Category Archives: Catering Business

01 
Mar

Food and Drink in Trouble

Food and drink in troublePre-Covid when AC Services Southern published a weekly blog, we ran a series on the food and drink in trouble in the world due to climate change and disease. We were reminded of these, last month, when the Economist published an article on how a “warming planet threatens the world’s favourite drug”.

Aside from the catchy attention-seeking headline, the article confirmed the changes that will be coming for coffee.

Healthy Food

Sadly, coffee is not alone as anyone trying to buy olive oil will know. Last year prices rose by over 70%. And this on top of hefty increases the year before.

Spain is the world’s biggest olive oil producer and accounts for 70% of European consumption and close to 45% of the world’s. It’s harvest typically takes place in October and November. With Spain in its second year of drought, 2022’s bad harvest has been followed by one of the worst on record.

Using alternatives will cut down on the agreed health-giving benefits of olive oil consumption. Sadly, this may become necessary.

Drug-connected Drink

Coffee is grown in over 70 countries. More than 2B cups are drunk every day. Caffeine is by some measures the most popular recreational drug. Directly and indirectly, it supports the livelihoods of some 125M people.

Again, global warming threatens the areas in which it can be grown. Brazil is the world’s largest producer. Yet in 70 years’ time, between a third and three quarters of its coffee-producing land will become unusable.

The bigger problem is that the most popular bean Arabica, accounts for 70% of the beans sold. It is incredibly fussy as to where it will grow- it needs temperatures to remain constant between 18-23°C. A solution would be to grow it higher up. In Ethiopia, some plantations are already 600m higher. But this solution only works to a certain height, given changes in soil and slopes which affect growth, survival and harvest.

The second most popular bean is Robusta. This is less fussy to grow but is known for its bitter taste. This does not go down well with coffee snobs, which is why most ends up in instant coffee.

While there are over 130 other coffee varieties, ramping them up to fit the Arabica void may not work. In part this is due to taste, but also to their abilities to withstand disease such as coffee-rust fungus or wilt. A bean called Excelsa with an equivalent flavour to Arabica was able to overcome the fungus threat and expanded widely in Africa in the 1910s-30s, but then was devastated by wilt.

Alternatives and Substitution

Many alternatives are now being considered to solve the coffee problem. Sadly, even if a winner is found it will be at least 10 years from selection to commercial production.

Unlike olive oil for many uses, there isn’t a simple substitution for catering colleagues. But as our company comic put it; the positive is they might no longer be in the biggest drug trade in the world!

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Published Date: 1st March 2024
Category: Blog, Catering Business, Food Sourcing, Local food, News
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31 
Jan

Seven Food Trends for 2024

Seven food trends for 2024 iced coffeeJanuary is the time for predictions. So what does AC Services think might be the top seven food trends to be aware of in 2024 for its catering colleagues?

2023 was all about the cost of living crisis and trying somehow to keep going, despite the significant increased costs in energy and food. This year inflation is lower, but still nowhere near what it was for the previous decade. Keeping a tight rein on budgets will continue, but the reliable five will still be a bedrock for success alongside the newer trends:

  • Classic comfort food;
  • Fast convenient quality food;
  • The simple done well;
  • Food which awakens the senses; and
  • Indulgence worth the price.

Seven Food Trends to Watch in 2024

Some of these trends have already emerged in earlier years, but are still gaining strength.

