Elior to create flagship garden-to-plate attraction with new £18m contract win #

Leading UK contract caterer, Elior, has won the 10-year contract to manage the newly refurbished historic attraction, Kirkleatham Walled Garden. Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council awarded the £18 million contract based on Elior’s plans to upskill locals while delivering an attraction that brings the garden-to-plate connection to life. These include a catering and horticultural academy, which will provide 160 traineeships and apprenticeships for the local community.

The Grade II listed Kirkleatham Walled Garden re-opens to the public on 25th August after an extensive six-year refurbishment. Featuring formal gardens, a science garden, glasshouse, activities areas, café, shop and a 350-seat events pavilion, it is expected to boost the economy in Redcar and Cleveland, attracting more than 30,000 visitors a year. 

As well as gathering inspiration from the gardens, visitors will be able to attend horticultural and crafts workshops, with activities for all ages. Alongside, there will be a garden shop with seasonal product and plants, local crafts, and specialist gardening equipment and books.

Produce from the garden will be available in the café, which will serve a tempting array of home-baked favourites, hot meals, and hot and cold beverages. Catering will also be available to suit any occasion or dietary need in the 350-seat Turner Pavilion: from silver service and canapes, through to casual dining and buffet lunches.

As well as the retail outlets, Elior will manage the attraction – from ticketing to admissions. And with the catering and horticultural academy located onsite, apprentices and trainees will be able to gain valuable experience and skills working in the gardens, café and events.

Cllr Mary Lanigan, Leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said: “Kirkleatham Walled Garden has been lovingly restored to create an true heritage asset. We’re excited about its potential, not just as a tourist attraction, but also as an opportunity to create job opportunities and apprenticeships.
We chose Elior because of their strong track record, delivering catering and events for prestigious tourist attractions such as Osborne House, St Alban’s Cathedral, SS Great Britain, plus numerous large stadium contracts.

We’re delighted to have them on board, and we’re looking forward to seeing them transform this stunning heritage property into a thriving tourist attraction.”

Kenny Finlayson, Managing Director at Elior said: “This is a fantastic contract win for Elior, showcasing our passion for food, sustainability and education.  We’re looking forward to creating a venue that will boost the economy in the region: inspiring and exciting visitors while providing valuable skills and experience for local learners. And we’ve created an exciting business model that will drive the site forward and deliver against these outputs.”

Bexhill Hospital Adds Steamplicity to the Menu   #

Bexhill Hospital will be partnering with Compass Group UK & Ireland to present an exciting new menu of Steamplicity meals to patients from October 2021.
 
Bexhill Hospital in East Sussex is managed by the East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust – which includes Eastbourne and Conquest Hospital in St Leonards-on-Sea - both already have partnerships with Compass for its range of Steamplicity meals.
 
Steamplicity technology is a unique cooking system with the ability to ‘microsteam’ fresh and raw ingredients in under five minutes. This method of cooking delivers the maximum nutritional value to recovering patients, alongside an unmatched ability to cook food on the ward delivering great taste, temperature and choice, as well as offering flexibility and consistency. The meals are created by Healthcare chefs and dietitians, with the menu providing 30 dishes across lunch and dinner. Highlights include Steamed Wild Salmon in Hollandaise Sauce, Roast Chicken with Vegetables and Chickpea and Spinach Curry. This amazing choice caters for a wide range of dietary requirements, which are essential in a hospital setting. The new menu includes over a third of vegetarian or vegan dishes, supporting the drive to provide more plant-based meals in line with Compass’ Net Zero and NHS Food Review commitments.
 
The partnership will also see an initial investment from Compass to provide equipment and technology to serve around 60 people a day.
 
Russell Sherry, Facilities Manager at Bexhill Hospital said: “This new partnership is based on the success of Steamplicity meals in our partner hospitals in Eastbourne and at Conquest, so we’re looking forward to bringing it to our patients at Bexhill. Steamplicity gives us the balance of flexibility, consistency and choice.”
 
