UNIVERSITY CATERERS INVEST IN IT TO BEAT SPIRALLING COSTS

 

Catering software specialist Fretwell-Downing Hospitality (FDH) has secured a raft of new contracts with universities as more caterers turn to technology to help improve their business performance. 

 

Canterbury, Keele, Edinburgh and York Universities have all started operating FDH’s Saffron Spice system, a management information system that is specifically designed to increase catering business control by providing real-time information on key performance indicators. 

 

Soaring costs and high food inflation are bringing into stark focus the need to be ultra efficient.  In this respect, universities are the latest in a growing band of caterers investing in an IT system that will automatically generate reports, improve data feedback from each operating site, and flag up essential information such as cost, price, meal take-up, staffing, wastage, and stock levels.

 

All the universities are operating Saffron Spice as a web-managed system that is hosted and maintained by FDH, with access through a password-controlled website.

 

For university caterers who are having to manage multiple catering locations, a diverse customer base, and compete with the high street, Saffron Spice integrates with financial systems, EPOS and cashless catering to give an insight into how much food has been made, how much has been sold and at what price, and the percentage wastage.

 

 

In addition Saffron Spice is capable of nutritionally analysing both bought-in products and dishes produced on-site and benchmarking the results against set parameters to achieve a balanced menu. 

 

Andrew Markwell, Sales Director of Fretwell-Downing Hospitality said: “Our partnership with the universities indicates the importance that caterers are placing on having effective management information in the current economic climate as they strive to streamline their businesses

 

“As each university business is different, we tailor Saffron Spice to provide the level and type of reporting that will meet the individual requirements rather than taking a one-system-suits-all approach.”

 

Sheffield Hallam University Case Study