Ingredients for Success

A guide to
sustainable food
services at Heathrow

At Leon we try to operate responsibly when

it comes to our impact on the environment,
sourcing ingredients and being fair to our
customers and employees. We know that
these elements are crucial to running a
successful, sustainable food and beverage
business today. So I think its great that
Heathrow and its food service partners have
collaborated to produce the Ingredients
for Success guide to help us work towards
operating more sustainably together.
Though there are many positive actions
each business already takes on their own,
this guide outlines some commitments
that we can all make to achieve certain
standards as a collective. The benefit
of this is to both improve our success
commercially and be able to demonstrate
to a wider audience that Heathrow is
working responsibly, and is a pioneer in
the industry.
All the best, Henry Dimbleby.
Co-founder of Leon Restaurants.

Thanks
The Heathrow Sustainability Partnership and the Sustainable Restaurant Association have
been pleased to collaborate with some of our business partners in developing this guide:

Contents
Context

P4

Sustainability Focus Areas

P7

Goals and Commitments

P8

Energy Efficiency

Section 1

Water Saving

Section 2

Waste

Section 3

Colleagues

Section 4

Customers

Section 5

Community

Section 6

Resources and Key Contacts

Section 7

Context
Heathrows vision is to give passengers the
best airport service in the world. Being a
responsible business is central to achieving
this vision.
Responsible Heathrow 2020 is the airports commitment
to maximise the positive economic and social impacts of
the operation of the airport, whilst carefully managing our
environmental responsibilities.
With 400 companies employing over 76,000 people, the
size and complexity of Heathrow Airport is similar to a small
city. Add to that over 190,000 passengers travelling on more
than 1,280 flights every day and the challenges of operating
an airport responsibly become even greater. Thats why
Heathrow relies on working collaboratively.
The Heathrow Sustainability Partnership (HSP) is a group
of companies representing all sectors at the airport, from
airlines and ground handlers to construction companies
and retailers, all working hard to deliver a responsible and
sustainable Heathrow.
Food service is one of the key sectors at Heathrow, making
a major contribution to Heathrows environmental impact,
its social value and the way in which it is perceived by
the public, especially passengers. So through the HSP,
Heathrow and its food service business partners are
working together to find a shared approach to managing
sustainability issues.

In November 2015, a group of interested food service

business partners came together for a workshop hosted
by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). The
workshop established the common ground between
the sustainability goals of the partners and the goals of
Responsible Heathrow 2020.

By working together, the team were able to agree on:

> Six sustainability focus areas where there is clear
overlap between everyones objectives
> A goal in each focus area for food service business
partners, matched by a commitment from Heathrow
> The guidance and support to help all the business
partners meet the goals and get the most from
the community.

And so the Ingredients for Success guide has been

produced. It outlines the six sustainability focus areas, the
communitys goals and Heathrows commitments. It also
provides some useful guidance and a number of signposts
to further information, contacts and resources, to help you
accomplish your goals.

To develop our six sustainability focus areas for food service businesses at
Heathrow, we identified areas that are common between the two frameworks,
and which are relevant to food service businesses.

The SRAs Key Areas

Responsible Heathrow 2020s Key Areas

Waste

Water

Monitoring, managing
and reducing waste,
including food waste.

Managing water usage

to save money and
reduce environmental
impact.

Sustainability focus areas for

Heathrows Food Service Community
See the Resources page for more information on Responsible Heathrow 2020 and the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
To see all six focus areas for Heathrows Food Service Community, turn to page 7.
5

Sustainability Focus Areas

Heathrows food service community has agreed to focus on six common sustainability
issues. These align with the Sustainable Restaurant Associations Sustainability Framework
which aims to simplify the complexity of sustainability for the food service industry.

Energy
Improving energy efficiency
to cut costs, save resources,
and protect the environment.

Colleagues
Providing equal
opportunities, training
and clear policies to keep
colleagues happy and
productive.

Water
Managing water usage to
save money and reduce
environmental impact.

Customers
Clearly communicating
to customers your ethical
stance, tipping policy and
provenance of ingredients.
As well as encouraging and
responding to feedback.

Waste
Monitoring, managing and
reducing waste, including
food waste.

Community
Engaging with the local
community and charities
to support the people
supporting you.

Goals and Commitments

For each of the six sustainability focus areas, Heathrows food service community has agreed
to work towards a goal, which is accompanied by a commitment from Heathrow to support
collaboration and ensure alignment to Responsible Heathrow 2020.

Food service community goals

Heathrow 2016 commitment

Energy efficiency:
Track energy use, set a reduction target
and report on reductions to your Heathrow
account manager (aligned with the Energy
Code of Practice).

Supply existing metered data to

business partners and, where
appropriate, look at supporting
additional metering.

Water saving:
Track water use, set a reduction target
and report on reductions to your Heathrow
account manager.

Supply existing metered data to

business partners and, where
appropriate, look at supporting
additional metering.

