Foodservice Cateys 2023: Innovation Award – the Genuine Dining Co

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The Innovation Award goes to a caterer that has harnessed technology to launch a new coffee brand that helps to break down the stigma attached to conversations about mental health and provides support to both customers and colleagues.

The Genuine Dining Co agreed a deal in partnership with its client the Office Group (TOG) to launch the world's first mental health coffee shop in Whitechapel in London in 2022.

The caterer worked with Just Ask A Question (JAAQ), presenting its mental health social media platform – which offers answers to 50,000 interactive questions across 50 topics, from depression to anxiety and addiction – to thousands of people as they stop by to get their caffeine fix.

JAAQ-branded coffee is served at the site and all cups have a QR code that leads customers to JAAQ's portal. The shop also offers interactive screens with free access to the JAAQ app with its voice recognition and AI technology. All JAAQ baristas receive mental health first-aid training.

A modest budget of £12,500 was set aside by both JAAQ and Genuine Dining for the launch of the coffee bar, to cover the costs for an interactive digital screen and speaker, redesign of the tables and counter, as well as branded uniforms, merchandise, coffee cups with QR codes, posters and signage.

The link-up has led to the platform being accessed in over 100 countries with over 45,000 questions asked on its website in the first week after launching in November 2022.

As well as sharing access to mental health advice and guidance to both customers and team members, the campaign aimed to spread the word of JAAQ Coffee to the Genuine Dining Co's existing client portfolio – including global media and law firms, tech companies and insurance businesses – demonstrating how it could be part of a workplace wellbeing strategy and catering solution. In fact, the business has seen JAAQ Coffee takeovers at three of its most prestigious client sites in central London, engaging with over 3,000 customers on a daily basis.

Contract turnover from new business aligned with JAAQ Coffee is set to break sales targets, while the return on investment far outweighs the original budget, with significant increase in turnover and contract gains. But one of the key indicators of this innovative marketing campaign's success is the 10,000 or more log-ins to the JAAQ digital portal during the time of the campaign. Profit from JAAQ Coffee is re-invested to continue to power future innovation and technology to develop the platform and widen the reach of JAAQ and to increase the number of expert creators and subject matter.

It's no wonder our judges described it as "a truly inspiring submission".

What the judges said

"What made this organisation stand out is that it takes such a thorough, practical and imaginative approach to supporting mental health, which post-pandemic is something that very evidently requires attention. It's also scaleable and proven in a high street setting, giving clients confidence in its social credentials and commerciality." Chris Stern

The shortlist

The Genuine Dining Co

Sodexo Live!

Taylor Shaw

Past winners

2022 Michaela Mulvey, BM

2019 Hampshire County Council Catering Services

2018 Elior UK

2017 Derbyshire County Council

2016 ISS Food and Hospitality

2015 Andy Jones ISS Healthcare and the Hospital Caterers Association

2014 The Genuine Dining Co