3663's review of the year

Tim Doran, client development manager at 3663, has been impressed with the thought, planning and consideration that each outlet has put in to their food offering.

"We know that not all caterers have the resources of the Best for Business outlets, but through careful menu planning, keeping a close eye on trends, and producing a menu suited to your customer base to differentiate you from the competition, similar outputs can be achieved," he says.

For those short on time, he advises: "Remember that food service distributors can help by providing time- and labour-saving options in the form of pre-prepared dishes."

Henry John, marketing manager at ViVAS wine was particularly impressed with Karen Williams at the Mulberry Tree, who used wine promotions to drive sales on quieter trading days.

"While some of the outlets found making a success of their wine sales a challenge, Karen used promotions to drive sales. Just remember the idea is to increase sales, so be careful not to give away products your customers are likely to order anyway," he adds.