Académique Documents
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Special:
2017+
❚ 40 pages of facts & figures,
concepts & trends, insights &
perspectives
❚ Market research & benchmark
cases highlighting successful
national and international multiconcept
players in the out-of-home
market
❚ Future trends in F&B: Food for
thought by HoReCa experts
Content ❘❙
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
Food & Foodservice Industry Outlook 2017+
For the next edition of Anuga international trade show from 7 to 11 October 2017
in Cologne, Germany, featuring Anuga Culinary Concepts – particularly devoted
to foodservice professionals (hall 7)
A Special produced by FoodServiceEurope & Middle East (trade magazine) in partnership
with Koelnmesse (Anuga exhibition). www.koelnmesse.com
Publishing House Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH
Mainzer Landstrasse 251, 60326 Frankfurt, Germany
Contact Tel. +49(0)69 7595-1512, Fax +49(0)69 7595-1510
foodservice@dfv.de, www.cafe-future.net, www.food-service-europe.com
Publisher Gretel Weiss
Editors-in-chief Boris Tomic and Marianne Wachholz
Editorial Team Ulla Dammer, Flavia Fresia, Bob O’Brien, Jutta Pfannschmidt-
Wahl, Bettina Quabius, Ulrike Vongehr, Katrin Wissmann (Statements)
Pictures Thomas Fedra, Companies
Layout Ines Knetsch, Ina Wudtke
Sales Manager Friederike Smuda
Katharina C. Hamma
Chief Operating Officer
Koelnmesse GmbH
Gretel Weiss
Publisher FoodService
Europe & Middle East
SPECIAL
Special: Industry Outlook 2017+ ❘❙ A3
284,000 sq m gross exhibition space in eleven, in some cases multistorey
halls, four entrances, a continuous trade show boulevard
and a central piazza ensure clear structures, fast connections and
a high quality of stay. The concept of Anuga ensures a well-arranged
layout: ten trade shows under one roof, among them Anuga
Culinary Concepts, customized to the needs of visitors from the
away-from-home sector.
New in 2017
Coffee, tea & co. get their own arena at Anuga: Anuga Hot Beverages. For the
first time, Anuga is presenting coffee, tea and cocoa in their own
trade show and is thus doing justice on an international level to
the theme that is attractive for both the trade and the out-of-home
market. The new Anuga section does justice to the segment‘s
big significance within the trade and in the out-of-home market,
which has grown over the last years. Anuga Hot Beverages met
with great interest from the very beginning and is very popular
among the exhibitors of coffee and tea. Located in hall 7.
Bundling cooking skills, technology and gastronomy concepts: Anuga Culinary
Concepts. The theme ‘cuisine’ is also being re-defined at Anuga. To
this end, the trade show ‘Anuga Culinary Concepts’ is bundling
cooking skills, technology, equipment and gastronomy concepts.
Here, as in the previous years, the finals of the two established
professional competitions, ‘Chef of the Year’ and ‘Patissier of
the Year’, will once again take place. Customers from the out-ofhome
market have numerous points of contact here, which offer
information, entertainment and contact to the stars of the cooking
scene. Located in hall 7.
Anuga in Cologne:
New Ideas for Better
Business
A 4 ❘❙ Special: Industry Outlook 2017+
Chef of the Year 2015: 1. Stefan Lenz, 2. Cornelius Spienle, 3. Sven Pietschmann
❙❘ Trade Show
organized by the renowned World Champion sommelier Markus
Del Monego and his team. Seminars on wine related subjects and
the Anuga Wine Award will round up the wine experience at Anuga
2017.
Anuga FoodService Power Breakfast – Short and handy information, presented by
experts from the business.
For the fourth time, Anuga and international trade magazine,
Foodservice Europe & Middle East offer interesting and exciting
presentations on the newest trends and perspectives in the worldwide
catering market. Again this year, three high-calibre international
speakers will give glimpses into their strategies and
what’s going on in their respective action fields. Moderated by
Prof Dr Christopher C. Muller, Boston University, the onehour
lectures will take place in hall 7 at the Dehoga Marktplatz
Gastronomie platform (Dehoga Catering Marketplace) each of the
first three days of the fair (see box).
Another highlight is the 27th Forum for System Catering on Tuesday,
10 October, organised by the German Hotel and Restaurant Association
(Dehoga). Aimed at decision-makers from the entire
away-from-home market and its supply chain, the congress features
high-profile speakers such as Thomas Mack (Europa-Park
Rust) or Jochen Pinsker (npdgroup Germany). It takes place at the
Congress-Centrum Ost, Messeplatz 1, from 11 am to approximately
1.15 pm.
The global foodservice market is, to say the least, a diverse market.
From overall rates of use to the times of day that people eat to
where they choose to eat their prepared meals and snacks, consumers
in each country exhibit unique patterns of behaviour.
Russians, for instance, spend the least per person in any of the
countries tracked by CREST; considerably less than even Brazil,
where global chains have only recently begun to penetrate.
The biggest spenders are the East Asians. Continental European
consumers tend to spend less at restaurants than do consumers in
the former British Empire despite (or because of) generally larger
average cheques for meals.
Global Diversity
and
Common
Trends
2016 marked a new direction for the commercial
foodservice markets in continental
Europe and brought some hopeful trends
around the world. Lunch caught a bit of
growth in several markets. Spain returned to
growth after nearly ten years of struggling.
Still, the aftermath of the global economic
crisis has left consumers skittish and some
new societal trends are showing up around
the world. Findings by The NPD Group’s
Global Senior Vice President, Bob O’Brien.
Italians, Spaniards, Chinese and Canadians like to use restaurants for their
morning meals to a much greater degree than others do. Russians,
in sharp contrast, barely use restaurants before late morning.
Countries that have a late dinner time tend to also have a very
distinct moment in the afternoon when consumers get a snack of
some sort.
Japanese and Americans should be forgiven for thinking of restaurants
as places to acquire food that will be eaten elsewhere.
Consumers in both of those countries actually sit down in restaurants
on less than a third of all their restaurant visits. For Japanese,
this represents the dominant role that convenience stores play
in the market. This sort of behaviour is nearly inconceivable to
Spaniards or Italians who eat more than eight out of every ten restaurant
meals while sitting in a restaurant.
Trends this Decade. Within all this variety of behaviour, some common
trends have emerged around the world in the current decade.
Sustained growth has been hard to find around the world over the
past five years. Yes, consumer demand for prepared meals, snacks
or drinks in China has grown. Australia and Great Britain have had
a couple of years of growth after some stagnancy. And, the USA
and Canada are up a bit over the five year period. Most of Europe
has been weak over the past five years.
As weak as the European markets may have been over the past
five years, all of them posted growth in 2016. Germany and Great
Britain arguably had the strongest growth in spending (not lifted
by inflation) in the world.
A 6 ❘❙ Special: Industry Outlook 2017+
In most countries lunch is the largest day part and in most countries
lunch trends dominate overall industry trends. Naturally, lunch is
related to employment. As employment has expanded very slowly
in the years since the global crisis, the potential demand for the
workday lunch has been held in check. And, consumers need to
feel like their prospective life is positive if they are going to choose
to spend extra money to go out to lunch. These elements have held
lunch down in many countries.
Of all the lingering effects of the global economic crisis, anemic
lunch demand has been the most stubborn. There has been consistent,
if unspectacular, growth of lunch traffic in Great Britain, Australia
and Canada over the past few years. And finally, in 2016, all
the European markets except France posted lunch traffic gains.
Perhaps a corner has been turned on the last effects of the global
crisis.
