BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
E urest, the business dining arm of Compass Group North America, serves nearly one million meals to more than 1,600 facilities across the country. So, it’s no exaggeration to say Eurest has its fork on the pulse of B&I foodservice and where it’s going. B&I was arguably one of the most affected segments of onsite foodservice destroyed by the pandemic. While other segments, like K-12, are getting back on track, the work-from- home phenomenon means B&I has been on shaky ground for going on 5 years now. That means this side of the industry has had to be more clever and nimble than ever. Eurest uses real-time data from those millions of meals served to serve B&I in the most effective, meaningful — and profitable — way possible. Eurest’s Elev8 Hospitality group, alongside Compass Group’s E15 insights, is constantly tracking and analyzing sales trends, guest preferences, catering and industry innovations. “We leverage data to craft our menus and stay in touch with consumer preferences — everything from global demands to what people are ordering [from] the most popular restaurants in America,” said Chris Ivens-Brown, Chief Culinary Officer for Eurest
and Compass Group North America. “Understanding the full scope of guest preferences, coupled with our R&D efforts, we are able to deliver exceptional culinary experiences that rival anything our guests can get outside of our marketplaces.” Here are the four experiential B&I dining trends Eurest is betting on: NO ONE IS GETTING BORED WITH BOARDS Boards can get portable, but they’re always shareable. Many American diners, following popular dietary and fitness advice, are in love with protein. It’s a priority, and charcuterie boards happen to fit that space perfectly. Eurest is seeing a “surge of interest for deli classics, like meat, cheese and nuts, but through an elevated experience,” according to a report. Eurest kicked off the new year with a new deli offering called Boxed that allows guests to customize their own on-the-go charcuterie board. GRAB-AND-GLOBE The bolder, the better, Eurest guests have communicated. Flavor fusions of sweet, spicy, tangy, creamy and rich flavors are what workforce diners are craving, according to Eurest’s research. Last year, an
What the Workplace Dining Experience Will Look Like in 2025, According to Eurest The B&I foodservice giant pre- dicts major change in work- place dynamics, moving away from fast-casual convenience in business dining to social staple/ connecting force in the coming year.
BY TARA FITZPATRICK
10
QUARTERLY | Q1
PHOTOS COURTESY OF EUREST
Powered by FlippingBook