Compass attracts employees to workplace restaurants in the recession

The three workplace restaurants or Centres of Excellence are Procter & Gamble in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the Vodafone head office in Newbury and Simons Construction in Lincoln. As a Centre for Excellence, Procter & Gamble has introduced new elements to its breakfast and lunch services, including a daily live chef's theatre and food sampling. Employees can try new meals and choose from a wide range of fresh and healthy foods without leaving the office. The Centre for Excellence programme places the improvement of food quality and presentation, the controlling of food costs, the use of concepts and promotions and the driving of purchasing compliance at its heart but also ensures that all business services undertaken by Compass are performed to the highest standards. Joy Dinsdale, Site Services Leader, UK North, Procter & Gamble UK and Ireland, said: "Employee feedback relating to dining room standards, healthy food offerings and general service has been consistently positive since this effort began some. We all know how hard it is to please employees in the dining room; this is the result of much hard work by the team." Graham Sims, Managing Director of Eurest Services, Compass Group UK & Ireland, said: "Centres for Excellence demonstrate what all caterers should strive for, particularly in times of recession when employees are looking for healthy meals on a budget. Good workplace catering will mean that employees will not have to and will not want to go elsewhere."