BaxterStorey, the UK’s largest independent hospitality provider, has been awarded a three-year contract with the Milton Keynes site of independent charirty group, AQA Education.
This new partnership will see BaxterStorey incorporate a café for both employees and visitors to deliver a quality, value for money hospitality offer, whilst focusing heavily on sustainability and minimising food waste.
The contract includes an artisan coffee bar and in-house grab-and-go service, offering fresh panini’s, salads, and sandwiches. The offer will be flexible enough to accommodate seasonal increases in headcount, as the charity peaks with as many as 500 additional exam markers over the summer period.
To streamline service during peak times, BaxterStorey will be offering handheld street food selections and fast-tracked boxed hot pots.
AQA, which also has sites in Guildford, Manchester, Harrogate and London, sets and marks over half of the GCSE and A-Level exams taken in the UK every year. Over the last two years the exam board has been operating an extensive refurbishment programme to open its brand-new office.
As part of this programme, BaxterStorey will work with the charity to create a new collaborative, engaging destination office to suit the organisation’s move to hybrid, agile working.
Combining BaxterStorey’s commitment to minimise food waste and reduce environmental impact, the contract will also support AQA’s wider commitment to sustainability.
There will be no disposables on site and visitors will been encouraged to use re-usable cups for hot drinks. Minimising food waste will also be a big focus, and the food offering will implement BaxterStorey’s Food EQ culture.
By focusing on fresh, locally sourced produce, BaxterStorey has created a Food EQ model, which celebrates plant-based ingredients and changes the reliance on meat and fish as a sole source of protein to introduce alternatives such as grains and pulses to become the stars of the plate.
Through this, the hospitality provider will be highlighting the need for a more balanced diet that contributes to healthy living and a more sustainable future.
BaxterStorey’s Regional Managing Director, Peter Kent, noted, “The design of the space at AQA centres on creating shared experiences and promoting collaboration, and we’re excited to be bringing our expertise and innovation to the staff and visitors at AQA.
'We’re also looking forward to supporting the charity as it implements its sustainability initiatives, such as minimising the use of disposable packaging and reducing food waste.”