Steve Cenci, MD Healthcare - Compass Group UK & Ireland said: “Tasty, nutritious meals that patients want to eat are at the heart of our menus. Our chefs and dietitians work hand in hand, basing new concepts on feedback and research so that our meals are constantly evolving. Our Autumn menu sees an increased focus on vegetarian options and plant-based alternatives, which we’re excited to launch at Bexhill.”
 
Served at over 20 NHS Trusts across the UK, Steamplicity meals are based on patient research. Recent menu development follows the ‘Putting Patients First’ food survey, where Steamplicity asked 800 patients across seven hospitals to highlight important factors when creating meals patients wanted to eat.

3.3m people have already made Christmas reservations #

1-in-5 UK adults, who celebrate Christmas, have already started planning for
Christmas, according to a new consumer poll from research consultancy, KAM. With
7% stating that they’ve already made a reservation for a pub or restaurant for the
upcoming festive period and 17% saying they have already invited people to their
houses to celebrate.

The research captures consumers’ current intentions for Christmas 2021, assuming
that restrictions remain lifted, and results look positive for Hospitality with 1-in-3 adults intending to put more effort into celebrating Christmas this year compared with a normal, pre-Covid Christmas.

Katy Moses, MD at KAM: “Christmas 2020 was a relative wash-out for most people so it’s no huge surprise that so many Brits are keen to make this year an even bigger celebration than normal. This is likely to mean that people will be spending more and planning earlier, with an impressive 3.3 million saying they’ve already made reservations for the festive period. It may well actually be the season to be jolly this year.”

KAM found that footfall on Christmas day itself looks set to return to pre-Covid levels
with 1-in-10 intending to visit a pub or restaurant- this matches intention level in 2019.

The same can be said of New Year’s Eve, with a very similar proportion of consumers saying they intend to visit a pub or restaurant now vs 2019 (22%.)  Based on these current intentions, and assuming restrictions remain lifted, KAM predict a net increase in people visiting restaurants this festive period compared with
normal and Pre-Covid times- 27% intend to go to restaurants MORE often over the upcoming festive period compared with 20% who say LESS often.

The research found that pubs, however, could see a very small decline overall compared with pre-Covid levels. 20% of consumers said they intend to visit pubs MORE often compared with 26% who say LESS often. The decline is driven by the over 55yr olds. However, even these results suggest overall footfall at pubs should be back up close to pre-covid levels over this festive period based on current intentions.

Katy Moses, MD at KAM: “The research shows that UK consumers are currently feeling excited about this Christmas and eating and drinking out will play as big a part in their celebrations as it did pre-Covid. Obviously, we’ve learnt the hard way that a lot can change between now and Christmas but, assuming the current restrictions don’t change, its looking to be a very Merry Christmas for Hospitality this year.”

You can download the research here.

Who are the movers and shakers for foodservice online? #

FEA publishes list of top 100 foodservice social influencers

The Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA) has unveiled its first Top 100 Foodservice Social Media Influencers list at its 2021 annual conference.

The brainchild of FEA chair Steve Hobbs and the associations' marketing manager, Adam Lawrence, the list was compiled with the help of expert influencer marketing consultant Gordon Glenister, who helped FEA analyse the influence of a range of people in the foodservice industry to calculate the impact of their social media posting. This took into account how frequently each account is replied to, reposted, mentioned or followed on both Twitter and LinkedIn. The final chart was calculated by amalgamating these scores and equally weighting influence on both platforms.

Coming in at number one is Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality, with co-founder of Leon Restaurants and the Sustainable Restaurants Association Henry Dimbleby and the Poverty & Inequality Commissioner for Scotland Lindsay Graham in second and third places respectively. 