  1. Health and Wellness. There is increasing consciousness of healthy eating and the need for minerals, vitamins and probiotics. This means that food not only tastes good, but is believed to be doing us good. It’s part of that personalisation of food that can be quite difficult when cooking commercially.
  2. Plant-based Products. Gone are the days of a ‘vegetarian option’. Now we cater for flexitarians, pescatarians, vegans and others too long to list. Some are looking for a meat alternative to reduce their carbon footprint; others because of trend 1. 2024 might be the year that mock meat catches on. Either way not offering plant-based products is not an option.
  3. Ethics and Sustainability. The weather is increasing awareness of the need for action on climate and for everyone to take small and big steps. For catering colleagues offering packaged products, the need to reduce packaging and to use truly recyclable or compostable products is increasing. Fair Trade, local and animal welfare are also increasingly coming to the fore as the ethical choice.
  4. Global Flavours and British Fusion. Catering from the middle of the last century has increasingly taken inspiration from abroad. The British palate now reliably tastes global flavours. The opportunity is now to match those flavours with British classics with a twist of spice or presentation.
  5. Research shows that worldwide when eating out, 44% of customers say they enjoy the classics. 26% are looking for something new and different and a further 22% are looking for exotic flavours. The latter might be more tangy, nutty or toasty. This might underpin trend 4. But it might also be something simple. Some are predicting that 2024 will be the year of the cold coffee.
  6. Convenience and Value. This one is all about perception of the customer. Most customers understand the cost of living pressures for catering companies and that some trade-offs are necessary. We’ve all experienced the reduction or changes in package contents as manufacturers aim to maintain prices despite the increases. But sitting in a cold room in peak hours because heating is restricted to the main area, is a counterproductive saving.
  7. Trust and Tighter Supply Chains. Over the years AC Services has promoted local sourcing as the way to build stronger partnerships and to develop distinctive flavours. 2023 has caused many to review their suppliers based on reliability and openness. Working closely with all suppliers enables mutual flexibility and reduces obstacles.

December’s Judgement

The beauty of predictions is looking back on them and see what came true. We look forward to seeing how close we are in December with our catering colleagues on our seven food trends for 2024!

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Published Date: 31st January 2024
Category: Blog, Catering Business, News
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02 
Jan

Ready for More in 2024

Ready for 2024Each year AC Services starts its regular monthly blog with a calendar for the year ahead. We looked back to the one we had last year. That talked of the broken dreams in 2022 and hopes to shake off the negative effects of the pandemic. In 2023 we hoped again that one of our teams would triumph as World Champions. And again we were disappointed.

The difference in 2023 was the opportunity to plan for the first Coronation for 70 years sadly following the Jubilee in 2022. In 2024 there is no Jubilee, Coronation or Royal Wedding to plan for. There are also very few world championships that most people would be aware of or get excited about. It is an Olympic year, but little of note sporting-wise.

Time to Plan

January is the best time for catering businesses to plan the year ahead in order to survive. That’s why we put forward a calendar, so that key events can be noted and opportunities created.

It’s also why this year we have thrown in a few extra celebration days. Some of these may be obvious, while others could be spurious. Is there really an International Tea Day? Maybe not, but it does provide an excuse to have something different to talk about and promote. And that excuse can get you more customers and demonstrate what you can do. We would also urge you to think locally as your own communities will also have special days.

2024 Events Calendar

January aka Dry January or Veganuary

  • 14-28 Tennis Australian Open Melbourne
  • 25 Burns Night

February

  • 4 Yorkshire Pudding Day and British Pie Week
  • 2- March 16 Rugby Union Six Nations
  • 10 Chinese New Year, Year of the Dragon
  • 14 Pancake Day
  • 14 Valentine’s Day29th Leap Day!

March

  • 1 Employee Appreciation Day
  • 10 Mother’s Day
  • 10- 8/9 April Ramadan
  • 15 Red Nose Day Comic Relief
  • 31 Easter Sunday

April

  • 8-14 Golf Masters Augusta
  • 8 Total Solar Eclipse North America
  • 13 Horse Racing Grand National Aintree
  • 10- 6 May Snooker World Championship Sheffield
  • 22-30 Jewish Passover
  • 23 Great British Beef Week

May

  • 6 Early May Bank Holiday
  • 20 World Bee Day
  • 20-19 June Tennis French Open Paris
  • 27 Spring Bank Holiday

June

  • 1 UEFA Champions League Final Wembley
  • 4 National Cheese Day
  • 13-16 Golf US Open Pinehurst
  • 16 Father’s Day
  • 21 Summer Solstice

July

  • 1-14 Tennis Wimbledon
  • 18-13 Golf, The Open Royal Troon
  • 21 National Ice Cream Day
  • 26 – 11 August Summer Olympics Paris