This strength at the lunch day part was, in many markets,
added to growth at the morning day parts that
have given so much support to the industry around the
world in recent years. Morning meals have consistently
grown in most of the markets tracked by CREST.
In the weak environment after the global crisis, chains
and independents sought new paths to growth and many
found it at breakfast and morning snacks. These day
parts provided some relief, although at a lower average
check level than at other meals.
In 2016, consumers chose to eat more of their prepared
foods in the places most comfortable to them. In the
English speaking countries we track, that means traffic
growth came to the off-premises locations. In particular,
consumers increased the number of meals that
were purchased prepared and consumed at home. In
Continental Europe, on-premises service not only accounts
for a good bit of the traffic but it also accounted
for nearly all the health in nearly all of those markets
in 2016.
The vast majority of all visits in the global foodservice market
come from adult-only parties. These can be in groups, couples
or singles and they rise and fall with the state of the economy
and employment. Parties with kids are an element of the market
that varies from country to country. From Australia where family
parties account for nearly a third of all traffic to Russia where
they account for less than a tenth, these parties represent a kind
of cream rising to the top of the market when things are just right.
In the early years of this decade family parties were on the rise in
most parts of the world. They began to slip and for the past few
years have been flat. In Europe, Spain and Italy (two of the weaker
markets recently) have recently posted gains in family parties.
This brings some hope that consumers are becoming more comfortable
and optimistic.
Chains have been the driving force in the global restaurant industry since
(or even before) the global crisis. For the entire decade, year after
year, traffic to chain restaurants grew and independents declined
everywhere (except China where everything seems to go up).
The same thing held true in 2016. What was jarringly different,
however, was that independents grew in six of the markets tracked
by CREST in the fourth quarter of 2016. We don’t know if this is
the start of a new trend. It is, however, a clear break from the overriding
trend of the past ten years.
Millennials. The plight and habits of millennial consumers around
the world has been a front-of-mind issue to foodservice marketers.
Consumers in their 20’s, all around the world, make more
purchases than other consumers. Their greater number of
purchases leads to greater variety. That greater variety gives marketers
insight into what new tastes and behaviors might drive the
market in the coming years. AND, they tend to take their higher
purchase frequency with them as they age; lifting the base for the
entire market. Their drop in purchasing in the aftermath of the global
crisis and their subsequent anemic rebound provided much to
worry about.
Fortunately, they have begun to come back to the market. All
around the world, outside of a couple of countries, millennials
have begun to boost their purchase rates. This has led to a new
Bob O’Brien, Global
Senior Vice President
for the US-based NPD
Group, is one of the
most knowledgeable
foodservice-industry
insiders worldwide. An
excellent speaker, he has
given numerous lectures
all over the world.
Consumer Research ❘❙
Total away-from-home spending is calculated on the basis of two
factors: the number of visits and the average check. For example,
spending in Brazil rose only 4.2 % despite a jump in the average
check because the number of visits went into decline.
Special: Industry Outlook 2017+ ❘❙ A7
thread of thought about how to satisfy their tastes. Millennial
consumers are broadly thought to have exotic and different tastes
relative to other age cohorts in their countries. In broad strokes,
however, they are not the least bit exotic. All around the world,
the most commonly consumed foodservice foods and beverages
of millennials are nearly identical to the favorite foods and beverages
of other adults.
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
But, if we examine the foods and drinks that
millennials are more likely to choose than are average
consumers, some differences can be seen. In
China, items like pastries and caffè lattes rise to the
top, reflecting young consumers’ taste for the coffee
shops that are popping up all over the cities. In
Spain, their choices of drinks and snacks that are
most likely to come from convenience stores stand
out and indicate a future where more items are carried
out in that market. For Americans and Canadians,
the choices that rise to the top reflect group
sharing and a taste for South Asian food that other
consumers don’t have.
All of these items account for a very small share of
the choices that Millennials make. Focusing solely
on them will not automatically bring success to a restaurant
operator. These choices, however, provide a
hint of where tastes will move over the next several
years as young adults marry, have children and take
on the trappings of family life. These marginal tastes
will likely stay with them and evolve.
Mobile Ordering on the Fast Track. It is a rare thing in
the global foodservice market that comes along
and excites consumers and businesses seemingly
everywhere and seemingly simultaneously. Mobile
ordering has done just that. From literally nothing
just two or three years ago, mobile ordering has
found an important place in foodservice markets
around the world. As important as mobile ordering
is, only about 1% of restaurant purchases come via a
mobile app in any country tracked by CREST.
Companies that ‘aggregate’ multiple restaurants into
a single place have captured consumers’ imaginations
with their apps by providing more choices in
any given situation. This trend offers a tremendous
opportunity on one hand. It creates new connections
to consumers. It opens the door to new situations
that restaurants might not have been able to serve in
the past. It is especially good for independent restaurants
that might not have the ability to organize
the communication or payment methods that mobile
orders from aggregation companies can provide. On the other
hand, this is less good news for chains which lose control of their
branding and positioning to the third party provider. As a result,
chains have embraced the idea of having their own apps.
It is important to keep in mind that, as exciting and revolutionary
as mobile commerce is for restaurants, it is very, very small. All
around the world the vast majority of consumers still place their
Consumer Research ❘❙
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
Shopping-mall food courts contribute a small amount of restaurant
traffic all around the world. This alone won’t mortally wound
the industry. This trend only underscores, however, the need for
restaurants to provide a reason for consumers to walk in the door.
Whether it’s unique atmosphere, special foods, outstanding service,
entertainment or all four of those things, consumers need
a reason to act. There are plenty of times when consumers will
make a purchase when doing something else. Whether it’s at a train
station or after a sporting event or while travelling, consumers are
often in situations where they need to eat and are away from home.
Summary. So, consumers, and the industry, appear to have come out
of the long shadow of the global economic crisis. In most countries
traffic counts grew in 2016 and, in Continental Europe, generally
improved over the course of the year. There are some new trends
in play as millennials come back to the market, mobile emerges as
a consumer favourite ordering method and physical retail demand
wanes. All of these trends, which may indicate big parts of the
future of the industry, are marginal and, while important, are not
the core things that restaurant operators need to focus on right now.
Consumers in every country have core tastes in foods and beverages
that need to be addressed. Consumers have core habits that take
them to restaurants at specific times of day or days of week with
specific needs that restaurants need to satisfy. Consumers want to
interact with restaurants in ways that make them feel good about
the purchase whether it’s via a mobile device or sitting at a table.
Satisfying those tastes will bring success while keeping an eye on
how to be in position to grow with emerging tastes. Bob O‘Brien
Italy ❘❙
Cigierre is the market leader in the Italian casual
dining segment. It operates more than 230 restaurants
under half a dozen proprietary brands, from
flagship Old Wild West (164 sites as of April 2017)
to newly acquired Pizzikotto. www.cigierre.com
It’s All about ‘
Foodtainment’
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
market, still notable for its high fragmentation and mom-and-pop
approach.
The development of Old Wild West was initially achieved mostly through
franchising, though in the last few years the group has taken a new
direction and equity stores are now preferred over franchising due
to better profitability. Already, the ratio is 50/50, with a goal of
increasing the share of equity stores in the next few years. “Franchisees,
though, will always have a healthy share in our system,”
says Di Giusto, “as they remain an important lever to optimize
costs.” Especially now that Cigierre is launching its international
development. Old Wild West already has a foothold in France (2
sites), Switzerland (2, soon to become 3), Belgium and Croatia.