In a video message, Kate Nicholls stressed how important online communities and the connections they allowed over the last eighteen months. "As Covid hit, social media helped to build the shared networks that have been so vital in getting our industry through the crisis. We've seen the importance of that cascading of information, that sharing of content across the industry, UKHospitality and FEA working hand in hand with other trade associations, building that collaborative network across the industry to educate, inform and inspire, and I think that's something that we want to make sure that we build on, going forwards."

"Somebody who has been the voice of the wider hospitality industry over the last year is deserving of this award," says Steve Hobbs. "I think the message that Kate has delivered at all levels has been quite phenomenal, and, on behalf of FEA, I send my congratulations to her."
 

The top ten foodservice influencers are:

1 Kate Nicholls, CEO of UK Hospitality
2 Henry Dimbleby, Co-founder of Leon Restaurants and the Sustainable Restaurant Association
3 Lindsay Graham, Poverty and Inequality Commissioner at Poverty and Inequality Commission Scotland
4 Mark Lewis, CEO of Hospitality Action
5 James Stagg, Editor at The Caterer
6 Andy Jones, Chair of the PS100 Group
7 Hayden Groves, chef consultant
8 Lisa Jenkins, Managing Editor at The Caterer
9 James Golding, Group Chef Director of The Pig Hotels
10 Stuart Roberts, Deputy President of the National Farmers Union 

The Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA) is the independent, authoritative voice of the foodservice equipment industry, representing nearly 200 companies who supply, service and maintain all types of commercial catering equipment - from utensils to full kitchen schemes.  For more information on FEA visit www.fea.org.uk 

Champion the Hospitality Industry by sharing your story with Springboard’s #MyHospitalityLife! #

Springboard are calling on as many hospitality professionals as possible to get involved with #MyHospitalityLife from Friday 17th September onwards, showcasing the industry as a great place to work with excellent career prospects, to inspire the next generation.
 
We’re asking our hospitality family to share and interact with posts tagged with #MyHospitalityLife on social media, join discussions about the industry, celebrate the many positives and dispel the myths. You can create your own social media posts, whether they are testimonials or videos to show people the highlights of what you do, why you do it and even demo some of the impressive skills you have gleaned throughout your career.
 
Hospitality is growing and is crying out for new talent to hop on board. There is no other industry like it in terms of flexibility, variety, fast-track career progression and great perks.

We want to let people know what hospitality can offer - the different roles, routes of entry and career journeys available to those with the ambition to succeed in this fast-paced industry.
 
#MyHospitalityLife is for people in any role in hospitality, whether you’re new to the industry or have been working in it for 40 years – make your voice heard and be proud of what you do.
 
This is just one of the ways that you can support the growth of the industry and futureproof the talent pipeline for hospitality. Find out more about supporting Springboard as an ambassador: www.springboard.uk.net/support-us/ambassadors

Winners of healthy eating-inspired art competition announced by Creed #

The two winners have received a new tablet each, their artwork displayed on a Creed lorry and £250 worth of food vouchers for their school -

Leading food wholesaler and catering provider, Creed Foodservice and catering management consultants for the education sector, CMC School Catering are today announcing the winners of their UK-wide, food-inspired art competition for school children.

Lucy Gouge, aged 9, from Five Ways Primary School in Cannock, Staffordshire, and Sophie Taylor Keates, aged 10, from Glenthorne Community Primary School in Walsall, Staffordshire, have been unveiled as the winners of the competition, which attracted over 200 entrants.

The competition invited primary and secondary children across the UK, who attend schools which use CMC School Catering, to draw a new food-inspired design around the theme of ‘what does healthy eating mean to you’. Launched in May 2021, hundreds of entries were received, and were whittled down to just two talented winners, with a team from both Creed and CMC voting.

The budding artists, Lucy and Sophie, will see their designs displayed on one of Creed Foodservice’s recognisable HGV lorries for the 2021/22 academic year and will also receive a new tablet, along with their schools benefitting from a £250 Back-to-School order from Creed Foodservice.

