The UK pub market is valued at £22bn* and despite the current economic headwinds it is an exciting and vibrant sector. From the craft beer revolution to the proliferations of gins and outlandish cocktails there is more to today’s pubs than the humble pint.
Either by accident or design (who’s to say?) the inaugural National Breakfast Awards was held on National Croissant Day – how apt I hear you call. The new kid on the awards block sets to recognise the growing importance of the breakfast occasion out of home with their aim to find the ultimate breakfast. Read More
When the rest of the world is kicking-up their heels, pulling crackers and donning their rather fetching paper hats in December, the world of hospitality is hard at work making it all happen. So it makes sense that the ‘Hospitality Rocks’ event took place last Friday night when all the excitement of Christmas was out of the way and those who work in the hospitality industry could draw breath and finally enjoy their Christmas party – and what a party it was!
The coveted Caterer Product Excellence Awards recognise and celebrate the very best food, drink and equipment products in the foodservice market. As such we are always keen to gain this solid-gold endorsement for our clients’ products and of course the acclaim it brings with it. To that end we spend a great deal of time in partnership with our clients identifying the products we feel are possible award winners and drafting that all important award entry. This year we had a record six products shortlisted for the awards, quite some achievement in itself, and as Lisa Jenkins took to the stage we were crossing our fingers along with all the other nominees.
The Arena Christmas lunch is quite frankly the official start of Christmas in the world of foodservice and this year was no exception. Held at the Landmark Hotel in Marylebone, the event kicked-off mid-morning with a talk from Peter Backman on the highs and lows of 2017 and what we might expect in the coming year. Taking us on a whistle-stop tour through the four quarters of 2017 some clear trends emerged…
As the gender pay gap hits the headlines and organisations such as People 1st highlight the inequality of the sexes in hospitality, it was heartening to attend the FSM Awards this week, where each course was presided over by a female Craft Guild of Chefs Graduate Award winner. Not only that, in an industry that is often seen as male dominated, there were a dozen female nominees, the same number as their male peers and two categories – the Education Award and the B&I Award – where all the three nominees were female. When it came to announcing the winners ‘girl power’ reigned in an impressive 5 categories, including the Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented to Sue Parfett and Kate Martin of Brookwood Partnership, for their amazing work in the education sector over the past twenty one years since they founded the business back in 1996.
With People 1st estimating that 1.3 million employees will have to be recruited by 2024 to keep-up with the growth in the hospitality market and with the ever present concerns over the impact Brexit will have on immigration, the work of Springboard UK has never been more important. The charity has dedicated the last 27 years to promoting the hospitality, leisure and tourism industry as a great place to work. In partnership with organisations large and small and through education, awareness and specific initiatives like Future Chef, it is helping young people achieve their potential. It is also supporting adults who are unemployed or facing multiple barriers to progression get into a career in hospitality.
As a leading foodservice agency we always keep up to date with the latest trends in the market and as part of this on-going commitment we regularly attend the MCA de-briefs. This month we were particularly interested to see that their latest event covered the contract catering sector*, as this is an area of the foodservice market which many of our clients target and one that is often overlooked by the wider world, despite being responsible for feeding us from cradle to grave. The morning briefing encompassed both the wider market, from their Eating Out Panel and a deeper delve into the contract catering sector. The complete report is very comprehensive and available to MCA Forum members or to purchase, but below are some of our key take outs to whet your appetite.
When it comes to unsung heroes the world of school catering has more than its fair share, which is one of the reasons why the Educatering Excellence Awards are so important. Now in its seventh year these awards celebrate excellence across the school catering sector, with a judging panel made up of no less than twenty movers and shakers from the industry, the awards are highly coveted and recognise the great work of this often overlooked or maligned sector.
Having spent a very enjoyable day judging back in July, I was excited head up to The Grosvenor House Hotel last night to see the winners of the Foodservice Quality Food Awards of the collect their rather impressive ‘Q’s. With bubbles flowing and guests filling up the event room there was a definite air of anticipation, as those shortlisted waited for the results to be revealed.
The Arena Face2Face with Alastair Stewart is a key date in the hospitality diary and has seen some of the most influential figures in the industry put through their paces by one of ITV’s most highly regarded newsreaders. This year it was the turn of Matthew Brabin, CEO of ISS UK & Ireland. Held at The Berkeley; a stunning new venue for Arena; the proceedings began with the obligatory bubbles (along with samples from sponsors Costa Coffee and Britvic) and networking, followed by a delicious three course menu from the team at The Berkeley. Then it was onto the main event, the ‘Face2Face’ interview.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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…
