DAVID KENNY
Right and below: Kenny and Eurest focus on health and well-being in their foodservice offer to workplaces
that is healthy, substantial, it’s well thought out and not just a smaller portion of a dish.” Other ways they are
innovating include taking the food to the people. Eurest has invested in a battery-operated modular kitchen, which led the team to set up a Mexican food concept in a car manufacturing line, and he is looking at different ways to meet the workers where they are. “I bought two airstream caravans recently and we have Jiffy vans and coffee carts,” he says. Among the trends he sees
right now is a very different approach to eating in the workplace. Younger people prefer to graze through the day rather than have one big meal. Te rise in the use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs play into this dynamic of smaller portions and more eating moments during the day. “We do still see a canteen set-up, where people will come and have their meal and I think that socialization element is really important,” he notes, adding that it is especially important from a male perspective – one recent
report found that 20% of men in the UK felt lonely at least some of the time while another reported that men are much less likely than women to seek help. Kenny believes that social moments sharing a meal can make a big difference.
A NEW WORK CULTURE
On top of that, research has found that 76% of UK employees feel more productive after taking a break, but they don’t feel employers are taking that break seriously. “We try to impart the
message that a break shouldn’t be seen as a perk. Today, just 17% of UK workers take a break of 45 minutes or longer and one in five people say they spend 15 minutes or less on a break,” he says. “Tese breaks should be seen as a time to disconnect, reset mentally, and protect physical and mental health, not just to eat. If you had a 15-minute break, it would be quite a challenge to do what most people need to do.” Kenny was not yet working with Eurest when the pandemic
“A break shouldn’t be seen as a perk; it is a time to disconnect and reset”
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happened and the world of work life changed dramatically – in many cases for good – creating a need to adjust the offering and reinforcing the need for a superb food offer in the first place. “I don’t think it’s a great shock that, in the office environment, Tuesday, Wednesday and Tursday remain the key busy days. But I think we’re also starting to see Mondays come back. I think Fridays will always be a struggle, but we are working with clients to give people a reason to come in,” he says. Part of that piece, he says,
is to create a space that can act as a community hub and not just a space that’s used only twice a day. “64% of employees said that improved workplace experiences, including food, would encourage them to come back into the office.”
Looking ahead, he thinks
this will reinforce the need to deliver bespoke concepts that work for each organization. “Te role of technology is an interesting one; whether it’s kiosk ordering, artificial intelligence from a tray scanner perspective, or Just Walk Out, tech will continue to have a key role in driving convenience and solving a problem,” he predicts. As he describes the task at
hand, a sense of responsibility comes across clearly. “As a business and an industry, we can play a massive role in what people are putting into their bodies, and that has an impact beyond any individual workplace,” he says. Indeed, when it comes to
long-term performance, the smartest bet any employer can make is on health, well-being and sustainability.
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