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The Global Contract Careering Market is expected to grow at 4.02 percent in the next two years. There are huge market expanses and growth opportunities planned through 2025. Many of the features that contribute to the growth opportunities in the catering business is personalisation. Instead of products that are marketed for everyone, customers prefer that personal touch. According to a survey, 50 percent of customers surveyed said they would purchase products tailored for them. The survey stated that 1 in 4 customers would pay extra for personalised see products.
High-Street and retail style concepts is a second feature that keeps contract catering alive in the future. Customers want the large variety of products to choose from instead a few of some items. In the future, computer technology will create a virtual reality food hall feel to it.
The workplace is constantly changing to create a healthy environment for employees to spend time. Contract caterers need to try new recipes and provide healthier snacks for their customers. Many customers are concerned with less calories, lower sugar, less salt, and low carbs. Future contract catering can consider small food proportions that can bought and heated up at home for a later meal or in a microwave at work for lunch. Many modern workplaces have open spaces like gymnasiums. Grazing for snacks is common place. On their breaks, 47 percent of employees visit restaurants and cafeterias for a snack. A survey suggested that 71 percent of British snack multiple times per day. Businesses are looking to boost the morale of their employees and retain their employees talented people who might otherwise become disenchanted and leave.
Future thinking contract caterers need to consider record employment levels, ageing demographics, lower spending canteens on the rise, customers requiring less meat in their diets. As times keep changing, it becomes more and more difficult to tell what the contract catering business will be in the future. Technology is big in the future to help track the pulse of customers’ taste in the future. Flexitarianism, a diet of mainly vegetables became popular in 2017 and continues to be. It is important to be in touch with latest food trends if you want your contract catering business to be successful in the future.
Sociable eating is encouraged in 2019 because fewer people are bringing lunch from home to eat. During the week, people want more treats and sociable meals. Three catering companies conducted a survey on employees in the workplace lunch place. The first catering company said that workers plan own their lunch on Monday but fall short during the week. The first catering company cited that only 19 percent buy their lunch from on-site catering while 34 percent of workers go out to eat off-site. This survey proves that most people want something more indulgent on Fridays. This is a challenge for catering companies to come up with new and improved menus that will keep more employees onsite.
The second catering company believes menus should include balanced and healthy meals and not just healthy food. Each food item should include a list of calories and nutrients. The third caterer believes menu items should be changed throughout the day to encourage impulse buying.
People might benefit from special meal offers that include loyalty cards. Every time a customer buys a meal, he gets a sticker for the loyalty card. When the card is all filled up, the customer can win a free meal. This idea is not new and has been used in many places including restaurants and hair salons to entice customers. The ease of food apps on cellphones make it convenient to order food items.
Plimsoll has been around since 1987. Plimsoll shows the catering business owner about the best trading partners, sales growth, profit analysis, and more. It makes sense to know what is going on in the world of contract catering instead of doing it completely on your own. Catering publications let the caterer know which companies are performing and which ones are heading for bankruptcy. Plimsoll lets the cater know who is the leading catering company and what they are doing right. Plimsoll writes about new trends like using 100 percent cage-free eggs in the recipes calling for eggs. Plimsoll writes about the latest trends in cutlery, the latest kitchen supplies used by successful caterers. It’s important to keep up with demographics to find out which age groups want which type of food and drinks. It’s not a coincidence that many seniors are living longer than their predecessors did. Senior citizens are swimming laps in the pool, working out in the gym. eating less meat and dairy, less sweets. It’s up to the catering business to be tuned into what today’s customers want to eat and drink.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the Evening Standard ran a high profile campaign on curbing the food waste the problem in 2016. Rather than throw out scraps of food, these food scraps can be used in other recipes. Chef and food activist, Massimo Bottura turned leftovers from Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro into three course meals for middle class and lower class citizens in Brazil. Today’s successful caterers are learning to use parts of food that used to be thrown away, such as carrot tops, beet greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, and more. Caterers are experimenting with healthier ways to season food other than salt or sugar.
Many caters are learning the best key to success and longevity in catering business is creativity, knowledge, and learning from the successes and mistakes of others. Find out who your competition is how to outsmart him by keeping on top of food trends, business technology, being cost effective, use leftovers effectively instead of tossing it. Know your market. Know your audience.
Die-Pat has proudly supported the foodservice industry for the past 50yrs with specialised catering equipment hardware and plumbing components for the foodservice industry.