INDUSTRY ORGANISATION AND ROLE MODEL CASE STUDY – LEXINGTON CATERING Introduction This case study consists of background information about the food and service management company Lexington Catering and a personal profile of Ben McEwen, who was a trainee on Lexington’s graduate training programme. The content is based on information from the website and a questionnaire interview. Many thanks to Ben and to Lexington for providing this information.
Lexington is a quality work placement provider with Springboard’s INSPIRE scheme.
Here is a message for young people taking hospitality and catering qualifications from Tim West, Chief Executive of Lexington Catering. Tim explains what the Food and Service Management sector does (also known as contract catering or contract food service provision) and why the INSPIRE scheme is so important. “INSPIRE has been wholly embraced by the Food and Service Management sector (F&SM) as we are committed to providing first class work experience, be that for a taster day or a year-long placement. INSPIRE is the definitive guide to ensuring that we deliver that first class work experience for you, and during this experience we seek to nurture future talent. F&SM is all about feeding people away from home and includes fine dining, restaurants, bars, delis and coffee shops, sports and events, leisure centres, department stores and the managing facilities service such as reception, security, housekeeping, shops. We also cater for education, hospitals and the Ministry of Defence. All of us in F&SM enjoy a rewarding and varied career. There are fantastic opportunities for those considering a career in this business. Just look at some of the participating companies’ web sites! INSPIRE provides the framework and if you are looking to gain work experience in catering then we want to hear from you….”
1
Background Lexington Catering is committed to be a leader in the world of food and service and has created a style and feel that is unique, contemporary, fresh and welcoming: •
Style that is visible in the presentation of food
•
Style in the creativity of menus
•
Style in the appearance and attitude of Lexington people
•
Style and imagination in the merchandising of the restaurants
Lexington offers a wide range of services, each with its own style and aimed at exceeding clients’ expectations of the contract and satisfying customers. Café Style Lexington Catering is partnered with Starbucks and Illy to provide some of the very best coffee bar services for clients. This partnership ensures high demand for coffees and enables competitive pricing of the drinks. Complimented with teas, infusions, smoothies, juices, handmade cakes, muffins and flapjacks this enables a very cost effective service.
Where space is at a premium this service along with warming soups and freshly baked breads, sandwiches, paninis, wraps and boxed salads, fresh fruits and yoghurts, allows Lexington to provide a highly valued service with minimal space and financial outlay.
2
Restaurant Style Customers have a choice – so Lexington focuses on winning and keeping their custom by: • • • • •
Viewing everything from the customers’ perspective Understanding that most customers have a limited time for lunch and need to dine in a friendly and efficient atmosphere Where possible plating complete meals in contemporary china Considering food should be fresh fun and funky Trying to make sure that every customer visit is a great experience
Client Dining For private dining clients Lexington looks after every aspect of the experience to provide enjoyable, delicious food and impeccable service. Seasonal menus using the finest ingredients are tailored to suit each occasion perfectly such as: • • • •
Stylish formal dining for breakfast, lunch or dinner Simple, informal bistro style dining Creative menus for special occasions Superb wines and champagne Close attention to every detail allows the clients to entertain their guests confident in the knowledge that both will receive the very best service. Hospitality With the hospitality service for meeting rooms and events Lexington ensures the food and drink looks fantastic, tastes wonderful and is easy to eat and drink. Lexington offers: • • •
energizing breakfasts for early meetings espressos and cappuccinos with biscotti for morning meetings working lunches – ranging from classic sandwiches and wraps to contemporary bowl food and sharing plates or • just a plate of Neal’s Yard cheese and home made chutneys • organic, Fairtrade tea and coffee • leaf teas and infusions with fingers of lemon drizzle cake for afternoon meetings • cocktail parties for hundreds of guests • healthy alternatives in meetings such as fresh cut or dried fruit • the water provide can be either bottled spring waters or the Vivreau style Lexington’s vast experience ensures that everything is completely professional, timely and discreet.
3
Ethical and local Lexington customers can be assured that the best ingredients are sourced from sustainable sources and are as local as possible to reduce the ‘food miles’. The company also promotes the use of products that have been ethically traded including Fairtrade and Rain Forest Alliance, and uses produce from suppliers accredited with Food Standards Assured, Red Tractor, Leaf Mark and Freedom Foods.
Here are just some of the advantages resulting from the company’s ethical and local approaches: ‘All our food is fresh, seasonal, minimally processed and bursting with flavour!’ ‘Freshly prepared, stylish food using the finest local ingredients.’ ‘We cook from scratch using fresh, authentic and natural ingredients, complemented with cooking techniques that preserve nutrition and produce healthy dishes.’ ‘We only use British organic milk. This means our cows aren’t given routine antibiotics and haven’t grazed on pastures treated with artificial pesticides. Organic milk is naturally higher in nutrients than non-organic.’ ‘Our salad leaves are amazing! They are grown for us by Charles on his farm in Surrey.’ ‘It is all about flavour – we are committed to creating food that tastes fantastic and is totally natural.’ ‘Fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits are prepared at the last minute to ensure optimum nutrition and flavour.’ ‘All our chickens come from happy homes and every egg is free-range.’ ‘All our sandwiches are freshly made every day on site by our chefs, using natural ingredients.’ Click on the image to see one of Lexington’s seasonal recipes.
4
Gold Medals for Lexington at La Parade des Chefs The Lexington Culinary Team scooped two gold medals in the ‘La Parade des Chefs’ restaurant competition at Le Salon Culinaire at Hotelympia 2010. This is the first time Lexington have entered La Parade des Chefs - a renowned fine dining experience at the heart of Hotelympia where ten teams of chefs cook for visitors and their guests.
