EP Food Service Action Issue

INSIGHTS CATERING CONSULTANCY BUREAU
Book. It would include impossible timescales
and always seemed to want a tender returned
on the 2nd January meaning that one had to
work on it over the Christmas period.
Apart from several well respected
catering consultants who managed their
assignments with professionalism, I did
not welcome working with them. Then
some friends who were already in the
consultancy industry and whom I placed
in the ‘well respected category’, convinced
me that I would be a good consultant with
the right attitude. I had little to lose and my
consultancy career begun.
We remove the
unnecessary parts,
streamline the process and
use ‘jargon’ that is clear.
It is essential to manage
client expectations and
always explain why the
lowest price isn’t always
the best choice.
The subject of nil cost or zero cost
contracts can arise. There are certain
criteria that have to be met before this
arrangement can be considered. The
mechanics behind volume and foot fall must
be explained so a client organisation fully
understands. Often a nil cost arrangement
cannot be introduced. It is not always
appreciated that there may not be a line of
caterers queuing at the door to be considered
for this opportunity.
Then we have the tender situation. Some
clients consider that the provision of a
catering service is an unnecessary burden
whilst others see it as a benefit. Thankfully
those clients who consider this to be
unnecessary are now few and far between,
however, they do still exist. The challenge
is to explain the benefits of providing a
catering service and for the consultant to
ensure that the caterer receives accurate
information that will not later ‘come back
to bite them’.
So, why do we need catering
consultants?
My own thoughts many years ago were that
we do not. At that time I was a Sales Director
and felt that consultants can complicate
matters by adding another dimension to
the process. Described as ‘failed catering
managers’ by a captain of the Industry years
ago, one would often wonder why anyone
would want to be a catering consultant.
I was particularly dissatisfied as a
consequence of having to deal with ‘failed
catering managers’ who didn’t really
understand the finance behind a contract,
who wanted a tender response that more
often than not resembled the Domesday
There are a number of good catering
consultants and a number who are not so
good. In line with my consultancy peers (we
do meet and share best practice), I think we
are sympathetic to operators by not imposing
impossible time scales. We remove the
unnecessary parts, streamline the process
and use ‘jargon’ that is clear. It is essential
to manage client expectations and always
explain why the lowest price isn’t always the
best choice.
When a catering company isn’t successful
with a bidding process a good catering
consultant should give a full debrief to the
caterer, highlighting those areas where they
could have come across a little better and
explaining why.
In summary, do we really need catering
consultants? In my opinion the answer is
unequivocally yes.
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