In its third year, Lexington’s Casual Dining competition is a team event which is open to participants from all sites across Lexington’s Business & Industry business. The winning team will witness the introduction of its concept across the business and will also be presented with £1,000 to celebrate.
Each team was briefed to create a new casual dining concept - complete with a menu, uniform, marketing and mobilisation plans – and the six new brands that reach the final are then rolled out across the wider business. In total 35 teams initially submitted written entries; 12 teams were then selected to showcase their concepts to the judges and six finalists were chosen to attend the final at OKN1.
Over 150 clients and guests attended the finals and sampled food concepts developed by the finalists and voted for their favourite brand which accounted for 30% of the final score.
Matt Wood, managing director of Lexington, said: “This competition is a highlight in our calendar as it showcases the extraordinary expertise and creativity that exists at Lexington. We have already rolled out 20 casual dining concepts, created by Lexington colleagues, over the last three years. I am so proud of the amazing talent we have within the business, and it is brilliant to be able to provide a platform for this expertise to flourish.”
Saraca combines the flavours of chef Jacqui’s Grenadian roots with dishes that feature aromatic notes of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, which are the heart of Grenadian cuisine. The small plates concept celebrates Grenada’s communal food culture, inviting diners to come together and savour traditional Grenadian dishes.
Jacqui Fraser, development chef for Saraca, added: “We created the Grenadian concept to show who we are as a country and share our cultural identity. Grenada might be a little island, but we have some big flavours! We wanted to translate our presence into food and bring something different to this competition.”