Don't shoot Catercheck - we're only the messenger
The view of the Catercheck survey (Caterer, 11 September, page 17) expressed by Tim Price (Caterer, 18 September, page 22) should be seen simply as that - just a view based on individual experience.
Having checked our records, we find that, surprisingly, Tim Price hasn't applied to receive a copy of the survey.
Therefore, I presume his views are based not only on his individual experience, but also only on a snapshot of the survey as reported in Caterer.
Anyone reading the survey in its entirety would know that we interviewed clients of contractors across 80 sites, with a customer base of 71,000 entitled users. Industries canvassed were the motor industry, media, IT, food manufacturing, public utilities and the finance industry.
The views and data collected were not Catercheck's, but the clients who actually pay the contractors' invoices. We simply reported the results and reflected them against a similar survey produced by the Industrial Society in 1993.
Tim Price may not like or agree with the results of the Catercheck survey. However, my advice to him is to obtain a full copy to understand the data fully, particularly as half of all proceeds are going to the industry's charity, Hospitality Action.
VICTOR TIPPINS
MANAGING DIRECTOR, CATERCHECK CONSULTANCY SERVICES,
BY E-MAIL
Blackness descends as we lose a very good friend
I've just lost a very good friend, who was there for me in good times and bad, happy times and sad. It was a friendship given unstintingly and without question.
My friend welcomed everyone. Royalty, film stars, politicians. All were treated the same, but above all my friend welcomed me and others just like me.
When money was being sought for charity my friend was always to the fore and raised many hundreds of pounds for our little local school as well as the local hospital and lots of other good causes far and wide.
When the post office closed in our village my friend offered a room where post office business could be conducted to prevent people having to travel for pensions, allowances, etc. When the village shop closed, my friend was happy to provide the odd pint of milk, a few tomatoes, a pack of butter to those elderly villagers unable to travel to the supermarkets.
Latterly my friend has needed some care and, indeed, has received it from some very well-meaning people. These carers, including a clothing manufacturer, a taxi driver, a retired army officer and a high-powered executive with a multinational company, have meant well and gave my friend everything, except the one thing that was needed - their time. This they delegated to others, who were perhaps less caring than they might have been.
And so to the loss of my friend. The Blackness Inn ceased trading on Sunday 6 July 2003. Will the last person to leave the village please switch off the lights.
JIM SLAVIN
ROSEBANK, LINLITHGOW, WEST LOTHIAN
Restaurateurs must grasp internet opportunities
The AmEx survey in Sara Edlington's article on the internet (Caterer, 28 August, page 42) illustrated the importance of e-marketing in a modern mix of communications.
However, I don't feel restaurateurs have yet grasped the real opportunities available to them. I think that perhaps they see the web as a sort of discount store rather than a shop window.
Being on the web with pictures, menus, recipes, customer comments, a location map and online booking are good services, but on their own won't provide a consumer leap. Payback will be chicken feed on its own. Real advantages come from engaging the loyalty of consumers.
It seemed to me from the article that Conran had got closest to a real result by making a personal link with its customers. That is the sort of link that Amazon has made an "art form". It supplies you with information that's relevant to your needs, sometimes telling you things you didn't even know you needed.
Credit card operators are perhaps best situated to take advantage of this sort of information - they know how often, where and when, as well as how much is spent in restaurants.
However, it's not too difficult for the individual restaurant to collect data about its customers which could bring them back more often - for an anniversary occasion, a special event or even a promotion to fill up a shoulder period.
The internet is cheaper than direct mail, more targeted than an advertisement and the results can be assessed immediately.
E-marketing is about getting close to customers, something good restaurateurs know instinctively, so they should be able to lead the field with innovation.
DAVID WOOD
THEHOSPITALITY.BIZ, SHERINGHAM, NORFOLK
There's local produce and really local produce...
Henrik Muehle invites readers to call in on the Capital's two-Michelin-starred chef Eric Chavot because he works with local produce (Caterer, 18 September, page 58).
I wasn't aware Hyde Park had been ploughed up and given over to the farmers, so what's his definition of local?
Jean-Philippe Quintin, head chef at the New Yard restaurant on the private 1,000-acre estate at Trelowarren in Cornwall, buys 90% of his ingredients not just "locally" but actually within the Lizard - a 10 square mile peninsula which constitutes the southernmost tip of the UK.
ROSIE INGE
CHURTON INGE ASSOCIATES, WELLS, SOMERSET
Does anybody speak English around here?
I would like to air my concern and frustration about an issue affecting many people who use hotels for conferences and events in London. It's very difficult in many hotels to find a member of staff who understands the English language. And I know this problem isn't found only in hotels.
I'm one of the least racist people you could wish to meet, but I feel that when you're trying to get a simple message across, and the porter, receptionist, or waiter simply doesn't understand you, something must be done.
I've no objection to hotels employing foreign visitors - indeed, on many occasions I'm sure they're better at doing the job than our own boys and girls - but please make sure they understand the language and can communicate with guests.
There have been many occasions in the UK, the most recent being last week at a very large, international convention hotel in London, when even "where is the bar?" posed a problem for a member of the porter's team.
Dear hoteliers - please address this issue by taking on the right calibre of staff and training them properly. This is not a one-off.
TIM GASSON
Managing Director, Absolute Corporate Events, Box, Wiltshire