Month End Status

Well what a month end post to launch with for MARCH 2020!

From the very beginning of TAF’s existence, back at the end of 2018, it was my intention to post a month end blog. It never actually happened because I underestimated just how the TAF Catering Consultancy would take off and how busy we would be; it’s been hectic since day one, 1st November 2018.

That was until two weeks ago when we went into “self isolation” with the rest of the UK, back on Wednesday 23rd March 2020. Then there was THAT surreal national broadcast, with everyone in the UK bleakly gathered around TV, PC, laptop and/or smart phone to witness our Prime Minster’s clear instruction to stay at home and only leave your house “to shop for basic necessities (food, medicine and exercise) and if you did leave the house to distance yourself from anyone else by two metres”. The term “self isolation” was one we would never have considered to roll off the tongue so frequently but then that was before the Coronavirus Outbreak or COVID-19 shook our planet to its core.

Today we’re waking up to the unpredictability of what’s being dubbed the “CORONAVIRUS BUDGET”. Novice Chancellor Rishi Sunak gives his first budget to a country in crisis post-Brexit and already we suspect there could be serious implications for our Foodservices Sector.

Do you currently manage a catering, hospitality or foodservice facility and worried about the impact of CORONAVIRUS in catering for a depleted onsite population? If you haven’t already written a Business Continuity Plan to deal with the unfolding crisis, then ACT NOW, with TAF supporting your first steps. READ…

Huge pressures face today’s UK foodservices. The impact of climate change and its severe weather implications are already significantly affecting our food supply.

READ the below infographic to access TAF’s KEY CROPS TO WATCH so that you and your catering teams can prepare more sustainable menus, plan menus better and control purchasing budgets more effectively TODAY!

ALEX MINGONI | Consultant

If you’re in Facilities, Foodservice Procurement or just interested in managing your food costs better… Contact us if you want to transform your foodservices TODAY at !

What an absolutely amazing first year in 2019 for us at TAF as we reflect and celebrate (especially being touted proverbial new kids on the catering consultancy block)!

First Year Highlights

TAF’s Top of the Pops highlights 15 of the projects we’ve completed:

1. 5 MARKET REVIEWS (100% workplace catering)
2. 500% Average SALES UPLIFT (after the Market Reviews we’ve completed)
3. 3 Coffee and Café BENCHMARK REPORTS
4. 10 Happy B&I Catering Consultancy CLIENTS (Facilities and Procurement)
5. 1 KITCHEN DESIGN (in a London landmark building)
6. 1 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
7. 30+ CATERER MEETINGS
8. 33% Response rates from CUSTOMER SURVEYS
9. 62,000 CUSTOMERS at client sites benefiting from better workplace catering
10. 8 Leading CUSTOMER APPS analysed
11. 10+ Industry-shaping EVENTS attended
12. 1 Charity Ball SPONSORSHIP
13. 1 JUDGING of one of the foodservice industry’s most illustrious awards
14. 1 Little Girl in Tanzania SPONSORED
15. 1 MAGAZINE Feature

Today we are mostly celebrating 1 year of the TAF Catering Consultancy Ltd and, hurrah, what a phenomenal ride!

Apparently we’re THE “fresh, forward-thinking, innovative, app-savvy & sustainability-focused” catering consultancy (not our words but some of the words used by the clients who’ve appointed us).

Hospitality UK* reported last year that the hospitality sector employed 3.2 million people and produced £130 billions of economic activity. It represented 10% of UK employment and third largest private sector employer. Hospitality is the largest sub-sector of the tourism industry, employing around three-quarters of its total workforce. Its contribution to the overall UK employment rate is impressive, being one of the seven top employers in every region in the country (11% employment across all regions).

Despite the historical figures, most occupations in hospitality, in 2019, are still perceived as “low-skilled” by the general public, making its appeal and recruitment rates poor compared to other industries.

Yesterday we attended BITES Live 2019. Hospitality business leaders shared thoughts with us on challenges and opportunities within the sector. A lively thought-provoking day, the speakers addressed independent F&B businesses, well-known pub and restaurant chains, food retailers and consultants. The common goal: to be inspir
ed, gain valuable insight and exchange experiences.

Our Conference Highlights

1. Savanta | Top 100 Most Loved Eating Out Brands

The “Top 100 most loved eating out brands” were presented by market research company Savanta in a report, charts and a video shedding light and insight on consumer behaviour and what makes customers loyal to brands. NB. Their report, which we now have copies of, is due to be launched later this month.

Our catering consultancy is not even a year old and, for the first time, I was invited to be a judge for one of the most illustrious set of awards in our industry last Friday. With this said, it’s pretty fair to say I was super excited.

Why is this? I’ve always valued awards ceremonies as they highlight outstanding individuals, companies and initiatives making significant contributions to an industry – in this case, looking at the exceptional talent drawn from the wonderful world of contract catering, evaluating who does ”it” best and then presenting those considered the “best” with an award at a glittering awards gala dinner at a prestigious hotel in the heart of our fabulous city towards the end of the year, in front of peers and competitors.

Last Thursday 28th March, there was a breakfast debate at The Clink Restaurant at HMP Brixton about the ‘City of London: Prison and Prisoners’, where Alderman William Russell – due to be Lord Mayor of the City 2019/2020 subject to election – was the guest speaker. It was both an intimate yet very sobering session, one I was privileged to attend.

A recent Justice Data Lab Report says a Clink graduate is a WHOPPING 49.6% less likely to reoffend having been through training.

5 Things to Know:

1. Today there are circa. 84,000 prisoners in the UK; 80,000 men and 4,000 women
2. 49% of prisoners reoffend within one year of release
3. If a sentence is less than 12 months, that figure rises to 66%
4. Reoffending costing the UK Taxpayer a total of £15bn a year
5. There is a huge skills shortage in UK hospitality