Cooking at the ExCel-based show, the team comprising Team Manager Mark Parfait, Team Captain Danny Leung, Team Chefs Craig Coe, Danny Moore and Mike Roddy and Pastry Chef Sam Potter, cooked a three course meal for 100 covers. Their simple, British menu consisted of saddle of rabbit and smoked black pudding and a crispy free range hen egg to start, followed by a main course of butter roasted halibut, cannelloni of Cornish crab and cockles and a dessert of cherry Bakewell tart and Jersey milk ice cream. Lexington also won a Gold medal for the best food safety and hygiene at La Parade des Chefs. Chef Director, Rob Kirby, was thrilled with the result. He said: “I am incredibly proud of our chef team – especially as we are the only small company in the Parade. This shows that we can compete at the highest level, and to receive two gold medals on our first outing is amazing.” Working with Lexington If you aim to provide great food and great service for clients and customers you need great people! Lexington is determined to become an employer of choice for catering staff and offers an environment that is both rewarding and enjoyable. The company’s recruitment strategies aim to ensure the best possible people are employed and there are retention and development policies in place to ensure they stay.
5
At all levels Lexington’s employees contribute to the success of the company and the culture encourages inclusivity and values individuality. Pay is good plus an excellent benefits package and first class training and development such as: • • • • • • • • • •
A thorough company induction Regular reviews and a personalised training programme Annual appraisals Social events that bring teams together Private health care cover and life assurance (for supervisors and managers) Enhanced holiday entitlement linked to length of service Days off for everyone on their birthday A 'get out of work' free card for exceptional service Funding for courses The opportunity to take time out on community based projects - such as Chefs Adopt a School
Training and development Lexington is committed to delivering exceptional service through a well trained and motivated team. Lexington’s approach provides continuous review and development of teams as they grow with the company, nurturing talent at every level and providing opportunities for personal development through individual training programmes. Lexington offers a bespoke training package of “Lex Workshops” that provide a comprehensive induction and help retain Lexington’s strong culture and values.
Lex Training Tree – Lex be the Best
6
“Lex be the Best” is all about customer focus. It provides teams with tools to deliver exceptional service and complete the experience of dining with Lexington. It also ensures compliance and best practice with health and safety, food safety and environment. Graduate Training Programme Lexington runs a Graduate Scheme. Here is some information from Ben McEwen who joined Lexington Catering in June 2008 after completing a degree in Hospitality Management at Oxford Brookes University. Prior to University Ben had gained experience in restaurants, pubs and nightclubs, and during his placement year at Oxford Brookes Ben joined prestigious Ocean Line Cunard. He enjoyed 2 contracts onboard QE2 travelling the world and working in the dining rooms, housekeeping, reception and bar. The following summer he returned for a further contract onboard QM2 on her transatlantic, Caribbean and Norwegian routes. After returning to Brookes to complete his degree Ben continued to work in a range of hospitality environments including a stint for Vauxhall, managing the drivers lounge on the British Touring Car Championship. Other highlights of Ben’s University career included a trip to Romania to work on a food tourism project and speaking at the annual PATH conference in Dublin in 2008. He has also won several awards to date including the ‘Association of Restaurateurs of Great Britain Award’ in 2005 and ‘The Raymond Blanc Prize’ for Gastronomy in 2008. On settling into his career with Lexington Ben truly enjoyed himself at work and further developed his passions for great food and service. He was delighted to have become a Springboard Ambassador, a further opportunity to meet new people and share his experiences. Ben won the Savoy Gastronomes Olive Barnett Award 2009. Question: Ben, can you tell us about Lexington’s Graduate Training Programme? Answer: Yes, the Lexington Graduate scheme has been a tremendous opportunity and a hugely rewarding experience. A fine balance of management direction coupled with full operational exposure has enabled me to focus on learning about all aspects of the business. Working for Lexington has been very enjoyable, the encouragement from managers and Directors has made me feel very welcome and in addition the personal support from my mentor Director has been extremely valuable.
7
Question: What about your school qualifications Ben? Answer: Well the reassuring thing for the young people out there is that, when I was 16, I really had no idea what I wanted to do, so I chose subjects that I enjoyed and was good at. For GCSE I did the usual English, Maths and Science as well as History, IT, Dramatic Arts, French and Spanish. I knew I wanted to have an opportunity to travel so that is why I picked the languages. For A Level I stayed in school and did sixth form where I did a double AVCE in Media and AS/A2 in French and English. Then I took a gap year and worked before going to Oxford Brookes to do Hospitality on the advice of my dad! One thing I would definitely advocate is the extra curricular activities, which have helped me all through my life. For example my Duke of Edinburgh Award and some volunteer work I have done in Wales and Africa. My interviewer for Cunard actually told me it was partly due to these extra things which I had done in school (yes school!!!) that he chose me for QE2. So even though a career or university seems a long way off – it’s never too early to start planning, and enjoying yourself at the same time, for example through sports teams, first aid, leisure pursuits etc. Click here to visit Springboard’s Inspire website where you can view a YouTube video Lexington Catering’s Graduate Scheme. Site Manager Many trainees will progress to assistant manager then manager of one of Lexington’s clients’ sites. The role of a typical Site Manager includes: • • • • • • • • •
Taking ownership and proactively managing the food service in restaurant/deli/ coffee bars/hospitality suite Recruiting, selecting, inducting, reviewing, and appraising team members Project management of special events Being responsible for compilation of budgets and constantly monitoring budgets Efficient liaison with clients Working with the Chef to ensure the smooth running of the kitchens, appealing menus and production of great food Excellent communication with staff, boss and customers Producing reports as appropriate Ensuring all Lexington policies are adhered to and that all legal requirements are met For further information about Lexington Catering and details of job opportunities please visit: www.lexingtoncatering.com
8