Caterer & HotelKeeper - 15 June 2000

In our final visit to contract caterer Artizian, Diane Lane finds the company scaling new heights and facing a rosy future

THE prediction Alison Robinson made about her company last autumn was right on target. Tendering for the company's biggest contract at the time, Robinson had reckoned that gaining a £560,000 contract to feed 550 Electronic Arts staff at the company's new Chertsey headquarters would put Artizian in a new league.

Nine months on, the Berkshire-based catering firm has taken over a £600,000 contract in Egham, Surrey, looking after the nutritional needs of 700 Gartner Group employees. And pre-qualification tenders have been put out for two large London contracts, which Robinson says she could not have done before the Electronic Arts deal.

"We knew the Electronic Arts contract would take us into a new dimension and that is what has happened," says Robinson. "The businesses we are now dealing with are of a similar size or bigger." Joint managing director Jayne Billam agrees. "It has raised our profile and we are now seen as a major competitor in the industry," she says.

The latest gain is perhaps the biggest challenge yet for Robinson and her team. "The Gartner Group had lost confidence in contract caterers," says Billam of the new client, which recently relocated staff from another Surrey site to its nearby Egham offices, currently undergoing extensive refurbishment. Artizian had just under two weeks between gaining the contract and taking over the operation of the 40-seat snack bar, although, as Robinson says: "We did try for four weeks to give us time to consult with the staff."

In fact, most of the existing catering team decided to stay on under the new contractors, so there was already a team in place. However, with the start date of 17 May fast approaching, the team was missing a chef and a unit manager.

Area manager Sally Jackson Grimes solved the problem by bringing in self-employed chef Tyrone Draper, who often works for Artizian on a temporary basis. The post of unit manager was quickly filled by Kirstine Bailey, who had been interviewed by Billam a few weeks earlier and now leads the six-strong team.

Meanwhile, Jackson Grimes is busy recruiting more staff for the site, because a team of 13 will be needed to operate the new facilities due to be completed in August. These comprise a 100-seat restaurant, a deli bar, a coffee shop and five interlinked hospitality rooms capable of seating 300 diners. "They're looking for a hotel-service standard," says Jackson Grimes. "The first thing we did was to inject a fresh-food approach, including freshly made sandwiches and soup."

The improvement was instant, with sales increasing by 30% on the first day. "The company made a decision not to tell its staff about the changeover and to see what impact it had," says Robinson. "The response was all positive."

Sales have since increased by a further 30-35%, although coping with the increase is hampered by the size of the catering facilities. Steps have been taken to alleviate the problem by advertising a take-away service, which has proved popular.

Operating as a cost-plus contract, the site delivers a £22,000 management fee for Artizian, which at present is working to the budget outlined in the tender. However, once installed in the new facility with a full complement of staff, different budget parameters will be set. "Cost is not an issue for the client; quality is paramount," says Robinson.

While the new contract initially increased the Artizian portfolio to 12 contracts, this soon reverted to 11 with a decision to pull out of the AIT contract in Henley-on-Thames, which it had held for one year.

"We seemed to be continually running an interim service, and the client had no focus for the catering," explains Billam. "We're not a numbers company; we want all of our businesses to reflect what we are."

While the contract should have been worth about £100,000 in annual turnover, poor facilities meant sales were barely covering costs. The contract was deemed a commercial risk and notice was given by Artizian to pull out at the end of May.

Of the two staff employed at the site, one stayed on with the new caterer and the other found alternative employment locally. Elsewhere, the focus on recruitment continues, with staff in Surrey being particularly sought at present.

"We're finding it difficult to get the more junior members of staff because of low unemployment in the area," says Jackson Grimes, who is in line to move into the position of openings manager as the infrastructure continues to grow.

Back at head office, the IT upgrade is having the desired effect, making communication with all units much easier. "The difference is incredible, both at head office and unit level," says finance director Jackie Brain, who has been largely responsible for the technological move forward. "Reporting from unit managers has become much more simple now."

The advance is set to continue, with Brain developing a link to allow interactive accounting between the units and head office to free up more of the unit managers' time.

Also on the technology side, telesales co-ordinator Catherine Halifax - who first came on board in January to assist Robinson in chasing new business - is getting involved in Internet development for the company on two fronts. First, one of Artizian's clients, the British Bankers Association, is developing an Internet directory of its suppliers, in which Artizian has been invited to appear. Halifax is putting it together and will be responsible for updating the Artizian information on the site.

In addition, she will be developing Artizian's own Web site over the summer, and a newsletter for clients is also on the agenda.

Looking back over the past year, Robinson is satisfied with her company's achievements and is ready to forge ahead with the future. "We are exactly where we want to be," she says. "It's an exciting time and the next year will be one of growth and moving forward."

And Billam has something more personal to get excited about: the arrival of her second child, which is due in August. n

"We are exactly where we want to be, it's an exciting time and the next year will be one of growth and moving forward" Alison Robinson

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 £1.77m and 11 contracts. The company's flagship contract at Electronic Arts in Chertsey, Surrey, started in March and has opened up a whole new market for the caterers. Now, Robinson and her team are set for further growth.

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
Executive chef: Simon Genduso
First year's turnover: £460,000
Last year's turnover: £1.77m

Gartner Group, Egham, Surrey
Contract start: 17 May 2000
Type of contract: cost-plus
Management fee: £22,000
Projected turnover: £600,000
Customers on site: 700
Artizian staff on site: currently six, rising to 13 by August