Caterer & HotelKeeper - 2 March 2000

Having reached her target of 10 contracts by 2000, Artizian managing director Alison Robinson wasted no time in setting about her next goal of 15 contracts by the year's end. Diane Lane reports

ARTIZIAN'S eleventh contract gain came just 19 days into the New Year, courtesy of Surrey-based software company Mynd. It selected Alison Robinson and her team from the five tenders put forward in December, awarding Artizian the £200,000 contract to cater for the 250 employees at its Chertsey offices.

The contract, which began on 28 February, represents a challenge for Artizian, with pricing and value for money high on the agenda. The chief aim is to increase the previously poor uptake to a healthy 68%, building gradually throughout the year,with an anticipated average spend per head of £3.25.

"We love the challenge of taking over a site not currently being optimised," says Robinson. "One of our strengths is increasing uptake by 25-30%, which we have done at both Hitachi and HFC, where we have taken over from a larger contractor. There is potential for extensive hospitality at Mynd and we need to start by building up the credibility of the food offer."

The issue of pricing, having been a problem at the site, is one which Robinson is keen to address. Reduced prices will be evident from the start. "There is a tolerance level up to which people are willing to pay, and if you go above that you lose custom," she explains. "I would rather increase the volume of sales at reduced prices - it's the commercial way of operating."

The rolling contract, for which Artizian was invited to tender by the site's facilities management company, Workplace Management, involves a performance guarantee, capped costs with incentive and a £19,500 management fee. In the event of the caterers exceeding the maximum budget figure agreed for the cash sales account, they will have to pay the overspend. However, if Artizian comes in under budget, then Robinson takes 25% of the underspent figure.

The year-old catering facilities at the site comprise a 100-seat restaurant and extensive vending services. Renamed and relaunched as "Ten 100", the restaurant will offer a range of breakfast goods and afternoon items in addition to a lunchtime menu. The lunch menu will feature a starter such as cream of bacon and courgette soup (£1.50), two main dishes such as honey-baked chicken spiced with lime and chilli (£2.50) and a vegetarian option such as mushroom and chickpea puff pastry parcel with a provençale sauce (£1.75), served with accompaniments such as sautéd potatoes (50p) and roasted carrots (45p). The selection of desserts will include hot chocolate fudge slice with a peppermint sauce (75p) and fresh fruit salad with crème fraîche (75p).

A selection of salads will also be available and a deli bar will offer sandwiches made with bread freshly baked on the premises. Queues at the deli bar, another problem to be overcome, will be alleviated by the introduction of an intranet ordering system, which has already proved successful at a number of existing Artizian contracts.

Making all this happen will be a team of five Artizian staff led by chef-manager June Harvey, who will be moving from a similar position at Artizian's Hitachi Data Systems contract in Stoke Poges. Chef Gary Piper and hospitality assistant Lorna Davis, currently working at the site under the outgoing contractor, have exercised their right to stay on and will be part of the Artizian team. "They're very enthusiastic and we're happy they're joining us," says Robinson. "You need some stability in a contract and they know how things operate." A further two members of staff are in the process of being recruited and labour will increase in line with the anticipated increase in sales.
Labour costs across the Artizian portfolio are set to increase from March, with a further 20 employees being recruited, taking the total to 74. The increase is largely a result of the two most recent contract gains, Mynd and Electronic Arts, an entertainment software company also in Chertsey. The latter contract, originally due to start in January 2000, has been postponed to March because building works at the site mean that the offices are not yet ready for occupation.

The extended payroll at the Artizian head office in Wargrave will be made all the more manageable by a technology upgrade on 8 and 9 March, when new software and hardware will be installed at a cost of £10,000.

The story so far
Artizian Catering Services opened in December 1996 with a £30,000 investment from Alison Robinson. Now the company has a turnover of £1.5m and 11 contracts. Building works at a new contract with Electronic Arts, due to begin last month, mean that the opening has been put back to March, but another contract gain with a more immediate start is keeping the team busy.

In March, 20 new employees will be taken on

"We love the challenge of taking over a site not currently being optimised"
Alison Robinson

Facts

Artizian Catering Services
4 Spring Meadows Business Centre, Wargrave, Berkshire RG10 8PZ

Managing director and owner: Alison Robinson
Joint managing director: Jayne Billam
Finance director: Jackie Brain
Number of contracts: 11, based in London and the Home Counties
January turnover: £156,812
Total number of staff: 74

Mynd (formerly PMS Creative)
Chertsey, Surrey
Contract started: 28 February 2000
Type of contract: performance guarantee, capped cost with incentive
Management fee: £19,500
Projected turnover: £204,931
Projected average spend per head: £3.25
Number on site: 250
Expected uptake: 68%
Number of Artizian staff: five
Projected labour costs: £81,036