Red Box Consultancy Services help your workplace determine which key points to consider and assist in evaluation of prospective catering partners.

Selecting a contractor for your catering services can be time consuming as well as daunting to those who perhaps are moving away from a long-term provider or who wish to radically change or improve quality and value within a current service. Tender management does not have to be laborious and can be a positive and exciting journey for those looking to investigate their options, modernise and streamline their onsite catering.

Canteens of the past were very uninspired, grey and clinical in style. Reminiscent of 1980s school cafeterias these were places nobody wanted to stay for long periods of time. Contract Catering is now a £5bn industry in the UK alone. Standards are far improved, and contractors now need to follow food trends to compete with both the high street and each other.

The explosion of social media and convenience in our every day lives has led to higher demands for insta-worthy lunches and globally conscious practices at the forefront of the catering industry. This has called for a greater level of skill required in kitchens, both in terms of management and creativity. Innovative presentation and informed decisions are what customers are looking for, not just speed of the service and cost.

Sustainability of produce and packaging is another key area for contractors to focus. People care about what happens to their environment both at home and abroad. Movements such as veganism and the David Attenborough-effect, have ensured responsible practice is now both fashionable and serious.

Some Red Box clients and their customers have looked to ban plastics completely from their services and young customers are questioning the necessity of items found in their canteens and college break zones. Contractors must show how they are able to provide forward thinking planning and solutions.

Contractors must also show responsibility to their people, and many have developed programmes providing support through benefits, incentives, support lines and professional development for employees.

Red Box Consultancy Services work independently within the industry to manage tender processes and ensure catering services in Education, Business and Industry, comply with all our client’s requirements. Bespoke evaluation of tender bids is our speciality and therefore you can assume all your essential criteria are vigorously and fairly assessed and compared within a tender process. We are also able to evaluate responses to questions you may not have thought to ask! Our support enables our clients to select from a shortlist of quality options and remove uncertainty.