“We are very focused on the French, Belgian and Swiss markets,
where our restaurants are performing better than the average Italian
unit,” reveals Di Giusto. And he goes on to say that “international
growth will be both organic and by acquisitions. We are in
the market for acquisitions and are looking at opportunities as they
arise. We might be interested, for instance, in acquiring a small
French steakhouse chain and convert it into Old Wild West to accelerate
our growth pace.”
Cigierre in Figures
Founded 1995
Brands Old Wild West, Old Wild West Express,
Wiener Haus, Shi‘s, Pizzikotto
Restaurants 227 (117 directly operated, 110 franchised)
Countries of activity Italy, Belgium, France, Switzerland,
Croatia
Total system sales (2016) c330 m net (+16% on 2015)
Ebitda (2016) c36.963 m
Staff >4,000 (2,300 employees in directly operated system
only)
Meals served (2016) 19 m
Average check Old Wild West c15
The company was founded in 1995 by Marco Di Giusto, with
the aim of playing a different role in the very traditional Italian
restaurant market. For a few years, it focused in developing and
operating fast-casual concepts in shopping centres, which back
then were opening thick and fast in Italy but still lacked distinctive
fast-casual formats, their F&B offer being limited to fast food.
The beginnings were marked by a sort of trial and error process:
”We had a string of successes and failures, we opened and
closed sites,” recalls Di Giusto, “until in 2002 we opened the first
Old Wild West and it was an immediate hit“. Old Wild West is a
themed burger & steakhouse concept with a decor recreating the
atmosphere of a saloon in a Wild West frontier city. Its menu is
centred on grilled meat, burgers and tex-mex cuisine, while clients
waiting for their orders can nibble free peanuts. All red meat
is certified and beef comes from cattle raised and grazed on South
American pastures. A family-friendly and fun atmosphere, and a
‘foodtainment’ approach, mixing good food and entertainment,
are other ingredients of the mix.
With Old Wild West Cigierre struck gold, but they were also good at
streamlining the concept into an efficient and replicable business
model with standard operating procedures, rigorous food cost
control and carefully studied recipes, attention to customer service.
A breakthrough came in 2006, when the logistics provider
Havi Logistics, that up to then had been working exclusively with
McDonald‘s, started acquiring new customers. “We rapidly struck
a deal with Havi Logistics and this enabled us to become more
competitive in purchasing and more efficient in supplying our
units in all corners of Italy.”
As the Old Wild West brand rapidly grew, back office operations management
grew apace, to reach what Di Giusto terms “total site
control”: “Today, we know and measure everything that happens
in our restaurants.” This kind of industrial organisation and total
control mentality is relatively exceptional in the Italian restaurant
Special: Industry Outlook 2017+ ❘❙ A 11
Pizzikotto
❙❘ Italy
Shi’s
Pizzikotto
Pizzikotto
Shi’s
Pizzikotto
Italy ❘❙
Marco Di Giusto, Co-founder of Cigierre
You‘ve coined the term ‘foodtainment’ to describe what Cigierre‘s
concepts are about. Can you explain it?
It‘s all about emotions. One of our first objects has always
been to give our customers on an exciting experience.
We have a lot of repeat customers and we think they
keep coming back not only for a good
steak or burger, but because of the
experience they live in our themed
restaurants. Here they find a potentially
fun and buzzy atmosphere, an
entertaining ambience in an original
setting. The average age of Old Wild
West‘s customers is 18 to 45 years,
with a lot of families. We like to say that
Old Wild West is a family restaurant
and are happy to see children enjoying
themselves.
How important is innovation for you?
It is very important. We are always looking for innovations
that will make a difference for our customers. In the last
few years we‘ve mainly implemented technical innovations.
We try to relate to technologically savvy clients by, for
instance, enabling them to pay their checks with their
smartphones. All this allows for a simpler and quicker meal
experience. We have also launched virtual loyalty programmes.
And we are also constantly introducing product
innovations.
Cigierre was a pioneer in pizza delivery back in the 1990‘s, but the
times weren‘t ripe then and you abandoned it. How do you see the
Italian delivery market now?
International players like Foodora and Just Eat have
entered the Italian market and consumer behaviours regarding
take-away and delivery are changing. We are
thinking about delivery and we can‘t rule out that we‘ll roll
out our own systems for some of our brands, for instance
Shi‘s, where delivery already makes up a significant share
of revenues.
International foodservice brands like Starbucks and Wagamama are
coming to Italy, which up to now has been a relatively closed market.
What do you think of the new competition?
Growth in the Italian foodservice market is very slow and
to succeed you need to diversify your offer. I hope that
the Italian restaurateurs are aware that, with the arrival
of international players, they will have to keep improving
both their service and product if they want to be
competitive.
Marco Di Giusto co-founded Cigierre
in 1995 in Udine, his hometown in
Northern Italy, and has been at its helm
since. In 2016 equity firm BC Partners
acquired a majority stake in Cigierre,
and Di Giusto stayed on as the CEO of
the company.
Apart from Old Wild West, the group is also building its portofolio of own
brands in different market segments.
Wiener Haus is a brand developed by Cigierre itself and offering the
atmosphere of a typical Bavarian brewery. It now has 30 stores
in Italy. In 2015 Cigierre acquired the Shi‘s restaurant in Udine
(sushi and Asian-Italian fusion cuisine, prepared with quality
Italian ingredients) and in 2016 the Pizzikotto pizza chain, a fullservice
pizza concept with ten units located in the Emilia Romagna
region.
Pizzikotto features both thin and crusty pizza and Neapolitan style
pizza, as well as a distinctive dessert menu and 100% organic raw
ingredients. Both Shi‘s and Pizzikotto offered a different take on
their respective markets and had potential for growth. After the acquisition,
Cigierre has been working on their formulas, fine tuning
menus and standardizing operations in order to start their chain development.
“We are working to optimise both these brands,” confirms
Di Giusto. “We think Pizzikotto has the potential to replicate
the success of Old Wild West. We’ll open Pizzikotto in shopping
malls, cinema complexes and downtown locations. Average surface
is 500 sq m. As for Shi’s we‘re working to make it perfect not
only for high street locations but also for shopping malls, which
are in our DNA.”
Overall, Cigierre has plans to double the current number of restaurants in
five years, reaching 450-500 restaurants through a tight schedule
of about 50 new openings a year. Most of this growth will be in
Italy, both with selected new openings of Old Wild West in choice
sites that are sure to perform well, and development of the other
brands, especially Pizzikotto, which now has twelve sites and will
have 20 by the end of 2017, and Shi’s, six sites at the moment plus
another eight by year end. Cigierre are also currently working on
a new concept.
Historically, along with its proprietary brands, such as Old Wild West
and Wiener Haus, Cigierre has also operated brands under licence.
This last route, though, has been abandoned and the group is now
orientated to only develop and operate own brands. “We’ve learned
from past errors,” explains Di Giusto. “We’ve been master
franchisee of two international concepts for years and we’ve come
to the conclusion that a franchisor can’t only sign a franchise
contract and then disappear, but has to sell to the franchisee a
whole range of services. Signing the deal is only the beginning.
That’s why we’ve decided to only build our own brands.“
Flavia Fresia
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17 Special: Industry Outlook 2017+ ❘❙ A 13
Shi’s
A 14 ❘❙
❙❘ Germany
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
Natural
Hermann‘s
Germany ❘❙
With 13 different foodservice brands, casualfood,
the German travel-location caterer, can be found
since 2005 at airports, railway stations and motorways.
In 2017 there will be over 60 units, including
convenience stores, restaurant and snack formats.