Recycling:
Align waste segregation in the units to
the waste streams collected; reduce
contamination and promote recycling;
elect an in-house Recycling Champion.

Review the waste prevention and

recycling communication tools and
messaging with the food service
community.

Heathrow Commuter:
Promote Heathrow Commuter to colleagues
(e.g. through Intranet, pay slips or notice
boards).

Provide travel plans for food

service colleagues who use single
occupancy vehicles.

Customers

Mystery Shopper:
1. Engage in reviewing the Mystery Shopper
programme, and set benchmark scores / targets.
2. Consider how sustainability messages can
be communicated to passengers in your outlet.

Develop the Mystery Shopper

Programme, which will include
holding a workshop to review the
content and questions within it.

Community

Heathrow Academy:
50% of the workforce will attend training,
or undergo professional development, at
the Heathrow Academy and / or commit to
providing apprenticeship opportunities.

Promote Heathrow Academy

support and services (including
recruitment, apprenticeship and
development opportunities) to the
food service community.

Energy

Water

Waste

Colleagues

See the Resources page for more information on Heathrow Sustainability Partnerships Energy Code of Practice.
8

1
Energy Efficiency
Restaurants can use a lot of energy, most obviously in the kitchen,
but also in the dining area and management offices. Improving
energy efficiency across all areas can help save resources, cut
costs and protect the environment.

Heathrow has
a target to
reach 6.5 kWh
of energy use
per passenger
by 2020.
Heathrows
Food Service
Sustainability
Community
suggests a
10% reduction
per cover.

What we can do
Understand your current energy use

Set targets to reduce energy consumption

Your energy bill will not only tell you how

much your energy is costing but also show
you how much energy you are using (in
kWh) over a specific period of time. Its a
good idea to divide this by the number
of covers served over the same period to
give you a figure of energy consumption
per customer.

Heathrow has a target to reach 6.5 kWh

of energy use per passenger by 2020.
Heathrow will only reach this target with
help from business partners. Heathrows
Food Service Sustainability Community
suggests a 10% reduction per cover by
2017 as a meaningful, achievable target.

You can track this figure on a regular basis

to see how you are performing and also to
benchmark your energy efficiency against
the industry averages and best practice.
The CIBSE Guide to Energy Efficiency in
Commercial Kitchens provides a figure of
5 kWh per cover for restaurants and 2 kWh
per customer for cafes. However, Heathrow
provides some energy services centrally, for
example heating, so your target might be a
little lower than these figures.
Your point of contact for help understanding
your energy bill can be found in the
Resources page.

1 Energy Efficiency

Energy consumption in a
typical catering business

As the chart shows, energy is used in a wide number of applications,

which are influenced by both behaviour and equipment. Although
Heathrow provides some of these elements centrally, such as space
heating, there are still elements that you have control over.

Take action!
Tackling behaviour
Behaviour is often the preferred route to efficiency as it is perceived
to be lower cost. A tried and trusted method is to appoint an Energy
Champion each week and to evaluate their efforts in promoting energy
efficiency behaviours.
> Turn off lights and equipment when not in use, and use the Last Man
Out switch
> Turn off air con outside of service hours
> Power up cooking equipment close to the start of service
23% Cooking
19% Water heating

> Use lids when cooking to retain heat

19% Space heating

> Ensure chillers and air conditioning units are regularly serviced and
leak free.

11% Lighting

Tackling equipment

8% Cooling

20% of a business annual energy costs are wasted through the use of
energy inefficient equipment.

8% Other
6% Refrigeration
5% Ventilation
1% Office equipment

> Install energy-efficient light bulbs, electric induction hobs, and

combination ovens which use up to 60% less energy than traditional
equipment, as well as hot cupboards that are controlled by thermostat
> New equipment should be EU Energy Label A-rated and/or have the
Energy Saving Trust Recommended logo
> Refrigerators should be at least EU Energy Label A+-rated, although
we encourage A+++

20% of a business annual

energy costs are wasted
through the use of energy
inefficient equipment.

> Make use of the Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme to receive

100% tax relief on equipment listed on the Energy Technology.
Go to the Resources page for:
> Energy saving advice in the SRA Guide to Sustainable Kitchens
> Heathrow Sustainability Partnerships Energy Code of Practice.

2
Water Saving
Heathrow operates in an area classified as water stressed,
we receive half of Sydneys annual rainfall. If we continue to
consume at current rates there may not be enough for the future.

Adopting
a systemic
approach to
water saving
can save your
business up to
30% on your
water bill.

What we can do
Management without Measurement
We know that good management starts with
measurement. Currently only the newer
units receive bills from Heathrow based
on actual water consumed. Heathrow has
a metering programme to improve water
metering across the site.
Your point of contact for help understanding
your water bill, and information on water
meter installation, can be found in the
Resources page.
In the meantime, business partners can
prepare by conducting a water mapping
exercise, exploring what their businesss
policy is with reference to water saving, and
engaging colleagues on the importance
of water as a resource.

