Universities have diverse needs when it comes to tableware. The catering managers are highly cost-conscious and looking to get maximum life-span from their products, yet flexible in their thinking.
We are seeing patterns emerge depending on which sites within the university is being refurbished or re-stocked. That can mean focusing on catering disposables for the ‘to-go’, light eats and snacking side of the business, right through to the procurement of good good quality, super-vitrified crockery for an on-site restaurant.
Many of our customers have opted for ‘badged whiteware’, which means their universities own branding is ‘fired’ onto a base white china. The resulting tableware remains highly durable, looks great and delivers a bespoke look and feel that adds value to the quality of the restaurant. It’s relatively inexpensive to badge white-ware and just needs a bit of forward planning. We work closely with suppliers such as Churchill China to offer some great options of super-vitrified, badge-ware and it’s also becoming increasingly popular to brand accessories, such as napkins or glasses, to match.
White-ware is by far the most popular choice of crockery for universities: “it’s the same as any eating establishment, white ware is practical, and new presentation concepts can be blended in with existing ranges for minimal cost. Food looks good on white and that’s why it remains the chef’s choice!
Catering disposables are big business for universities right through from hot and cold beverages to sandwich packaging, napkins and paper towels. There is an increasing demand for universities to buy ‘sustainably’ in line with both Government and student environmental policies.
We are seeing a significant increase in the number of customers happy to pay a small premium for products which tick the sustainability boxes. Some decisions are common sense – for example use paper cups that break down easily against their plastic counterparts and don’t over-package needlessly when it comes to sandwiches and food ‘to-go’.
Photo by Taekwonweirdo
