Leading UK hospitality provider, BaxterStorey was awarded with the Business and Industry Caterer of the Year Award at the Foodservice Cateys run by hospitality magazine The Caterer on Friday 12 October.
BaxterStorey was recognised at the annual ceremony held at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge both for its commitment to the people that make up the business and its focus on provenance in its offering. The business was described by one judge as 'a caterer we can all look up to'.
The company, which employs more than 8,500 people at over 700 locations has a (UK) turnover of over £380m and is renowned for its dedication to the development and training of its teams.
The group's focus on its people is demonstrated clearly through its chef, barista and service academies, which provide extensive and industry-leading training throughout the UK and Ireland, helping to both further careers, and offer an unrivalled service to clients.
This people ethos for which BaxterStorey is renowned has had phenomenal results for both employee and client retention. Chef retention, for example, currently sits at 72% for those who have attended the academy in the past five years.
The business’ commitment to the development of its baristas, with the launch earlier this year of a dedicated training centre in London for the barista academy, has had a clear impact on coffee sales, with some sites reporting increases of between 11 and 22%.
BaxterStorey’s flexibility and ability to respond to current trends in its client offering also sets it apart from others in the foodservice industry. The business’ Healthy Me nutrition initiative is indicative of this in which, having observed a significant rise in customers following vegetarian and vegan-based diets, the company launched 20 recipes which were solely plant-based, using fresh and exciting ingredients.
Noel Mahony, CEO at BaxterStorey, said, “We were absolutely thrilled to have been awarded the Business and Industry Caterer of the Year Foodservice Catey on Friday night. Our teams work incredibly hard to support our clients and customers while keeping our offer fresh and innovative.
“We are continuously looking at new ways to support the development of our people and this year has seen the launch of our newest Academy focusing on front of house service skills.
'Our continued dedication to food provenance, supporting British farming along with our commitment to becoming a more sustainable business are even more important today and a number of our recent initiatives have come directly from our teams across the business.
“It is a privilege to work with our amazing people, and it is thanks to them and their dedication that we credit this magnificent win.”
