Staffing strife

Losing a key staff member to another contract caterer is a hazard all contractors live with and was a possibility Carlton Catering had begun to prepare for during 1996.

Directors had decided to identify someone in the business, probably a promising unit manager, who would be given an introduction to the regional operations managers' role should a key operations manager leave or the time come when an additional operations manager is needed.

They did not have long to wait for this to happen. Michael Neales, operations manager for the South of England, handed in his notice on 2 January, telling Carlton Catering's managing director John Salisbury he had accepted a job with Gardner Merchant.

It was, says Salisbury, unexpected. "Mike has been with us since the beginning in 1992; it was completely out of the blue. But in one sense I can't blame him, it's quite a step up for him. It's amicable, though - we'll still be going fishing together in March."

While the departure was sudden, it has allowed Carlton to do some internal restructuring. As new contracts have been won, some of the geographic areas the regional operations managers have had to cover have become too spread out. The sites have now been reallocated to make travel between units easier.

Replacing Neales is David Newton, who was site catering manager for two industrial centres at Slough. Newton's initial training was at Oxford Brookes University in hotel and catering management. He then worked as a chef with stints in Switzerland and the Dorchester, London, before joining catering management at ICI and from there moving to Carlton Catering.

If January began with disappointment, any gloom was swiftly brushed aside when operations manager Tricia Billington and unit manager Nigel Graven reported that trading at the new site at Manchester Court House was 20% ahead of budget. The same good news was reported at the courts in Sheffield and Worcester, which are also well ahead of forecast.

There are 10 courts in the Manchester building and the feeding ranges from judges' private dining to public cafeterias. Turnover is currently £2,500 a week.

Is this evidence that those facing the possibility of prison food like to fill up on Carlton's fare before they are sent down? Not entirely, explains Billington. "It's the beverage sales that have gone through the roof. People waiting around drink tea and coffee all the time."

In the main public cafeteria, hot drinks come from a machine that has the option of coin-operated and free-vend. During lunch service when the cafeteria is busy selling food, the machine goes on free-flow and the beverage is charged at the till. Out of lunch service when the till isn't manned, it reverts to coin operation.

To maximise beverage sales, a vending machine is to be sited in another waiting area, currently without facilities.

Another successful opening in the past month has been a contract at Comcast, the Teesside-based cable television company. Included in the contract was the task of planning the kitchen and restaurant, as well providing the catering.

Company operations director Malcolm Smallwood, who oversaw the design of the kitchen in conjunction with CHR Equipment of Bamber Bridge, Lancashire, says this is a sure way for a caterer to know they are going to get a kitchen that works. One of the main features of the restaurant is a stunning stainless steel and polished wood servery from Promart, which Smallwood says impresses customers when they walk in.

Both the restaurant and the all-vending coffee lounge are cashless, using the Wittenborg Catercard system and wall-mounted cash validators.

This week, managing director Salisbury will visit Hotelympia with a shopping list. One area of interest is computer technology. "We are looking to get all the units on-line to headquarters and get more use from information technology in running the head office.

"At present, units fax sales and stock records and they are keyed in again. There has got to be an easier and quicker way. We want to link all the units together for data-transfer and E-mail communication.

"I also want to see if anybody is offering a way of using the Internet to help business. It's difficult to see how it could affect the way a contract caterer does business at the moment, but it inevitably will before long."