August

  • 16 Tell a Joke Day
  • 18 National Fajita Day
  • 26 August Bank Holiday
  • 28- 18 September Paralympics Paris

September

  • 1-8 Cycling Tour Britain
  • 13 Positive Thinking Day
  • 27 World Tourism Day
  • 29 International Food Loss and Waste Awareness Day

October

  • 12-10 Yom Kippur
  • 12 World Hospice and Palliative Care Day
  • 20 International Chefs Day
  • 31 Halloween

November

  • 1- 4 Diwali Festival of Lights
  • 5 Bonfire Night
  • 9 British Pudding Day
  • 29 Black Friday

December

  • 7 Small Business Saturday
  • Christmas again and looking ahead to 2025!

At AC Services, we wish you a successful and prosperous 2024.

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Published Date: 2nd January 2024
Category: Blog, Catering Business, News
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30 
Nov

Christmas Opening Hours 2023

Christmas Opening Hours 2023If we’re posting our monthly blog for November, it’s fewer than 30 days to Christmas. Almost time to start opening those advent calendars and to deck the premises with boughs of holly! As the busiest time of year, we’re aware that for many of you, the only thing you need to know from us is AC Services Christmas opening hours 2023.

Being Busy Bees

We know that you’ll probably only need these hours just in case the emergency happens that stops service. Like you, Christmas is one of our busiest times of the year as we assist catering colleagues with delayed Rational oven service requests and unfortunate repairs.

With Covid and cost of living crises, the cashflows of catering businesses have been hit hard. Delayed bookings for Christmas have increased uncertainty and the ability to plan effectively. Why not check now to see whether you’ll be running low on Rational cleaning materials? And take ten minutes today, to check your ovens’ servicing records and current niggles to reduce the risk of breakdown. If necessary, gives us a call on 01454 322222 so AC Services can help.

If you have a busy Christmas season planned after a quieter year, staffing might be a problem. This could either be in finding staff or ensuring that they are fully trained. Again, we know how you feel! This year from mid-December, one of our staff will be off to spend Christmas Down Under with her daughter.

Of course, we have a replacement ready to continue to deliver our recognised high levels of customer service. After all, we recognise that enabling colleagues to spend quality time with friends and family at Christmas is as important as doing business.

A C Services Christmas Opening Hours 2023

If you need to contact us about your Rational ovens, we will be available as follows:

  • Friday 22ndDecember – Normal hours 8.15 am to 5.15 pm
  • Saturday- Sunday 23rd – Engineer on Call for Emergencies
  • Christmas Eve – Engineer on Call for Emergencies
  • Christmas Day and Boxing Day – CLOSED
  • Wednesday-Friday 27th-29th December – Engineers on call and office open 8.30-5.00pm
  • Saturday 30th December – Engineer on Call for Emergencies
  • New Years Eve – Engineer on Call for Emergencies
  • New Years Day – CLOSED
  • January 2nd 2024 – Open as normal – 8.15 am-5.15 pm

At AC Services Southern, we know how crucial this Christmas season will be for many in the catering businesses. May we take this chance to offer our best wishes for a successful Christmas and a prosperous 2024.

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Published Date: 30th November 2023
Category: Blog, Catering Business, News
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28 
Sep

Rational Service and Maintenance

service and maintenance for a full house

 

English is a difficult language to learn. Why? Because we repeatedly use the same word said in the same way to mean completely different things. Take the word ‘service’ for example. Or rather don’t; because when we did this around the office, colleagues were coming back the next day with even more meanings.

Generally, at A C Services Southern we talk about 3 main types of service. Of which service and maintenance of Rational ovens is the core of what we do. This doesn’t stop us having to clarify what others mean when they use the term service.

Food Service

We work with colleagues across the catering sector. For virtually everyone food and drink service is what they are about. Before service comes prep, but everyone knows when the rush will begin as customers come to the restaurant, bar, café or mass catering outlet.

