FOOD & DRINK
how the spaces have evolved from places where work was done by individuals, to destinations where collaborative ideas are formulated.
Many organisations are mandating a return to the office for two or three days a week and the reality of how this hybrid working is playing out is highlighted in TFL statistics that indicate more commuter activity mid-week. A busy mid-week is leading to offices capping capacities along with continuing their protocols for sanitisation to ensure a safe environment.
This also means that when an employee has made it to the office, they are happy to stay inside and are now less swayed by high street offerings (so many of whom have sadly closed down). As a hospitality provider it means we are bolstering our efforts on those pre-booked peak office days and responding to how employees are using the spaces.
The days of a speedy ‘lunch al desko’ have been replaced with longer more meaningful interactions revolved around food. Our research shows that dwell time in the employee restaurant has increased noticeably as people take time to rebuild two-years of limited face-to-face conversation. We’re also seeing our workplace guests enjoying longer lunches as well as more frequent snacks and hot drinks during their day in the office.
The speedy adoption of in-company apps has also led to an increase in delivery of food and drinks to meeting rooms or communal work areas. Offices are becoming more nuanced towards ‘members clubs’; creative hubs where ideas are exchanged, and the pace is slowed to create a destination that beckons the employees back. It has been proven that transactional work can adequately be done at home - ideas and innovation require face-to-face interaction and a creative environment.
The desire to get together means that companies are capitalising on their real estate: the grand atrium doesn’t just help circulate light and ventilation to the interior of the building, it’s becoming a home for large company get togethers. Not only is it a cost saving on hiring an external venue for an employee or client event it offers an additional safeguard of duty of care. December’s stop-start corporate Christmas party season highlighted to many companies the benefits of using in-house resources and creating an experience for employees in an environment where they would feel comfortable and ultimately at a reduced cost.
The pandemic also altered our relationship with food for the better and one of the biggest learnings is our vigour for more conscious eating. Consumers still want to know the provenance and traceability of their food and they are increasingly mindful of their personal impact on the environment.
We are partnering with suppliers and growers who share these values and, where we can, we seek to work with social enterprises that benefit communities. The mantra reduce, reuse and recycle echoes across all our client sites and hospitality concepts. From the ingredients we
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use, the suppliers we work with and now to the equipment we use. Yes, old cookware can be recycled and repurposed into new items in the industrial kitchen.
Plant based is a firm feature on our menus as diets and lifestyles look to reduce red meat intake and the impact its farming, and production has upon the world. The taste and texture advancement of meat alternatives has been transformative. While the development of lab grown protein is some way off for hospitality providers, some supermarkets and high street restaurants are now offering it and inevitably it will become more accessible in workplace dining.
The science and data behind the pandemic also pointed to vitamins and superfoods that can help with immunity. Whereas food used to be quantified on aroma, flavour, and calories; consumers are more trusting of the science behind food and there’s a marked shift to a mindset of nutrition and correctly fuelling the body and mind.
What we eat, and how and why we entertain were hugely influenced by the pandemic and are valued across the generations. Food brings people together to share, converse and importantly alleviates any workplace hierarchy.
The role of food in the return to the office is increasingly significant to encouraging people back. However, quite how Friday drinks fare is yet to be seen!
www.bennetthay.co.uk twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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