This is the last of our series of articles. In the first we focused on food trends, and whilst these are incredibly important whatever food or drinks are provided, whether free issue or charged for, the presentation and environment is so important to the overall feeling of enjoyment and perception of value.
Millennials and Generation Z are seeking physical community, and cafes and places to eat can provide this community. Schools, and in particular boarding schools, are communities in their own right, and creating the right environment linked to the catering offers needs to be carefully planned, with the right lighting, decor, furniture branding and signage, and, above all, food and drink offer, from a cafe offer to a full food offer in a servery.
Whatever the food that is being served, from cafe traybakes, coffee or servery food, the use of display boards, using height, colour and natural materials are all important to show the food in the best possible way.
Remember people buy with their eyes. The food can have excellent provenance and be expertly prepared but if it is not well displayed and served, all the effort has been to no avail.
We run cafe tours in London for our university and commercial clients, that visit a range of artisan and chain cafes, and we look at agile working spaces such as We Work and Second Home, who are pioneering the way people are now working, eating and socialising; these tours could be as relevant to the independent education sector.
To learn more, please email Charles.manners@turpinsmale.co.uk, visit www.turpinsmale.co.uk, or call 02076 200 011/07836 550 356.
