AMynd of their own
ARTIZIAN'S eleventh contract gain came just 19 days into the New Year, courtesy of Surrey-based software company Mynd. It selected Alison Robinson and her team from the five tenders put forward in December, awarding Artizian the £200,000 contract to cater for the 250 employees at its Chertsey offices.
The contract, which began on 28 February, represents a challenge for Artizian, withpricing and value for money high on the agenda. The chief aim is to increase thepreviously poor uptake to a healthy 68%, building gradually throughout the year,with an anticipated average spend per head of £3.25.
"We love the challenge of taking over a site not currently being optimised," says Robinson. "One of our strengths is increasing uptake by 25-30%, which we have done at both Hitachi and HFC, where we have taken over from a larger contractor. There is potential for extensive hospitality at Mynd and we need to start by building up the credibility of the food offer."
The issue of pricing, having been a problem at the site, is one which Robinson is keen to address. Reduced prices will be evident from the start. "There is a tolerance level up to which people are willing to pay, and if you go above that you lose custom," she explains. "I would rather increase the volume of sales at reduced prices - it's the commercial way of operating."
The rolling contract, for which Artizian was invited to tender by the site's facilities management company, Workplace Management, involves a performance guarantee, capped costs with incentive and a £19,500 management fee. In the event of the caterers exceeding the maximum budget figure agreed for the cash sales account, they will have to pay the overspend. However, if Artizian comes in under budget, then Robinson takes 25% of the underspent figure.
A selection of salads will also be available and a deli bar will offer sandwiches made with bread freshly baked on the premises. Queues at the deli bar, another problem to be overcome, will be alleviated by the introduction of an intranet ordering system, which has already proved successful at a number of existing Artizian contracts.
Making all this happen will be a team of five Artizian staff led by chef-manager June Harvey, who will be moving from a similar position at Artizian's Hitachi Data Systems contract in Stoke Poges. Chef Gary Piper and hospitality assistant Lorna Davis, currently working at the site under the outgoing contractor, have exercised their right to stay on and will be part of the Artizian team. "They're very enthusiastic and we're happy they're joining us," says Robinson. "You need some stability in a contract and they know how things operate." A further two members of staff are in the process of being recruited and labour will increase in line with the anticipated increase in sales.
Labour costs across the Artizian portfolio are set to increase from March, with a further 20 employees being recruited, taking the total to 74. The increase is largely a result of the two most recent contract gains, Mynd and Electronic Arts, an entertainment software company also in Chertsey. The latter contract, originally due to start in January 2000, has been postponed to March because building works at the site mean that the offices are not yet ready for occupation.
The extended payroll at the Artizian head office in Wargrave will be made all the more manageable by a technology upgrade on 8 and 9 March, when new software and hardware will be installed at a cost of £10,000. n
