (in its broadest terms), Odd Couples (mash-ups), The Heat is On (with spice and hot sauces creeping onto menus), It’s all About the Pig (with Pork making a real come-back) and Around the World (as menus converge and trends become global).

Then it was on to enjoy a delicious lunch from the team at Jumeirah Carlton Tower, followed by a talk from Andrew Guy of Ed’s Easy Diner. With decades of experience in the casual dining sector he knows a thing or two about how to run a successful concept and he had these pearls of wisdom to impart…

Firstly Andrew made it clear how dedicated he is to developing the people in his organisation. As a Trustee of both Hospitality Action and Springboard his commitment to supporting the industry is unquestionable, indeed every new Ed’s (of which there are currently 41, with 17 new sites planned and a target to hit 80 by the end of next year) is recruited for via Springboard. The only criteria being that they ‘hire smiles’ – no experience is required, just the right attitude and a willingness to learn and a determination to get ahead. Their ethos, driven by Andrew, is very much focused on home-grown talent and he was at pains to stress that talent is all around you and that if an internal candidate is 50% right then they are a far better bet than an external one who is generally an unknown quantity. Andrew made the valid point that ‘talent hits the target that others don’t hit and genius hits the target others don’t see’ with the kicker that really you don’t often need geniuses you mainly need just talent.

At Ed’s they train up their new site staff by creating teams from existing sites and empowering them with the responsibility of developing the new recruits over a two week training programme which starts with a meal out at an existing site so they can get a real feel for the Ed’s way. Then if all goes well employees who have a ‘good year’ can apply to the management development academy and are guaranteed a junior management role when they graduate. Reuben, their Opps Manager, who I have been lucky enough to meet, is a great example of how the business progresses talented people as he himself worked his way up through the ranks to the top of the tree – surely a very inspirational story to drive those ambitious new recruits. With so much focus on the ‘cast’ its little wonder their customer service comes out as second only to their ‘Americana’ theming as one of their top three consumer drivers and beats their delicious milkshakes into third place! Not only that, in the recent CGA Peach Consumer Research they came fourth out of forty brands for customer service – so their approach is a definite winner.

But with a possible sale on the horizon what will this mean for the culture of Ed’s and its commitment to people development? Well Andrew put it this way. He asked staff if they could name their current board and backers, funnily enough they couldn’t, so in essence the change of ownership is really just from one group of people they can’t name to another and he is confident it will not impact on the culture of what is one of the fastest growing casual dining brands around. Surely when so much of their success to date rests on its people any new owner would have to be mad to rock the boat! So with a final hint at possible expansion into the USA with us Brits exporting Americana to the US (who would have thought it) it was time to end the day and say our farewells to friends old and new.

Congratulations must as ever go to Lorraine and her team on a great event and one which managed to raise £970 for Hospitality Action and Springboard. If you didn’t make it along you can catch-up #ArenaSummerEvent on Twitter or simply visit their website Arena Website.

jellybean is a leading foodservice agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

19th June 2015

B2B Marketing Summit 2015 Top 10 Take-outs

This sell-out B2B Marketing Summit was certainly a packed house. With marketers from both client and agency side gathered to hear from the best and the brightest of the B2B marketing world, The Brewery venue was buzzing. As the leading foodservice digital agency with a passion for great B2B (or should I say P2P) marketing we made sure we were there – as I am oft heard to say around the office ‘every day’s a school day & it’s a sad day when you learn nothing!’

The structure of the summit was themed around ‘Your Event. Your Agenda’ which meant that apart from the keynotes (top and tailing the day) there were five concurrent streams to choose from on social media, engagement, content, multichannel and insight. This meant in essence that each delegate could personalise their day and choose the content they felt most relevant to them. So it seems like B2B Marketing has applied some of the current thinking on how to engage by offering choice and tailored content – good to see!

