Blog Archives

The Sport & Leisure Catering Awards 2017

Tuesday night saw the great and the good of the sports and leisure catering world gather at Bafta to see who would be walking away with…no, not a Bafta, but one of the highly coveted Sports and Leisure Catering Awards. As the leading foodservice agency we were of course in attendance to hear from editor of SLC Magazine, Joe Bill and enjoy the comic musings of TV’s Mark Durden-Smith, as well as a surprise interview with Roy Westwood from Levy Restaurants (who run the catering at the O2). With sponsors set-up around the reception room, guests mingled whilst trying everything from pastries to pizza, washed down with some cold brew coffee cocktails – delicious!

Read More

Padstow – One Bite at a Time

Foodie holidays don’t come much better than Padstow. With everything from pasties to Michelin stars, seafood to scones this corner of Cornwall has it all. Often Nick-named PadStein due to Rick Stein’s high profile presence with restaurants, a bar, deli and gift shop, it’s not all about Mr Stein however, as chefs including Paul Ainsworth and Nathan Outlaw, amongst others, have made their mark on this picturesque corner of the South West. Take a virtual trip to the Cornish coast with our latest Jellybean vlog, but be prepared to feel hungry!

Read More

Come Rain or Shine

When it comes to the eating out market there is a huge amount of research around consumer drivers and what motivates different demographics. Every aspect is analysed, from pre-visit online research, to the impact of special diets and the type of cuisine and format consumers are looking for.

Read More

Cateys 2017

The Cateys is, and will always be, the Oscars of the hospitality industry. On the 4th July this year, anyone who is anyone in our industry could be found in the Great Ballroom at the Grosvenor House Hotel and this year they numbered at an impressive 1,250. Nominees, suppliers, sponsors, restaurateurs, hoteliers, contract caterers, food marketing, chefs (including Tom Kerridge, Jason Atherton, Tom Aitkens and many more) and even the odd marketer (some odder than others!) from the world of foodservice and hospitality were in attendance, catching-up with industry friends and contacts. This year the great and the good gathered once again to see who would walk away with the iconic awards and were greeted by stunning table displays from The Pig. The boutique hotel group which started off in the New Forest, not only made the Great Ballroom look amazing, bringing their rustic contemporary styling to bear on this traditional setting, but also; in conjunction with the Grosvenor’s team; pulled together a show-stopping menu for the night.

Read More

MCA Food Tour

Although conferences, seminars, briefings and alike are all crucial to help keep us up to date with the latest in the food and drink market – be it foodservice, convenience or retail – as with many things, you can’t beat some real life experience. Often in the world of foodservice marketing we can become obsessed with trends and statistics, but we really need to be out there living and breathing the market to properly understand some of the dynamics and trends at play.

Read More

Craft Guild of Chefs Awards 2017

We were lucky enough to attend the prestigious Craft Guild of Chefs Awards on Thursday evening, and what an evening it was. Black tie all round, fantastic food and wine (as you’d expect) and of course a great crowd of chefs and industry fellows alike.

Read More

Arena Summer Event

This year the Arena summer event headlined Mark Fox, CEO of Bill’s Restaurants, along with a panel discussion around the importance of the supplier/operator relationship, chaired by Peter Martin VP of CGA. As a leading food and drink agency we were of course in attendance at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower to hear what everyone had to say. The panel discussion featured representatives from operator-side M&B and Gaucho, and supplier-side Reynolds and Brakes. M&B cited the challenge of Brexit as a key issue for the business having put a £12m hole in their forecasts back on June 24th when the referendum result was announced. Of course operators are keen to get the best commercials out of suppliers, but they also appreciate that if they want good reliable suppliers that the relationship needs to be a sustainable one, whether that is guaranteeing volumes or other reassurances of commitment. The frustration of suppliers coming to operators with ‘solutions in search of a problem’ was highlighted by Chris Hopkins of M&B who urged suppliers to focus on the right innovation, i.e. innovation that shows how they can meet the needs of their customers better than they do currently. This of course requires suppliers to understand the customer mind-set and need states, so with this in mind it would serve suppliers well to do research to identify issues or opportunities to focus their innovation (something Jellybean can of course help with! – plug over).

Read More

British Sandwich Week 2017

Back in the day (circa 1985) food to go was an M&S sandwich or a Ginsters pasty from a petrol station. Today, as our lives get busier and our tastes more adventurous and eclectic, the food to go market has risen to the challenge. With street food, healthy choices and cuisines from around the world, matched with lightning fast service and convenient locations, food to go it seems is getting it right. Food to go really is delivering for the ever more so discerning consumer exactly how they want it, when they want it and where they want it. So you would be forgiven for imagining that the humble sandwich has been overtaken by some of the more glamourous new-comers, but you would be wrong. Despite the rise in wraps, salads, bagels, soup pots, porridge pots, curry pots, paninis, bento boxes, poke, burritos, sushi, burgers, and much more, sandwiches are still no.1. As they are the most popular lunchtime food product to go according to MCA Insight and their Food to go report.