Water map

Water Mapping
This is not as complicated as it sounds but
is fundamentally important to developing a
successful water saving program. The aim
is to create a simple block diagram showing
where water enters, where a function occurs
and where water and waste water leave.

Dishwasher
123456

Mains
water

Water
Meter

Kitchen sink

Toilets

Waste water
to sewer

2 Water Saving

Like energy, water

efficiency is a function
of infrastructure and
behaviour.

Take action!
Tackling behaviour
Many people do not consider water to be an issue in the UK. It is worth
explaining to colleagues that Heathrow operates in a water stressed area
and that while there are many alternative sources of energy, there are no
alternatives for water.
> Keep an eye out for leaks: a dripping tap can waste 10,000 litres of water
year (thats a cost of around 30 down the drain!)
> Prepare food in a plugged sink of water rather than under a running tap
> Make sure that dishwashers and glass washers are full before
using them
> Review scheduling so that defrosting can be done without using water
> Avoid flood-type cleaning of floors.
Tackling equipment
> Consider water efficiency when choosing new equipment, especially
dish washers and ice machines
> Fit spray heads or flow restrictors to taps to reduce the flow rate
> Use a foot-operated tap or spray gun to remove dirt and grease
from plates
> Use trigger-operated hoses with directional cutting action to wash
down floors
> For units with toilets, consider waterless urinals and other water saving
devices in WCs and showers.
Think about waste water as well
Although attention should be paid to water saving, it is equally important to
manage the waste water stream responsibly. We know not to wash fats, oils
and greases (FOG) down the drain as these harden and cause blockages,
but other things also cause problems:
> Scrape grease and food scraps from trays, plates, pots, pans, utensils,
and grills and cooking surfaces into a can or the trash for disposal
(or food waste recycling where available)
> Put baskets/strainers in sink drains to catch food scraps and other
solids, and empty the drain baskets/strainers into the trash/recycling
> Use phosphate and surfactant free, biodegradable cleaning products.
Check the Resources page for links to more detailed
information on:
> Fats, Oils and Greases (FOG) support from Thames Water
> Water saving advice in the SRA Guide to Sustainable Kitchens
(produced in partnership with Space catering equipment).

A dripping tap can

waste 10,000 litres
of water a year.

3
Waste
Wasted food is money in the bin and has a significant environmental
impact. The UK food and hospitality service could save 2.5 billion a
year by reducing its food waste. Heathrow currently recycles 48% of
its 28,000 tones of waste, and is aiming to recycle 70% by 2020.

The equivalent
of one in six
meals served
in the UK is
thrown away.

Waste disposal 2015

Recycled

Incinerated

Landfilled

48.26%

47.40%

4.34%

What we can do
Were all familiar with the waste hierarchy but
its worth remembering what it means and
how we can apply it to waste management
at work.
Measure and analyse your waste
The most effective thing you can do to
manage your waste is to reduce the amount
that you produce. It is worth spending time
assessing your waste streams so you know
what youre dealing with. You can then
set benchmarks and implement reduction
targets. To assess your waste production,
consider carrying out a week-long audit of
your waste streams.

Waste hierarchy:
Prevention
Reuse
Recycle
Recover
Disposal

3 Waste

Sending food that is

still edible to landfill
costs 10,000 a year
in unnecessary food
purchases and waste
collection.

Take action!
1. Reduction
Once you have a profile on the waste youre producing, you can consider
ways to reduce it.
Create a reduction plan for non-food waste
A waste reduction plan is unique to each business, depending on its waste
profile. However, below are some examples of quick changes you can
make to significantly decrease dry waste:
> Reduce glass waste by buying house wine in large dispensers and
serving in carafes
> Switch from bought-in water to a chilled filtered tap and reusable bottles
> Think about what packaging you use, for example use packaging that
you can return to suppliers for fruit and veg.
Create a reduction plan for food waste
Sending food that is still edible to landfill is not only bad for the
environment. It is also costing businesses in the hospitality and food service
an average of 10,000 a year in unnecessary food purchases and waste
collection, so there are significant financial benefits to tackling your food
waste. Below are some examples of ways you can decrease the food waste
you produce.
> Offer take out / away boxes where appropriate
> Look at ways to improve menu planning. Consider offering smaller
portion sizes or side dishes so that customers can order the amount of
food that they want
> Look at ways to reduce food waste during preparation
> Review stock management for food items with a short shelf life.
2. Re-use and recycling
Even after reducing where you can, youll still have some waste. So make
sure you recycle and re-use as much as possible. Heathrow is working to
provide recycling streams for all commercially recyclable waste streams.
Non-food items that you can reduce, reuse, recycle at Heathrow:
> Paper marketing material, order books, cardboard menus, packaging
> Glass bottles, jam jars
> Metal tins, cans
> Plastic bottles, containers, catering disposables
> Textiles, linen, uniforms
> Wood furniture, building materials
> Electrical equipment and appliances, computers
> Garden waste, grow-your-own cuttings
> Food waste, vegetable scraps, leftovers.
Use your purchasing power to insist that your suppliers cut down on
packaging or take it back to recycle or re-use. Buy recyclable packaging
for customer use where possible. If you use the Heathrow Consolidation
Centre, explore reducing packaging further.

