“How can a good quality catering facility, designed by a caterer possibly save their Clients’ money; after all, they want the ultimate equipment and lots of it; don’t they?”

Over the past year Review Consultancy has been delighted to have worked on some fantastic projects that not only involved designing their Clients’ new future catering service “vision” but also designing the facility to achieve this service vision and finding the caterer to provide it. The Clients’ rationale being; it makes sense that the catering professional who creates the new catering vision and strategy is also responsible for bringing it alive through the facility and its delivery. It’s a consistent approach that also makes economic sense as the thinking behind the vision does not have to be introduced to another company and is not in danger of being miss-interpreted.

But what about our original question? Steven Watts, Principal Consultant at Review Consultancy is a caterer having trained and worked as a chef, progressing through all management levels and disciplines to managing director of an £80M turnover contract catering business. Notoriously caterers want it all! However, Steven argues that caterers know what equipment is needed to serve all the agreed menu elements within the vision and they also know how to maximise staff efficiency through facility and equipment design. Therefore a well thought through “caterer’s” design can avoid costly redesigns or latter equipment additions and definitely reduces client subsidies through improved work flows and increased staff productivity.

Some may question whether a caterer can keep up to date with equipment advances and innovations. Again Steven responds that a good caterer like any good professional ensures continuous development of their skills. Certainly Steven and his associates are continuously “learning” through their professional association, the FCSI, their fellow members, maintaining good contacts with equipment manufacturers, trade exhibitions and indeed visiting service providers to see the latest service, equipment and facility developments in action.

Steven sights examples of this “caterers” approach to design;

The very famous Hindhead Golf Club where Review Consultancy firstly prepared an options appraisal for the future catering service for their new £1.2M club house, then created the new service vision, advised on the kitchen design and lastly managed the tender process to find a Franchisee; saved the club £25K on their original equipment and design costs and a further £10K on the first year’s operating costs.
The Halcrow Group, who is moving their Head Office in Hammersmith, looked to Review Consultancy to develop its new catering vision and strategy through a full stakeholder consultation process. This was followed by the designing and tendering of the new catering facility within an existing building footprint, utilising some existing equipment but ensuring that it will deliver the catering vision whilst avoiding over manning and costly on-going high subsidies. Review Consultancy is now working with Halcrow to find its catering service provider for a service commencement in June 2010.
Warwick University Students Union, as part of an overall Student Union development programme, engaged Review Consultancy to review all its catering and social areas. This was followed by the generation of a catering vision and strategy for four distinct social, food and bar outlets with the full engagement of the in-house catering team. Whilst the Students Union already had a design and cost for the original ideas; project delays meant that the customers’ needs had changed and therefore so must the vision and design. Review Consultancy continued its work by designing the four areas to meet each of the visions, tendering this and managing the installation which was completed in December 2009. The outcome of the project is that the new facilities meet the various customers’ aspirations, has the in-house teams full engagement and input, has improved staff efficiency and has saved over £150K on the original design costs. As an aside, the first outlet opened in September and has grown sales by over 400% so far!

I think you would agree therefore that a good caterer can design quality cost effective and long term cost efficient catering facilities and do not “want it all”. As Review Consultancy has proved, a good catering management consultant focuses on its clients’ needs, uses its skills and experience, engages with their clients’ stakeholders and delivers their clients’ objectives and saves them money!

Review Consultancy ltd.

www.reviewconsultancy.co.uk
023 9223 2647
info@reviewconsultancy.co.uk
Steven Watts; 07920 888478