Since 2015 the multi-brand players have also been
operating outside Germany: at L JU Ljubljana Airport
in Slovenia. Further European expansion not ruled
out. www.casualfood.de
The Taste of
Travelling
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
challenge, is something about which the two 50-year-old entrepreneurs,
who get on well privately, are – unusually for them – in
disagreement.
They realised early on that a high visitor-frequency location such as Frankfurt
Airport could be handled more effectively and with less risk with
a mix of different concepts and pillars. “So, it was our aim, along
with the mobile outlets, to take fixed sites into the portfolio, with
long-term contracts, focusing on fast-casual food,” explains Stefan
Weber.
The two entrepreneurs took the next step towards multi-concept
expansion at the same time as they were expanding their mobile
outlets: in 2006-07 they added Quicker’s Convenience Stores, the
first at Dusseldorf Airport, the second at Frankfurt Airport. The
combination of shop, kiosk, bakery and cafe offers everything
which travellers want to buy quickly before their flight departs,
from a snack to toothpaste. A good third of the casualfood outlets
belong today to the C-store category. The importance enjoyed by
the convenience concepts in the sales mix can be seen by their
share of turnover, which is 50%.
After casualfood began by sharing management of the Quicker’s
Stores with the duty-free specialist Heinemann, in 2010 they took
casualfood in Figures
Founded 2005 as Mayer’s Mobil at FRA
Headquarters Frankfurt, Germany
Executive Partners Stefan Weber, Michael Weigel
No. of outlets 59 (all company-owned and run under
own management) at 5 airports, 5 railway stations and
2 motorway service stations (as of June 2017)
Distribution focus FRA – 29 outlets
Brands basta! Pizza & Pasta, Beyond, Goodman &
Filippo, Hermann’s, Italissimo, Kilkenny Irish Pub, Mayer’s,
Mondo, Mondo Bianco, Natural, Quicker’s (some under
varying formats from mobile outlet to bar, restaurant or
C-store), plus 2 outside brands: Kamps, DB Service Store
Sales c43.7 m (2016) vs. c37.1 m (2015)
Sales target approx. c49 m (2017)
No. of guests about 20,000 a day
Staff >600
When, twelve years ago, Michael Weigel and Stefan Weber opened
their first mobile snack counter, serving pretzels, sandwiches
and beverages at a departure gate in Frankfurt Airport, they did
not know what a growth and success story they were triggering.
By going for the location – still only sparsely provided with foodservice
facilities – the pair of young entrepreneurs, with no experience
at all of the sector at that time, proved they had a good sense
for what was to come in the travel-location category. Stefan Weber,
still working in his own advertising agency during the launch
stage, was the ideas man from the beginning. Michael Weigel
threw his experience as a marketing expert into the scales and is
still in charge of statistics and operations.
In the launch year of 2005 the young company, in just under five
months, with two Mayer’s snack trolleys at Frankfurt Airport, earned
around ¤250,000 of sales revenue (net). Five staff served some
60,000 guests.
In 2017, the ‘little’ idea of selling pretzels at the airport, has grown into a ‘big’
catering empire, with net annual sales revenues at the last count of
¤43.7 m (2016). The number of guests has risen to over 7 m a year.
Mobile pretzel counters continue to be the core of the business,
but Weber and Weigel have gradually expanded the concept range
and created a multi-brand company with 13 different types of outlet
– clustered in three categories: mobile snack bars, fast-casual
bars and restaurants, and convenience stores. This year will see
numbers pass the 60-unit mark.
Hand in hand with this, the two casualfood players have expanded
their location philosophy. If until 2011/12 they were still based
exclusively in airports, in the following years the business took off
in railway stations and motorways, too. At the end of 2016, along
with 47 stores at airports, casualfood had seven outlets at railway
stations and three in motorway service stations. Examples of the
company’s own successful concept developments are brands such
as Mondo, Goodman & Filippo and Hermann’s.
Whether the first year was the most challenging one, or whether
the first five years have remained in memory as a particular growth
❘❙ A 15
❙❘ Germany
causualfood: Sales Mix
50%
Convenience
stores 35%
Bars &
restaurants
15%
Mobile
snack
counters
A 16 ❘❙
Italissimo
Goodman & Filippo
Goodman & Filippo
Germany ❘❙
Michael Weigel, Co-Owner of casualfood
What makes an airport so permanently attractive to you as a location?
What would you say is the outlook at railway stations and motorways?
Air traffic is continuing to increase world-wide every year,
a clear growth area. Many customers come with high
spending power and our concepts are tailored exactly to
this frequently international clientele, who want fast, good,
uncomplicated eating and drinking on their journey. That
we meet our customers’ taste can be seen from our constant
growth in this segment.
At the railway stations, we are likewise constantly growing.
Along with our own successful concepts, we recently
entered into a partnership with Deutsche Bahn, to run more
service stores at attractive sites. An initial successful pilot
has been under launch since September of last year at the
regional railway station of Frankfurt Airport.
How do you keep your staff on the hop at these busy locations?
The need for flexibility and speed is extremely high in
all catering for travellers. And the staff need to be able
to handle the very widest range of customer groups and
cultures. Of course, that can be very attractive, for no two
days are alike. A member of our staff will meet travellers
from all over the world and can show off his language
skills. We teach this to our staff. And we support them with
numerous measures, from on-boarding and a permanent
training cycle, to training programmes, including those in
the company, to part-time degree courses. Naturally we
most prefer to develop our own staff further!
How do you combat all the wear and tear, how do you relax?
Of course, that doesn’t always succeed. Seriously, the way
of combating stress is to enjoy your work in a great team.
That’s what we do. I find relaxation best with my family.
In Croatia, in a small town on the coast, you can let your
mind run wonderfully free. But when I am with friends,
over a good meal and a fine bottle of wine, I can relax
very well.
Michael Weigel, born 1967, one of
the co-founders, has been master of
statistics and at the heart of operations
and personnel from the launch. At the
start, he was himself actually one of
the sales staff behind the first Mayer’s
pretzel trolley, today joint owner of the
multi-brand company casualfood. The
former sales professional cannot quite
deny his expert view even when eating
privately, for he wants to stay receptive
to new ideas. But he certainly never
allows this to interfere with his enjoyment
of good food. What he notices,
however – always and everywhere – is
particularly good service.
over the ten existing Quicker’s outlets in full, with a value of
¤10 m in sales. Now this format represents the company’s star
growth area.
2007 saw the next step in diversification: three Mayer’s Bars were
launched at Frankfurt Airport, meaning that suddenly design and
shop-fitting concepts were needed, which Weber and Weigel obtained
from outside. Thus, casualfood entered on a new business
era: “The combination of brand, design and catering formula as a
major whole became an important trademark. This brand message
plays an immense role even now,” emphasises Weber. “A guest
decides in ten seconds if he is going to eat at our place or walk on
past. We have to grab him.”
2008 saw a further jump in expertise, in the shape of the Mediterranean
concept Mondo: the format, in two varieties, as Piccolo
and large restaurant unit with kitchen, fullservice and take-away,
was designed to appeal to all guest categories. “At this level, we
had to overcome a real inhibition threshold. All of a sudden, we
had to work as fullservice restaurateurs, were running our own
kitchen and dealing with quite different factors in terms of sales
area and guest frequency. But speed was to remain our trump card;
we aimed never to lose sight of our corporate DNA, the fast-casual
approach, nor have we done so,” says Weigel. Now a part of their
own brands is run with different formats, from mobile snack outlet
and take-away, to restaurant and bar with take-away area, to convenience
store.
Until 2011/12 growth was concentrated exclusively on airports, then the
time was ripe for further site categories. They launched the first
railway-station site in the shape of the sausage concept Hermann’s
and then, expanded to include the pizza concept basta, went on to
include motorways.
