EP Insights & Action

Facilities managers will
always need alternatives
Tracey Fairclough at Turpin Smale Catering Consultants explains the
debate over whether smaller players will continue to enter the market.
How they will get noticed and utilized?
When I first joined the wonderful
world of contract catering
around ten years ago, there
were just a few large players
and many smaller ones; almost a completely
different scenario to today.
I even remember buying the only book I
could find mentioned ‘Contract Catering’ on
Amazon for valuable insight into the brave
new world I was stepping into; from the heady
heights of marketing and advertising. My
reading collateral referred to the “BIG 4”
caterers who dominated the contract catering
sector – Elior, Compass, Aramark and Sodexo.
Within a year of joining one of the “BIG 4”,
a fifth player emerged; cue the meteoric rise of
Baxter Storey, the new kid on the block, and
soon referred to as one of the “BIG 5”.
Today I’m a catering consultant at Turpin
Smale and it’s my job to know who’s who out
there, what they’re doing, how well they’re
doing it and what they cost. Knowing the
benefits of both large and small caterer
is important.
I can categorically say the food service
sector is almost unrecognisable to the one I
joined ten years ago. The market has changed
and is constantly evolving; that’s life. Why?
Well the smaller guys are there to offer what
the bigger guys seemingly can’t; a classic case
of David Meets Goliath. Here are my pros
and cons of both.
Smaller Caterers
Pros:
Quick to change – They can change
tactics quicker than larger caterers, even
take a product to market quicker. A larger
caterer has procedures involving many
people, departments and processes, giving
the smaller caterer the time advantage.
You can also adapt your product around
customer feedback and whilst they’re gaining
approvals, can sell the street food concept
they saw today… tomorrow.
A family feel – Feeling part of a family is an
advantage; employees perceive themselves to
be treated more like family, and in many cases
The smaller guys are there to offer
what the bigger guys seemingly can’t;
a classic case of David Meets Goliath.
they’re truly both a family member and part
of the family business. This feeling creates
tremendous energy during projects and
through tough times. The “We Are Family”
with a charismatic leader can lead a small
catering business to great success.
Close to the customer – Being close to
customers is key to success. A large caterer has
many layers, departments and procedures that
can prevent close customer contact. A small
caterer is much closer to the customer, better
able to meet customers more frequently,
develop more personal relationships, make
more bespoke products and address customer
complaints quicker and more personally,
which makes long-term customer relations
easier and more profitable.
Cons:
Lack of progression – Some small caterers
manage to stay afloat and be successful
without any further growth; for these players,
it’s a case of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” The
clients who stay with these, whilst content
with ‘a family feel’ might get left behind and
find it hard to move forward.
Capital investment – Again, this depends
on the company. Some may have significantly
less in the pot, so are unable to afford to
invest as much as the larger caterers. That
being said, some smaller businesses have
fewer costs and overheads, so they can splash
out on bigger salaries which delivers a better
quality of service provider, although they
might not necessarily be able to refurbish to
deliver a more upbeat, contemporary facility
designed to drive sales.
6 | Insights & Action | October 2017