OPERATIONS
It’s not just local restaurants, either: Dave’s Hot Chicken and Crumbl are na- tional brands found working with ezCa- ter. Pop-ups make the team work We’ve been hearing the phrase “sur- prise and delight” so often in the hospi - tality industry, the phrase itself is doing neither. However, the idea is solid: Part of the appeal of returning to office is the pos - sibility of unexpected (good) things hap- pening. At one Lifeworks B&I location in Vir- ginia, collabs with commodity groups like the California Avocado Commis- sion and manufacturers like Barilla for Professionals have played a key role in building a post-pandemic company cul- ture, working with LifeWorks on educa- tional “days” and special menus. During and immediately post-pan- demic, LifeWorks had been delivering at-home meals and pickup stations for remote employees, one of the tools B&I dining had to weather the storm. Now that return to office is happening on a larger scale, those at-home meals have shifted to dinners that employees can pick up on their way to the evening commute home. Occhipinti, who oversees business dining across the country, has been an architect on that culture building. Occhipinti uses collabs as a building tool that faces both the customer (the employees) and the dining team as well. “The California Avocado Commis- sion, the Watermelon Board and Baril- la have done training days, and we’ve fine-tuned it so these training days have been incredible for my team,” Occhipin - ti says. “I was worried that lentils might not be interesting, but it was so amazing and the chef demoed all kinds of ways to use them, like lentil granola—what a nutrient boost—with dark chocolate, nuts and toasted lentils. “The education piece is there and then the magic happens when we break chefs into teams and issue a challenge: Take this ingredients and what you’ve
“Today’s workplaces require adaptable solutions, especially with the rise of hybrid work models.”
-Cindy Klein Roche, Chief Growth Officer, ezCater
learned and make two different dishes,” she adds. The resulting “competition, fun, the smiles, the energy,” let Occhipinti know she’s onto something with periodic pop- ups, which of course benefit the em - ployees, too. “Now we have a dish they’ve creat- ed and we’re now showcasing it on our menu,” she says. “It’s a morale boost. At our locations, we also do teaching kitch- ens [for employees], and it’s been so well received.” Looking ahead, Occhipinti is planning to delve more into global cuisines, espe- cially West African. “Those authentic flavors are on the horizon, and even Italian can take a different approach by focusing on the different regions.” And a bright future could be ahead for return-to-office culture: The young - est employees, Occhipinti has noticed, aren’t afraid to wait around and even socialize while waiting for great food. “I see this really young demographic com- ing in,” she says, “and they don’t care if they have to wait for really great fla - vors and global flavors. They’re in line with friends or texting friends on their phones.” B&I Dining Buzzwords Glossary- Flexibility: While the initial wave of return to office culture features a Tues - day, Wednesday, Thursday hybrid with “shoulder days” Monday and Friday be - ing remote workdays. Foodservice has to be nimble enough to handle these
fluctuations, a continuing challenge. Local restaurants: It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. For example, a B&I pro- vider can work with local restaurants on certain special days to boost business and bury those competitive “town and gown” vibes. Food halls: “A food hall feels very upscale and ‘boutique’ so it’s not like walking through a servery and going to stations; it’s curated and everything is kind of self-contained,” Occhipinti says. “There are long farm tables and it’s not like you get your food and then go some- where else. You’re part of the space.” Customization: Part of a larger trend in the way we eat, having workplace meals catered (pun intended) to our very personal tastes and preferences equals a meaningful perk of returning to office. Pop-ups with guest chefs: While it may not be an exactly “captive audi- ence,” workplace dining can still fall victim to that old specter of monoto- ny. Working with corporate chefs from manufacturers, celeb chefs, local chefs and farmers are all ways to stir it up. Collabs with commodity boards: This works for both customers and those serving them, since new ideas (lentil granola, heart shaped pasta from Barilla, avocado everything) get creativity flow - ing in both directions. Educational pieces: Learning new techniques and all about global cuisines is another way for both office workers and dining teams to make returning to the office worthwhile.
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QUARTERLY | Q4
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