That their pleasure in the catering business has not slackened in
their twelfth year is exemplified by the format of Goodman & Filippo,
opened in Dusseldorf Airport at Gate A in September 2016.
This fresh deli-concept, featuring daily on-site production, likewise
an idea of their own, exploits the specialties of two countries:
Italy and the USA. To sum up so far: “Goodman & Filippo has
started up well beyond our expectations. The take-away share was
about 75% at the start. Now the restaurant business has established
itself more and more, reaching a 40% sales share. We expect this
development to continue and thus that the average net checkout
bill, currently ¤6.80, will rise to ¤7.50. There is further room for a
rise. The same applies to the net monthly sales figure of just under
¤270,000. The food favourites to far: surf’n’turf burger and chicken
club sandwich,” says Weigel in short.
And 2017? March saw the opening of one Quicker’s in Essen railway
station and another in the new Ryan Air section of Frankfurt
Airport. A further Goodman & Filippo will get going at Cologne-
Bonn Airport in July. A Hermann’s is planned for November at
Gate A in Frankfurt; the present Beyond, also Gate A, will be
converted into another Goodman & Filippo, too. “Further projects
for this year, including projects outside Germany, are also in the
pipelines but not yet advanced enough to talk about.”
Jutta Pfannschmidt-Wahl
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17 Special: Industry Outlook 2017+ ❘❙ A 17
❙❘ Trend Statements
Greener Menus and Digitized Restaurants
“In our market, organic greens and vegetables are on the rise, and
having a vegan menu is a must today. In fact, at Sticks’n’Sushi, we
have a much greener menu today than we did five years ago, and
we expect this development to continue. There’s an overall trend towards
going more green and sustainable with customer interest and
hence foodservice offers moving away from red meat and ever more
often towards organic farm-produce. In recent years, the quality of
biodynamic wine has increased significantly, and it has found its
way onto our beverage card. We have also added fermented beverages
such as Kombucha and Kefir. While traditional soft drinks
play only a minor role in our beverage menu, we’ve decided to
include alternative soft drinks with less added sugar and additives.
Topics like climate change and sustainability are on everybody’s
radar today. Consequently, our guests want to know where our
food comes from and how it is produced. I believe that they will
expect even more transparency in the future coupled with the same
high quality in service, but in an increasingly digital environment.
Already today, technology plays a decisive role in the foodservice
realm, and we believe that it will influence our business quite significantly
in the coming years, as guests expect any relevant restaurant
to be digital. We aim to use the modern technology to ensure a
seamless guest-journey in-house and for take-away.
Speaking of which, take-away has increased dramatically in the
last couple of years, as has delivery. We’re observing this trend at
both the low and high-end of the market.”
Kim Rahbek founded Sticks’n’Sushi together
with his brother and brother-in law in 1994 in
Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2012, the restaurant
group went international with a first unit in London.
Berlin followed in 2017. “Food is all about
design,” says the CEO, who pays close attention
to the fashion and design industry as well as
architecture and philosophic trends.
www.sushi.dk
Trend Statements ❘❙
Sharing Opportunities, Choice & Better-For-Me Options
“Observing the UK market, we see that eating away from home is
a big trend due to time-poor consumers as well as customers wanting
choice of cuisine. Besides, people now embrace the feasting
concept as a way of socialising – and an affordable way of dining
out. There’s great demand for both sharing plates and small plates
(tapas) across cuisines like American BBQ and Mexican.
The Nando’s concept is reflective of these trends: Stemming from
South Africa with a Portuguese influence of chargrilled chicken
infused with peri peri from Mozambique, it gives a unique proposition
to consumers. Our menu also comprises a selection of sharing
platters for up to six people.
While keeping to our core products, we also utilize ingredients that
are on trend and work well with our foods, e.g. sweet potatoes or
grains. In answer to customer health perception needs for ‘better for
me’, we recently introduced the Supergrain Side: a mix of grains,
greens and beans including wheat berry, freekeh, edamame, cannellini,
quinoa, green beans, barley, kale, and avocado. We’ve
also introduced a burger innovation. The Trio Burger with periperi
chicken breast fillet, grilled halloumi cheese and Portobello
mushroom meets customer demand for flavoursome products.
As for the future, I believe that trend cuisines will be a patchwork
quilt of traditional flavours and cuisines mixed with modern techniques.
Customers will expect to trust brands, i.e. restaurants to do
the right thing regarding sustainable sourcing, and offer foods that
are nutritionally responsible, fresh, unique and innovative.”
A London native, Nando’s Group
Head of Food, Blair Smethurst,
took an interest in food from an
early age on. He studied culinary
arts and travelled other countries
to work and learn. Before joining
Nando’s in 2015 he held positions
at Coles Supermarkets (Australia)
and Marks & Spencer (GB).
www.nandos.co.uk
www.nandos.com
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
What’s Hot in
Foodservice?
❙❘ Poland
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
KFC
Pizza Hut
La Tagliatella
Poland ❘❙
The goal is clear, the timeline is set: AmRest aims to
become the leading restaurant company in Europe in
five years. The Polish-American company is the
largest publicly listed restaurant operator in Central
Europe. As of May 2017 it operates more than
1,200 restaurants under seven brands in 13 countries
and has nearly 30,000 employees. Its growth is
tightly scheduled: 250 new restaurants are to be added
this year, pushing up the pace to 400-450 new
restaurants in the next few years. www.amrest.eu
Everything Is
Possible!
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
‘Everything is possible’, a belief forged in the early days of the
company, back in the 1990’s, when a young McGovern and a
friend came to see for themselves what Eastern Europe looked like
after the fall of the wall and decided to stay and start a restaurant
business, overcoming difficulties and refusing to be stopped by
setbacks.
”We started a company with no one from the restaurant business because
there were no restaurants at the time in Central Europe,” recalls
McGovern. “So we had to do and learn everything on our own,
which created an incredibly strong bond between us. Of our senior
executive team, the newest person has been with the company
ten years, many of them are with it since the very beginning, 20+
years. Once you build that kind of comraderie that comes from
having gone through those early years, you stick together.“
AmRest in Figures
Group founded 1993
Headquarters Wroclaw, Poland
No. of brands 7 (Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, Starbucks,
La Tagliatella, Blue Frog, KABB)
No. of restaurants 1,203 (as of 27.4.2017)
No. of restaurants by brand (2016) 519 KFC (excl. 15 in
Germany acquired in 2017), 275 Starbucks, 214 La
Tagliatella, 92 Pizza Hut, 45 Burger King, 32 Blue Frog,
4 KABB
No. of countries where AmRest is present 13
No. of restaurants by country (2016) 389 Poland, 245 Spain,
145 Germany, 123 Russia, 114 Czech Republic,
66 Hungary, 36 China, 28 Romania, 11 Bulgaria,
10 France, 6 Croatia, 5 Serbia, 3 Slovakia
Group sales PLN4,207 m (c985 m)
No. of meals/clients served ~ 200 m per year
No. of staff 28,771 (23,623 in 2015)
Switzerland ❘❙
Two Spice AG of Zurich plays in the top league of
the Swiss restaurant industry. The multi-concept company
unites 23 businesses and ten different brands
under its roof and in 2016 earned revenues of almost
CHF80 m. The group has been successful over
the whole of German-speaking Switzerland with its
sushi concept, Yooji’s. Last year the restaurateurs
were host to over 3.7 m guests. www.twospice.ch
Trendsetter from
Switzerland
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
dishes can be eaten in the restaurant or ordered as a take-away.
