48 | SPECIAL REPORT | CATERING AND HOSPITALIT Y
W:
www.universitybusiness.co.uk/news/catering
dishes, and our students overwhelmingly respond positively to that. “In 2013 we were fortunate enough to
win the CUBO award for ‘Best Catering Service’, and I really believe that a large part of that was our willingness to change what we offer on the food front.” While (admitedly delicious sounding)
dishes like red Thai chicken curry, beef rogan josh with rice, and lasagne may all be standard issue meals for university chefs, Williams stressed the various unusual creations that have appeared on the University of Kent specials board over the past year: with one striking example being a coffee bean salad. These new dishes often require new
equipment, which needs to be purchased and fited so that Williams’ team can keep up with trends. “I’ll give you the example of pork burritos,” he said, “which have proven a very popular part of our menu. This was something we added after noticing a real explosion in the popularity of street food going on in cities. As caterers, you need to understand that customers’ tastes and desires are constantly changing, and you need to be able to adapt to fit those requirements. “We recently added a smoker to our
kitchen which lets us smoke meat, make pork burritos for our Tex Mex bar, and also offer smoked fish for our conference menus.”
Part of the service Williams’ noting of “conference menus” is one indication of another way in which university caterers, and by extension,
hour of an order being placed.” Since the majority of new student
accommodation is built with ready access to well-equipped kitchens, universities must now focus on providing value and accessibility for students. To this end, Williams said that from 2014 the University of Kent will offer a multi-food court, which will provide a variety of takeaway meals created on campus until 2am each morning. “Keeping an eye on environmental concerns, we will deliver by bicycle on campus,” he said. “This will be everything from fish and chips, and pizza, to grilled meats and fresh salads.”
The student experience The subject of sustainability is another factor influencing university catering, with many HE institutions now offering recyclable and biodegradable packaging, as well as using solar panels and sustainable sourcing as an element of their catering plans. If there is a reason why the subject is
relevant more than ever, though, it is because of the importance food plays in the overall university experience. “Students will scrutinise every aspect of the university offering prior to application, and food and drink is no exception,” said Julie Barker, chair of the University Catering Organisation (TUCO), which analyses catering trends within HE. “In TUCO we know that we operate
in a competitive world where university catering is seen as part of a holistic package alongside facilities, infrastructure and academic standards,
"The main competition I see for us as caterers is students and academic staff cooking their own meals"
their kitchens, are changing in 2014. At the University of Kent, as with many universities around the UK, there are a variety of restaurants and food vending places situated around campus: from the Rutherford dining hall, to several bistros and cafes, and a more upmarket dining- style restaurant. Each of these comes with its own kitchen facilities, which have to answer to their own set of criteria regarding what customers are looking for. For some, it might be bespoke dietary requirements such as Halal food. For others, it may be a focus on quick, light dining or else heavier, more traditionally substantial meals. What this demonstrates is not just that
with so many options available on one campus it is difficult to draw conclusions about what your typical university
kitchen needs to offer, but also that modern HE catering is as much to do with form as it is with contents. To put it another way, university catering isn’t limited to what is being served, but also how it’s served. “A significant trend we’ve seen
within university kitchens relates to convenience,” Williams said. “The main competition I see for us as caterers is students and academic staff cooking their own meals. That competition is driven partly by supermarkets, who will now deliver food directly into university halls of residence, which means that we’re fighting against the ready meal market. There’s also the threat offered by the takeaway trade, which is significant because many restaurants will deliver within half an
so there is an onus on caterers to be the best, encouraging students to stay on campus, and be recognised for excellent cuisine by those atending for conferences and the like. Gone are the days when it was simply about providing a food service. Today, it is a pivotal part of enhancing the experience on campus and can be a huge draw in atracting students. The more savvy universities are already using their food and beverage offering to their advantage in marketing to prospective students.” To help universities capitalise on this,
everything from kitchen design, to green credentials, to the ways in which food is prepared and served is being rethought, and as much work as it is for the hard- working chefs and catering teams within HE, the results are more than worth it. UB
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80