As featured in the December issue of University Caterer
Over the last 25 years Fretwell-Downing Hospitality have supported University Caterers deliver efficient hospitality services and during this time we have seen an evolution in the range of the services offered. Now the customer portfolio extends from students and staff through to commercial clients attending campus during conferences, events and even as a “hotel” guest. In the wider context, universities have also had to adapt to influences on a global scale including increased accessibility not only in the UK but from overseas students, the expotential increase in technology, economic uncertainty, changes in financial planning and increasing student fees which, from intial reports, has seen a drop in applications.
As changes in Universities catering services have radically changed over the last 20 years, so has the use of technology. Long gone are the days when technology within a University Catering Operation was just a till linked stock management system.
Against this dynamic backdrop hospitality teams have responded with variety and a commercial understanding historically unprecedented in the sector, today reaching equal standing with some of the country’s leading retail organisations. Today’s learning environment provides unparalleled availability to tap into knowledge where the life of the independent learner has seen students with as little as five hours per week on campus.
In direct response to the reduced presence on campus caterers must capture available custom through whatever methods entice and capture the student pound. An example of this is the provision of Saffron Xpress where this quick service ordering solution is extremely effective at helping improve speed of service and customer convenience as well as driving sales with a range of payment methods including EPOS link, account, cashless & payment cards.
Saffron Xpress enables customers to simply build their food order by navigating their way through an easy-to-follow graphical listing of the menu and voice prompts. Once they’ve completed their order customers receive a printed receipt giving a unique number while the details are also automatically transferred to the kitchen area for the order to be prepared.
Take the University of Kent’s experience after it had installed two Saffron Xpress kiosks in the made-to-order sandwich bar, and introduced ordering via the website. Within the first 12 months of operating Saffron Xpress, the ‘Bag-It’ sandwich bar had seen the average spend per head rocket up from an average of £2.13 to £4.72.
Catering Operations Manager Keith Williams explains: “The new counter and installation of Saffron Xpress has made busy periods much more manageable particularly with the pre-order option which means we can produce sandwiches in off-peak times. This in-turn has increased our productivity as less time is now spent taking orders. In addition the technology has allowed us to successfully up-sell as customers can be teased with numerous additional items from cold drinks to confectionery.”
When used as a web service Saffron Xpress extends the service reach beyond traditional ‘boundaries’, for example a client recently noticed that an unusual number of mopeds were arriving during the late afternoon/early evening. Further investigation identified that these were deliveries from local fast-food outlets. Accessible from either a Smartphone or internet connected PC this flexible configuration of Saffron Xpress enables a, in-house’ take away menu to be configured with options for delivery or collection from nominated locations at specific times.
Beyond the physical services, Saffron also provides an important management solution that ensures the hospitality team are able to make informed management decision, for example, the menu modelling functionality enables the offer to be continually revised in line with actual trading data.
Recognising the scope of service outlets across most modern campuses Saffron delivers information in a wide range of formats ranging from individual item performance, through to sales location and trading period to maximise profitability.
The benefits also extend to the provision of supporting data such as nutritional information – traffic lights, calories, 5-A-Day and Guideline Daily Analysis; additionally user defined information can enhance and/or guide sales on aspects such as assurance schemes, provenance and food origin.
Therefore like the original, Saffron is a little spice that makes a big difference.
November 28, 2011