Congratulating Lucy and Sophie on Thursday 16th September, where they were presented with their prizes and saw the lorry for the first time, were members of Creed Foodservice and CMC School Catering – including Phil Vickery MBE, former England rugby international, celebrity Masterchef winner and Non-Executive Director at Creed Foodservice.

Miles Roberts, Sales and Marketing Director at Creed Foodservice, said: “The role food plays within schools is so important with regards to children’s health, nutritional intake and productivity during the day, so we wanted to find an engaging and fun way to shine a light on this.

“This is the first time that we have ever featured artwork on one of our lorries that has been designed by school children, and we’re very pleased with the results; they are both incredibly worthy winners.

“CMC has been a customer of ours for over five years and, as a valued partner, has been fantastic to collaborate with on this project.”

Lucy Gouge, winner of the competition from Five Ways Primary School in Cannock, Staffordshire, said: “When I found out I won I was so happy! I really enjoyed drawing my entry and can’t wait to see the Creed lorry driving around with my design on it.”

Rebecca Woodall, Headteacher at Glenthorne Community Primary School, which winner Sophie Taylor Keates attends, said: “We are very proud of Sophie winning this competition and are overjoyed that she gets a tablet. We have also said she can decide on what we spend the prize on in school, such as food for the Leaver's Disco or Christmas Parties. Thank you Creed and CMC, you have made lots of people happy!"

Gary Stewart, CMC Founder, said: “It’s a fantastic idea from Creed Foodservice to showcase school artwork outside the classroom and we really appreciate that they’ve chosen CMC client schools to do this. Food is such an important part of the school day and eating good quality food is vital for children’s future health.”

Lucy Gouge’s winning design featured a heart shape made up of colourful fruit and vegetables with a popping orange Creed logo in the centre. Sophie Taylor Keates’ design was a bright and bold take on the word ‘Creed’ with each letter made up of different fruit and vegetables such as strawberries, bananas and carrots.
The winning designs will be displayed on the Creed lorry for the duration of the 2021/22 academic year.

Creed Foodservice has worked with customers in the education sector for over 40 years, working closely together to provide a quality food service for pupils and helping schools achieve their Food For Life Accreditation. In addition, Creed has worked with their education customers on projects where they invite school children on-site for workshop days with their Development Chef.

UK pub and bar market to grow +63% to £14.8bn, with a full market recovery expected by 2024 #

According to the new Lumina Intelligence UK Pub & Bar Market Report 2021, the UK pub and bar market is set to grow +63% in 2021, to a value of £14.8bn. This follows a catastrophic 2020, which saw the coronavirus pandemic wipe £13.9bn or -61% off the value of the market.

UK pub and bar market to recover to 64% of its pre-pandemic value in 2021
The £14.8bn that the market will be valued at by the end of 2021 is a recovery to 64% of the £23.0bn that the UK pub and bar market was worth before the coronavirus pandemic started.

A dampened start to 2021 with a national lockdown and restrictions on trading until July will hamper the sectors ability for a faster recovery. However, managed, branded and franchised pubs are set for the strongest recovery (+64%) in 2021, with a greater proportion of sites able to capitalise on delivery and takeaway opportunities in the first half of the year.

Top 10 pub groups set to see -57.8% turnover decline in FY 2021
The top 10 pub groups by turnover are expected to see considerable turnover decline in their 2020/21 financial years, led by closures and trading restrictions across the period. Whitbread, Marston’s and Mitchells & Butlers are among those seeing the largest turnover decline in FY 2021.

In contrast, outlet growth among the largest pub groups by outlets is expected to be +1.6%, with Admiral Taverns adding 674 pubs to its estate through its acquisition of Hawthorn.

2 in 5 pub visits are for drinks only.
Drinks only occasions are vastly more important to pubs than the average hospitality channel – accounting for 42% of visits. Dinner is the most important meal, accounting for 24% of all pub and bar occasions. Pubs can capitalise on the dinner day part by offering dinner and drink deals to encourage customers on a drink only mission to also purchase a meal.