3 Waste

Recycling food waste:

> Heathrow offers a back-door food waste collection service in each terminal
your segregated waste food is sent for composting in Chertsey
> Heathrow offers a waste cooking oil recycling collection your leftover
oil is taken back to the Heathrow Consolidation Centre, where it is
collected and converted into biodiesel. Participating restaurants receive
a small revenue stream in return
> Heathrow can also facilitate relationships between your business and
local charities which would benefit from receiving your food surplus (see
Food Rescue in the Community section)
> Ensure your staff are educated on the importance of food waste
recycling, and the steps they must take back-of-house.
Use the right waste stream
Did you know that if your recycling streams are contaminated, they may
be considered non-recyclable and tossed in with general waste? Not good
news! Avoid contamination of waste streams, in particular mixing food with
recycling, by:
> Culture make sure all staff are on board with your recycling program.
Nothing discourages employee participation quicker than seeing one of
the team defecting!
> Communication prevent your recycling efforts from going to waste by
continually communicating the program throughout your business
> Collection place your recycling bins at central strategic locations to
make it easy for people to deposit their waste in the right stream
> And, if in doubt, it is better to put rubbish into general waste than risk
contaminating your recycling!
Check the Resources page for links to more detailed
information on:
> The SRA Guide to Sustainable Kitchens.

Avoid contamination
of waste streams, in
particular mixing food
with recycling.

3 Waste

Heathrow Consolidation Centre (HCC)

Waste Management
Waste across all terminals is managed within the terminals. T2 and T5
have managed bins rooms. For T3 / T4 there is provision of compactors
and bins. If necessary, the HCC can support the recycling of cardboard for
business partners based in T3 and T4 only.
Waste Oil
The HCC collects waste cooking oil from the business partners and takes
it back to the HCC. From here it is collected by Heathrows cooking oil
recycling partner for recycling into biodiesel.
Packaging improvements
The HCC works with business partners to help reduce waste. An example
is changing inbound supplier deliveries out of cardboard packaging into
reusable plastic totes. As well as reducing waste this has positively resulted
in a reduction of damaged stock being presented to the HCC by suppliers,
and therefore improved the availability of stock.
Vehicles and CO2
The HCC consistently saves over 15,000 vehicle movements a year entering
the Heathrow Campus by consolidating over 33,000 vehicles coming
into the HCC into 18,000 vehicles going to the terminals. On average this
equates to a saving of 200,000 kg of CO2 a year.
To further reduce the number of vehicles coming into the HCC, the team
encourages further up steam consolidation in your own supply chain.
If you have any ideas on how you want to improve your inbound supplier
deliveries and packaging please contact the HCC directly.

4
Colleagues
Its a fact that colleagues are your greatest asset and are
expensive to replace. In a competitive market it pays to make
sure they are treated well, proud of where they work and great
ambassadors for your business.

Heathrow
Safety
Charter:
Everyone goes
home safe and
well each day.

What we can do
Health, Safety & Wellbeing
Adopt the Heathrow Safety Charter
Heathrows vision for safety is that everyone
goes home safe and well each day. The
Heathrow Sustainability Partnership believes
that we can do much more to improve
safety at Heathrow by working together than
each of our companies could do alone
With this in mind, the Heathrow Safety
Charter was launched in 2014. It establishes
a set of shared values and commitments
that promote a shared safety culture for
everyones benefit working at the airport.
All companies operating at Heathrow are
invited to adopt the Safety Charter and
commit to working with us to improve safety
through engaging in the relevant safety
forum to deliver the Safety Roadmap.

The concept behind the Heathrow Academy

is simple: we can achieve far more by
working together than alone. We bring
together Heathrow, our business partners,
local employers and a range of service
providers, including apprenticeship, training
and recruitment specialists.
We provide Heathrows employers with a
range of bespoke services to help attract,
retain and develop their colleagues. From
entry level to experienced professional
roles, for us its about changing lives and
inspiring people to grow. The Heathrow
Academy has a dedicated team of skilled
recruiters, account managers, trainers,
assessors and mentors with an in-depth
knowledge of the Heathrow environment.

Heathrow Academy

Our team works in partnership with

Heathrow employers to support and
complement their people-strategy by
sourcing suitable candidates, succession
planning, developing, up-skilling and
inducting their teams.

Engage with the Heathrow Academy

There are three strands to our services:

The Heathrow Academy model has

demonstrated that employing local
residents leads to greater productivity,
company loyalty and ultimately employment
satisfaction. This has a positive impact
on the passenger experience, building a
stronger business case for employers to
invest in the communities on their doorstep.

