No one can say it's been a quiet time at the BBC. There's been the very public row with the Government over the Gilligan affair; the resignation of its much-loved director-general, Greg Dyke; the appointment of a new DG, Mark Thompson; the Government's ongoing review of its charter; and, last but not least, a massive investment in its property portfolio, including a new staff restaurant.
The Beeb's new staff eatery is called Network Central and is situated in the White City complex in west London, which houses most of the administration staff of the organisation. It opened just six months ago, and its managers insist it's doing well. The redevelopment of the restaurant alone cost £5.2m - the biggest chunk of a massive £250m project to renovate the BBC's headquarters - and its operator, Compass, was central to the project, investing some cash, too.
Fitting, I suppose, that the world's biggest caterer provides the food for one of the world's biggest broadcasters. However, Compass isn't directly employed by the BBC; instead, it is subcontracted to run the catering by facilities management firm Land Securities Trillium (LST).
In the recent past the whole of the BBC's estate, including its buildings outside London, has been taken over by LST, and Compass has the contract to provide the catering. So far, only the contracts in London and Scotland have been mobilised, but they alone total 17 sites with 38 catering outlets and a turnover of £14m. The new Media Village at White City, which will be home to 6,000 BBC workers by September, has a projected turnover of £4m a year.
The restaurant is large: it now caters for 750 covers compared with 400 before. It was designed by architects Tilney Shane, who extended the previous restaurant into the courtyard area that runs through the middle of the White City building.
The staff were consulted extensively on the redevelopment, and their feedback was considered when the plans were drawn up. What they have now is massive choice and, according to Kate Lewis, catering manager for Compass at the BBC, it is going down well.
The concepts at the new restaurant involve the usual Compass brands, but they have been given a twist and combined with some new ideas.
"We easily have twice as many staff using the restaurant compared with before, but there are probably twice as many staff on site now. But the feedback has been good. They genuinely like the food, the service and the delivery," claims Lewis. "It has stepped away from being a canteen and it now has more of a restaurant/brasserie feel. Really, it is four different restaurants under one roof."
As well as the more traditional counters, such as a pizza area, carvery and theatre-style cooking, the restaurant includes new ideas such as Wild Greens, an upmarket salad bar, and Sandwich Central, a gourmet sandwich bar.
Both concepts are housed in circular hubs. The Wild Greens idea has been developed from Compass subsidiary Restaurant Associates' business in the USA and provides customers with a choice of salad ingredients with whatever dressings they like, plus maybe grilled chicken, which the service staff cook in front of the customer.
Your salad of choice is made up by the staff as you wait and is presented in a white bowl. It looks great, and the customers love the theatre and the freshness of the greens, radicchio, rocket and other salad varieties, says Lewis.
BBC chef Mark Geis, who was involved with the setting up of the restaurant, explains: "It is a premium-style salad, but no one grumbles about the price [£4.40]."
Presentation was also important. "You eat with your eyes, so we decided to present salad ideas in great presentation plates to entice the customer. That's why we used restaurant-style bowls for the salads rather than traditional 10in white plates."
If the customers want a more traditional salad bar, there are cheaper options in a self-serve salad area, and customers can also grab ready-made sandwiches. However, if they are looking for something more substantial, they can tuck in to the fresh filled ciabattas at Sandwich Central, which uses a wide range of breads and fillings. At this hub, too, there is a US influence, as customers can order big, overfilled sandwiches, US-style, packed with loads of shaved meat fillings - or more traditional offerings.
For ready-made fare, organic sandwiches and Fairtrade coffees and teas predominate. "The BBC customers wanted them. There is a strong ethical conscience within the staff," says Lewis.
Around the rest of the restaurant there is plenty of choice: there is a pizzeria baking fresh, thin-crust Italian-style pizzas, and an Italian service counter with fresh pasta dishes. Then there is a traditional carvery serving daily roasts, which was a must, says Lewis.
"There is always a traditional contingent, and the carvery is one of the favourites. When we have roast beef it just flies out of the door," claims Lewis.
One area that has proved a real hit with the customers is the theatre-style cookery of the World Food section, where chefs finish off Thai, Chinese and Indian dishes in front of the customers.
Tony Stephens, executive head chef at the BBC, says: "There's a lot of theatre, and that's great for the chefs and the customers. As a chef you have to talk to the customer, and it teaches you to be a natural salesman. You can't hide behind a wall any more, and the food is fresher, too."
"Our customer feedback shows the staff are keen on stir-fries and curries," agrees Lewis. There also a vegetarian option, and a plated food section, including pies, beans and chips. "You always have to have pies," she explains.
