RE:STYLE | FOUNDRY & LUX AND PROTECTIVE LIFE INSURANCE

RE:STYLE

re:fined retail best practices to support a new guest experience

The hallmark of Bon Appétit cafés has always been about putting the fresh, whole ingredients out front for guests to see. With the increased need for prepackaged and reduced-contact meals, we’re restyling our merchandising approach and our café setups to offer the same restaurant-quality meals in enticing new ways.

FOUNDRY & LUX REOPENS FOR TAKEOUT, UPS INSTAGRAM GAME

AFTER CLOSING DURING San Mateo County’s shelter-in-place order, Foundry & Lux in South San Francisco re-opened for pickup or on-campus delivery, using online ordering. With guests no longer able to walk around the café and eat with their eyes before deciding what to order, the Foundry & Lux team knew they had to find a way to get the word out. They already had a strong Insta gram following (@foundryandlux), but now they had to up their game even more.

Among their new, to-go-friendly offerings for this new era are special heat-and-eat Dinner Hero kits, cocktail kits, and more. As has been true since normal times, justharvested ingredients from Foundry & Lux’s on-site garden make their way into almost every menu item, giving the on-site team great fodder for photography. A Vietnamesestyle salad bowl, for example, featured herbs from the garden, grilled Mary’s Chicken, and a sweet chili dressing, while the new Silk Road Organic Matcha includes Foundry & Lux garden strawberries.

The colorful food photos are shot outside in natural light, often with a natural back ground of greenery, carefully composed in their to-go packaging to show guests what to expect when ordering from Foundry & Lux. Tagging the vendors who have products featured in various menu items or in kits has helped to increase reach. For variety, the team also posts staff in mid-prep and closeup shots of what’s growing in the garden. The efforts are working: Foundry & Lux now has more than 1,000 followers, and orders are going strong.

The Foundry & Lux garden also does double duty as a peaceful place for guests to queue as they wait to pick up their to-go orders. A walk-up window has increased the sales of coffee and tea as well as breakfast and lunch items.

Menu items like this Vietnamese-style salad bowl and rotisserie chicken are packaged in the to-go containers guests can expect and photographed outside in natural light to ensure the best photo possible

Always concerned about minimizing waste, the Foundry team added an option for guests to indicate they’d like to skip the togo bags and/or the packaged compostable cutlery kits when placing their online orders. Many have taken them up on it: there has since been a significant decrease in the number of bags and cutlery kits needed. — Submitted by Michelle Tejada, Catering Manager

Sous Chef Renita Brunridge and Catering Head Sharon Taylor prepare the day’s lunch entrées for Protective employees

PROTECTIVE LIFE INSURANCE KEEPS CREATIVITY IN THE BOX

WHILE MANY BON APPÉTIT CAFÉS across the nation closed temporarily during shelter-in-place orders, the Bon Appétit team at Protective Life Insurance Company in Birmingham, AL, has been fortunate to remain open to serve employees who must continue to work in the corporate office. With a smaller number of guests to serve and a shift to no-contact service, the team has come up with an out-of-the-box approach that’s — well, in a box!

At the start, General Manager Brandi Johnson challenged Executive Sous Chef Christina Fairley and Sous Chef Renita Brunridge to include creative and surprising items on the menu to tempt guests. Christina and Renita were up for it. Their creations include made-from-scratch challah turned it into stuffed French toast, with house-made cream cheese and berry compote; savory Sloppy Joe sandwiches with crumbled Beyond Meat “beef,” beets, and cremini mushrooms; and an Italian sub salad boasting a rainbow of vegetables, cured meats, cheese, and perky pepperoncini.

To make ordering easy for Protective employees, the Bon Appétit team shares the weekly menu by eblast a week in advance. Guests choose the menu items they want and order by email. They then pick up their prepared orders at their designated time each day, which helps prevent lines and ensures physical distancing can be main tained. The Bon Appétit team likes the process, too, as it ensures an accurate customer count, reduces the potential for food waste, and results in happy guests. Protective employees love that the same creative, cooked-from-scratch quality they’ve grown to love can be delivered in a manner that supports their safety.

By doubling down on safety and hospitality during this pandemic, Brandi and the Protective team hope to ease the minds of their guests when the café returns to full service. — Submitted by Brandi Johnson, General Manager

The Italian sub salad has all the flavors of the deli favorite