in partnership with
Return of the food hall
By Prof David Russell in partnership with Peter Russell
F
orbes reported, at the start of this
year, that “food halls are the new
food trucks” and that we’d see many
more of these opening in 2019. This has
certainly been the case with approximately
20 opening across London in the past year.
Working with this concept of food
delivery is something we at Russell
Partnership Consulting have extensive
experience of, coming from work with
major events across the globe. We define
a food hall as “a space which delivers fast
casual food from a collection of independent
outlets utilising a mixture of counter and
full-service options”. This is delivered
in a boutique and eclectic style, offering
speciality food in a dining destination.
Food halls meet many of the growing
trends that are happening within the industry
such as the increased popularity for more
personalised food options and a desire to
move away from homogenous brands and
onto gourmet niche offers. Growing trends
displayed within food halls also consist of
health-focused dining, communal meals
Plant-based revolution expands
to unprecedented levels
By Matthew White, chair of the University Caterers Organisation (TUCO) and director
of catering, hotel and conferencing at the University of Reading
I
t’s that time of year when we release
our invaluable Global Food and
Beverage Trends Report 2019 in
association with thefoodpeople.
Now in its third year, the report was
launched to a fanfare at our recent summer
conference at the University of York.
Forming part of our research arm, it was
launched under our TUCO banners of
#grow and #learn. A must-read for all
hospitality workers, the report highlights
food and drink trends over the past 12
months which have influenced those
elusive millennial and gen Z groups.
Identifying global, social and cultural
trends which work at an overarching
cultural level, the report helps pinpoint
what drives food and beverage trends
and how caterers can use these to their
full advantage. The 12 key overarching
and budget friendly options – all available
in this all-purpose environment.
When we examine this in relation to the
student food experience, the food hall format
lends itself perfectly to this environment.
Many students will dine together but want
to eat different meals due to preference and
necessity. We also know that the lines are
more blurred than ever before when it comes
to dining, socialising and working with food
hubs becoming a ‘third space’ for students
and university staff alike. Furthermore, a
trends from 2018 continue but with subtle
changes in influence and prominence.
For example, in the ‘health for all’
category, the report finds health is no
longer about special diets. It’s not a
trend but a lifestyle. The report also
recognises two new sub trends for
2019: clean energy and good carbs.
In the plant-based revolution, the report
finds it’s no longer about whether you
are vegan or vegetarian; it’s more about
reducing your reliance on animal-based
products to support your own health and
the environment. It finds this category
has expanded to “unprecedented levels”
with new products being launched daily
and is no longer the preserve of niche
food outlets or specialist supermarkets.
And that’s what really interests me about
these findings. We are continually pushed
Image © depositphotos.com
recent report from savethestudent.org states
that students spend an average of £29 per
week on food and takeaways, demonstrating
that students continue to have a budgetary
allocation for food and beverage options.
This poses the question: are food halls the
answer for universities looking to diversify
their central food and beverage offering,
while also driving the student experience?
What are your thoughts? Let’s chat…
@RP_Consultants
to provide commercial success within
our own operations, and by using market
data such as this, we can help navigate
the pitfalls and provide a truly innovative
and desired campus dining experience.
As an organisation, TUCO strives to
deliver real value to its members, and
we do this by supporting our peers with
global research such as this, as well as our
procurement services, our award-winning
academy and events throughout the calendar
year to help advance knowledge and skills.
We are the leading professional
membership body for in-house caterers,
and we continue to work to provide
quality standards and advice to those
working in public sector catering.
To read the full report, please go to
www.tuco.ac.uk
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