Whether those rushes are greater than commuters using train and bus services is difficult to say. Some colleagues might even use a dinner service of crockery to highlight the formality of the meal and an older meaning of the word. What is simply true that without prepared food and drink there would be no business for the sector.

Good Service

Most are driven by the need to give and be recognised for giving good service; not just simply delivering the food to the counter or table. This service is about attending to the clients’ needs and surpassing their expectations. Is this why tips are often call service charges?

We, of course, in the last year have been recognised by Rational as being the best customer service partner in the UK. It means that we ensure we understand our clients’ needs and then fulfil them as effectively and professionally as possible.

Service and Maintenance

For us, this is another way of saying protection and prevention. Service and maintenance is all about the little things that prevent the bigger problems. Like using the appropriate tablets and cleaning materials for your Rational oven at the recommended times. Or the regular visit we have with many clients. Like a car service that fixes stuff or keeps an eye on things to advise on likely forthcoming issues.

What service is not, is repair. Repair is when disaster happens and the oven is broken. It requires an early fix, ideally today and is completely unplanned. The opposite is thinking now when to book your Rational service for the Christmas peak season and ordering your cleaning materials today.

As a company wit put it; not asking for service and maintenance is asking for the later emergency breakdown call for a broken oven. A repair means no food service, which is poor customer service adversely affecting the company’s debt service and probably leading to language not suitable for a religious service!

Talk to our team today, as we’re always at your service on 01454 322222!

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Published Date: 28th September 2023
Category: Blog, Catering Business, News, Ovens, Rational, Service plan
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30 
Aug

Getting Catering Business Ready for the New ‘Old Normal’

catering business 2023The news for catering business is not great. Even the county daily e-newsletter is regularly reporting restaurant closures of established and new venues. Locally a celebrity chef forged ahead with the building changes for a new pub-restaurant; only to cancel the project on the point of opening. It’s now time for everyone to recognise that the last 10 years have been an aberration of low interest rates and high expectations. For the foreseeable future the old normal is back.

Bleak Catering News

Creed Food Services have produced an excellent report based on a survey of 150 UK Directors, General Managers, Assistant Manager and Chefs of hotels, restaurants and pubs. It’s called Plates to Profits.

The findings are stark:

  • 86% of catering business surveyed said they’d close in next 3 years, if business costs did not reduce and they didn’t increase prices. Half said in a year!
  • 23% did not consult their own wholesalers for cost saving advice. An own goal given the mutual benefits this brings.
  • 43% are operating with fewer staff. Half have changed the menu to simpler dishes to respond to this.
  • 39% are buying more pre/semi-prepared dishes while a similar percentage have reduced opening times or food availability on certain days

Customer behaviour has changed

Consumers face a long-term reduction in disposable income. Two thirds of customers have reduced the amount that they spend to eat out. But they will pay for good quality (86%) and pay more for such (75%) according to a Lumina study.

Plates to Profits respondents reported customers:

  • Visit less regularly – 45%
  • Reduce the number of courses they order – 43%
  • Choose more affordable dishes and reduce the number of sides – 40%
  • Not order tea/coffee at the meal end – 29%
  • Not order alcohol, but chose soft drinks or water – 19%
  • Book earlier timeslots or take advantage of early bird offers – 33%
  • Choose food share options – 45%

The Economist, in July, published an interesting report through a collaboration with Visa internationally comparing catering customer habits pre and post pandemic in cities. While weekday lunches have held up, weekday evening events have dropped by almost 3%. Conversely Saturday and Sunday lunches have increased in popularity. Saturday afternoon is now the spending peak not Friday night.

Catering Business Action

Now is the time to take positive action to ensure survival and future growth in your catering business. Consider what your answers would be to the Creed questions or Economist/Lumina studies.

This will help your responses to the new old normal based on your data. Those insights will help you respond to the menu selection, staffing and cost challenges. Also consider what menu choices offer the biggest margins; and how you could do more on food waste by rethinking could happen such as vegetable peelings/trimmings and fruit as toppings or side dishes.

