Go with the flow

Times are good for innovative manufacturers of servery counters. A growing number of staff restaurants, dining areas in universities, schools and hospitals are replacing the traditional single-counter servery with free-flow systems.

Also, themed "island" counters - versions of the food courts that first appeared in shopping malls - are gaining popularity, according to manufacturers.

Contract catering's new approach - "making the sell by sight and smell" - is mainly driven by high street competition.

Richard Coleman, Compass Group's business development director says the trend is towards "known brand" offers such as Burger King, Pizza Hut and Café Select.

"The consumer wants the reassurance of familiar names with value for money and the brands have a considerable potential for stimulating sales in staff restaurants."

Compass is looking at scaled-down versions of the high street brands and will shortly introduce mobile kiosks offering Burger King, Pizza Hut and Upper Crust in some staff restaurants, airports and leisure centres. "Mobile kiosks allow you to ring the changes because you can move the kiosks from site to site. It's a novel way of tackling menu fatigue," adds Coleman.

Compass has already installed "mini" food courts featuring the high street brands in leisure centres such as Kiln Park in Wales and Rockley Park in Poole. Though mainly take-aways, the leisure centre food courts do have a limited seating area.

Sutcliffe has kept away from the high street brands and developed its own range of themes, called Choices. These offer sites the high street-type images and brand opportunities which match the current consumer requirements.

At one of its contracts, Oxford Brookes University, the introduction of food courts two years ago boosted turnover by 20% in the first year, according to Lynette Eaborn, group marketing manager.

Students now have the choice of six themed counters: Stripes American Diner, a burger and fries bar, Old El Paso Cantina, La Bonne Baguette, Jackets no ties (potatoes) Zefferelli's (pizza and pasta) and Mr Wok's. Sutcliffe's objective is to get down to a nil subsidy in three years and Eaborn says Oxford Brookes will hit target this year.

At the university most of the food is prepared up-front: At Jackets no ties, potatoes are baked in a Victorian-style oven on the counter; Zefferelli's has a pizza oven on the back counter and Mr Wok's has a special water-cooled system with the scope for six woks to be used simultaneously.

School dining rooms are facing the same competition for student-spend from chains such as McDonald's and KFC. This is making the caterers re-examine age-old practices.

Many schools are improving presentation and speeding up service, according to Mike Haley, marketing manager at Victor Manufacturing.

"We have been busy in the educational sector: schools are switching to smaller free-flow counters and the use of mobile units which can be moved away when the dining area is needed for other activities."

Free-flow servery systems were pioneered by motorway service areas (MSAs), among the first to recognise the pulling power of high street brands.

The options at Pavilion Services' eight motorway outlets include Pizzaland and Burger King at a number of units. Cranks, the vegetarian operation, is on trial in selected units.

A popular feature in all Pavilion units is Benny's Big Pan. Using a giant pan, dishes such as steaks, mushroom stroganoff and chicken tikka masala are prepared in front of customers. Chinese food made to order in woks is another option.

The aim is to bring the feel of the high street to the units, says Nigel Langley-Hunt, purchasing executive at Pavilion. "We have been helped by the availability of an increasing variety of foods along with developments such as humidified counters and induction hobs. But there is no point in being up-to-date if you can't justify the cost of the equipment. So we restrict innovation to busy counters."

Sophisticated prime cooking equipment gives scope for cooking in front of the customers. This increasingly popular approach has a touch of "theatre" and the obvious appeal of freshly cooked food.

Advances such as induction cooking have opened possibilities to prepare items such as omelettes and pancakes. Also with counter top impingers - small cookers operating a conveyor system - pizzas can be freshly made in front of the customer. Most importantly, using small induction hobs can bring significant savings in energy, adds Mike Haley from Victor Manufacturing.

One of the first branded serveries, the Granary Bar, at Forte's Welcome Break MSA, featured a conventional single counter. But that evolved into a free-flow servery featuring barbecue and sandwich counters. At some MSAs, a stir-fry counter was added and then replaced by pasta counters. Now, in some airports and MSAs, the S'Barro, a stand-alone pizza and pasta servery is the latest addition to the Granary free-flow system.

Research shows that travellers are more likely to stop if it proves to be an "experience", says Viviene Szatasi, Welcome Break's marketing director. "That's in contrast to the ‘distress' stops of the 1960s and 1970s - made only by those needing the loo or who were starving. The Granary has shown us that you can build customer loyalty."

Another approach, by ARA Services, is its new Café Connection. This provides custom-built packages - for example a deli-counter, burger bar or pizzeria - designed exclusively for staff restaurants.

The package includes the concept, the equipment, the servery the menu and menu cycle as well as advice on staffing.

Phil Arthurs, ARA's foodservice development director, says the trick is to develop menus and menu cycles together with individual products cooked in front of the customer.

For Arthurs, this means a carefully balanced combination of correct ingredients, cooking technology and the right people doing the cooking.

Ideally the company would like to apply Café Connection in new sites, but it is flexible and can fit into existing operations. But, Arthurs adds: "It has to deliver lower client subsidies. If not, there is no point to the exercise."

Developments in servery counters and systems have been boosted by the choice of materials available for their construction. New materials have made a real contribution to the changing face of food displays.

Composites such as portium and corian - impervious materials which can be made to any seamless shape - are being increasingly used, according to Ted Hopkins, managing director of Portland Catering Equipment.

"These composites are easily replaceable and available in a vast range of colours. They are also easy to clean, and can and be repaired on site," he says.

One of his firm's recent installations has helped increase trade for staff and visitor catering at the Royal Gwent, a 700-bed trust hospital located near the town centre in Newport, Gwent.

It took on competition from highstreet pubs and restaurants by completely refurbishing its staff restaurant. Catering manager Roy Godsall says the big investment has paid off. "Sales are up by 103% and volume by 80%."

At the hospital the long "institutional" counter was replaced by a free flow system with island sites offering a variety of food and beverages including a vegetarian bar.

Constructed by Portland, the colour scheme for the counters matches the decor. Hot meals are split across two counters offering identical food allowing a queue to spill over to the second counter.

A small back bar serves the counters and two small Rational ovens produce food such as jacket potatoes. "The only problem is we can't get people through the tills fast enough," adds Godsall.