May 2007 Archives

We've had sleep directors and chief romance officers, goldfish to help you sleep better and life style gurus to help you live better (and remove your guilt of having too much cash). Hell, you can even ReSet your pancreas if need be.

But consultants Audio Sushi (do they like to keep it raw?) are on the scene and aiming to help Chicago Rock Cafes and others across the land abandon soft rock and faux-seventies tunes as part of their latest service: Corporate Music Direction.

Although contract caterers could be forgiven for thinking their role is to serve good food at keen prices in attractive environments it appears in the spirit of "the client is always right" a certain operational flexibility is always useful.

Yes having puzzled over Atkins, endured the cabbage diet (pooey) and got our heads around GI, a new "revolutionary" diet aid has arrived in the City and could be on the menu at a firm near you soon.

ReSet is a weight loss programme that claims to do-what-it-says-on the-tin and reset the function of your pancreas, reducing acidity to a neutral PH to reprogramme appetite and reduce hunger and cravings with the use of an apparently patented technology called Viscofiber plus Whey Protein (yes, that's the science part).

There was more than a ripple of excitement in retail and hospitality circles yesterday when a new report revealed that Costa Coffee has usurped Starbucks as the largest UK coffee shop chain.

According to the report from Allegra Strategies, Costa now has 24.7% of the market with 555 stores, compared to 24.1% for Starbucks (540).

But word reaches Kitchen Rat that the figures might not be wholly as they seem - more of a skinny version of the truth.

Wembley Stadium has been through an awful lot to get to the stage of opening its doors to the paying public this weekend. Now the football is out of the way it can continue on its true path - as a convention centre for Britain's rich and wealthy.

Somehow one Caterer hack was invited to such a 'do' this week and sat down with 350 fellow diners from the world of hospitality, tourism and sport and promptly paid a visit to a nearby McDonalds to use their facilities.

Dining for such numbers shouldn't be a problem for a stadium which holds 90,000 and charges £8.50 for burger and chips and, in a Kitchen Rat exclusive review, the food wasn't too bad. A roast vegetable terrine was manageable enough and went down well with a fruity white. The lamb main course provided tender meat but scant roast potatoes and veg. Sadly it was the dessert which left one feeling a little hot to trot...

Kitchen Rat was interested to see that the "Iron chancellor" Gordon Brown elected to kick off his challenge for the Labour Party leadership at the Imagination Gallery in London with the catchphrase "new ideas and vision". Nice.

Whether Gordon will successfully cater to the party faithful's needs only time will tell but the choice of venue was neat as the feeding duties are handled by contract caterer Vacherin whose director of business development Phil Roker is competing in this year's Frankfurt Iron Man on 1 July.

Venue-Elior was introduced ahead of its launch later this month to a crowd of event bookers at Lloyds of London last week.

Headed by the unlikely sounding Scot, Raymond Santamaria, the service will offer 40 prestigious venues to event bookers to hire, such as Kempton Park, with catering provided by incumbent Elior UK.

But Kitchen Rat hears Santamaria, now UK marketing manager for Venue-Elior, has taken an even more unlikely career path to reach his current position than his unusual surname suggests.

The impact of the smoking ban has had it all. Landlords are scared about what their pubs will really smell like once the haze of smoke has gone. Pub operators have poured millions into rebuilding sites fit for outdoor smoking. Even the nasty phrase, smoking solutions, has reared its corporate head in response to the legislation.

Now, in a Daily Mirror exclusive there comes a warning that local councils expect litter levels to rise by 20% with an extra 25 tonnes of fag packets, dog ends, cellophane and matches will be discarded on the streets.

Kitchen Rat has heard love is in the air. Yes, improbable job of the week - surely up there with Travelodge's director of sleep - is Unique Vacations' (they had to be, didn't they?) Chief Romance Officer.

Yes Unique, representatives of Sandals Resorts, has appointed Joann Delgin to the newly created Cupid-type role minus the bow and arrow.