NEWSFOCUS:EatToTheBeatat25
Tony Laurenson
EATTOTHE BEAT AT 25
THECATERINGBUSINESSFOUNDEDBYTONYLAURENSONINFEBRUARY1984CONTINUESTOGOFROM
STRENGTHTOSTRENGTH,KEEPINGPRODUCTIONCREWSFEDANDWATEREDALLAROUNDTHEWORLD.
TPiMEETSTHEMAINMANASHECELEBRATESTHECOMPANY’SSILVERANNIV ERSARY...
After scooping the Favourite Catering Company Studio City, California and, more recently, operations in
accolade for the seventh consecutive year at the TPi Qatar, Dubai and China.
Awards 2009 in February, one might forgive Eat To In the rock’n’roll world, Eat To The Beat (ETTB) has
The Beat for sitting back and smelling the roses. It a client list that’s a veritable Who’s Who of the touring
only takes five minutes in managing director Tony industry, from Amy Winehouse to ZZ Top, and scores of
Laurenson’s company, however, to realise that he names in between, not to mention film, TV, high profile
and his team are as feisty as they ever were. festivals ( Download, Glastonbury, Hyde Park Calling,
Twenty-five years ago, when tour catering was still Lollapalooza and the Transatlantic V/Virgin Festivals)
very wet behind the ears, Laurenson founded Eat To and streams of one-off events.
The Beat — the name suggested by Hot Chocolate’s Within just a couple of years of trading, America
Patrick Olive — and hit the road with his first two loomed when Lou Reed grew tired of local catering at
clients, Joe Jackson and Iron Maiden. home. He was enjoying the ETTB touch on the road in
Part of the Global Infusion Group (G.I.G., geddit?), Europe and invited the company to follow him back to
Eat To The Beat has expanded over the years from its the States.
humble origins into a global enterprise, occupying a “It grew from there, with us servicing American
purpose-built facility in Watford, UK since 1989 (which tours by native artists like Lenny Kravitz who supported
2 2has grown from 5,000ft to 40,000ft ), a US base in the whole concept of tour catering,” said Laurenson.
18 • TPiMAY 09
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