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This blog explores the potential for coworking spaces to generate additional revenue through catering services. It suggests partnering with local caterers to provide convenient, high-quality food, enhancing member satisfaction and retention. A step-by-step guide to implementing this service is also provided.

We are excited to announce Spoonfed's participation in the upcoming National Restaurant Association Show. Join us from May 18-21, 2024, at McCormick Place, Chicago, where we will showcase our advanced catering management software at Booth 816 in the South Building and host a Happy Hour event on May 18th, where you can meet with your peers and the Spoonfed team!

In the competitive world of B2B contract catering, efficient management of customer relationships is not just a benefit—it's a necessity. This blog looks at how outdated manual systems, such as spreadsheets and standalone emails to manage client interactions and order details create a disjointed approach that can lead to missed opportunities, errors in order bookings, and a breakdown in client trust and satisfaction.

Increase in catering orders and in catering order value

Order Approval when placing catering orders is becoming increasingly necessary - monitoring spend can be part of the ordering process using Spoonfed's technology solutions. Order Approval is an option which sits alongside the broad scope of How? Who? and When? of payments – Spoonfed’s Checkout Page can be tailored to manage invoices, card payments, ‘on account’ cross charging, mandatory PO codes, and personalised Cost Centres etc.

One clear aspect was the fact that many of these institutional catering operations require a number of stakeholders to be able to access data when hospitality is being ordered. This is more than just having a way for someone to let the kitchen know they would like to order some food. Alexander Graham Bell sorted that out some time ago. And, no spreadsheets and emails aren’t the answer!…

'Configurability' is the Spoonfed word of the year…not enough ‘rizz’ perhaps to have made it into the public eye but being configurable is a key aspect of Spoonfed’s software solutions continuing to offer Caterers and their clients tailormade tools to manage their delivered catering properly.

When it comes to getting the contact catering right day to day 'How many people care?' When Spoonfed demonstrates it solutions for delivered hospitality management software it recognises that there a range of stakeholders involved in the process.

Spoonfed has a whole team of in-house developers - how can we sum up what they do for Spoonfed and the depth and complexity their expertise brings to our delivered catering software solutions? Simply put - The Save Caterers Time!

Spoonfed works with businesses providing amazing food each day – but even though we present their delicious menus online our focus is sometimes on making sure they are not snowed under with admin tasks.

How can those placing catering orders for meetings take into account an individual’s dietary and allergen preferences? The Group Order feature is our solution.

A firm’s ops manager realises that ordering hospitality at a site is inefficient and time consuming for everyone involved, end to end…you might say the operation is ‘clunky’. The technical term is ‘shambolic’.

It’s fair to say, that if the question ‘Which came first - the chicken or the egg?’ had been part of a tender process it would have included a supplementary ‘…and did it have Order Approval?’ Or ‘Why did the chicken cross the road?’ would need to include the ability to report on carbon footprint, allergens and how many times were they crossing the road over any given period.

There are several versions of the story, and I suppose a number of ways to interpret its meaning and application. It’s to do with perceptions affecting attitudes. Find out here.

Life moves fast! Take a moment to think of some things we now accept as normal, which our grandparents would have winced at. And then consider that there are many other things which were ‘everyday’ just a generation ago, but which now, we just laugh at.

Let me start with a uncool admission - I'm a fan of 'Good News- Bad News' jokes. You know the type...Man goes to the doctor for tests and the doctor comes back and says I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first? The man opts for the good news. Doc says, “we’re naming a new disease after you”.

We know that, for those in the catering sector, coming out of pandemic restrictions was like reaching the surface and gasping for air again. However, and continuing the analogy, the subsequent hybrid working patterns now established are akin to a ‘Long Covid’ with its associated sluggishness.

