Reinventing the meal

15 April 2004 by
Reinventing the meal

A pair of evening shoes with a collapsible stiletto heel, a clock that needs to be wound only once every 10 years, and a typeface that helps the dyslexic - these are just some of the inventions created by young designers on display in the staff restaurant at Volkswagen's UK headquarters in Milton Keynes. A bunch of talented inventors have turned their ideas into prototypes, thanks to grants from the Audi Design Foundation, a charity based at the site.

The foundation, which is part of the Volkswagen group that includes the Audi, Skoda and Seat car brands, is dedicated to supporting excellence in all aspects of design.

When Hopkinson Catering learnt about the exhibition, it saw an opportunity to support the foundation's work. But what menu items would best match the cutting-edge designs on display?

General catering manager Debbie Lever and executive head chef Frankie Smith looked to Heston Blumenthal, Ferran Adri…, and the current vogue for a scientific approach to cooking. For the price of 55p, VW employees can taste beetroot jelly, basil blancmange with crystallised fennel, white chocolate mousse with caviar, or raspberry daiquiri sour in a shot glass. The idea is to give staff a challenging treat as they enter the restaurant, and draw their attention to the exhibits.

Audi's advertising slogan, "Vorsprung durch technik", roughly translates as taking a leap or gaining advantage through technology, and Lever clearly taps into a "vorsprung" state of mind. "We look at opportunities within the culture and structure of the client and get under the skin of their business," she says. "Theme days can tend to be a bit formulaic - French Day or Independence Day - and there's not a lot of ‘wow' factor. We have a different approach."

The Audi Design Foundation warmly welcomed Hopkinson's input, as development manager Rebecca Edge explains: "These tasters are helping communicate what we do. We are about promoting risk, innovation and thinking outside the box."

Apart from running the staff restaurant, Lever has been successful in selling Hopkinson's event and hospitality services to Volkswagen. At the start of its £1m-turnover contract, which began in 1999, the car firm tended to hold PR events and product launches elsewhere, but Lever has persuaded her client to hold more events on site.

At the launch of Skoda's Octavia model, Hopkinson laid on a breakfast barbecue party in the office grounds. An inflatable bungee pull - rather like a giant human catapult - entertained staff and reflected the new car's advertising tagline: "More pulling power."

Lever sends out a marketing calendar to Volkswagen's directors and managers, flagging seasonal events. A hospitality brochure of menus for business breakfasts, hot working lunches, sushi, executive lunch boxes and bowl food goes out twice a year.

Last summer, the caterer did "desk drops" of strawberries and cream during Wimbledon fortnight, at 60p a head, and sent round free ice-cream sodas when temperatures reached 38¼C. "It's not just about the money," Lever says.

Hopkinson won the Volkswagen contract from Frank Bell's CCG, facing stiff competition from 14 other bidders. Director Frank Hopkinson displayed a confident and proactive approach right from the start. He remembers Volkswagen had already shelled out on redesigns for its restaurant, which he had to reject. Why? "They were awful," he says. He had his own ideas on how the restaurant should look and work, and insisted on choosing the designer. "You need a designer with no allegiances to equipment manufacturers," he says.

Years in the Army taught Hopkinson that it is crucial to get the planning and preparation right from the very start. One of his priorities was to solve bottlenecks of people queuing by creating several food service points. Now there is a fast-food counter where fresh pizzas and burgers are made, a hot dessert counter, two traditional hot main-course counters, and a self-service salad bar. In a separate area, there is an all-day deli and coffee bar.

A further antidote to queuing is found at the "grab and go" chilled cabinet, where customers auto-pay, swiping barcodes and debiting their cashless paycards. "We are demonstrating total trust," says Hopkinson. "It wouldn't be advisable everywhere, but it works in this environment."

The average waiting time for service is two-and-a-half minutes, although dishes that take longer, such as pizza, are brought to your table by one of 14 front-of-house staff. Service is obviously a priority as, along with the 14 waiting staff, eight chefs also man each of the service points, adding up to a total team of 22, a rather large workforce for a staff restaurant.

With such overheads, how does Hopkinson make the contract viable? Frank Hopkinson is adamant that he often visits sites where clients pay just as much for bad service. The solution to boosting profits is to increase turnover, he says.

Since 1999, throughput has doubled. In a site of 1,000 employees, there are 900 deli-bar transactions per day, and 300-400 in the main restaurant. The caterer makes 50% gross profit, which is ploughed back into the service and brings down the client's minimal subsidy, but has also financed the wages of an extra six staff. Hopkinson's only income is its management fee.

Hopkinson Catering Frank Hopkinson and his wife, Fiona, founded their eponymous company in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, in 1996.

Unusually for the sector, Frank did not cut his management teeth with Compass or Sodexho but, at the age of 18, joined the Army and trained as a chef. He stayed in the Catering Corps for 22 years, culminating in a major role in the logistical planning of the Falklands War.

Fiona trained as a chef with Prue Leith and has worked with Anton Mosimann.

In eight years, the company has grown to employ more than 700 staff at 70 contracts spread from Bradford to Portsmouth. It has annual sales of £10m, and the contract caterer was ranked the 14th fastest-growing UK company at the Deloitte & Touche Indy Awards 2003.

Its business and industry clients include Mitsubishi, Volkswagen Group UK, Dunlop Aviation, precision instrument maker Renishaw, and Jewson. It also has a presence in the education market, including Notre Dame Catholic High School, Liverpool; Horizon School, Blithbury; and Senad, a group of 18 schools for autistic children. Its healthcare business includes a three-year, £6.9m group deal with residential care home operator Elizabeth Finn Trust.

Hopkinson… in his own words

On recruitment: "I go to great lengths to find bright people. I prefer someone who will argue with me rather than say, ‘Yes, sir,' ‘No, sir.' You end up with a better company."

On design: "You need a designer with no allegiances to equipment manufacturers."

On purchasing: "I'm not interested in discounts, but the correct price I need to pay in the market to achieve 50% gross profit. My purchasing power is fantastic. It gives my accountant a pain. He says I've got too many suppliers."

On motivation: "Opening packets and restricted purchasing power are demoralising for a chef."

On life in the Army: "It gives you huge management experience and the ability to solve any problem. There's no room for failure. I was so good they sent me to the Falklands - bastards."

On the state education sector: "I get very angry with head teachers preaching about healthy eating when, nine times out of 10, what they go for is the bottom line and a payback."

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