So what did I glean from the day? Well, here are my top 10 take-outs from the sessions I attended…

Today’s business buyers do not contact suppliers directly until 57% of the purchase process is complete! So PR, social media, SEO, automated marketing, thought leadership and content marketing are all key to ensure you are part of that first 57% of the process.
There are 27 million pieces of content shared every day and your piece gets around 8 seconds of attention. So it has to be high impact!
You can deliver 4x as much ROI from content marketing than from ads! In fact only 1% of millennials would engage with a brand based on a compelling ad. However, of your content 10% will be driving 90% of your ROI, so work out what is working and do more of that. Equally make sure your content is designed to the audience rather than simply being what an executive asks for –‘behind every bad piece of content there is an executive who has asked for it’. For truly strong content follow these 3 principles: 1) stop promotion and create for real people, 2) be the best answer on the internet, 3) act like a human. You can even be funny!
Personas are key, but we really need to collect data and analyse who the real target audience is (not just who we think it is). That way we can focus on the right channels with the right messaging to really engage.
Make sure your landing pages go EAST (a model used by David Cameron’s Insight team) i.e.
EASY – Simple, clear and short, ideally use a default or autofill, add clear reassurance to address any possible misgivings, reduce any effort needed, ensure there is a logical path or break things down into steps and show what you get as a result of engaging.
ATTRACTIVE – It must attract attention to get maximum impact (see point 2). Make it move (we love stuff that moves, so video, animation or tickertape is great), even set it to play automatically. Use numbers, the more specific the better (as we use a different part of the brain to read numbers so it helps arrest the reader). Be different in your market. Use the word GET! (we love to ‘get’ stuff and it really’gets’ our attention). Tempt people with where they will get to – ‘outcome modelling’. Give the impression they have a choice (if people feel they have chosen it they are far more engaged) and drive selection by what kind of person you are rather than what service you want e.g. I’m a café owner, publican etc.
SOCIAL – “Speech marks grab our attention”. We want to know what people say, so use quotes and testimonials to add credibility, also use client logos to instil trust. Make sure your copy is empathetic, more ‘you’ less ‘us/we’ and avoid jargon at all costs. Be genuine, honest and true to your brand. Always be positive. Don’t frame a negative as this will give a negative association.
TIMELY – Try to time your message to reach your audience when they are in the right mind set (via cookies, Google targeting etc.) Tell them how long it will take to do up front e.g. take 2 minutes to do this test to see if you need X etc.
If all this has worked for Cameron it can certainly work for you!
CEO’s spend 1 hour per week with external suppliers and prioritise incumbent consultants and service providers over new suppliers, so getting face time with the top man or woman is challenging to say the least. So when you get there you want to make sure you have the right approach. C Suite (EO, CMO, CFO etc.) marketing requires you to build trust first and foremost and then show the value you can offer. Essentially you must show 3rd party endorsement to build credibility, using facts and bespoke insight that is respected and authentic, rather than blowing your own trumpet! This approach used by top sales people is in stark contrast to the traditional approach to selling services, which focuses on the traditional ‘what we do, what the benefits are, this is the business case and this is why you should trust us’ – turning it on its head. A little altruism goes a long way too, people will remember who wanted to help when they were out of a role!
Headlines are the new banner ads and visuals are the new headlines – getting your headline right and ensuring it is optimised for SEO with popular search terms can do wonders for getting your messages out there and strong visual content like video and infographics will help engage when they are there.
If ‘content is king’, ‘distribution is King Kong’ – basically if you don’t get your content ‘out there’ it doesn’t matter how great it is as no one will see it! So understand your audience with personas and target them with a multichannel approach to ‘touch’ them and offer up the right content at the right time for them and if its good people will share it.
Harness the power of your people. Put together, your employee base will probably have a far wider social reach than your brand, so get them onside and co-create, interact and make the most of the resource you have.
Finally, the B2B buyer journey is simply a series of questions you have to answer. If you can be honest, engage with your audience on an emotional level and offer them things that will amuse, inform and interest them you’re going in the right direction.