Production takes place in an open kitchen, allowing an insight into
the preparation and creation of the food. “More and more vegetarians,
vegans or people with gluten allergy are finding their way to
us,” says Saxer. This is not surprising: over half of the dishes at
Jack&Jo are vegetarian.
For over 25 years the ideas factory at Two Spice has been giving birth to restaurant
concepts and brands. It all began with the live-music cafe
CaBaRe, which newly qualified chef Marc Saxer and the then banker
Daniel Kehl opened in 1990. The two organised innumerable
concerts and made CaBaRe into a well-known venue. Right up to
today the two entrepreneurs, who have themselves worked long in
kitchen and service, preserve a wider view, are interested not just
in the food, but also in culture, music, art and lifestyle. “We have
always thought it important to run catering at a professional level.
Nevertheless, in our outlets we aim to encourage a good overall
experience. Everyone, both guests and staff, should feel good, in
a fantastic atmosphere,” is how Saxer describes the spirit of Two
Spice. The uncomplicated form is close to their heart, as is the
❙❘ Switzerland
A 26 ❘❙
Jack & Jo
Nooba
Nooba
Switzerland ❘❙
❘❙ A 27
Marc Saxer, Joint Owner of Two Spice AG, Zurich
How would you describe the spirit of Two Spice? As a restaurateur, what
is your guiding light?
Bringing culture and catering together has been a major
preoccupation of ours from the start. We always thought
it important to run the restaurant business at a high professional
level. Nevertheless, in our outlets we wanted to
encourage a good overall experience. Everyone, both the
guests and the team, should feel good in a fantastic atmosphere.
This mixture of quality objective
and lively catering has always been the
defining feature of our restaurants – and
it is going to stay that way.
Your portfolio unites a mixture of stand-alone and system concepts. Is
there a common denominator?
Quality is our credo; that applies to the cuisine just as
much as to the staff. A love of detail. People like to think of
Two Spice AG as belonging to the trend segment – but in
fact we address a much broader target group. Being trendsetting
and cool was and is not necessarily synonymous
with quality, though. We have consistently pursued a
different philosophy.
You run trend-setting restaurants but don’t produce any nine-day wonders.
How does that work?
It is one of our strengths that we stick with a thing and work
hard. We are work-buffs who are always in search of new
approaches and solutions – whether at the technical level,
as at Yooji’s, or in the food area. The secret is no doubt a
love of experimentation, combined with an entrepreneurial
base, and entrepreneurial spirit.
What do you see as the exciting trends in the food and beverage sector
at the moment? Which cuisine would still attract you?
In our ideas factory we create new impetus, new food
concepts almost weekly. We are always active and open
to new trends. We have long been attracted by the Orient
– not just geographically and culturally, but by its cuisine,
too. We can well imagine a varied and cordial mixture of
Israeli, Syrian and Lebanese cuisine, mezze in short, for
example. We have already begun our culinary journey
across the continent of Asia: Nooba features traditional
pan-Asian dishes with country-typical spices on the menu.
It would also be exciting to journey on further towards
India.
Marc Saxer, co-founder and joint owner
of Two Spice, has more than 25 years’
experience in trend-setting restaurant
operation. He founded the restaurant company
in 1990, together with Daniel Kehl,
in Zurich. The two entrepreneurs – Saxer is
a trained chef, his associate an industrial
economist – have themselves long been
working in the catering sector and know
exactly what their guests want. They apply
their experience to every new food and
beverage project.
public: their outlets are rated as trend-setting meeting places for
a diverse mixture of guests, in which relaxed places such as Bohemia
have something to offer on the culinary side.
Creativity and commitment, combined with a sense for quality and a welldeveloped
entrepreneurial awareness are some of the facts which
have made the catering duo successful. “Our strengths include the
way we always stick to something,” they say. This is also shown
in the classics from the Two Spice factory, which are constantly
being developed further, to keep up with the times. So it is with
Bohemia, opened in 1999 on Zurich’s Kreuzplatz: with a relaxed
atmosphere and good cuisine, the restaurant attracts guests from
early morning to midnight. Since its latest renovation, the American
Brasserie also has a charcoal grill, on which food is grilled on
the Argentinian model. The Iroquois, opened in 1994 and known
for its burgers and sports programmes, underwent a refurnishing
in 2012 in country-house and vintage style. At the moment the
popular district venue is being rebuilt again, and by autumn 2017
will have a new look.
Almost all Two Spice AG restaurants run at a high sales level. With a total
of 23 outlets and ten different brands, in 2016 the group earned
revenues of almost CHF80 m. The portfolio includes not just restaurants,
but also a wine dealer’s and the product brand yootea, a
bio-refreshment drink. Responsible for product development and
procurement is Two Spice Trading, the group’s central trading
company. Both their own brands and new products from all over
the world are distributed in Switzerland and world-wide by Two
Spice Trading. Thus the trading company has maintained many
years of collaboration with partners and suppliers – including
those in Japan and Korea.
Asian cuisines are a particular hobby-horse of these two players. Their
latest project, too, was conceived under the culinary aegis of the
Far East: last year, in the shape of Rice Up!, the two entrepreneurs
launched a take-away in the food court at Berne railway station,
inspired by the street-food markets of Asia. Rice will be found
at every point of the range. Meals are based on various different
bowls, which are prepared freshly and quickly to recipes which
they have developed themselves, or as the customer prefers, with
rice, noodles, salad, meat, tofu, shoots or other toppings. For thirst
quenching, you can select rice milk with chai or matcha and homemade
lemonade. In its very first year, on just 80 sq m of service
area, Rice Up! earned revenues of over CHF2.7 m. Following the
successful pilot outlet in Berne, now the restaurateurs intend to
test the concept in Zurich: from summer this year – fully reflecting
the spirit of the times – there will be a Rice Up! pop-up store in a
prominent position in the Bahnhofstrasse. Ulla Dammer
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17 Special: Industry Outlook 2017+
Trend Statements ❘❙
Local, Genuine Ethnic & Zero-Kilometre Superfoods
“Looking at Europe, we observe that ‘trueness’ (#truefood) linked
with ‘local’ are very strong drivers in the gastronomic landscape
today. The desire to ‘celebrate traditions and identity’ seems to
increasingly drive especially young generations into restaurants.
At Autogrill, we address this trend with our Bistrot concept, which
brings local and Italian dishes made from very local ingredients to
food lovers all over the world.
Another trend is ‘genuine ethnic cooking‘ in counter served and fast
casual formats. People want to experience the real taste of specific
regions and crave the experience of having their food prepared
in front of their eyes. The Autogrill Group has developed a whole
range of genuine ethnic concepts for different regions and channels,
e.g. Asia, Thai Urban Kitchen, Seven Spices, Kebab Factory.
Exotic and previously unknown grains, fibres and vegan proteins
as well as soy products and functional foods have conquered the
European foodservice and retail market in recent years. We have
also incorporated them in some of our recipes, e.g. crushed
smoothies with superfood ingredients, mueslis with ‘new grains and
seeds’ like quinoa or chia.
In the future, driven by environmental concern and a focus on local
produce and quality, I expect that we will see the rise of local zerokilometre
superfoods. My personal favourite: domestic fresh water
fish, either farm raised or caught locally in our lakes. In parallel, we
will see the farming of exotic fish and other seafood in closed circuit
farms heated with geothermal energy.”
With a family background in the
food business, the COO of Autogrill
Switzerland, Maximilian Schiedt,
held various positions in the food
(wholesaler’s) industry (e.g. Thomas
Niederreuther, Hilcona) before
joining the foodservice business.