Then there is a grill bar and an area where omelettes are made to order. The grill bar cooks steaks, chops, and chicken served with grilled vegetables, such as courgettes, big beef tomatoes, mushrooms and bell peppers.
Lewis claims she hasn't got it all her own way at the site, despite it being a fair old plod to the alternative temptations of Shepherd's Bush. The redevelopment of the Media Village includes retail outlets from Starbucks, Tesco, the Post Office, Crussh and an Italian deli. A wine bar is soon to follow. "There is plenty of choice in the village. It is no way a done deal that the customers will choose us, but we are doing well so far," she says.
Other opportunities also exist to push the customer spend outside normal hours. The open space outside - termed the Network by the BBC - has also allowed more impromptu catering opportunities, says Lewis.
Bands are going to be playing in the open spaces and there will be a big screen put up for Euro 2004. Compass will be trialling a barbecue area to complement the alfresco entertainment.
It's your BBC
The massive £250m project to redevelop the BBC headquarters and property portfolio at White City has seen two new buildings built: the Broadcast Centre, home to the technical production staff, and the Media Centre, where the top brass are located.
The White City office building remains a testament to the past, although it, too, is having a makeover. It also houses the new staff restaurant, which was a central part of the BBC's plan to redevelop the site.
The Beeb's partner in all this is Land Securities Trillium (LST), the facilities management company. It now owns the land and has provided financial backing for the project. The BBC pays rent for the space and an annual charge for delivery of services and facilities.
The buildings have been designed to promote a "media village" atmosphere and a new, open BBC, but the principle behind the design is more serious than just being "media" and slightly wacky. "We are trying to create a community and a village here. It has a social heart as well as providing essential service facilities," says Les O'Gorman, general manager at LST.
He adds that the idea is rooted in commercial reality. The restaurant area, which has to be big to cater for the 6,500 people that will be on site from September, must be used for more than just mealtimes to ensure it pays its way.
So the space has been opened up to give it a business lounge feel. Laptop ports have been put in, so people can check their e-mail or do some work during coffee breaks, and the more relaxed and open areas can be used for impromptu meetings and creative sessions.
This is the same in the new Broadcast Centre, which has a caf‚ where lunch can be taken and restricted hot options are available. Both the new buildings and the spaces around them have been designed to be eco-friendly and can be personalised by the staff. Each level has four social hubs, which the divisions can theme themselves, and include such items as plasma TVs, table football and ping pong equipment.
A major beneficiary of all this has been the BBC's image as a leading corporate employer. It's a tough business attracting and keeping the best talent in the country, and trading on its image alone is no longer enough: the facilities and workplace environment has to offer more as well.
So far it is going well, says O'Gorman, and the catering is receiving good feedback, too, which he says is quite impressive considering the pain the BBC's employees went through while the restaurant was being rebuilt - among all the dust and noise of being in the middle of a building site, the staff had to put up with their restaurant being temporarily located in a giant marquee.
What's on offer
Network Central - the Media Village Restaurant
Opening hours
8am to 11am
Noon to 2.15pm
Coffee Bar
Fresh bean-to-cup coffee, sandwiches and pastries
8.30am to 4.30pm
Also available in the Media Village
Grab and Go
8am to 7.30pm, seven days a week
Broadcast Café (in the Broadcast Centre)
7.30am to 10.30pm, moving to 24-hour service this summer
Sample menus from Network Central
Italian (£2.95)
- Fresh pizzas
- Linguine carbonara and garlic bread
- Penne with roasted vegetable and goats' cheese sauce with garlic bread
World Food (£3.60)
- Thai green chicken curry with fragrant jasmine rice
- Peppered Chinese beef with egg fried rice
Traditional (£2.95)
- Traditional cottage pie
- Steak and ale casserole with dumplings
- Roast leg of lamb served with a mint and apricot jus
Simply Potato - freshly baked jacket potato with filling (£2.55)
- Beef chilli with sour cream
- Spiced lentil and vegetable tagine
Firehouse Grill
- Chargrilled salmon fillet with lime and caper sauce, £3.85
- Peppered steak with sauce b‚arnaise, £3.75
Wild Greens - salad prepared by the chef (£4.40)
- Griddled portobello mushroom, goats' cheese and basil stack upon freshly tossed salad
- Barbecued chicken breast upon freshly tossed salad
Sandwich Central - fresh sandwiches made to order with a variety of breads and fillings
- Roasted vegetable and mushroom ciabatta, £3.25
- Bacon, Brie, lettuce and tomato ciabatta, £2.60
- Simply vegetarian wrap, £1.85