1. Recruitment

Contributing to significant cost savings

Over the last ten years that the Heathrow
Academy has operated it has contributed
significantly to public sector savings by
taking people off benefits and generating
income tax for the national economy.
We have calculated that we have saved
6,608,000 to our employers in recruitment
costs and 3,835,000 on apprenticeship
and training costs.

Our community engagement team work

to identify suitable candidates that meet
eligibility criteria to work at Heathrow,
while the pre-employment training team
up skills and prepare these individuals
for roles within the airport. Our dedicated
employer account managers work with
our employers to ensure candidates are
successfully matched to vacancies and
the appropriate opportunity.
2. Apprenticeship
We offer qualifications at apprenticeship
level 2, advanced apprenticeships level
3 and higher apprenticeship level 4 and
above. Some of the apprenticeships we
offer cover the following qualifications and
sectors, Retail Skills, Customer Service,

4 Colleagues

Restaurants could help

meet higher living costs
by meeting Living Wage
guidelines.

Team Leading, Management, Business Administration, Hospitality Services,

Warehouse and Storage, Aviation & Logistics (construction from 2016).
All apprenticeships are tailored to Heathrow requirements and bespoke
to individual brands.
3. Development
The Heathrow Academy development team offer Heathrow induction
programmes for all new recruits that give them a great insight into
Heathrow and familiarisation of the environment they are joining. Our
bespoke management induction further support individuals with knowledge
and tools to run a successful operation at Heathrow. Also available are
bespoke customer service and management training course and of course
our range of cultural awareness and language training.
Employer awards
At our annual graduation and award ceremony, we present the employer
of the year award to the most proactive and supportive employer.

Getting the basics right

1. Contracts
Create formal written contracts for both part-time and full-time members
of staff to provide staff with a degree of job security and validate the terms
and agreements between the restaurant and its colleagues. Implementing
formal grievance and disciplinary policies makes staff aware of the
relationship with the restaurants management.
2. Observe the National Minimum Wage and consider meeting
the London Living Wage
Colleagues should be paid in line with job responsibility, skill and
experience. By law all staff must be paid the National Minimum Wage. Rates
change periodically. The National Minimum Wage cannot be made up with
tips and is subject to change each year so make sure you keep up to date
with government advice.
Refer to www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates
Restaurants could help meet higher living costs by meeting Living Wage
guidelines. To become a Living Wage employer, visit www.livingwage.org.uk
3. Follow the Fair Tips Charter
Some restaurants top up wages with tips or simply pocket them. Be a
better restaurant and support the Fair Tips Charter. The four pledges are:
> Pay all colleagues at least the minimum wage, with 100% of tips
added on top as a bonus with no hidden charges
> Reach an agreement on how tips are shared with those staff
directly affected
> Make no deductions from tips or salaries to cover breakages,
till shortages or customer walk-outs
> Make all rules for the distribution of tips and service charges available
in writing for staff and customers, on request.

4 Colleagues

Going the extra mile

1. Staff incentives and benefits
In addition to providing your staff with a healthy and safe working
environment, and ensuring that they receive breaks as stipulated by
the Working Time Regulations Act of 1998, providing additional incentives
and benefits is a good way to motivate and train your staff:

94% of customers
want 100% of tips
to go to staff.

> Many restaurants offer members of staff a free meal per shift which not
only assists staff financially but can also inform them about the food that
they are serving, which is useful when recommending dishes
> Developing a comprehensive staff training scheme will lead to well
informed staff, improved morale and improves colleagues understanding
of their roles while ad hoc training can be time-inefficient
> Further benefits to incentivise your staff could include time off for
education, free uniforms / work wear and supplier or producer visits.
2. Getting to and from work
Heathrow Commuter
The Heathrow Commuter team has arranged a number of schemes and
initiatives to help save you and your colleagues save money on their travel
to work. They include the largest car-share scheme in the world, the Cycle
Hub (with free bicycle servicing) and 75% off Heathrow Connect and
Heathrow Express for all pass holders who have LHR on their ID badge.
The team can also develop personalised travel plans for your staff, which
help show travel choices that could save them time, money and be more
convenient. Heathrow Commuter can help refine this plan, tailor options to
meet your shift patterns and set out what discounts or benefits are available
to you.
Car Parks and Staff Buses
Heathrow provides car parking spaces to airport companies for use by their
colleagues. Buses transport colleagues from the car parks to the terminals.
For any feedback on colleague car parks or buses, please contact the
Heathrow Travel Services team.

79% think tipping

policies should
be displayed.

3. Belonging and responsibility

Industry retention rates have improved but, at around 20%, labour turnover
in the sector is still one of the highest in the country. Exit interviews
suggest that, beyond work / life balance, the biggest issues are culture of
belonging and opportunities for advancement. Enhancing your businesss
sustainability represents a great opportunity to tackle these two issues
creating staff-led Green teams or issue-specific Champions, for example,
gives colleagues the opportunity to feel valued and take responsibility for
issues important to them.
Customers Care
> How restaurants treat their staff is ranked as the fourth (out of twelve)
most important issue for diners, according to our survey
> 94% of customers want 100% of tips to go to staff
> 79% think tipping policies should be displayed.

