Letters

Generosity doesn't show on accounts

I was surprised to read the article "Hospitality groups are too mean to share their profits" (Caterer, 25 November, page 7).

Compass Group believes very strongly in supporting the communities from which we draw business. Apart from direct corporate giving, Compass Group employees play an active part in supporting many community initiatives and charitable organisations.

Giving practical support requires considerable time and effort, but we believe it is far more effective, hence why we operate "Compass in the Community" - a community action scheme launched across the UK and worldwide several years ago. It undertakes an enormous range of initiatives year-round, working closely with organisations such as Business in the Community as well as helping to raise funds and provide practical support for charities such as Debra, Scope, Barnardo's and Hospitality Action.

Through programs such as these we offer rehabilitation work placements for the disadvantaged, the disabled, and released and paroled offenders; work experience for school students and long-term unemployed; skills training and development; and resources, facilities, materials and direct cash support for the education action zone. Providing this sort of support often means that Compass Group staff have to interact with people who are not always easy to deal with. But the rewards far outweigh any challenges faced.

I know of one head teacher, in particular, who is better able to deal with the management and leadership challenges of running a large school due to mentoring provided by Compass Group employees, not to mention young adults now gainfully employed thanks to the skills training and encouragement they got while participating in one of our programmes, like Cookstart.

These are just a few examples, none of which would show up as donations in the accounts. Our true contribution cannot be measured in pounds and pence.

John Greenwood

UK Chief Executive Officer,

Compass Group.

Compass gives a lot to charity

I was disappointed to read the article on hospitality companies' community involvement based on Janet Salmon's report, Managing Your Stakeholders. The story strongly suggests that I branded Compass as "mean" in relation to their level of community support.

Published figures cannot be taken as indicative of a company's total community support, as many companies count only cash donated, while some - such as Whitbread - also have well-established systems for costing their "in kind" support, including staff time spent on fundraising.

I certainly would not describe Compass as mean, because of all their support to Hospitality Action this year. This has included a pledge to launch payroll-giving and, possibly, even to match employees' giving with up to another £250,000 from the company coffers.

The juxtaposition of my comments about benchmarking against a report on Compass's donation level is unfair to Compass and misleading. Compass could not possibly be described as mean.

Alison Rogers

Chief Executive,

Hospitality Action.

Thorough cooking makes beef safe

I applaud John Gray's promotion of British beef (Caterer, 25 November, page 21) and wholeheartedly support him. I fear, however, that he has missed the point.

In the most basic of food hygiene teaching the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Officers, the Royal Society of Health and the Royal Institute of Public Health & Hygiene insist on the thorough cooking of beef to kill any organisms that might be present, and I reiterate my initial point (Caterer, 11 November, page 20) that it is dangerous to assume safety, but more sensible to follow the rules, thereby keeping safe food safe and making safe that food infected with pathogenic bacteria.

Incidentally, E coli 0157 lives in the bowel of the bovine beast and if it stayed there there would be no problem. In Lanarkshire the muscle of the beef became infected prior to arriving in the butcher's shop (probably through cross-contamination, although no one can be sure) and this contaminated other high-risk foods.

Ian Thompson

Head of Hotel Services,

Worcester Royal Infirmary NHS Trust.

guides inspectors pay their way

The Cummingses at Amberley Castle are missing the point about staying with the three main guides (Caterer, 18 November, page 14). Where else are you going to get an educated and rational feedback about your operation?

This year we have been inspected by all three guides on overnight stays. On each occasion the inspectors gave considerable amount of feedback and, in the case of the RAC, this was supported by a four-page comprehensive report.

I was proud to file the report with my directors and a copy went up in the staff room. Of course, the risk is that the inspector may not have enjoyed his stay and with it comes hard-hitting feedback. But then that's the feedback you need if you are going to stay in business. Since 90% of customers who are not satisfied pay and leave without saying anything, to rely solely on this would be foolhardy.

Inspectors stay in so many hotels they have the ability to benchmark and advise through their experience. When you add all this together it becomes excellent value for money to stay with the guides.

And there is one other benefit - at least, when the inspectors visit, they help the occupancy, and they pay rack rate!

Kevin Lorimer

General Manager,

Lythe Hill,

Haslemere, Surrey.

The glasses are not a disguise

It was generous of you to feature my picture in your letters page ("Inspectors are a welcome sight", Caterer, 2 December, page 20). For the sake of clarity, and in fairness to the real author of the piece, I ought to point out that I had no hand in the composition of the text. While I sympathise with a number of the views expressed, I never wear a beard and the glasses are a permanent encumbrance.

Simon Wright

Area Manager (Wales and West),

AA Hotel Services,

Basingstoke.

Air your service sagas on tv

Some people go into the catering business because they love food, others because they love people.

Are you a caterer for whom customers are the bane of your life? Would you enjoy the restaurant trade, were it not for the diners?

I am working on a television programme about customer relations and would like to hear from restaurateurs and waiters with service sagas. I can be contacted on 020 7692 5086.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Joanna Woolf

Fulmar TV, London.

Invention of sweet and sour coffee

I was interested to read about the Brasilia Barista of the Year competition (Caterer, 9 December, page 62). Having ordered a cappuccino in an establishment the other day, I was served a filter coffee, obviously made some time earlier, with "squirty" cream on top, and charged accordingly. This bitter brew I tried to improve by adding sugar, and I invented sweet and sour coffee.

This establishment had an espresso machine but, for whatever reason, declined to use it. This practice must be stopped, or anyone with a kettle and some squirty cream could call themselves a coffee shop. Trading standards, the coffee and tea council, and whatever government departments that have anything to do with food should declare this practice unlawful.

I know it will be only a matter of time before one of my own customers asks for a cappuccino, made properly, "with squirty cream, please". I am at present trying to compose a suitable reply for when this happens - because it will.

W McHaffie

The Golden Lion, Canterbury, Kent.