Summary of the year in the catering industry. Interview with Damian Wiatrak from Deli Catering

For many industries, the year approaching the end of 2022 was full of moments of uncertainty and the need to adapt flexibly to the market situation. Despite the difficulties, many companies managed to pass this exam, and few came out of it even stronger. How does the year end, representatives of the public catering sector sum up? What are they proud of and what do they have to face? What will the next few months look like? Introducing Damian Wiatrak, Managing Director of Deli Catering, a brand that has been delivering events in Poland and increasingly Europe with professional catering services for many years.

Food and Design: The biggest culinary challenge faced by the Deli Catering team in 2022?

Damian Windmill: By far, one of the biggest challenges this year was providing solutions for public catering at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. We are happy to take up this task once again. Today we can safely say that, on the one hand, it was an undeniable challenge, and on the other-it was also a great adventure! The level of complexity of this service was affected by the fact that this event is organized outside the European Union. On our part, this required full participation in approx. 10 days. The culinary level, due to the daily service of officials, diplomats, European ministers or heads of state, undoubtedly had to satisfy the tastes and expectations of many exalted tastes.

FaD: What does menu creation look like? How many people are working on making it the last one on the day of the event?

DW: Depending on the event, this is an automatic process or a widely expanded and personalized one. As for the implementation in Davos, a team of about 5-6 people worked on the menu for the event participants. The creative team in this case consisted of the heads of individual kitchen departments, that is, the cold chef, the pastry chef, the hot chef, and the executive chef, who fully oversees everything. In addition, we were accompanied at every stage of this project by an event manager who was responsible for the event's sales page and collecting all agreements and menu suggestions. The team also included an executive manager who made sure that physically prepared dishes were placed on the table with appropriate hardware support. It was quite a complex event in terms of logistics. With smaller events, things are naturally more simplified.

FaD: Catering events during inflation – what does this market look like now? Is there a growing interest in the Deli Catering offer?

DW: At the moment, we do not see a link between inflation and demand for public catering services. Of course, prices for public catering services, taking into account inflationary movements in certain segments that make up the final public catering service, lead to a significant increase in these prices. However, when faced with the fact that customers of our services also increase the prices of their products, we are faced with a constant demand for public catering services purchased at the moment. This is done at the same time as much higher prices than a year or two ago. Interest in public catering services is growing, and Deli Catering schematically conducts current market analysis, modeling the customer portfolio. We have decided that this strategy is best suited for our business, so we are staying true to it.

FaD: Changing your eating habits, cooking veges, and food allergies. How far does the ability to personalize the menu in catering go?

DW: Basically, personalization for ten or a thousand people looks something like this. The corresponding descriptions of allergens or the presence of meat in individual dishes presented in the menu look the same in both cases. We only work on higher volumes. Interestingly, the larger the event, the more opportunities there are to personalize dishes. With events for five hundred or a thousand people, we can – depending on expectations-build a separate vegan or gluten-free buffet, and it offers hot, cold dishes and desserts in all its glory.

FaD: Seasonality is a trend that has been reigning in the food service industry for many years. Does the food menu change throughout the year?

DW: Of course, when planning the menu, we always take into account any seasonality. As a result, we always offer our customers fresh, attractive, and top-quality products. However, it is worth emphasizing that we cooperate with reliable partners and apply modern technologies that extend the service life of some dishes. Thanks to this, we offer full-fledged ingredients often also outside the peak season.

FaD: Consumer awareness is constantly growing, which is confirmed by numerous studies and reports. How do you think this affects the food service industry?

DW: At Deli Catering, we are looking at this with more and more sparkle in our eyes, as the growing awareness of consumers determines the professionalization of the entire industry. Every day, we meet more and more event organizers with clearly defined expectations and a willingness to talk about using high-quality catering solutions. This is very important for us, because today every major event, already at the creative stage, is held with the participation of a catering company, which repeatedly fits its offer into the overall concept of the event. Going one step further, it happens that the catering team develops such an interesting solution that it becomes the main concept of the event.

FaD: Christmas is already under your belt, and if we talk about Christmas, then you can not miss the theme of Christmas Eve. Does Deli Catering prepare an individual offer? What can companies expect during this period?

DW: Unfortunately, I have to announce that Deli Catering is not preparing an individual offer this year. This is dictated by a package of public catering commitments to serve major events held throughout Poland. As a partner, we focus on catering services ordered for certain organized events. Businesses that report on the need for food service support in a timely manner can expect a menu tailored to their expectations and budget.

FaD: Classic ears with borscht or unusual tastes? What dishes are best ordered by Russians during the holidays?

DW: Tradition is important, and it is on this basis that we build the foundations of our catering offerings. However, from year to year during the holiday season, orders appear that deviate from the classic holiday ones. Then we allow ourselves a large dose of culinary creativity, combining traditions, tastes from all over the world and including, in addition, the results of the work of our creative team, which surprises us every year.