I’ve been on an adventure – no doubt about that! 40+ years with some great people and great businesses too. Bells, Baxters Food Group &Tennent's NI (C&C Group) laid early career foundations for the adventures that followed! Together with a formidable business partner Ghill Donald and a real 'can do' team intent on murdering mediocrity, we created BD Network which grew rapidly to become a leading Agency. I did a successful MBO in the early 2000’s, but soon developed an urge to start something again!‍

People are already used to ordering food online these days so it just needs a simple App right? No, not really. While the amount of people ordering food online has increased this is for a simple order for later in the day. Can large, high value corporate orders really be placed with confidence, accuracy and efficiency? And when this order is for next week, and changes will doubtless be required, can phone calls and emails - and more calls/more emails - really be avoided? And can we reduce that margin for error too?! In summary, simple Apps are not fit for purpose…

How can you make sure your customers are more like cats than dogs?...Spoonfed may have a whole raft of modules for the catering team to manage every aspect of each order - It’s comprehensive! However, it is vital that all of this is fronted with a best-in-class, customer ordering experience...

Have you ever seen how the flight attendants' workspace is organized? They have to feed 200 people, serve drinks, sell perfumes, and provide first medical aid if necessary. All this with a few meters of working/storage space.Although not all restaurant and catering business spaces are as restricted as airplanes, the level of organization is similar. All the things must be placed at the right spot, be easy to reach and not cause inconvenience to people using it.

poonfed has confirmed their position as one of the key providers of tech solutions for catering teams in the Education sector by being ranked 1st with APUC framework tender for Delivered Catering Management Systems. Winning the APUC tender came hard on the heels of being made preferred supplier for Holroyd Howe’s Independent School accounts.

Being confident in things is hardly in vogue at the moment. Too many cul-de-sacs. Too many uncertainties across too many areas of life. However, for catering businesses this is a time to be on the front foot – with the right tools the uncertainties can be managed – tech solutions aren’t magic wands making difficult times disappear - but they give catering teams the ability to work through the real issues being faced.

It’s not your fault of course - we’ve been given so much control and so much choice that putting up with anything that is not quite what we were looking for irks us slightly. Which is why you’re seriously considering whether to choose to read the rest of this blog or not...

A recent independent survey of 250 head chefs, general and operations managers in contract catering, has looked at the key challenges impacting their operations - what role does technology have as they seek operational resilience and the ability to thrive.

Coworking Spaces have hospitality delivered regularly – Spoonfed developed MarketPlace to give them a branded ordering portal so they can manage these orders.

Spoonfed’s tagline ‘Catering Simplified’ occasionally needs to be teased out a bit because we know corporate and event catering is far from simple. Perhaps the phrase, ‘It’s easy - if you know how’ might help.

A recent Linkedin article* on working practices asked the question: Is hybrid a 'hell of half measures'?

Let’s start on a positive note – things are Getting Better. (I know some of you will channel your inner John Lennon and add – ‘they couldn’t get much worse’*) But things are getting better across the Catering and Restaurant sector - the steady return to work for many will increase after the Summer, and of course, events have been increasing in number and size in the last few weeks.

What's the best way of finding out more about Spoonfed? The flyers below will give you a good overview of the features and business use cases we offer. That's a good start, you might say.

We all know why Group Ordering became such an important element of catering in the last 2 years - shared platters were off the menu during restrictions. Giving meeting facilitators the ability to send attendees a link so they could pick their own separate order was well received by everyone.

Has ordering food online ever been more popular - or simpler? If we are talking about three family-sized pizzas for delivery on a Friday or walking up to your local McDs for a pick-up - then, yes, popular and simple.

Let's cut to the chase - we think the complex catering requirements at Universities and Colleges require specialist software solutions…The good news for catering managers is that there has never been a better time to consider what Spoonfed can do for your hospitality and event catering operation…here are 3 reasons why.

I had noticed that when talking about another new feature release on Spoonfed it was being referred to as ‘Ad Hoc Menus’. That sounded quite unusual and I wondered if the Development team were aiming to be sophisticated in 2022. That’s highly unlikely, so I did some digging...

Working in a world of SaaS, it’s easy to focus solely on selling the gains to be had from using your software: the efficiency it will bring, the time saved, the margins it will help with, how much more wonderful your life will be for you, your family and frie...well, you get the picture.

With the workforce returning, the catering industry has naturally had to fill the gaps in their teams, to bring back colleagues and look for new staff. There are gaps - but let’s think about how some of these can be filled with some innovation...