Check the Resources page

for links to more detailed
information on:
> Advice on engaging your
staff in the SRA Guide to
Sustainable Kitchens
> Heathrow Academy
> Heathrow Commuter

Case study: Employer of the Year 2014

In 2014, Carluccios was the winner of Employer of the Year by showing strong support of colleagues working to
develop themselves professionally. It supported with homework, case studies and released learners from store when
required. Carluccios sees the value of developing its teams through apprenticeships for the benefit of the individual
and the business.
Carluccios have shown great commitment to the Heathrow Academy, signing up the correct members of staff to the
correct programmes to help them in their job roles. Carluccios Management team is always available to help staff
with whatever is needed, from Witness Statements to sorting out time off for workshops and testing.
They have had several members of staff complete Apprenticeships over the last few years, which has helped the
individuals progress both in their careers and the company.

5
Customers
Customer satisfaction whilst eating and drinking has a significant
impact on the overall experience of around half of Heathrows
passengers and is no longer just about taste and ambience. It now
includes the extent to which the restaurant aligns with customer
values around sustainability, nutrition, responsible marketing, etc.

85% of diners
know little or
nothing about
the social and
environmental
standards of
the restaurants
they eat in.

Heathrows vision is to give passengers the best airport service in the world. We do this
by making every journey better. In 2015, Heathrow achieved its best ever ASQ score out
of 5. ASQ is a global airport customer satisfaction programme with over 300 participating
airports worldwide. It helps us understand what passengers think of Heathrow in relation to
other airports and what we need to do to achieve our vision.

2015 ASQ scores

4.21

4.09

4.09

4.08

Terminal 2

Terminal 3

Terminal 4

Terminal 5

Heathrow 4.11

The 15 minute menus

are a great example
of how our business
partners are giving
passengers the best
airport service in the
World. Every second
counts when our
passengers are flying
and they need good
food fast!

5 Customers

In a 2015 Populus poll

commissioned by the
SRA, 84% of diners
surveyed said that they
wanted to know more
about the sustainability
of restaurants that they
regularly visit. More
than half of the survey
respondents said that
they would pay more
for a meal that was
sustainably produced.

What we can do
Customer Feedback
Praise
Recording customer feedback allows your business to improve on past
issues and to record positive feedback that has resulted from sustainability
improvements.
Complaints
A written complaints procedure provides waiting staff, kitchen staff and
management guidelines that they can refer to. Include a simple charter
of conduct and a complaints policy. Train staff how to handle complaints
courteously and informatively while protecting the reputation of the
restaurant. You might even consider leaving feedback forms on tables or
at tills. These can be a valuable tool for pinpointing areas for change or
celebration.
Mystery Shopper
Heathrow has been conducting a mystery shopping programme with its
business partners for over 8 years. The programme began to provide
consistent support to business partners in driving standards and improving
passenger experience. Heathrow has a goal to be a world class airport for
service so active engagement in the mystery shopping programme is a key
part of driving service transformation.
The programme and the questionnaires have been reviewed a number of
times over the years with input from participants on the changes to best
reflect the different operations and styles of service. We currently run 13
different questionnaires across all areas of the passenger facing business
giving us an opportunity of monitoring the complete passenger journey.
The visits are completed by an external company following an end to end
process and are completely anonymous with assessors having boarding
cards so they are very much seen as a passenger.
Each key location or area is assessed at least once a month resulting in
over 5,000 visits per year and we have over 500 active users reviewing the
content of the visits on the website. Monthly league tables are produced to
share headline scores and the output of the visits both good and bad can
be used by the Heathrow team to work with partners on key focus areas
and for sharing best practice of standards.
The next evolution of mystery shopping will include visits using passengers
and Heathrow Rewards members alongside multi-lingual assessments in
key locations like specialist shops to ensure consistent improvements given
our diverse passenger demographics.

Food and Beverage is one of the biggest passenger touch

points with more than 60% of passengers visiting a restuarant,
cafe or lounge. It is therefore one of our biggest opportunities
to show service excellence - making the overall journey a more
positive experience.

5 Customers

What can you do?

> Work with your teams so they are aware of the programme and how
the questionnaires work as it gives you a great standard to work with
alongside your brand
> Work with your Heathrow contacts to review your visits and understand
how improvements can be made and what further stretches could be
added specific to your business
> Attend mystery shop workshops when reviews take place to ensure your
views are considered and the questionnaires are a good reflection of
your standards and brand.