Lunch accounts for 22% and breakfast 3% of total occasions, however, there is an opportunity to boost breakfast and lunch sales through "work from home" lunch and Wi Fi deals, which many pub and bar operators have introduced over the past 18 months.

Over a third would like to keep using digital in pubs
34% of consumers agree with the statement, ““I have been using QR codes and mobile app ordering and payments technology and would like to keep using them in the future”. This rises to 38% for 18-24 year-olds and 45% for 35-34 year-olds.

44% agree that “using a mobile app/QR code to order from the table in pubs and bars is more convenient than ordering at the bar from staff” and 45% agree that it “is faster than ordering at the bar”.

Full market recovery expected by 2024
By 2024, the UK pub and bar market will have recovered to and exceeded its 2019 market value. Year-on-year, the total UK pub market is expected to grow by +51.8% in 2022, reaching a value of 
£22.4 billion. Thereafter growth will stabilise at around the 2% mark ahead of reaching a value of £23.4bn in 2024.

Commenting on the results, Senior Insight Manager at Lumina Intelligence, Katherine Prowse, said: “Despite a catastrophic last 18 months, the UK’s love affair with pubs remains intact and will see the market not only fully recover by 2024, but also outpace value growth in the total eating out market.”

“The legacies of the pandemic present significant opportunities to operators and will remain key to market recovery. Delivery accounted for 50% of pub/bar occasions during lockdown and offers operators the chance to broaden its consumer base. The adoption of digital has resulted in a quicker, more seamless customer journey, which many customers are now used to and prefer. As well as offering a better experience, digital ordering and payment gives operators access to valuable data that allows them to understand their customers better."

Find out more about Lumina Intelligence’s UK Pub & Bar Market Report 2021 here.

Double Win for Foodie Agency jellybean #

Award season has arrived, and with it, not one, but two wins for jellybean at the inaugural Alliance of Independent Agencies Wing Awards.

The integrated specialist food and drink agency that works with a wide range of foodservice, retail and consumer brands walked away with both the Best B2B Campaign Award and Freedom Award for Agency Collaboration – one of three special awards recognising outstanding performance across areas where independent agencies have the freedom to excel.
 
Both trophies were awarded for Sarson’s ‘Proud to Serve Fish & Chip Shops of Great Britain’ campaign – a fully integrated campaign supporting fish and chip shops through the worst of the pandemic. The awards were judged by a mixed panel of both agency peers and client-side marketers and were set-up to celebrate the great work done by independent agencies across the UK.
 
Commenting on why jellybean won the Best B2B Campaign Award, Chris Westlake of Vitamin C on behalf of the judging panel said: “Ultimately the results were exceptional. I think the agency and client should be very proud of the work they’ve put out here. It’s effectively created game changing results!”
 
Whilst David Atkinson of Space spoke on behalf of the judging panel with regards the Freedom Award selection to say: “This campaign stood out for its deep understanding of the trade audience and true understanding of the client’s needs and market. They delivered exceptionally and included smart adaptations to the Covid situation. It’s a really powerful example of great collaboration between client and agency.”
 
Speaking about the double win, jellybean MD, Susan Bolam said:
 
“We are incredible proud of the team and this campaign for Sarson’s, so it was wonderful to receive both the awards we were up for, especially in the company of such other great agencies and brands. It’s great to ‘win our wings’ especially for a campaign we activated through the challenges of the pandemic and a lovely touch by the Alliance that all those involved in the campaign will receive Wing Award pin badges in addition to our trophies.”
 
The campaign will go forward to the MAA Worldwide Globes as a category winner in the UK and is also shortlisted for the B2B Marketing Awards to be announced in November. You can find out more about this award-winning campaign here: https://lnkd.in/dPmG4i5q

The full list of winners is available here: https://lnkd.in/dcVgWepj
 

The industry talks furlough, futureproofing and food waste on HRC Connects #

HRC Connects, the digital platform for Hotel, Restaurant and Catering, is hosting a series of webinars throughout September and beyond tackling topics including sustainability, the end of furlough, the future of food and smart commercial kitchen equipment.   

