September is well under way now so here we take a look at some of the latest catering news stories in the media this month.
Mixed Summer
A heady mix of half-term holidays, the World Cup and sunny weather had it’s effect on the UK catering marketing in June, with top restaurant and pub groups enjoying like for like sales up 1.4% on the same month last year. The figures show total sales, including those from new openings were ahead 2.7% on June 2009.
The survey monitored performance across 16 leading pub and restaurant operators including Mitchells & Butlers, Whitbread, Pizza Hut, Punch Pub Company, Gondola and Tragus.
While pubs in general saw an upside, restaurants mainly suffered sales drops. Big sporting events and the weather, as ever, are a mixed blessing.
Workplace Catering Bible
Maggi is launching its new online planning tool, specially designed to give food service operators in the workplace quick and easy access to recipe solutions. Describing it as the “ultimate workplace catering bible – designed to drive footfall, create excitement and help caterers maximise profits while retaining and attracting new customers”.
This latest in a series of successful web based Menu Solutions is said by Maggi to be ideal for caterers looking to offer innovative, fresh and cost effective menus across sites.
Food vouchers a ‘waste of time’
Pubs and restaurants issuing discount vouchers could be wasting their time – as only 17% of customers take advantage of them.
Market analysts Horizons found 55% of customers don’t base their decision to eat out on the availability of a money-off deal.
Some 25% of diners who use discount deals would have eaten elsewhere had the deal not been available, while 20% would have stayed at home.
Two for one offers are the most common eating out vouchers used by diners, with money off coupons and “meal deals” ranking second.
The value of the eating out market has risen 2.6% year-on-year to £32.2bn. The total number of meals eaten out has risen by 3.2% to 2.93bn.
Dining is increasingly casual, with a 9% year-on-year fall in eating at a table service restaurant, with 5% more choosing takeaways and 7% more choosing fast food.
Upcoming Catering Events
September 15-17th – National Association of Care Catering Conference & Exhibition
September 28th – October 1st – Combined Services Culinary Challenge 2010 | Sandown Park Racecourse
October 11-17th – National Community Meals Week
November 8-12th – National Schools Meals Weeks
This catering news is taken from various industry publications including Eat Out Magazine, Cost Sector Catering and Morning Advertiser.
