Keeping the crunch
Attention to cereals and their display is a vital element in successful breakfast catering.
Until recently, portion packs or self-service open bowls were the most widely used options.
While these methods remain popular, dispensing systems are now finding a market - with buyers influenced by a mix of economic, health and image factors.
Greater efficiency is also a major pull. Steve Meadway, catering manager at Sutcliffe Catering - operators of the Jets Restaurants at Heathrow airport - has a dispenser from Hurst Green Plastics on trial in the airport staff dining area. "We have a very large volume breakfast trade. The unit gives some degree of portion control, is much more hygienic and creates no mess - previously diners tended to spill food at the servery."
In the past, large self-service bowls were used, and cereals got mixed together. As a bulk cereal buyer, Meadway does not expect great savings from the new system, but estimates a 20% gain for caterers switching from portion pack to dispenser use.
Dispensing systems also help alleviate any problems of theft. Stan Beresford, general manager for catering services at Sheffield University, serves 2,600 customers, seven days a week. Beresford helped to develop the Hurst Green Plastics dispenser. He previously used portion packs - which sometimes "walked". Six six-tube dispensers were bought for a total of £9,000.
Absence of full portion control is not a problem: "Bowl size sets a limit, but we prefer students to refill rather than go without." The one limitation Beresford sees is the inability to display biscuit-type cereals.
Aesthetics and hygiene are joint concerns for some buyers. Lieutenant John Stratford, catering officer for HMS Collingwood, says: "We serve 800 customers daily and formerly used large plastic boxes into which they would dip their bowls - and hands!"
A seven-tube dispenser now displays four popular cereals, and serving time has improved. As breakfast costs are deducted from pay, savings are hard to assess, but Stratford thinks stock control is now simpler. "Also, the tube is tamper-proof, so cleaning is easier," he adds.
Dispensers may not be able to work in tough environments. Caroline Black, divisional director of Kelvin International Services, which caters for oil rigs and other remote locations, decided to trial the dispenser method before being satisfied it could withstand offshore conditions. She is pleased with the extra control achieved, despite considering separate bowls more attractive.
Some caterers are led to the dispenser method because they have concerns about the health implications of using open bowls and the higher costs resulting from disposal of unused cereals. Avon Schools Camp in Exmouth, Devon, serves 220 young people between April and September. Until recently, cereals were displayed in bowls holding a minimum of six portions, but large-scale waste resulted from throwing away surplus cereals.
Catering officer Jerry Brooks now fills five dispenser tubes with different brands. As portions are more uniformly controlled, waste has been cut. However, Brooks says insufficient capacity requires open-bowl serving when everyone eats at once.
He notes one minor snag. "Before, we could rotate cereals during the week. We get round this by putting more of the most popular cereals in the dispenser."
"Trends show a rising demand for cereals at breakfast," says Robert Claesson, food and beverage manager for the SAS Portman hotel in London. The hotel chose the Pasadele muesli-flute dispenser. Claesson believes such systems give a more upmarket image: guests, he says, appreciate the greater choice. His hotel now uses only open bowls for display. To cope with varying demand, Claesson uses tubes of different sizes. The Forte Crest Hotel at Gatwick has also chosen the Pasadele system for its breakfast area.
In term time at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, 400 students are served breakfast seven days a week. During vacations, there are up to 1,100 guests. Four years ago the canteen was rearranged, says catering manager Malcolm Trunkfield, moving from open-bowl cereal display using scoops to the dispenser system, as a result of concern about residues and possible health risks. Portion control was not a factor. "Guests can still take as much as they want."
But where procedures ensure cereals remain in good condition until needed, changes are often considered unnecessary.
In the boarding school sector, for example, serving bowls are still popular. Ian Wyper, operations manager for Oundle School near Oundle, Northamptonshire, says all 14 school houses provide a choice of two cereals in a stainless steel servery.
The Pembroke hotel in Blackpool also favours an open-bowl system on a self-service buffet. "In peak season we serve 500 breakfasts and use a dedicated storage area with daily cereal deliveries. With temperature control, freshness is retained," says Paul Nason, deputy restaurant manager.
Common sense will normally indicate what arrangements are needed. Caterers need, however, to stay in touch with consumer opinion on more than just the choice of cereal. As a means of gaining and maintaining custom, display is just as important.