Upcoming Live Sessions 

29 September: Food Industry 4.0 
Technology disruptors changing the supply chain post pandemic. The Osservatori Digital Innovation will showcase top European companies and collaborations that are at the forefront of supply chain transformation and how they are using technology to achieve growth, minimise costs and reduce their carbon footprint.  

12 October: Food waste bad taste - How to keep food on the plate for planet and profit. 
It costs hospitality £3bn a year and 75% of it is avoidable. When everyone knows the damage food waste is doing to their bottom line and the environment, why is it so much continues to feed bins and not bellies? The Sustainable Restaurant Association is joined by three panellists who’ve made it their mission to keep food on the plate as they share their secrets and highlight the potential rewards – economic, environmental and social.  

Available On Demand 

Furlough no more: The aftermath of the F word! 
Financial support from the government is about to end, but what does this mean for your employees? In this session our expert panel discussed predicted hospitality staffing trends and how to get ahead of them. With open jobs on the increase and candidates on the decrease, the panel outlined tips for how to retain and attract potential employees to support business growth. 

This panel featured Dawn Bowstead, Founder and Co-Director of Hospitality Jobs UK, Suzanne Green, Head of Global HR at HB Leisure, Jill Whittaker, Managing Director of HIT Training and Will Chew, Head of HQ Cirrus Inns. 

The Road to Net Zero: Future-proofing your hospitality business 
In 2019 the UK became the first major economy to pass a net zero emissions law, setting a target of bringing all greenhouse gas emission to net zero by 2050. But what does this ambitious goal mean in practical terms for the hospitality industry, and how can hospitality businesses effectively prepare for the road ahead? 

Host Juliane Caillouette-Noble, Managing Director of the Sustainable Restaurant Association is joined by Hamish Stoddart, Managing Director of Peach Pubs, Jonathan Lockett, Sustainability Manager at Pizza Hut Restaurants, Sandy Jarvis, Managing Director of The Culpeper Family Hospitality Group and Simon Mussett, Head of Environmental Sustainability at Sodexo UK&I in this vital discussion.   

Ask the Experts: Connected Equipment 
Keith Warren, Chief Executive of the Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA), and a panel of industry experts discuss the rise of technology in the professional kitchen and provide the answers to the industry's FAQs surrounding this trending topic. 

Join the HRC Connects community at HRC Connects

Best-one Preens wins Newcomer of the Year at Retail Industry Awards #

Best-one retailer, Lewis Prager, has scooped the Newcomer of the Year Award, at Wednesday night’s Retail Industry Awards. These prestigious awards celebrate the very best in the independent and multiple retail sector and are regarded as the ‘Oscar’s’ of the industry.
 
Newcomer of the Year Award recognises some of the brightest rising stars in the independent convenience sector and is open to anyone who joined the sector within the past two years.
 
Lewis opened his best-one store with no previous experience in the retail sector. Whilst lacking retail experience, Lewis set about dedicating himself to understanding his customers and providing the service they wanted. The store has gone onto achieve over 17% sales growth under the extremely challenging backdrop of Covid.
 
Lewis explained how he felt about winning this prestigious award:
“I am completely over the moon at winning this award and would like to thank the team who work with me, as without them, winning this award just wouldn’t be possible.  I am so grateful for the ongoing support we receive from the Best One Retail Development Team.

As a small store, we have found the best-one store model tool to be invaluable, as we worked through space planning and category details with the teams to maximise the performance of the store.

Using the tool we have access to personalised planograms and have been able to harness the powerful insights delivered by epos data to ensure our core ranges and best-selling lines are stocked, reviewing regularly and removing slow selling lines allowing us to introduce new products.”

