Lunch business

Growing concerns about the danger of too much sugar intake has recently come under the spotlight, with it being attributed to rising obesity levels and other health issues. These concerns have even raised the possibility of a sugar tax on products containing it. In June, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition highlighted the problem of sugar overload and suggested that just 5% of consumers’ energy should be from sugar consumption, with sugary drinks in particular needing tougher regulation and reduced consumption.

Considering that the British Sandwich Association (BSA) estimates that 3.5 billion sandwiches were sold in the last year, worth a staggering £7.25bn, operators can be assured of good returns if they keep up with the trends to drive sales further. With growing optimism about the economy, taking advantage of new product development, different packaging formats and specific eating occasions is key.

Breakfast is big business for café and grab and go outlets, and many operators are capitalising on the boom with offers and new products. Chains such as Costa Coffee, for example, kicked the year off by promoting its ‘Breakfast Heaven Before Eleven’ offer, which gives its Coffee Club card members the chance to purchase breakfast for £1, while Just Falafel says it spotted a gap in the market for a tasty vegetarian range, so recently introduced a falafel-based breakfast menu for its outlets.

Tell me about your background After leaving university I started working at Lloyds bank as a manager. After five, maybe six years, I decided it wasn’t what I wanted to do and realised I wanted to become a chef. The safest best for me would’ve been sat back in the bank earning nice money, doing less hours, but I don’t regret leaving for a second.

What is your recruitment strategy at Pizza Hut?

Is the out of home coffee market facing any challenges and opportunities? Research shows that somewhere in the region of 99 million ‘lost’ coffee sales in the OOH market can be attributed to poor quality; consumers have high expectations and are happier to go without than compromise.

Tell me about your background? I grew up in a village in Suffolk wanting to be a chartered surveyor like my father. My love of food was instilled into me from an early age – my family were often entertaining and my mum loved to cook.

Peter Flaxman, director of Solutions 4 Caterers, commented: “As consumer confidence slowly begins to recover, many companies are looking to expand into new sites and grow their business. This is a trend we are seeing amongst many of our clients, and that is supported by the latest industry figures.