To say the above scratches the surface is an understatement, but in this world of data overload I thought I’d keep it as brief as posible. Congratulations to Joel and the team at B2B Marketing on another great event. If you want to see more search #B2BSummit15 on Twitter.

jellybean is a leading foodservice digital agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

16th June 2015

Marketing in Foodservice Conference 2015

Marketing in Foodservice Conference 2015 As the leading foodservice agency we make a point of attending the ‘Marketing in Foodservice’ conference, which is now in its third year. M&C Allegra offered up a varied agenda for the day with speakers representing high street operator brands, traditional and social media channels and of course food brands, reflecting the diverse nature of the sector.

As ever there was a huge amount of content throughout the day but here are my top ten take-outs…

The Market – Allegra kicked-off the day with an overview of the market and the good news that branded restaurants are showing 5.6% growth. Also that ‘wow’ foods look to be driving consumer engagement, which means operators need to embrace unconventional thinking to create cut-through in the market.
Emotional Marketing / Neuromarketing – Having been to a whole conference on emotional marketing which covered a lot of the neuroscience behind successful marketing strategies I was interested to hear that KFC has switched their entire marketing strategy to embrace this ‘new thinking’. Long gone are the days of product focused ads, as KFC now aim to create a positive emotional engagement with their audience. If you want to see what they’re getting at just watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yRtIbkCrac
Internal Engagement – Often the forgotten audience internal stakeholders are key to the success of any campaign. It was interesting to hear how Santa Maria approached its internal engagement with a ‘foodie’ programme and even more reassuring to hear that for KFC’s Marketing Director Meghan Farren, re-educating old school marketers to their new emotional marketing strategy was one of the biggest challenges she faced.
Twitter – We at jellybeanhave long been advocates for Twitter and all it can do for brands in foodservice, running Twitter accounts for the majority of our clients as well as ourselves. So it was great to hear from Twitter and find out more about some of its services and features. The good news is that thanks to our digital and social team here there wasn’t anything we hadn’t looked into or tried (from lead gen cards to periscope we are all over it!) but if you’re interested in what Twitter can do for your business it is worth checking out their business page. (Or just give us a shout)
Data – The age of big data, marketing automation and now ‘engineering serendipity’ is here. With the technology moving towards a place where data from all channels will eventually be able to be brought together to target individuals on what some might see as a deeply creepy level. If you think remarketing (where ads stalk you across the internet) is a bit much then the thought of engineering serendipity to approach customers just at that crucial moment might be more than you can bear. It’s fair to say however that data is a hugely powerful tool and used in the right way offers foodservice marketers an invaluable resource which often goes untapped.
Innovation – Innovation is a term often bandied around by marketers and is usually associated with highly creative ideas and developments. However it seems that process and control blended with creativity is the way to really innovate, whilst ensuring your customer is at the heart of any innovation.
Doing Different – There are few brands that are as edgy as Brew Dog. Their passion for craft beer has helped build the sector in the UK and most of it has been done by breaking every rule possible. This crowdfunded brand simply does things differently, it does Punk PR, and its anti-establishment mind-set means it resonates with consumers unlike other sanitised and polished brands out there. Interestingly enough the Marketing Agency Association has coined the phrase ‘Do Different’ to drive agencies to challenge and be more punk – it looks like we could learn a thing or two from Brew Dog, even if our budgets don’t stretch to driving tanks down Camden High Street!
Technology – As we all live on our SmartPhones 24/7 technology can now get brands literally into the palm of our audience’s hand. Busaba Eathai has seen the results of embracing technology with their loyalty app that also offers customers a quick pay solution. It’s a strong example whereby applying a technology solution to a business challenge (like customers hating to wait to pay) can offer a relatively easy to implement answer to an age old complaint.
(In the real world) IRW vs. URL (online) – In this technological age the digital realm is often heralded as the way to communicate with 18-30 year olds but Captive Media take a slightly different view. They managed to demonstrate how although influential, digital media cannot achieve the same real life engagement and brand impact as IRW media. The kicker – well, we’re not talking any old IRW media, Captive Media is responsible for getting brands in front of their potential audience whilst ‘spending a penny’ (to put it delicately), offering interactive urinal screens. (What’s more with sensors the participants can ‘direct their flow’ to interact with the media.) Sadly as a girl I’ve not experienced this particular media but on the theme of ‘do different’ this definitely ticks the box.
Networking – As ever these events are great both for the official agenda of presentations and panel discussions, but often just as interesting is the company and opportunities to catch-up with contacts and discover new ones.

