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APR. MAY 2018
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“This means - he underlines - that
we have achieved our objective and
we have defined a winning formula.
We have immediately looked at
the entrepreneurial and long-term
perspective. The focus was to create
a catering chain. This has involved,
and still does involve, a major
investment in this initial phase: it is a
question of defining a solid corporate
structure that includes administrator,
technical chef, marketing director and
operation manager. It subtly defines
a perfectly identified project that the
individual Ca’ Pelletti must adapt to
meet uniform criteria and that touch
on all aspects, from the proposed
menu to the furnishings in the room.
It has an impact on management costs:
each restaurant must have a store
manager and 3 assistant managers
as well as dining room staff. We can
call ourselves a start-up with great
ambitions, but we also have our feet
firmly rooted on the ground so there
is continuous monitoring that allows
us to be cautious, but also optimistic.
For this reason, the menus and
suppliers are chosen on a “managerial”
basis.
“Apart from Surgital - concludes
Bacchini - we choose on the basis
of the quality of ingredients and
the possibility of long-term service
even for several points of sale. Our
suppliers must be able to serve 3
restaurants today and in a few years
time many more, keeping the same
promise of service. As for the suppliers
of fresh fruit and vegetables, we select
local companies for clear, but not
obvious, reasons of freshness.
GREEN LUNCH IN MILAN
Pedon has been part of the catering
business for some months now, with
the opening of a restaurant in the
centre of Milan.
“Well-being, simplicity and taste -
explains Matteo Merlin, Marketing
Director of Pedon - are the
protagonists of Green Station, a
concept that offers light, healthy and
tasty dishes and creatively combines
cereals, legumes and seeds, with
seasonal ingredients. Green Station
recipes show how traditional and
genuine flavors can be tasty and
original. The values of Green Station
are consistent with the philosophy of
the company, committed to operating
while respecting the environment,
promoting the culture of healthy and
proper nutrition.
The venue in via Spadari in Milan
is the pilot project of an important
strategic plan that sees the future
opportunity to export the idea in the
main international metropolitan cities.
“At the moment - he comments - we
are evaluating the performance of this
venue before defining an investment
plan for the next openings, but we
are very satisfied with the first results.
The response of customers has been
very positive: the aspects particularly
appreciated are the quality and
refinement of food and the excellent
value for money. During the rush hour
(lunch break) the venue is always full
and we noticed a good percentage of
return custom.
This success is also due to its ability
to intercept some of the main trends
in the food sector. “As the name says
- says Marlin - our restaurant has a
“green” soul that is embodied in a
vegetarian and vegan menu that wants
to offer customers creative and tasty
recipes without sacrificing a healthy
and balanced dish. The choice of
suppliers consists in evaluating the
ingredients that can enhance our
dishes and our 3 main ingredients.
The advantages of our offer are the
weekly menu rotation, which sees
10 new dishes every week and the
possibility to create your own dish,
choosing up to 4 different tastes”.
FROM MANUFACTURING TO
FOOD
Investing in catering is not just a
road travelled by those who already
deal with food. Adler Pelzer Group,
a manufacturing group active in the
design, development and production
of components and systems for the
transport industry, decided a few
years ago to differentiate itself through
Eccellenze Campane.
“It is a project we wanted - explains
Achille Scudieri, general manager of
Eccellenze Campane - with the aim of
becoming ambassadors in the world
of best and most beautiful of our land
and of Made in Italy. We believe that
through the culture of products, you
can revive the territory and create new
jobs, but to do so you must follow
the path of quality, combined with
tradition.
The project was born with the aim
of enhancing the excellence of the
agro-food directly from the producer
to the consumer, in the logic of the
short supply chain, concentrating in
a single structure the best regional
productions.
It produces, sells and consumes high-
quality gastronomic products, in which
typical elements, culture and tradition
are combined with sustainability,
accessibility and eco-friendliness.
“The first wine production centre -
he continues - was born in 2014 in
Naples after two years of observation
and meticulous research: it houses
8 production areas, which show the
public every stage of the production
process. Campania offers a choice,
but only a few products are among
the “most excellent”. The selection
method is simple: you have to know
the local producers in every detail.
Simple dishes are served with flavours
decided by nature and matched with
the creativity of artisan chefs. The
restaurateurs we choose marry fully
the philosophy of Eccellenze Campane
and carries out its activities in respect
of tradition and quality and with their
precious culinary art interpret and
make known the excellence of the
Campania and Italian heritage.
Eccellenze Campane is a format that
will allow the distribution of products
of excellence of Made in Campania,
Italy and the world through a network
of hubs. It is currently based in
Naples, London, Milan and soon in
Rome. “After London - continues
Scudieri - opening up abroad is a
challenge: by the end of the year we
will open another city that is strategic
for us, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with a
format that is quite similar to that of
Milan, because we believe that it is the
most important Italian gastronomic
stage”.
So far, expectations have not been
disappointing: “The investment has
been more than satisfactory and
the figures for 2017 prove us right.
Revenues exceeded 7 million euros
taking into account the two Naples
sales outlets, plus London with the
equivalent of 1.5 million euros. 2018
will certainly be a year of growth but
before we give ourselves a budget, we
want to evaluate the performance of
the Milan store.”
MAGAZINE