A round-up of the latest news from the contract catering sector...
Museum piece
Events caterer Payne & Gunter, part of the Compass Group, has teamed up with Indian restaurant group Café Lazeez to provide Asian food for special events at London's Natural History Museum. Payne & Gunter runs events catering at the museum.
Sodexho holds Leicestershire management contract
The Leicestershire Partnership and Consortium NHS Trust has retained Sodexho to manage its catering, housekeeping, caretaking, portering, linen and laundry services for a further five years. The services are provided to 15 community hospitals and about 100 other sites under the trust's control. Sodexho's management contract is worth £294,000 a year. The budget for the services is £4m a year.
Catering bosses under fire
Bosses at Rentokil Initial (parent of Initial Catering Services) and Compass Group have appeared in a list of Britain's most "overpaid" executives compiled for the Observer newspaper. Rentokil chairman Sir Clive Thompson was paid £2.9m last year, 247 times the £11,696 earned by an average employee. Compass boss Mike Bailey was paid £2,072,000 while the average staff member earned £10,536.
Catering Alliance directors up for gong
Catering Alliance founders and directors Sean Hagan, Russell Scandrett and Michael Scott have reached the finals of the Entrepreneur of the Year competition organised by accountants Ernst & Young. They are shortlisted in the business products and services category.