A world traveller and food lover,
the avid angler finds inspiration in
every culture and tradition.
www.autogrill.com/en
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
UAE ❘❙
The Al Tayer Group is one of the largest luxury retailers in
the Middle East, hosting a portfolio of some of the world’s
most famous luxury brands in the fashion, jewellery, home,
hospitality and department store sectors. Al Tayer Group’s
hospitality division operates numerous international franchise
and own brands across the UAE, including Armani
Dubai Caffè, Almaz by Momo,Caffè Nero and Magnolia
Bakery, to name but a few. www.altayer.com
Casual Luxury
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
❙❘ UAE
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
UAE ❘❙
David Singleton, VP Hospitality at Al Tayer Group
What are the strong points of Al Tayer Hospitality?
As the largest luxury retailer in the
Middle East, Al Tayer Group hosts a
portfolio of some of the world’s best
luxury brands in the fashion, jewellery,
home and department store categories.
Complementing its position in luxury
retail, the Group has also built new
frontiers in lifestyle retail, representing
leading brands in the Beauty, Home,
Fashion and Hospitality sectors.
What challenges and opportunities do you see for the future of hospitality
in the Gulf region?
The market is in the midst of a very challenging economic
period, brought about by tourism numbers, global currency
fluctuations and regional oil prices. The F&B sector is
becoming more crowded and continues to grow exponentially,
with no apparent slowdown in store number
growth. Apart from that, mall footfall has become an issue,
with lease costs remaining high. However, malls such as
the Mall of the Emirates are seeking to significantly ramp
up their percentage of space allocated to F&B which will
increase the need for more new brands on the market. F&B
has to play an important role in these malls, it’s just how,
and will the expression ‘build it and they will come’ be
challenged for the first time …?
Who inspires you in the industry?
I am one of the lucky guys in the F&B industry having
worked in different countries, really great companies and
for some extremely inspiring leaders, but right now here
in the Middle East I get great inspiration from my team.
With almost 800 employees, I try hard to spend time in my
stores and talk to them a lot. When I learn of their passion
for our business and their guests it’s heartening. With
such a stable team I can ask a lot of them, they embrace
challenge and become part of what we do. We have an
extremely diverse expat workforce, they make personal sacrifices
to work for us, and culturally we really do take very
good care of them. I remember working with Tony Hughes
who in 2002 gave me a book, ‘The Servant Leader’, it’s
become one of my most important reference books in my
book case. As I’ve been fortunate enough to grow in the
industry, I’ve learned the simple thing, that in my role one
of the single most important tasks is to ensure my teams are
supported with all the knowledge, skills, and reasons for
why to do their job.
David Singleton is Vice President Hospitality
at Al Tayer Group, heading twelve restaurant
brands spanning luxury, casual and
counter segments of the market. His career
so far has encompassed 35 years as manager,
operator and marketer, among others
with one of the UK’s top pub groups, as well
as Russia and Eastern Europe as a brand
director and new concept developer.
Mall. The Bakery offers classic American baked sweet and savoury
goods and is renowned for its cupcakes, all prepared from
scratch on-premises all-day. More recently, the bakery’s product
range has been extended to an ice-cream range inspired by its
baked desserts.
Among the portfolio of a dozen hospitality brands are also the family restaurant
Ocean Basket, a South African seafood restaurant concept
known for its simplicity and homely atmosphere; the stylish North
African restaurant Almaz by Momo, a blend of innovation and
tradition, ranging from food to décor, also featuring a juice bar and
Shisha salon; the exclusive Emporio Armani Caffè and Armani
Dubai Caffè, which reflect the distinctive and unique Italian style
of Giorgio Armani and offer traditional Italian cuisine; and, as the
latest project in development, NYD, a New York street food popup
within 40 Carrots that was primarily developed for the homedelivery
market and focuses on hot dogs and burgers.
Another more recent addition to the portfolio is Serendipity 3, a New
York institution with over 60 years of American tradition, offering
an extensive menu of towering burgers, foot long hot dogs,
and the famous signature Frrrozen Hot Chocolate dessert, where
a one-of-a-kind whimsical décor with umbrellas on the ceiling,
clocks on the walls and bird cage seating promise to make for a
memorable experience. The implementation of the Serendipity 3
concept also serves as a good example of how Al Tayer is adapting
an international brand to the local environment while keeping the
essence and the integrity of it: both, an area in the guestroom with
mirrored ceilings and a modernized take on the Tiffany-style pendant
lamps as well as the open dessert kitchen are reinforcing the
strong points of the brand. “The emotional needs are so different
in every country,” Singleton points out and continues: “You have
to ask what the brand is famous for, never mess with that. We also
have a dedicated culinary and development team who works on all
of our brands. Adaptations vary by brand, but we’re also working
hard with partner brands to ensure they understand our market and
they develop for us too.”
One of Al Tayer’s latest concepts and created in-house is Scene, a
luxury café that was developed for Bloomingdale’s in Kuwait in
March this year. Mainly targeted to the coffee-loving local population,
shoppers are invited to a private dinner party in a Manhattan
style apartment where food and fashion merge to bring to life the
glamour of New York. Two blends of coffee have specially been
created for the concept and are served in stylish cups, alongside
cakes and savoury options. Singleton comments: “You have to
get inside the culture of the people you are serving and don’t be
arrogant enough to think just because you like it, it must be right.”
Al Tayer has obviously succeeded so far, which according to Singleton
is due to the group’s strong commitment to quality: “We
are obsessed with quality and working with partners who share
our values and quality obsession. We care about our people, we
understand our customers, and we work with the best people in the
world to help us develop our systems, people and brands.”
Bettina Quabius
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17 Special: Industry Outlook 2017+ ❘❙ A 33
A 34 ❘❙
Café dell‘Arte
Special: Industry Outlook 2017+
Café ins grüne
Mensa HCU Mensa HCU
Germany ❘❙
Among German universities the campus catering in Hamburg
is among the top class. With sales of c14.6 m,
the Studierendenwerk Hamburg comes second place –
only Berlin earned more. The most important factor of
success is their intense closeness to their customers. In
various concepts, from classical refectory to pizza bar,
the head of university catering, Michael Gradtke, and
his team offer a broad range of F&B products, taking its
measure from current catering trends.
www.studierendenwerk-hamburg.de
Cooking for
Generation Y
Studierendenwerk Hamburg
Managing Director Jürgen Allemeyer
Head of university catering Michael
Gradtke, André Schütte (deputy)
Number of F&B units 13 refectories,
13 cafés, 7 coffee shops
Guests per day 23,000
Sales revenues approx. c14.6 m
(2015, excluding subventions)
Sales per guest c206.08 (2015)
Sales growth +5.4 % (2016)
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
❙❘ Germany
Mensa HCU
Café Finkenau
Café dell‘Arte
Café dell‘Arte
Mensa Philturm
Germany ❘❙
❘❙ A 37
Jürgen Allemeyer, MD of Studierendenwerk Hamburg
How satisfied are you with the current development of Hamburg
University catering?
In 2016, our sales went up by 5.4%. Behind this stands
an even greater range of food, both low-priced and more
high-quality dishes, such as steaks or
pulled pork burgers. Then the permanent
optimisation of the quality of the
products.
And the larger number of full-semester days brought additional
earnings. And finally, the two new outlets had
recorded a good performance: the Finkenau refectory saw
its number of guests rise in 2016, and the HCU refectory is
visited by considerably more guests than expected.
What are the opportunities and what are the challenges which you see
confronting you in the current year?
