amadeus_glorious_final

FROM VENUE TO MENU PROJECT POD
PROJECT POD FROM VENUE TO MENU
Taking you to
THE EDGE
Now guests can enjoy Italian, British, a handcrafted deli cafe
and a man vs food meat concept within @the Edge in halls at
the NEC. Executive Chef Neil Ashton talks through the process
Above: Sustainably caught, hand beer-battered
cod with hand-mashed minted and chilli peas
There are mouth-watering changes
taking place at the NEC with new
food and drink offers being created
to ensure visitors have a really great
experience. Amadeus has taken a
new approach following in-depth
research and has created four new
concepts for in-hall dining: Italian,
British, handcrafted deli cafe and a
man vs food offer with fresh food
cooked to order and lots of healthy
options. The changes are part of a £1.4
million investment named Project Pod
and the new in-hall services will also
have faster service, more seating and
‘grab and go’ options. Calm and cool,
NEC Executive Chef Neil Ashton has
been working for Amadeus for nearly
30 years and leading the charge – his
experience has been indispensable and
here he talks all about the new offers.
“Previously the food areas in the halls at
the NEC were designed to last around ten
or 15 years. Once they were created, the idea
was that they wouldn’t need much changing.
However, with customer desires this is
simply no longer possible. Each hall at the
NEC had at least one restaurant before this
project but now, with the customer in mind,
we have invested heavily to offer one
restaurant with four concepts. Our hope is
that visitors will enjoy the new range and find
something that works for them for whatever
reason they are there. This project includes
the new EvViva (Italian restaurant) and
Butcher and Grill (the meat and grill option)
as well as the Oak Kitchen, which serves
British food. This on-trend concept launched
in 2012 and the menu proved so popular that
each year we only tweak the dishes slightly”
The customer experience is at the centre
of all events at the NEC, and this extends
to the food and drink offering. The
refurbishment of the first three in-hall
food restaurants is part of a venue-wide
improvement programme, and following
extensive research carried out in 2015, a
radical re-styling of the look and feel began.
Logistical issues have also been looked
into to ensure visitors receive their food
quicker and have more choice of good value
and great quality food.
“We have evolved the traditional offer of
self-service to enhance the experience for
the customer,” Neil continues. “This still
works but now the customer has a greater
choice. We looked at the high-street options
and then decided to take these ideas further
to improve the guests’ experience. The NEC
Group research team, Insight, provided us
with market trends and information on the
up-and-coming experiences such as ‘grab and
go’. The research process started over a year
ago and the team began by looking at ‘mega
trends’ in food and basically with a blank
sheet of paper with regard to the overhaul of
the 250-seat food restaurants at the NEC.
“The main areas looked at, alongside the
food offering, were the times people want to
eat and people’s craving for longer dwell
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