One size
certainly does not fit all! There are catering trends and there are catering
trends. Whether you are providing visitor catering in a museum, leisure
attraction, park café or any manner of catering operation you need to be in
tune with your customers’ needs. Across the UK there are number of broad food
and beverage trends present. However, what is key is how you use this
information and in the correct context. Regardless of broader trends, there
will always be certain groups of customers with very different and specific
needs. One size certainly does not fit all.
Earlier in
the year press reports were rife about a park café accused of ‘gentrifying’ the
menu and alienating its customers. The Clissold Park Café, in Stoke
Newington, promoted outrage by dropping dishes such as chocolate pudding and
chips and replacing them with dishes including spiced carrots and chorizo.
A Facebook
group was set up in protest by the Clissold Park Action Group. The
operators of the Café eventfully bowed to pressure and introduced cheaper
dishes including cheese on toast, sausage and mash and pasta.
If you are developing a new catering operation or are improving an
existing one it’s vital that you engage with your customers and
develop a menu that suits their needs throughout the day. National and general
trends provide a good guideline but they should not be assumed to be the defining
solution.
Contact us
if you need help with customer research, trends, menu development or any manner
of catering support and advice www.montfortconsultants.com.
