Much more of what you want

FOR more than 116 years Caterer & Hotelkeeper has been the leading voice of the hospitality industry. In the first opinion column on 6 April 1878 the editor said that his principal objective was to "furnish business information of the most practical and interesting character, and otherwise be of good service to those upon whose cordial support he so confidently aspires".

That objective is as relevant today as it was in 1878 and thisnew-look Caterer is the result of extensive reader research, which was undertaken to make sure we continue to furnish you with appropriate business information. You told us you wanted more articles that get under the skin of individual businesses, in order to reveal how decisions are made and to show the consequences of those decisions.

You also said you wanted more on food preparation and recipes, food pricing, menu suggestions, new food and drink products and news of new equipment. Many of you asked for in-depth reports on the tasting/testing of food and equipment.

We are confident you will like the changes we have made. As well as a new design and running order of pages, one of the biggest changes is to make Chef a weekly part of the magazine instead of a monthly supplement. This will mean we will be publishing 500 pages of Chef a year, double the previous number.

A new, regular part of Chef will be the Menuwatch column where we will give full menu details, including prices, for new restaurant openings. Other exciting new aspects of the magazine include:

lAdopted businesses, where we chart the progress of eight hotels and restaurants on a regular basis;

lReports on wine and food tastings where expert tasters give their verdicts on possible additions to your wine lists and menus;

lComprehensive equipment surveys based on the views of a panel of 2,500 readers;

lWeekly diaries about the daily experiences of caterers, written by the caterers themselves;

lA problem page where industry experts answer reader questions on technical, legal or financial matters;

lComprehensive fresh food prices covering more than 300 items from 17 suppliers in six regions of the UK;

lPlus much more, including a regular prize quiz, a weekly profile of a character in the industry, a reader tips section and a "my worst moment" slot.

Caterer has moved on many times since it was first launched 116 years ago. The latest changes are designed to make the magazine even more entertaining and relevant to your business or job as the end of the millennium approaches. n