Communicating your sustainability

goals / achievements
Responsible marketing
This means making sure that any claims you make are legal, decent, fair
and truthful. It also includes communicating your sustainability initiatives
clearly to customers, which can be good marketing for your restaurant.
Trust through transparency
Ethical communications are clear and honest and convey both what you
are doing well and areas for improvement. Customers increasingly want to
be confident that the businesses they buy from share their values. Honestly
communicating any sustainability standards in place at your restaurant for
example, welfare standards of the meat you serve is a good way to instil
customer confidence in your brand.
Public Health Responsibility Deal
This Department of Health scheme is designed to encourage businesses
in England to pledge to improve public health by promoting better lifestyle
choices. Restaurants can commit to reducing salt in food, including calorie
information on menus and reducing or removing trans-fats from their
menus. Businesses of any size can sign up. For more information, visit
www.responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk
Cater for customer diversity
Its illegal to discriminate by gender, race, belief or disability and you may
also miss out on large numbers of potential customers because you havent
catered for their needs. Restaurants are among the services covered by
the Equality Act of 2010, which means adjustments to remove barriers for
disabled people. Visit the Advice and Guidance section of the Equality and
Human Rights Commission website for a comprehensive explanation
www.equalityhumanrights.com. You may also want to consider customers
that, for religious or dietary needs, require a special diet.

Almost half of diners

(46%) had not seen
any communication
by restaurants on
sustainability related
issues.

6
Community
Businesses are reliant on the communities within which they
operate; for colleagues, suppliers, customers and more.
Heathrows community investment programme aims to support
the economic prosperity of the communities surrounding the
airport: Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Slough & Spelthorne.
The key objectives are to positively engage with local schools,
colleges and universities, raise awareness of high quality careers
at Heathrow to young people, their parents and wider job seekers,
support skills development to reduce local unemployment and
help business grow.

Volunteering
is a great way
to support
your local
community
and raise the
profile of your
restaurant.

What we can do
Volunteering and charity
Airport companies can support local
communities by donating to the Heathrow
Community Fund which supports significant
and positive change for communities near
the airport.
Volunteering is a great way to support your
local community and raise the profile of
your restaurant. The Heathrow Community
Funds grant programme supports airport
staff volunteering and fundraising to
improve their community, or for another
cause that they believe in.
For volunteering enquiries, please contact:
community@heathrow.com

Work with local, national and

international charities
There are several hospitality-specific charity
campaigns that you could consider joining:
> Help homeless charities through
StreetSmart by adding a voluntary 1
to a tables bill through November /
December each year
> Love Food Give Food is the initiative
of Action Against Hunger to help food
lovers fight world hunger. In September
and October, funds are raised by adding
a voluntary 1 to a tables bill and your
business can hold events to fundraise for
the initiative
> Or you can support a cause closer
to home with Hospitality Action, the
industry Benevolent Fund
www.hospitalityaction.org.uk

Case study: John Lewis

The Terminal 2 John Lewis store donates to the Heathrow Community Fund
Communities for Today fund an employee from the store sits on the panel to
review applications and choose local grass-roots community projects to support.

6 Community

The annual Heathrow

Jobs and Careers Fair
enables airport based
employers with live
vacancies to meet
nearly 6,000 bright
young talent from the
local community.

Tomorrows People
Heathrow Jobs and Careers Fair
The annual Heathrow Jobs and Careers Fair enables airport based
employers with live vacancies to meet nearly 6,000 bright young talent from
the local community. Free to visit and exhibit, Heathrow Jobs and Careers
Fair offers the perfect arena for Heathrows future workforce to meet and
find out about the careers available and the skills required.
Go to www.heathrowjobsandcareersfair.co.uk for more information.
Business In The Community (BITC)
SRA member The Clink shows that the food industry is well placed to
employ and train socially disadvantaged people and produce excellent
chefs and restaurant staff. Business In The Community (BITC) offers advice
and information about programmes to help employers provide access to
work for these groups.
Go to www.bitc.org.uk/issues/community for more information.
Take on an apprentice
The Governments National Apprentices Service supports, funds and
co-ordinates the placement of apprentices in England. Heathrow Academy
can also provide support. Apprenticeships are open to all of those aged 16
and over, whether leaving school or making a career change.
See www.apprenticeships.org.uk for more information, and see the
Resources page for Heathrow Academy details.
Offer work experience
The Springboard Charity works with young people, the unemployed and
others facing barriers to work. INSPIRE is Springboards accredited quality
standard for work experience in the hospitality sector.
Visit www.charity.springboard.uk.net for more information.

Case study:

According to WRAP data, UK food service shops throw away around 1.6 million tonnes of food every year. Although
focus should primarily be on preventing food waste in the first place, many food service companies are thinking
inventively about how to tackle the food surplus that is unavoidable.
Pret A Manger, for example, sends its unsold food to people who really need it. It partners charities across the UK
with their local Pret, making it easy for them to collect from Pret shops at the days end.
About 98% of Prets UK and global branches donate a total of 1.7 million products to the homeless in some way.
Nicky Fisher, head of sustainability for Pret, knows such initiatives are good for the brand and help to provide
a feel-good factor for customers. They are also important in fulfilling the companys promise that its stock
is always fresh.