Plates to Profits offered 5 suggestions to consider:

  • Maximise covers to streamline operations for peak time. Relook at your space inside and out and how it could be used.
  • Charge for quality bread and butter. Consumers will pay for the quality and the unsold is easily turned into alternatives.
  • Offer 2 or 3 course set menus. This reduces ingredients, streamlines mains and gives perceived value for money.
  • Offer sharing experiences through encouraging sharing options. The faff of the second plate is offset by the responsiveness to customer cost saving need.
  • Offer higher priced specials of mains, sides and desserts. Change frequently to reflect seasonality to manage costs, streamline menus and meet the proven desire for sustainability.

Like all catering businesses, A C Services is reviewing its operations to ensure it can flexibly meet the needs of its current and prospective clients in this changed economy. After all, following our success this year, we’re aiming to be crowned the best Service Partner for Rational in the UK again next year. This will only come by working sensibly together.

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Published Date: 30th August 2023
Category: Blog, Catering Business, News
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26 
Jul

Measuring Customer Service

Rational Service Partner Winners 2023 AC ServicesFollowing our last blog on customer service being the core of our business at AC Services; we’ve quite rightly been asked how we measure success. Sometimes this is put more crudely as “prove it”! Our year-round measure is customer feedback. Our once-a-year measure is the Service Partner awards with our fellow Rational Service Partners across the UK.

AC Services Wins UK Rational Service Partner 2023

ACS has always done well in the annual awards to be the best Service Partner amongst all 40 UK Rational Service providers. In Rational Ovens’ 50th year we’re delighted to report that we came first. Time for a dual celebration for both achievements!

Rational is a German company. It uses a rigorous audit system to determine who should be crowned as the best each year. This includes the number of post-service questionnaires returned and the comments and scores they provide. They supplement this with how we perform in dealing with warranty calls, availability of van stock, recalls, first time fix rates, and attendance within 24 hours. Obviously also taken into account are any customer complaints of whatever nature.

The results were announced on 13 July at the end of the annual Rational Service Partner meeting. Helen said “It was great to win and be 1st place in the Rational Service Partner of the year. This recognises that putting customer service at the core of our business pays off. It also demonstrates Rational’s commitment to high standards of support for those in catering businesses”.

Customer Feedback

If you look around the various review sites, you’ll see happy customers commenting in the service provided by ACS. We were delighted to see this one recently:

Outstanding service. We needed a new Rational Oven converted from natural gas to LPG. We contacted them on Monday. Had a site survey carried out on Tuesday; and the conversion and commissioning on Wednesday. Helen and Denise in the office were very understanding. While engineer John told us what need to be done prior to commissioning…..The manager and chefs are over the moon” Druid Arms, Stanton Drew

Sometimes the feedback comes direct to us:

All paid. We can’t thank you enough for coming out so quickly, it was a nightmare not having an oven. We’ve had such amazing service from you all. Thank you”  read a recent email.

All this positive feedback gives ACS encouragement to continue to offer the highest possible customer service to all its clients. You’d expect nothing less from the Rational Service Partner of the Year 2023!

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Published Date: 26th July 2023
Category: Blog, Catering Business, News, Rational
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28 
Jun

Our Essence is Customer Service

Customer service is our coreLast month we suggested that one way for catering businesses to weather the current economic storm is to focus on the core or essence of their business. With the Bank of England increasing the interest rates to tackle more persistent inflation; it’s probably right for AC Services to explain ours. It’s customer service.

Customer service! An easy opt out, many may say. After all it’s all part of any front of house business. Let’s for a moment consider that. What we don’t mean by customer service is the waiter asking “Is everything alright” mid-stride heading away from the table. That is a complaints avoidance tick-the-box approach that ultimately pleases no-one.

The Why of Customer Service

Consider for a moment what ACS does. We repair and maintain Rational ovens in the South West of England and South Wales and supply cleaning materials for those machines. Good customer service means different things in each of those scenarios:

  • Repair is an emergency. Something has broken or does not work. The impact of that could be large (stops service) or small (there’s a work-around) but it always starts with a crisis call.
  • Maintenance is the scheduled servicing of an essential machine so that it continues to run at optimum performance. The when is dictated by its age and normal use patterns and by our mutual schedules for convenience. This might start with a reminder call, machine notification or email.
  • Cleaning materials are supplied to aid in the reduction of the first two. They are optimised for Rational machines and are proven to assist in preventing breakdowns or increased maintenance cycles. This is an order to us by phone or on-line.