The issue of staff shortages for caterers is global - the combination of COVID-19 fear, uncertainty and government unemployment benefits/furlough schemes are making it hard to fill positions. For those in the UK this was something which had been raised as a concern during the Brexit debates. There seems no doubt that the reality of these concerns have now been exacerbated by the pandemic with reports of 9 out of 10 contract caterers facing shortages this year.

“Brand visibility, fresh content and a slick digital ecosystem will make or break chances of success, now more than ever.” Does this type of advertising resonate, inspire, or make your stomach lurch? All you ever wanted to do was to see people enjoying the amazing food you had created!

The landscape for corporate catering has seen a seismic upheaval in 2020. Just as many landscapes never look the same again when major disruptive forces have had their impact, those managing offices, and those who populate them, are considering the way forward carefully.

It can’t be anything other than a good thing that the rather mean perception of Veganism (hippy-like behaviour, slightly unnourished, always looking for a type of milk I’ve not even heard of) is passing. And it’s passing at quite a rate. According to numbers on Instagram those signing up for Veganuary this month will easily overtake the 400,000 who took part in 2020. (

He saw the spectacle of Christmas with all it’s hope and expectation and he couldn’t think of it as anything other than froth and nonsense. All the bright lights and tinsel were just blinding people to the fact that celebrating was a sham. Christmas was ‘Humbug’.

I still smile at the old adage – ‘What’s the difference between Knowledge and Wisdom? Knowledge is understanding a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad’. Try this one: ‘What’s the difference between being Contactless and Uncontactable?’

Even the very spirit conveyed in these words sticks in our throats. Far too blasé and carefree. This has been a very painful year for so many people. Too many funerals with too few people attending. Too many lay-offs and too few green shoots of recovery. Too much time spent away from school and too few certainties for those leaving school.

Pettigrew Bakeries is a new and truly independent bakery in the beautiful Victoria Park area of Cardiff. Their iconic shop front was known by locals for 83 years as F Janes & Sons which traded as a pet store and hardware shop. Sid Janes retired in 2015 and the Pettigrew team promised him that they would restore his Victorian Shop and reopen it with a new lease of life providing incredible baked products to local people and beyond.

With the move to healthy and ethical eating continuing to gather pace, it’s a great time to be opening a vegetarian or vegan restaurant. But how can you give your business the best start possible? We’ve put together our 5 steps for success when opening a vegetarian restaurant.

Would buying online ads to promote your catering business be an effective way to reach new customers or a waste of time and money? Traffic from online advertising is always going to be unpredictable and there are a lot of things that can be done wrong that will limit your results.

A recent report from CheckIt and UKHospitality looks at how companies in the hospitality industry can future-proof themselves, getting some great insights from leading professionals. The white paper looks at ways that caterers can stay in control, whatever the macroeconomic environment brings.

We live in a connected world. Running a catering business can require the use of dozens of separate systems, all run by different companies. It’s only through APIs that these different systems can speak to each other.

We love getting feedback from Spoonfed users and hearing how our software is making a difference. Feedback lets you know what is most valued, and what you can improve in your service.And our new feature will give Spoonfed users a powerful tool for automatically accumulating and displaying feedback from their customers.

What can you make with napkins? Aside from origami swans, you might be surprised to know that it’s possible to build a prosperous catering company on the flimsy paper throwaways. Although not literally.

Social Enterprises across the world are using Spoonfed software to manage corporate catering services and increase their revenues, helping them give more to good causes while employing people in need.

Rising food costs, high business rates and wage increases are among the many threats to caterers in 2018. With economic and industry challenges piling up in 2018, it’s a good time to look at what caterers can do to not only survive, but thrive.

We have all heard the mantra that ‘the customer is always right’. In fact, famed retailer Stew Leonard's in the US has a huge carved stone in the entryway that reinforces this statement. It says,

Our most requested addition is now live. We're delighted to say that Spoonfed's brand new Invoicing Module has now been released.

The catering industry is high-pressure at the best of times, but when a clients’ image is resting on the performance of your catering team, there is little room for error. As the caterer, you bear responsibility for getting orders right, making sure they are on time and adhering to issues regarding allergies or preferences.

In a recent article for Forbes magazine, food and tech reporter Zalmi Duchman has shown us how in the world of corporate lunches, online ordering is overtaking the more traditional phone order.