Read More

MCA Quarterly Debrief – Top Ten Take Outs

As the leading foodservice agency we make it our business to stay abreast of the latest trends and developments in the eating out market. To that end we always make sure we attend the MCA forum debriefs to get the latest market insight. This week we joined the great and the good of the world of operators and manufacturers to hear the latest news on market dynamics, menu trends and consumer demand in the eating out market. As ever there was a huge amount of great information, but here are our top ten take outs…

Read More

Cost Sector Catering Awards 2017

The cost sector is often seen as the somewhat unglamorous slide of the catering world, but if you were lucky enough to be at the Hilton Metropole on Thursday night it certainly didn’t look that way. The annual Cost Sector Catering awards from Cost Sector Catering Magazine celebrate the amazing work across contract catering, education, healthcare and much more and it has to be said everyone scrubbed up rather well for the night.

Read More

The Inaugural B&I StrEAT Food Awards

Around 2.5 billion people worldwide consume street food on a daily basis* and over the past few years the popularity of street food in the UK has grown enormously. This has been fuelled by the often prohibitive rents and rates of high footfall city-centre sites, the increasingly time poor consumer looking for ‘food on the go’ and an ever growing demand for new and exciting world cuisines.

Read More

Arena Savoy Lecture 2017- Brexit & Bidfood

The annual Arena Savoy Lecture is the jewel in the crown of the Arena foodservice networking calendar, with the great and the good of the industry in attendance. This year the line-up included the traditional key note speech, as well as a panel debate on the hot topic of Brexit, entitled Challenges and Opportunities. With representatives from finance – Bob Silk from Barclays Hospitality and Leisure team, law – Sebastian Calnan from EMW Law and crucially operator side – Jason Myers of Busaba Eathai, chaired by Vernon Hunte of the BHA, there was a good balance of viewpoints to inform the discussion. Each voiced their informed views on Brexit and what is certainly a hugely complex and challenging process.

Read More

Free & Fun Food Hygiene Training

As a leading food and drink agency we are well aware of the importance of good food hygiene. In fact we even did a trade press campaign for the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health some time ago on the subject. In recent years, however, food hygiene has hit the headlines with the FSA’s ‘Scores on the Doors’ initiative, resulting in high profile legal cases and even restaurant closures following poor ratings. With consumers checking the Scores on the Doors app to see what local eateries are up to scratch it’s very much top of mind for caterers and restaurateurs.

Read More

National Burger Awards 2017

It has to be said that to the foodservice outsider it may seem like the Jellybeans lead a charmed life, filled with posh dinners and glamorous venues – and they’d not be far wrong to be honest.

Read More

As the leading foodservice marketing agency, we are lucky enough to go to more than our fair share of ‘swanky do’s’. So when the invitation came to attend one of Arena’s new ‘exclusive gatherings’ we jumped at the chance to dine at The Ritz and hear from their renowned Executive Chef, John Williams MBE. The evening began with prosecco and canapés, as guests mingled with friends and contacts in the foodservice world. The stunning interiors gave the evening a real sense of occasion and the meal itself lived up to the classical ornate surroundings of the Music Room.

Read More

MCA Top of Mind Debrief – Five Top Take-outs

It’s fair to say, that as the leading foodservice agency, eating out is pretty much always top of mind for us, so it was fitting that last Thursday morning saw us heading along to the MCA’s Eating Out ‘Top of Mind’ briefing, where they showcased their decision makers’ survey along with consumer insight, 2017 forecasts and concepts to watch out for. As ever the morning managed to cram in a huge amount of information and insight, but here are my top five take-outs.

Read More

Mentoring at The Great Hospitality Show 2017

For some months now, The Great Hospitality Show has very much part of our day-to-day here at Jellybean Towers – as we are very honoured to do the PR for the show. This week saw all our preparation and planning come to fruition as the show hit the NEC from Monday to Wednesday, attracting hospitality professionals from across the industry. As the Great Hospitality Show PR team manned the press office and social media and my other colleagues hosted press stand visits, caught up with clients and contacts, and even sampled the amazing food at the La Parade, I was seated in my own little booth on mentor duty.

Read More

Our Newest Bean

At Jellybean, not only do we have a passion for food and drink, we also have a bit of a soft spot for cute dogs. Of course our beloved Coco lives on in our hearts, but with a dog-sized gap in our lives, our newest bean ‘Whisky’ has bounced into Jellybean Towers and won us over with his puppy dog eyes.

Read More