For those in the catering sector we know that 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’ for catering firms with its associated sluggishness. Of course, this has huge implications for corporate catering firms and those running hospitality contracts across a range of sectors. You want to be able to offer a service but it needs to adapt to changed circumstances. How can tech solutions help catering managers face this challenge? There are two sides to consider: the tools need to be available so you can be flexible and sensible in how staff are managed, and being able to manage what you offer and how you offer it.…

“Don’t adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone else always has to carry on the story” - I’m retiring today and this Tolkien quote sums up things well. But so does ‘People make Business’ and there are a lot of them to mention I’ve been on an adventure – no doubt about that! Let me tell you about that……

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. But what about UX design?…

Spoonfed cements a year of growth in the Education sector with preferred supplier awards from APUC and Holroyd Howe. Willie Biggart, EVP commented, “We were delighted to be successful in the APUC tender - it’s testimony to the efforts of the development team over the last couple of years continually introducing new features and business use cases to this sector.” These developments have seen Spoonfed secure a number of Universities and Colleges accounts across the UK and US - some independent operations and many with the largest global contract caterers.…

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:…

If there was a silver lining at all for Spoonfed during the Covid period it was the opportunity to accelerate development on features of the software that has allowed our clients (FSMs, Caterers, QSRs) to be creative as they continue to give choice to their customers. The Group Ordering feature is one obvious outcome from these developments – a misnomer perhaps - its name completely fails to highlight that this is all about the individual choice...…

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 recover post Covid? Here is sum which catering managers are doing in their heads each day: What does Lack of Time + Incohesive Teams = ??…

The philosophy behind Co-working spaces is an interesting one – but if someone doesn’t order lunch what’s the point anymore?? This is about those managing Coworking spaces taking the opportunity to add an extra level of service for clients, protect the vibe they have sought to achieve, and find an extra stream of revenue to boot.…