6 Community

Inspire and educate

Start the conversation
Restaurants are well placed in society to raise awareness of social and
environmental issues:
> Use your menus and website to flag up campaigns and get people talking
> Encourage customers to ask questions the SRAs Discerning Diner
report shows that 85% of diners surveyed wanted to know about a
restaurants sustainability.
Work with schools
Chefs are in a great position to be able to pass on their skills to the next
generation and have so much to offer school children and young people
generally providing cookery classes as well as information about nutrition
and provenance. Waiting staff and management can also volunteer their
time with local schools, opening up your peoples eyes to a future career
in the hospitality industry.
The Academy of Culinary Arts is one of the organisations that encourages
chefs to take turns in the classroom. Supported by SRA President Raymond
Blanc, Chefs Adopt a School reaches over 21,000 school pupils each
year and teaches about provenance, basic preparation skills and offers
an insight into the industry.
For more information, see www.chefsadoptaschool.org.uk
Food Rescue
Food waste is rightly a subject of real public concern. Once food waste
has been limited through practices like serving staff with meals made from
surplus ingredients, you could consider donating leftover produce and
edible surplus food, which can help provide meals to homeless people
or other disadvantaged groups.
FareShare is a national UK charity with regional depots aiming to help
relieve food poverty through collecting and distributing food leftovers.
Find out more at www.fareshare.org.uk
Local Business
The Heathrow Business Summit is a unique opportunity for small and
medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to connect and trade face-to-face with
Heathrows supply chain and connect to growth opportunities locally,
nationally and internationally. Heathrow is committed to using its position as
a national asset for the benefit of SMEs. As the UKs hub airport, Heathrow
connects businesses up and down the UK to crucial growth markets around
the world. The Heathrow Business Summit has for 20 years connected
SMEs to new business opportunities with each other, the airport and
through the airport to the world.
Visit www.heathrowbusinesssummit.co.uk for more information.

Consider donating
leftover produce and
edible surplus food,
which can help provide
meals to homeless
people or other
disadvantaged groups.

Resources
Heathrows Food Service Sustainability Community
Go to www.heathrow.com/company/community-and-environment/responsible-heathrow/partnerships
to see the Year Plan a calendar of events and workshops that will facilitate you in your journey towards
reaching the Sustainability Goals.
Sustainable Restaurant Association
SRA website
www.thesra.org
SRA Guide to Sustainable Kitchens (produced in partnership with Space catering equipment)
www.thesra.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/SRA-Space-Sustainable-Kitchen-Guide-FINAL.pdf
Heathrow
Heathrow Sustainability Strategy
www.heathrow.com/company/community-and-environment/responsible-heathrow
Heathrow Retail Operations
https://talkingshopheathrow.com
Heathrow Sustainability Partnership
Heathrow Sustainability Partnership Guide
www.heathrow.com/company/community-and-environment/responsible-heathrow/partnerships
Energy Code of Practice
www.heathrow.com/file_source/Company/Static/PDF/Communityandenvironment/Heathrow_Energy_Code_of_Practice.pdf
Pollution Code of Practice
www.heathrow.com/file_source/Company/Static/PDF/Communityandenvironment/Pollution_Prevention_Code_of_
Practice.pdf
Heathrow Commuter
www.heathrow.com/company/heathrow-jobs/commuting-to-heathrow
Safety Charter
www.heathrow.com/file_source/Company/Static/PDF/Communityandenvironment/Heathrow_Safety_Charter.pdf
Heathrow Academy
www.heathrow.com/company/heathrow-jobs/heathrow-academy
Other Resources
CIBSE Guide to Energy Efficiency in Commercial Kitchens ()
www.cibse.org/Knowledge/CIBSE-TM-(1)/TM50-Energy-Efficiency-in-Commercial-Kitchens
Thames Water Fats, oils and greases
www.thamescommercial.co.uk/16723.htm

Key Contacts
Area

Name

Contact

Commercial Energy

Heathrow Utilities Team

energy@heathrow.com

Water

Heathrow Utilities Team

energy@heathrow.com

Heathrow Engineering Team

environment@heathrow.com

Heathrow Consolidation Centre

hcc@bradfordswissport.com

Heathrow Commuter Team

commuter@heathrow.com

Heathrow Travel Services

travel_services@heathrow.com

Heathrow Health, Safety & Wellbeing

hse@heathrow.com

Mystery Shopper Programme

Speak to your account manager

Passenger Experience Team

passengerexperience@heathrow.com

Heathrow Academy

enquiries@heathrowacademy.co.uk

Heathrow Business Summit

community_relations@heathrow.com

Heathrow Jobs & Careers Fair

community_relations@heathrow.com

Heathrow Community Fund

community_fund@heathrow.com

Volunteering

community@heathrow.com

Heathrow Sustainability Partnership

sustainability@heathrow.com

Sustainable Restaurant Association

simon@thesra.org

Waste

Employee

Customer

Community

Sustainability