The Uniting What is Knowledge

What the scenarios have in common is knowledge. Foremost is technical knowledge gained through training with Rational, but also from experience of these ovens over time. Our engineers and technical teams have 60+ years of Rational experience between them. They understand and can cope with ovens of all ages, whether that is in the kitchen or with the remote servicing of newer models.

The second essential knowledge is of the demands of catering businesses. For maintenance visits we try to avoid the peak of service. Although for some clients, we know there is never really a lull during the normal working day.

Thirdly we know the area. Keeping costs down is an issue for all businesses so we schedule our engineer’s routes logically across their local patches. Because they work locally, they understand their clients. Equally importantly they’re able to respond quickly to the stop-service breakdowns by rejigging those routes.

Not Just the Engineers

But that knowledge does not just exist in the engineers, it also sits in our front of house aka our office-based team. With over 30 years of catering and Rational experience between them, they can diagnose and deal appropriately with all inbound and outbound communication.

Apart from our very short initial department selection, this is not an impersonal tele-service operation. We aim to know and understand our clients. The same issue for one clearly needs an immediate repair, while another sees it as something to pick up in the next maintenance booking. Or this time can’t wait, because tomorrow is a prestigious event. Lynne, Denise, Neil and Helen understand the impact it has on your catering business and look for solutions to minimise this.

True customer service is understanding the customer’s needs and efficiently solving their problem while minimising the downtime in their kitchen. This approach drives everything that AC Services does and explains why we have high levels of repeat business and happy customers.

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Published Date: 28th June 2023
Category: Blog, Catering Business, News, Rational
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30 
May

Sensible Catering Forecast

Catering forecastThe third and final May Bank Holiday has passed. No more now until the end of August. Hopefully all catering businesses have seen a boost in trade and are well into preparation for the early summer months.

For many these are the traditional boom months as customers have better weather and longer days to enjoy.

It’s also normally when people have more to spend as they are spending less on power and heat. But the cost-of-living crisis is rolling on and the catering forecast is not good.

Bright spots

Last week the government announced the new Ofgem electricity price caps. These knock £426 off consumers’ typical annual electricity bills. No announcements yet or probable on business electricity. The better news is there could be more variability in the business electricity market, as suppliers begin to respond to generation cost reductions.

Headline inflation is now below 10%. Consumers everywhere can now start to breathe a sigh of relief because that is seen as progress. And 8.7% annual inflation must be good?

Cloud 1: Inflation explained

Inflation measures the annual change in prices. Overall prices this April are 8.7% higher than last April. That is still a massive increase. Since 2004 the official target has been 2% with the Bank of England required to write to the Government explaining why it was above this figure- “Good news PM we’re only 4 times target in April rather than 5!”. 2% means reasonable growth. The plus is, 8% is less scary so may encourage consumers to spend.

Unfortunately, that is the headline rate. The core rate that bankers and economists look at is now 6.8%. This is worryingly high. It means that interest rates on loans will remain high for years rather than months. For businesses, reducing borrowings now will increase profitability and longer term cashflow.

Cloud 2: War

There is an even bigger inflation rate to worry about for catering companies. This is food inflation currently at an average of 19.1%. But some core products are even larger: milk 33%, potatoes 28%, butter 20%. Avian flu, grain prices and electricity costs have pushed chicken 23% higher. Ukraine was a major exporter of grains, oils and fertilisers. The war is a big cause of this inflation.

Cloud 3: Climate

The forecast on olive oil is perhaps the worst and currently 46% higher. Drought in Spain meant the harvest was halved last year. Italy’s harvest was 40% down and was overtaken in volume by Greece. Given production cycles, it’s predicted that by the last quarter of 2023 there will be a serious availability crisis. Already the cost of alternative oils is 26% higher, and where is the major oil sunflower crop- yes the Ukraine.

