We recognise the importance of keeping our operations environmentally friendly and actively encouraging healthy eating in and out of our outlets. Working with local suppliers has helped develop relationships that provide our customers quality, fresh produce for the right price.
But our relationships go far beyond exchanging money for products; we help develop our suppliers and allow them to grow with us. We feel this is a huge part of our corporate responsibility and helps highlight the importance of Universities within the local community.
The Hospitality team spreads far and wide across 4 campuses, and the commitment to provide the very best service emanates from every area.
In tune
with the university’s corporate plan, the Hospitality team is committed to incorporating sustainability into all aspects of service planning and delivery, covering social, economic, and environmental considerations.
The service strategy also follows the university’s wider core aims, in particular, by helping to improve the environment in which members of its community study, work and live.
Our team
is a collective of very talented individuals, each of whom contributes positively to successful service planning and delivery. In particular, all members of the team have embraced the University’s aim to be a leader in sustainable development and to make a positive contribution to communities outside of the University.
Training and development
Continued and increasing investment in training and development, and improving the way we communicate across the service has provided the foundations for rapid and successful growth.
As well as training for every employee at an appropriate level in Food Hygiene and Health and Safety, Hospitality Services also invest in many other areas. The following are examples of the training we offer to our team;
- Food allergen training for all production and front line staff
- Field trips to new food concepts in London and the South East
- Repeated trips to our fruit and vegetable growers in East Sussex
- Barista training
- Visits to supplier and manufacturer bases
- Customer Service training
- Sustainable food operations
- Waste control
- Mandatory e-learning
Our commitment
- We will ensure services reflect current catering trends; the function of all outlets is consumer led and customer demand is used appropriately in the design of front line food and beverage provision.
- Plan and manage cost effective services that provide competitively priced products and services.
- Develop monitoring points at each stage of the service chain, actively addressing deficiencies in a proactive and effective manner.
- Improve and widen responsibility towards environmental, social and sustainability issues related to supply, production, product choice and waste.
- Plan and support responsive training and development for all Hospitality staff whilst adopting policies to improve staff retention, motivation and effectiveness.
- Develop a service marketing and promotion plan that identifies the individual characteristics of each service function and utilises information technology at its core.
- Continue to improve and maintain facilities and equipment in order to provide an inviting and comfortable environment for customers and a clean, safe and appropriately designed work area for kitchen and service staff.
c-change
c-change is the university’s ambitious carbon reduction engagement campaign, which sets out to help achieve the target of cutting the university’s carbon by 50% in five years. Sustainable food plays a large role in this; allowing engagement with staff and students. c-change works closely with Food on Campus to raise awareness of both sustainability issues around food, but also the embedded carbon in the food we eat.
This partnership is delivered through regular initiatives raising awareness and highlighting small actions individuals can take in order to reduce their impact upon the environment by changing their food habits.
