Sail of the century

Competing with the high street for leisure spend, P&O Stena Line is carrying out a £3.5m revamp of its catering operation to draw customers in. Diane Lane reports

For some, the mention of cross-Channel ferry catering conjures up images of burly lorry drivers tucking into pie and chips. But while lorry drivers and traditional British fare are still a part of the scene, on P&O Stena Line ferries something much more sophisticated is evolving.

Following the merger of P&O Ferries and Stena Line on 10 March, director of hotel services Pat Hollis is keen to dispense with the transport image. Instead, he wants his product to be promoted as a leisure activity that's not restricted to passengers who are travelling somewhere, but available to all as an alternative evening out to high street restaurants.

One tool Hollis is promoting to achieve his aim is a Cruise à la Carte package introduced last year. This involves a three-and-a-half hour return sailing across the Channel without alighting in Calais and including dinner in the restaurant on the return trip for an inclusive price of £39 for two people.

"It has been very popular," says Hollis. "Dover residents come on board for a meal instead of going to a local restaurant."

Another tool is the introduction of in-house brands such as the new Harbour Coffee Bar, developed in partnership with coffee company Kenco, where passengers travelling on the company's Dover to Calais route this summer will be able to purchase mocha coffee and genuine French pastries.

"We have replicated land-based operations such as the Seattle Coffee Company," says Hollis. "We have had a tremendous response from customers and increased the take-up of bakery products." Hollis expects the coffee bars to provide the company with an extra turnover of more than £1m.

More than half of the seven ships that operate on the route have been refitted to incorporate the new brand as part of a £3.5m investment in on-board catering facilities brought about by the merger. The new company will serve 15 million people a year on the Dover to Calais crossings, a 40% increase in business for P&O's former fleet of five.

Something for everyone

Within a year, Hollis aims to have a fleet of seven matching ships offering a range of catering facilities with something to suit every one of the 30,000 to 50,000 passengers P&O Stena Line carries across the Channel every day.

Now operating on the five former P&O ships, and soon to be installed on the two new additions to the fleet from Stena Line, is the 80-seat Mariners restaurant offering formal dining. The menu changes every three months and includes Cos lettuce tossed in a garlic and herb dressing with croutons and smoked bacon, £2.40; barbary duck breast with a honey and pink peppercorn sauce, £11.90; and, for dessert, banoffee cream slice, £2.90.

The number of covers served in the restaurant per crossing varies greatly, but can be up to 120. Average spend also varies, but many diners take up the Cruise à la Carte deal.

To satisfy the demand from younger passengers there is another in-house brand, First Base, a Fifties-style fast-food diner complete with juke box, which P&O launched three years ago. The diner serves an average of 1,000 people a day depending on the season and accounts for 24% of on-board food sales.

"It's popular with children and is very busy in the school holidays," says Hollis. "It's been so successful that we have plans to extend the seating area."

While First Base is now firmly established on five of the ships, the fast food operation on the two former Stena ships are McDonalds outlets and there are no immediate plans to convert them to the in-house brand.

"We will look at the strength of the in-house brand against the high street-related brand and see if it fits in and is what the customers want," says Hollis. "Branding is about recognition and it's a good thing, but P&O can do its own brands with more authority and flexibility."

Traditional roast dinners, fish and chips, sandwiches and Chinese dishes are all available in the 400-seat self-service Panorama food court. However, the main business here is for breakfast when an average of 500 people are served anything from a full English breakfast to yogurt and fruit within an hour.

Truckers

Lorry drivers have not been forgotten, and are catered for in the 120-seat commercial drivers' restaurant, Routemasters. The menu is subsidised and the average cost of a three-course meal is £3.80.

"We serve an average of 50 drivers per crossing and service is fast and furious," says food court manager on the Pride of Dover, Jan Nicholls.

The Routemasters restaurant linked up with Les Routiers two years ago and serves dishes such as grilled sirloin steak, £2.45; and steak and kidney pie, £2.20.

All food is prepared on board by a galley brigade of 12 using fresh produce delivered daily to the ships direct from suppliers in Dover. Galley equipment is adapted to suit a moving vessel and bolted down for safety.

"We carry on cooking whatever the weather," says Ged Griffiths, head chef on board the Pride of Dover.

Each ship is loaded up daily with enough supplies for five return trips. Turnaround time between the 75-minute crossings is one hour when the galley is cleaned and food prepped for the next crossing, so there is little time for a break for the 120 crew. Although staff may occasionally join another ship if the need arises, they are allocated to one of the three crews that work varied shifts on one ship over a 24-hour period. Training is ongoing for all of the company's 4,000 staff and 400 have gained NVQs as a result of the company training programme, Taking Service Forward.

Hollis is proud of the training programme, which began four years ago and received a Government National Training Award in November 1997. Each crew member is trained in all aspects of the ferry catering business from food preparation to the retail of duty free goods, although the latter may not be necessary for much longer.