But climate also affects the UK. Extreme weather last winter hit sugar beet pushing sugar 47% higher. Want to use honey as an alternative? The week-long sub-zero temperatures in December took out many hives. British agriculture will be short of many pollinators and a less sweet autumn is projected. Agriculture also has the wettest March for 40 years to cope with after the driest February.

What can catering businesses do?

Let’s be aware of the clouds, but use the sun to prepare in order to improve your catering forecast. Consider:

  • Food is a basic need and an easy treat. First, think inside, yes inside the box. What is the essence or core of your catering business? This is what most people come for.
  • Without reducing that core what ingredients could you swap and change for others? Could you shorten supply chains by sourcing locally and more seasonally?
  • What key messages do you need to consistently communicate over the coming months to your customers so as their cost-of-living crisis eases, they come back for more or for that first treat.
  • How can you reduce other costs without increasing the risks. For example, cutting back on oven maintenance and cleaning is a short-term saving; but increases the risk of failure during service. That would be a much bigger loss of direct and future custom.

Above all make the most of this summer to increase cashflow and profit to make the end of 2023 easier; when the catering forecast might be sunnier.

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Published Date: 30th May 2023
Category: Blog, Catering Business, News
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24 
Apr

Celebrating the Coronation?

Celebrating the Coronation

Back in January when we scheduled our blogs for the first half of 2023, we thought it would be timely to help those preparing events to celebrate the Coronation of Charles III. But with just over a week to go, it all seems a little flat.

Or is it the traditional British reserve that means we leave to the last-minute, preparations for celebrations? And what can catering trades do about it?

A Changing Monarchy

Perhaps we are taking our cue from the King himself. He has requested a more low-cost approach overall. This includes inviting 2000 guests down, from his mother’s 8,000. And something like a quarter of those guests are people recognised as being worthy in their communities; not simply the traditional great and good.

Certainly, the way we celebrate has changed since 1953. With 4 monarchs in the first 50 years of the twentieth century and Elizabeth as the fifth, more people knew what to expect and perhaps their role! One of the often-stated big pluses from the Big Lunch to celebrate the Queen’s 70th Jubilee; was the simple chatting to neighbours, something we have lost in our busy digital lives.

Changing Cuisine

The last coronation gave the nation poulet reine Elizabeth. More commonly known as Coronation Chicken. It was designed for versality for a salad or sandwich. So, all could enjoy at their garden or street party.

More interestingly it included an Indian-inspired curry sauce. This somehow seems to look backwards to the former empire and forwards to the opening up of cuisine to the masses. That opening gathered pace in the 70’s and 80’s to lead to a £4B Indian restaurant market in the UK today.

Coronation Quiche will have to go some to match that. But it does reflect our current times worried about the costs of living and reducing risks rather than celebrating.

Last-Minute Prep

It’s not too late to join in and share the positives provided by the Coronation to celebrate our communities and nation. The official timetable:

  • Saturday May 6th, the Coronation itself. The procession starts at 11am to Westminster Abbey; the service might last up to 3 hours and then back. For those wanting to view the procession in person queuing starts at 6am and not before.
  • Sunday May 7th, the Big Lunch. Over 7,000 street parties have signed up to be part of the Big Lunch with over 1M participants
  • Monday May 8th the bank holiday. This celebrates volunteering and public service but not just on the one day as explained on the website

If you’ve prepared an event, AC Services knows it will be a success and you have everything in hand including anything to do with your oven maintenance/cleaning. If you haven’t got an event and:

  • it seems quiet in your community; think what you might do and promote to create some buzz for those who will want to join in at the last minute.
  • there’s something planned by others; consider how you could link in to promote their event or add to it.

After all coronations don’t happen very often and it will be 25 years to the next jubilee; so a shame not to take the chance to put out the flags and celebrate!

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Published Date: 24th April 2023
Category: Blog, Catering Business, Events, Local food, News
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