My final thought, well it’s a little off-topic but it has to be that Simon Stenning of M&C Allegra has something of the Hugh Bonneville about him – anyone else agree? Feel free to comment @JellybeanAgency on Twitter and while you’re there you can catch-up on the tweets from the day by searching #MarketingInFoodservice.

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing and foodservice design agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

13th April 2015

La Dolce Vita

This Easter I jetted off in style (speedy boarding all the way – I know how to live!) to Naples and then onto Sorrento which served as our base to explore the Amalfi coast and all it had to offer. In a land famed for its fabulous cuisine we felt it our duty as representatives of the leading foodservice agency to sample as much as possible (purely as a fact finding mission you understand). It was a tough job but someone had to do it, and believe me, we did it! Having been to Italy twice before I was looking forward to their foodie delights, but nothing could prepare me for the gigantic lemons which greeted us in Sorrento, not for the amount of Limoncello that was offered free of charge at the end of every meal (thankfully breakfast excluded).

Our trip took in Sorrento, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, Positano (fleetingly), Amalfi and Ravello and we managed to eat our way around the beautiful coastline.
Here are my personal highlights…

Ice Cream from an Italian TV chef – Gelateria Primavera offers a huge array of ice creams which even the most dedicated connoisseur would be hard pressed to work their way through during a week (although we had a fair attempt). The gelateria is owned by TV Chef Antonio and the walls are literally plastered with photos of him with everyone from the Pope to famous footballers and movie stars.
Michelin star dining on Capri – We took the ferry over to Capri and whilst wandering the winding lanes and alleyways that crisscross the island we stumbled upon Aurora restaurant. Listed in the Michelin guide it also boasts celebrity patrons including Reece Witherspoon and Pierce Brosnan. A real find; the food was lovely and the service great!
Historic dining – The sister restaurant to our hotel (Grand Hotel La Favorita) was O Parrucchiano and dates back to 1868. Famous for its cannelloni ‘Stracinati’ it serves traditional dishes from the Campania region it seems to stretch back from the street forever and offers a beautiful setting complete with atrium and fairy lights as well as great food.
Pizza in Pompeii – Pompeii is a tourist’s ‘must’ do, but just a stone’s throw away from the ancient preserved city is a very unassuming café which offered a ‘self-serve’ pizza to die for! Not the most salubrious of settings but what a pizza!
Giant steaks – Travelling with a true carnivore meant that no trip would be complete without sampling the best local steak which led us to the cleverly named Meating where we were presented with steaks that rivalled even the ones sampled in New York at Keens. Certainly worth a try but make sure you go hungry!
Calzone at the top of the world – On the recommendation of a client we headed up into Ravello on the Amalfi coast to visit the Hotel Caruso. We timed it well as they had opened for the season just the day before. We had one of the most amazing views all to ourselves and enjoyed stunning Calzone and pizza whilst sipping strawberry & mint infused prosecco and taking in the stunningly tranquil setting.
Cocktails at the Excelsior – As you approach Sorrento by sea the imposing sight of the iconic hotel Excelsior Vittoria greets you from the rocky coastline. This classic hotel has played host to anyone who is anyone over the years, so we took a stroll down its lemon and orange tree lined driveway (leading off from the main square) one evening to sip cocktails in style on their terrace and take in the sea air. All very civilised and certainly something not to be missed if you are in Sorrento.