Mike Hollis, Retail Director at Bestway Retail, said,
“We are absolutely delighted for Lewis and his team at Preens. His commitment, instinctive approach and willingness to learn has been repaid in spades since he bought his Best-one store and winning this award gives Lewis and his team the recognition they deserve and also demonstrates to other retailers that being part of a progressive symbol group really can help you grow your business.

It is real testament to his entrepreneurial approach that despite his customer base remaining home during lockdown (children and schools/colleges), his sales have grown by an impressive 17% under Covid from the previous year.”

Lewis was presented with his award at a very prestigious ceremony last night held at The Brewery in London.

Bestway Retail brands include Best-one, Costcutter and Bargain Booze. If you would like to find out more about becoming Bestway retailer, please visit: https://www.best-one.co.uk/

Sodexo achieves re-accreditation as a Disability Confident Leader #

Sodexo has had its Leader status in the UK Government's Disability Confident scheme re-accredited for a further three years.

The accreditation is an external validation of Sodexo’s commitment to promote the recruitment, engagement and development of people with disabilities. 

The Disability Confident scheme supports employers to make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to a workplace. A key element of the accreditation is to show leadership, to challenge and to share best practice. 

Three years ago, Sodexo made the grade because of the work it does to promote the recruitment, engagement and development of people with disabilities, a key commitment outlined in its Public Service Pledge. 

Now it has had this renewed due to its ongoing commitment and further work. Disability inclusion is one of the five dimensions of Sodexo’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy and it has made a global commitment to ensuring all of its workforce will have access to programmes for people with disabilities by 2025. 

Raj Jones, head of Diversity. Equity and Inclusion, Sodexo, said;
“Inclusivity is key to our values and we are very proud that our Leader status on the government’s Disability Confidence scheme has been recognised and renewed for a further three years. 

“We aim to make sure all our employees with a disability, can thrive and have put various programmes in place to ensure this. We also work hard to remove any barriers to those who may wish to apply to work at Sodexo. There will always be more to do, but we are pleased that the government has validated the work we are doing and the progress we have made.” 

All managers also undergo training around mental health and wellbeing and Sodexo encourages all its suppliers to show they are inclusive including in relation to disabled employees. 

In 2020, Sodexo launched ‘A day without explanation – the future of disability inclusion?’ - a pivotal piece of research around the personal experiences of people who have lived experience of disability in work, and as customers of the types of services it provides. As part of its commitment to be a disability leader Sodexo shared these findings widely internally and externally. 

Other initiatives Sodexo have implemented include:

An Employee Assistance programme (Talk) which has a dedicated line for managers to gain guidance and support. This is run by an independent company.

Continuing to partner with external organisations, such as Ways into Work, Foxes Academy and Project Search, and clients to support young adults with disabilities to develop employability skills and secure employment.

Having over 150 trained mental health first aiders, acting as a “go-to” for colleagues in need of someone to talk to.

Launching a counselling service for 6,000 Sodexo healthcare employees to help them deal with the pressures of working through the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact on their mental health. To date over 800 sessions have taken place.

Raj Jones added;
“We are a progressive and inclusive organisation that seeks to constantly challenge itself to ensure it is adopting best practices and believes thoroughly in creating a positive social impact in the regions it serves.

Peter Backman launches new whitepaper – ‘How to make money from delivery’ #

At this week’s Casual Dining  Show, Peter took to the stage to discuss delivery and virtual brands in the sector
 
Peter explains: “Delivery has made huge strides during covid when it provided a lifeline to financial security for many operators – especially those who had previously vowed not to use delivery. In doing so, new business options (such as virtual brands) have emerged and dark kitchens have developed an ecosystem that includes standalone and piggyback models.
 
“These developments have taken place globally and yet old problems remain, notably the perennial issue of profitability – or rather lack of it – for operators and aggregators.”
 
Peter’s latest whitepaper investigates ways to put that right.
 
If you missed Peter at Casual Dining Show or would like to read more, download your free copy of the whitepaper: https://bit.ly/3CEJqfF