Spoonfed works with businesses providing amazing food each day – but even though we present their delicious menus online we don’t always get to talk about their innovative ingredients, their plans for seasonal menus or their latest amazing event. Cost codes and PO validation? Don’t roll your eyes and say, 'But what about all my attractive menus? This is the real world and these are the areas which corporate hospitality must deal with. It can’t be avoided BUT it can be managed efficiently.

It was good to see a determined focus on Food Waste again recently – a big part of the challenge in this is of course, for caterers to put food in front of people that they want to eat. Simple? If people are more particular than ever before then giving the opportunity to choose what they want, even in meeting room settings, is will a big part in getting this right. Spoonfed’s building of their Group Ordering feature was a classic example of what growing their development team had set out to achieve, ie creating the tools which catering managers are looking for, to help them deliver a service which enhances customer experience, (ie gets better feedback!) avoids wasting time – and avoids wasting food!

Taking catering seriously now means there are a whole raft of additional questions, procedures, barriers, requirements alongside just producing great food – we are in a hybrid working environment where staff numbers to cater for fluctuate, and where there are more issues than ever around allergens, dietary issues and carbon footprint.

Whether it is for those who have to regularly place orders for hospitality, or those managing budgets wanting control on the who, what, why and how much did it cost?…or if it is the kitchen team processing the orders, Spoonfed is inviting each of them to see that there is a world of solutions at hand. And you can do more! You might say, that owning a Rolls Royce would let you sit in a comfy seat and listen to the radio…well yes, but here there is far more available to you.

If the key to success for many in the hospitality sector is in embracing guest-oriented solutions for each aspect of their service then Group Ordering is a vital component. It’s worth looking back and considering what the experience was before a Group Ordering option was in place when organising catering for a meeting: - the level of stress and time wasting for the facilitator - the level of disappointment for those at the lunch table - the level of difficulty for the caterer to score highly in everyone’s feedback

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

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...

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.

Let’s talk about corporate hospitality ordering. Now it’s no longer your credit card, your handy app or your own food being ordered. It’s high value and more complicated - so definitely not simple? Frankly, it’s the Checkout which makes or breaks platforms taking these corporate orders.- can all the bases be covered?

There are few things more popular than a well put together ‘Whodunnit?’ mystery. However, let's narrow that down a bit. I’m talking about a relaxing Sunday evening, or an exciting 4 parter on your favorite streaming service. Let’s just keep it away from the business world!! Whodunnits? are the last thing a busy catering manager wants to have to deal with.

Spoonfed are now part of 365 Retail Markets and bring a wide range of additional products to sit perfectly alongside their already comprehensive ordering platform. If you are looking for more - we have ladles of it!

3 Key Points from recent Catering Research. Katy Moses, Founder and MD of KAM presented some up to the minute industry research at Arena’s recent Face2Face event in London Its results certainly chimed with what we have been hearing on the grapevine (and reacting to!) over the last few months...

It’s fair to say, that if the question ‘What came first - the chicken or the egg?’ had been more contemporary it would have included, ‘…and did it have Order Approval?’ Spoonfed have developed a solution to this hurdle - avoiding the headaches and bringing added value to the caterer.

Working with the largest FSMs globally means that we are regularly engaging with regional operators, ops directors and digital strategists and reacting to what the needs are across a range of accounts. 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..

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...

Some silver linings are easier to pick out than others…the interest from catering teams in Universities and Colleges across UK, Ireland and USA is certainly one which stands out for us at the moment. It’s been incredibly encouraging for us all...but what has led them to our door?

Group Ordering: some watch their waist - others watch their waste.The popularity of Group Ordering has grown hand in hand with the growth in online food ordering.However, this popularity - the

I think most workplaces now have one. The person who randomly announces how many steps they have taken that day. Their watch has alerted them to a milestone of some sort, sending a signal from their wrist directly to their mouth (no point in engaging the brain unnecessarily) to publicise this achievement. But there is a new kid on the block (it may well be the same kid to be honest) who will now announce how many calories are in their sandwich as they enter the info into their calorie counting app.

The ‘just get it out of the box and plug and play’ sales chat just isn’t in the real world. That you can have something complex with virtually no relationship, set-up or hand holding. Well, I’m just not buying it, and IT directors and catering managers shouldn’t either.

Someone once said the only lessons from history are that we don’t pay attention to the lessons from history. Well, maybe, but we can all do a simple thing like looking back and realising that we can do much better than before. By all means, give yourself a hard time for having been so slow to have seen what was staring you in the face for so long...and then move on, there’s work to be done…

We can have a think about why the word *‘community’* is often used in the context of coworking spaces, we can consider the ideology behind these spaces and we can look at the future flexibility for the workforce - but if someone doesn’t order lunch what’s the point anymore??

2020 has been the year of Zoom and Team meetings and across the globe we have heard this year’s most used phrase: ‘estas en silencio’, ‘ти німий’ and of course ‘tu es muet’. What else have these virtual meetings taught us about ourselves and how we might view catering in the future?

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

7.45am Life used to be simpler. Wallet – check. Mobile – check. Keys… ‘Who’s moved my ke.. got them - Bye!’. But not any longer. Now, I’ve got to remember ‘Mask’. That’s a 25% increase (or is it a 33.3%...never sure) in the list of things to get right in order to get my working day up and running. And getting back after being on furlough is hard enough. It’s a shock to the system y’know.

Are you choosy?Maybe it depends on what we mean by ‘Choosy’? Are we talking just being sophisticatedly selective or are you just downright ‘persnickety’? (Apologies for the language).It’s not your

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

Spoonfed has just launched a ‘Group Ordering’ feature, making it possible for multiple people to make a specific catering request as part of a larger order. It’s going to make a huge difference for caterers looking to build their customer base and deliver their food to offices

In last week’s blog I wrote about the tough business environment caterers are predicted to see in the early months of 2018. This week I read that while businesses will suffer from rising supplier prices, they will struggle to pass these costs onto the customer

In 2009, a video of Domino’s employees making pizzas with contaminated ingredients went viral. Some thought that a recovery for the 50-year old company was impossible. Since then, the share price has consistently risen

There’s a great new feature in Spoonfed called ‘Multi-Serve’. With multi-serve, multiple orders that are going to the same address at different times of the day can be stored in one order. So breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea can be grouped together

We recently read a great article on The Caterer website, written by Peter Ducker, Chief Executive at the Institute of Hospitality. The article details the importance of businesses ‘working smarter, not harder’

What's new? We’re rolling out a software update today that will give you more control over menus in Spoonfed. You will now have the ability to specify the dates and/or time ranges that your menus are available

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

We’d like to let you know about some changes and new features just released on Spoonfed. As with all changes, we want to make your business more profitable and your working life that bit easier. We hope this is another step along this road

Do you know your crustacean from your mollusc

Customers often want more for less! When a Customer asks for a discount, always be prepared. Have a script! If you don't know what to say, you'll end up conceding something you shouldn't

Spoonfed has today released a new Diary feature to help our Customers keep track of their business - see the points of stress on your business in the coming week and plan for them

New EU rules (REGULATION (EU) No 1169/2011) in the UK concerning the provision of information on allergens will affect caterers and restaurants on 13 December 2014 for the first time