All in all we had a fabulous time and managed to take in both the sights and the tastes of this amazing part of the world. I would highly recommend a visit should you ever find yourself Italy bound.

jellybean is a leading food and drink pr agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

26th March 2015

The Drum Design Agency Census 2015

Food and Drink PR Agency - The Drum Design Census As a truly integrated agency specialising in the foodservice market we pride ourselves on delivering outstanding creative based on sound insight and excellent strategy. With our six strong creative team we cover both print and digital design in-house, and through this fact and our RAR recommended agency status, thereby qualified for The Drum’s Design Agency Census. This year was the first time we entered and we’re very pleased to make it into the top 25 of all three tables for the 10-19 staff category (which includes account handling and other agency design dependent functions). The Drum Design Agency Census provides a comprehensive review of the design marketing agency landscape in the UK, highlighting the key players, trends and growth in this exciting sector and the full report can be found here.

The research is conducted by The Drum in partnership with the Recommended Agency Register, and ranks UK design marketing agencies across three main categories; financial performance, client satisfaction and peer recognition. We were thrilled to come 20th in the client satisfaction table, 24th in the peer recognition table and 23rd in the financial performance table. All pretty impressive rankings when you consider we are a specialist agency working in a sector not exactly known for its big budgets! The particularly nice thing about this census though is that it is based on client reviews collected through the RAR and ratings from our peer agencies. So well done to our fabulous studio and of course, thank you, to our wonderful clients who appreciate the work we do for them.

Hot on the heels of the Design Agency Census is the Independent Agency Census which comes out later this year which we are also in the running for (you may very well have received a ‘can you do us a little favour’ email requesting you vote for us). Voting is now closed so we await with baited breath our rankings – we will of course keep you posted!

jellybean is a leading food and drink pr agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

25th March 2015

Arena Savoy Lecture

Foodservice Marketing Agency - Arena Savoy Lecture Image of Speaker Addressing the Room As the leading foodservice agency we’ve yet to miss an Arena Savoy Lecture, which is arguably the jewel in the crown of the networking association’s calendar. This year it was the turn of Martin Robinson to take the lectern and enlighten the gathered ‘movers and shakers’ of the out of home world. Martin is the Chairman of Center Parcs UK as well as The Casual Dining Group (Tragus). He started out ‘back in the day’ studying geography at university including a somewhat left field dissertation on the effect on the local economy of the Last of the Summer Wine series (interesting!). His career then progressed via Bonjela, Dettol, Sara Lee, lingerie in Paris (a high point), management consulting across brewing, oil and food and onto Scottish & Newcastle, culminating with the start of his current role at Center Parcs in 1997. But Martin, by his own admission, is bored easily and likes to have a few things on the go. So not content with just having one high flying job he also managed to multi-task across a number of senior roles including Holmes Place, Disneyland Paris and a middle east property investment company (the latter two of which he is still involved with).

The Center Parcs concept was the inspired brainchild of a Dutchman back in the fifties (1958 to be precise) – a genius idea, the concept was completely new and focused around the following ground breaking features: families taking short breaks, getting away from the city to the countryside, being active and doing outdoor activities, being environmentally friendly, people arriving either on a Monday or Friday, being car free and based around bikes and offering guests lots of choice in what they do. It worked, and has been especially successful in the UK, where consumers are keen to spend money on leisure and holidays (often taking up to six holidays a year) and where often exiting our beloved island often involves costly and high stress air travel (especially when considering 75% of guests come with children this is a key factor for choosing Center Parcs over a package holiday abroad). Currently Center Parcs has a 97% occupancy rate and a 68% repeat rate which are impressive figures. It manages to keep its market position by sticking to the original concept, investing in the business, keeping close to customers (guests) with consumer feedback routes, clever revenue management (there is no set tariff it sets the price for optimum margin similar to budget airline flights) and of course innovation, ensuring the concept is kept fresh and keeps those guests coming back time and time again. The other handy thing that works in Center Parcs’ favour are the huge barriers to entry. Even with its proven track record and contacts, it took the company ten years to get planning for Woburn so it really has been able to corner the market.

