Natural Resources

Contractors seize opportunities from clients' needs and future plans

By Margaret Sheridan, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 2/1/2004

Opportunities result from listening to clients and learning from critics.

Ask Aramark Corp. Its new Casual Catering program evolved from criticisms from former clients, according to Doug Warner, spokesman for the contractor. They faulted Aramark for lacking an organized catering program, marketing and merchandising materials, standardized catering menus and recipes. Before Casual Catering, each client manager executed catering to his or her own devices, Warner says.

Aramark's Causal Catering program meets needs expressed by past and current clients.

Planning banquets or printing invitations demanded organizational skills that few school operators or hospital-foodservice professionals possess, but Aramark wasn’t stepping in with the expertise. Now, Casual Catering’s online program of standardized recipes, packaging, tracking labels, pricing guides, menu templates, even training videos in Spanish, solves the problem. It also makes Aramark more competitive with retail caterers, says Salli Hritz, associate director for concept development for Aramark.

When Casual Catering rolled out at Lorain (Ohio) City Schools, the new look and tastes of restaurant-inspired menus drove sales 77% within two months, a financial boon to the school district. Catering normally represents 10% to 20% of sales, according to Andrew Simmon, associate director of foodservices.

In the B&I segment, catering revenues boost sales and offset losses due to staff downsizing. Utilizing the Aramark program last year increased sales 6.8% for David Reuscher, director of catering and special events for PNC Financial Services, Philadelphia, where catering represents $1.8 million in annual sales.

To sharpen his competitive edge against three local retailers, he includes set-up and take-away in addition to delivery. This year, he anticipates 15% growth in catering sales over 2003.

Sphere of influence
With an eye on tomorrow and a hand on the checkbook, Compass Group North America recently signed a partnership with Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. The industry-education relationship includes a gift of $2 million for culinary-education programs.

Such generosity strengthens the company’s impact on future employees through scholarships, internships and a network of faculty, students and alumni. It also provides Compass a degree of influence on curriculum and faculty.

In September, the school will open its seventh campus—in Charlotte, N.C., the contractor’s hometown. “There’s no limit to what we can do,’’ says John Tuomala, manager of college relations for Compass.