All indicators point to expansion and modernisation: we
shall launch at least two new cafes in 2017. Our refectory
with the strongest sales will move for three years to another
site, because the building is being renovated. The City of
Hamburg is also investing in other outlets: rebuilding, some
of it of wide scope, is planned at the refectories in Harburg,
Bergedorf and Campus. Internally we shall expand the
share of regional raw materials and work on centralising
purchasing.
What is the main task of student catering in 2017+?
Eating, including eating at the university, is more and more
to do with self definition and self portrayal; it expresses
what we long for. Sustainability, health, fun, enjoyment,
allergies, safety – we must take all these issues into account.
Providing transparency, including transparency through
the use of local food products with home-made appeal and
dishes with an authentic origin. Then the increasing time
pressure, the growing mobility, the trend towards snacking
and self-optimisation.
Amid these manifold and often contradictory pressures
campus catering needs a clear positioning and a sharp
profile. That is what we are working on – permanently.
Jürgen Allemeyer: his duties as Managing
Director of Studierendenwerk Hamburg include
not only foodservice for the university
but also student accommodation and financing,
as well as social and international
affairs. “Our many services are oriented
towards the students, as well as the universities
and their needs. For example, for
smaller locations when it comes to refectory
supplies and timetable-oriented hours of
opening in the refectories.”
an ever greater role – including a supply of hot food. Some of them
are designed as modern coffee bars. These outlets have seen particularly
favourable increases over the past years. According to
André Schütte, deputy head of the university-catering department,
they may well be the future drivers of upward sales revenues: at
least two new cafés are due to be launched by the end of 2017.
Particularly successful in the café segment is the take-away range,
which is also being further expanded. But in the refectories, too,
they have adapted to the ever more frequently heard desire for takeaways:
thus, students can take every dish home sealed in a menu
bowl. There is a selection of seven dishes and more here every day,
divided into headings such as ‘good and low priced’ or ‘campus
special.’ Along with this, you can put an individual composition
together at the vegetable, salad and pasta bar and partly with individual
components. At least one main dish is for vegetarians:
sweet potatoes with Cajun vegetables and blue-cheese dip, for
example, of falafel with hummus filling, peppermint-yoghurt dip
and vegetable couscous. Vegan alternatives are also on the menu.
Since summer 2011 the Studierendenwerk, adopting the so-called
climate plate produced by the GreenFlux Association, has been a
pioneer in setting a clear signal for climate protection. Now several
dishes every day carry the initiative’s label. And with the introduction
of light dishes, prepared to be particularly vitamin-sparing
and low-fat, under the MensaVital brand, the Hamburg Studierendenwerk
has proved a trend-setter within the sector.
The catering professionals demonstrate their love of innovation and closeness
to their customers not just as regards food, however. Thus, for example,
working jointly with technicians in the Studierendenwerk’s
workshop, they have had some ideas about barrier-free access and
developed a special tray trolley for wheelchair users, which is now
also being supplied to interested parties outside. And, up to the
minute since mid-May, they have been scoring high marks with a
return-beaker scheme to avoid waste: if you drink your take-away
coffee in your own mug, you pay ten cents less.
Freshness and an emphasis on the home-made form the focus in
turn at the new pizza bar mono-concept. “Pizza, a product popular
on all sides, offers high variability in terms of size and topping,
can be well prepared, and guarantees high output at peak times,”
explains Schütte. “Plus, the capital investment is easy to control
and you don’t need much space.” At the university campus in
Harburg and at the HCU they are currently learning best practice
experience with a new module: from 11 am to 6 pm a pizza baker
prepares the classic Italian dish before the guests’ very eyes. “We
are going to do more with this idea!” But in a different form: for
autumn 2017, the opening of a large pizzeria is planned on the central
campus – with seating for 120 and production fresh to order.
“What students want and what they need is changing, just as the
general conditions are changing in our mobile society,” emphasises
Allemeyer finally. Good now that the Hamburg City Senate
is heavily promoting the modernisation of the building infrastructure.
Thus, for example, from autumn the Philosophy Tower will
be completely renovated – and the ‘Philmensa’ rebuilt to form a
jewel of the new refectory generation.
Ulrike Vongehr
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17 Special: Industry Outlook 2017+
❙❘ Trend Statements
Veggie Choices, Optimized Efficiencies & Insect Proteins
“With increasing health awareness, customer demand for superfoods,
healthy carbohydrates and vegetarian foods is rising. Besides,
consumers no longer stick to the classic 3-course menu, but
instead wish to compose their meal individually. At Marché, we are
therefore strengthening our salad and vegetable buffet and include
superfoods such as avocado, sprouts, seeds, herbs but also healthy
carbs like quinoa in our offer. At select Mövenpick Marché restaurants
we’ve introduced a new vegetarian island where customers
can combine crudités, salads, vegetarian dishes, fruit and toppings
to their liking.
In recent years, Peruvian and Hawaiian dishes have become very
trendy. I believe that the next decade will bring even more international
influences to our kitchens. Asian but also African cuisines
will likely gain in importance: insects might replace part of our
protein intake, while African roots and spices might open up entirely
new taste experiences.
Nowadays, people cook less and eat out more often, but even then
have very little time at their disposal. Hence, operators must optimize
all processes to avoid long wait times. As digitalization is
entering all areas of the restaurant business, new chances arise for
improving efficiency. In the future, we will increasingly offer mobile
order and pay to help our guests save even more time. As customers
will ever more often want to be able to access their favourite foods
and brands from wherever they are, we are also planning to expand
our distribution channels with delivery partners.”
After 12 years as CEO of Marché
International, Oliver Altherr sees
his task as being the company’s visionary.
An early trend spotter, he
tries to spread his enthusiasm and
implement new ideas and trends
throughout the company’s businesses.
His personal favourite is
the Cantonese cuisine: “The freshness
(e.g. of fish) is unbeatable!”
www.marche-restaurants.com/en
Trend Statements ❘❙
Trend for Select Dishes, Craft Spirits & ABC
“We are in the fashion industry to some extent and cuisines can
come in and out of fashion quite regularly. While cuisines like Italian
are perennially popular, new ones come out of relative obscurity
and can excite the market, like the current Nordic and Peruvian
trends.
Over the next decade, I think we will see trends for select dishes
from a cuisine. Currently, the Hawaiian Poke bowl is appearing
on menus. It’s a fresh seafood dish that works well with the health
maintenance trend.
At our Monsoon Poon restaurants, we have introduced a couple
of innovative menu items: Duck is not an everyday protein for our
guests and is quite time consuming to prepare properly at home.
Therefore, we now feature a number of duck dishes and have seen
consistently high sales. Another innovation is our South East Asian
‘anti pasta’ platter, which offers our customers a snap shot of what
our menu is about and is great for sharing.
Alcohol consumption, especially mainstream or low priced products,
is on the decline, but an increase in craft beers and cocktail
sales offsets any revenue loss. At the same time, craft spirits are
becoming the new craft beer: distilleries are popping up everywhere,
creating interesting spirits with local flavours or using old
school techniques not offered by the big players.
For those who choose not to drink, the trend is ABC – anything
but coke. Hence, we use interesting syrups and flavours to create
refreshing non-alcoholic beverages, which are very popular.”
Today the National President of
the Restaurant Association of New
Zealand and co-owner of Monsoon
Poon restaurants, Mike Egan
started his hospitality career as a
waiter. A huge fan of the Chicago
restaurant group ‘Lettuce Entertain
You’, he finds great inspiration
in the US market, paying special
attention to L.A., Chicago and Portland.
www.monsoonpoon.co.nz
FOODSERVICE EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST 3/17
What’s Hot in
Foodservice?