One of Martin’s many other strings to his bow is his Chairmanship of The Casual Dining Group. He takes a keen interest in the sector and predicts that the market will continue to grow with 2 to 3% added to the size of the out of home market each year through casual dining openings. He also expects to see themed concepts experience some ‘weeding out’ as only those that are truly differentiated and authentic succeeding. He also foresees branded concepts taking healthy eating more seriously and delivering in the mainstream, the rise of mass market premium brands as the middle ground dwindles, the proliferation of eating occasions in line with all day dining, and the rise of fast casual concepts like Nandos. With casual dining, QSR and coffee shops blurring into one, the market is changing and he believes only those brands which offer the consumer what they want when they want it will thrive.

As for the ever present issue of customer service and staffing, across the industry he can see a real gap where a ‘lost’ generation went onto university rather than into hospitality roles, but in recent years with the increase of university fees this is coming back around with vocational learning and apprenticeships picking up. However we are left with this legacy and he is passionate about getting good talent into the industry. Anne from Springboard pointed the great work the charity does and especially the Future Chef programme which generates a pipeline of talented chefs for the industry. But with dry GCSEs in business (as Martin has experienced with his daughter) and hospitality still battling to build a more positive perception of the industry as a career of choice there is still much more to do.

Following a few ‘challenging’ questions from the floor around the quality of the food offered at Center Parcs it was time for the networking to commence and then it was on to dinner prepared by the team at the Savoy. As you would expect it was excellent, (although I have to say I am not one hundred percent on-board with basil meringue – but top marks for pushing the boundaries!). Well done to Lorraine, Berenice and the team at the Savoy on another great event – we look forward to the next with Andrew Guy CEO of Ed’s Easy Diner on 26th June. To find out more about Arena you can visit www.arena.org.uk

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

11th March 2015

What's on the Horizon for 2015?

Foodservice Marketing - Horizons It is often said that there is a lack of real insight in the foodservice marketing compared to consumer and retail, but with the likes of Horizons and the often untapped resource that is wholesaler ‘sales out’ data, we work with our clients to effectively unearth those killer nuggets of insight that can help brands open up the foodservice opportunity. We have partnered with Horizons on a number of projects through the years, as well as incorporating its Key Club sessions into our staff training to ensure we keep our edge as the leading foodservice marketing agency. We strongly believe that only by really understanding the market landscape, influences and trends can you create effective campaigns which offer cut-through and deliver ROI for brands in the OOH arena. To that end we always make a point of attending the Horizons annual breakfast briefing to get the very latest insight on the market.

This time around the event was hosted by Dentons – the largest law firm in the world! But we weren’t surrounded by lawyers, instead anyone who’s anyone in the industry was present to get the inside track on what is happening and a glimpse into the year ahead from Peter and his team. As ever the session kicked-off with an introduction from Mike Southon and a state of the nation view on the economy from Peter Andrews of the Bank of England. Due to ‘Chatham House Rules’ I can’t divulge the details but as he took me back to the days of A level economics with a range of charts and graphs detailing the state of the economy one thing was clear (in contrast to the briefings of the past few years) things are looking up.

Then it was on to Peter and the Horizons team to take us through the foodservice market. Below is my executive summary of the presentation…

The Market Headlines – F&B sales in 2014 rose to £46.6bil (+3.8% nominal growth, +2.9% real growth). 2015 will continue to see growth as we return to 2008 levels (the previous peak) as Horizons believes (at constant prices) F&B sales will total £47.8bil up by £1.2bil in the coming year. Whilst long term the market is likely to hit £56.3bil in 2019 (+3.9% nominal CAGR).
Winners and Losers – Based on growth the top performing sectors include: pizza delivery, managed pub brands (e.g. Wetherspoons), pub restaurants (driving the restaurant sector), primary schools and coffee shops. Overall groups are performing better than independents and casual dining groups & fast casual (e.g. Pret) in particular are doing well. Lowest performing sectors are: staff catering, healthcare, police stations(?!), Chinese and oriental take-away, airline catering, fish & chip shops and cafes. Moving away from operators to the route to market, 2014 looked positive with growth across all temperatures and channels, with the strongest growth showing in fresh and contract distribution.
Vouchers – Gone are the days of blanket 2-4-1s. Now discounting is hard-wired into the menu engineering and is used tactically around occasions and opportunities to attract consumers in and drive sales in a far more sophisticated and strategic way.
Operator Margin – Good news! After the days of food inflation and consumer price inelasticity which put huge pressure on operator margins, we now see food prices lower and selling prices increasing, giving operators better margin and therefore money to invest in the future.
Growth Factors – Population growth, an increase in meals served in the profit sector, an increase in average spend per meal and inflation at +2.2%.
Eating Out – Overall, consumers are eating out more in 2015. With penetration growing, as well as average spend rising. 25-34 year olds have the highest eating out penetration.
Cuisines – Burgers remain the No.1 item on menus with US inspired, world cuisines (including Peruvian & Lebanese), health & wellbeing and premiumisation and indulgence all coming through strongly on menus from the Menurama insight.
Ones to Watch – Based on the fastest growing small brands (5-25 outlets) and growth of >20% since 2011, here are some of the names to watch out for: Fuel Juice Bars, Dunkin’ Donuts, Abokado, Tortilla Mexican Grill, Pieminster, Boost Juice Bars, Chozen Noodle, Decks, Five Guys, Farmhouse Inns, Wildwood, Brasserie Blanc, Coast to Coast and El Mexicana.
Trends – As far as concepts go, the strong trends include: healthy quick service / fast causal, Italian (all sorts), Mexican fast casual / casual dining, British casual dining, steakhouse casual dining and coffee shops.
Beyond London – Smaller brands are avoiding the prohibitive rents of the capital and opting for other top conurbations such as Manchester, Bristol, Glasgow and Leeds. Some are even actively focusing on market towns and secondary cities to drive growth.
The London Bubble – The eating out market in London is growing, out-performing (as usual) the rest of the country. This has been driven predominately by groups. Why the London bubble though? Well it has a lot to do with the demographic mix with a higher concentration of consumers in their twenties and thirties who tend to eat out the most.
The UK Leads the Way – It’s fair to say that London has one of the most dynamic, influential and vibrant eating out sectors, indeed over 50% of the top casual dining brands in Europe are UK based e.g. Nandos, Pizza Express, Frankie & Benny’s, Harvester and Hippopotamus. These alone account for half of the top ten casual dining brands in Europe, with Nandos topping the chart achieving F&B sales of over $700mil based on their latest year-end figures.
Risks for 2015 – Despite the more rosy outlook for the eating out market there are still some risks which could throw everything off-kilter, including: the economy (volatile oil prices, Eurozone etc.), political uncertainty (May’s election in the offing), international uncertainty (terrorism, Syria, Ukraine etc.), the British weather (and all its many extremes), the unexpected (e.g. ‘horsegate’) and even operators hitting the headroom ceiling, as growth opportunities are ‘maxed out’.
Crystal Ball – The foodservice market is never an easy one to predict, but looking ahead to the rest of 2015, Horizons believes (at constant prices) F&B sales will total £47.8bil, up by £1.2bil. QSRs, restaurants (including pub restaurants) and hotels will continue to grow, whist, staff catering will see a downturn and healthcare will remain static. Indeed education is the most promising area of the cost sector, showing growth which is mostly driven by the universal school meals initiative.
2015 in a Nutshell – Less uncertainty! Phew!

With such a comprehensive round-up on the market, once again congratulations must go to Horizons on a hugely informative event. Thanks also to Dentons for hosting and providing a stunning view and pretty impressive breakfast spread. Not to mention our facilitator Mike Southon and the panel discussion group from Dentons, Elior, Wafflemeister and of course Peter Backman himself. Catching-up with friends and contacts afterwards I know I wasn’t alone in thinking that the early start was well worth it – the early bird and all that! Now I’d better get off and put all this solid information into action for our clients!

To find out more visit http://www.hrzns.com/

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Susan Wickes

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