Operating a catering service inside of a hospital may have evolved out of necessity more than a business plan. There are going to be meetings on campus that are going to last for several hours or occur over the course of several days. The presentation will go smoother if the audience is energized, and keeping the attendees nearby means that the presentation won’t be delayed or interrupted by those who are tardy returning from an off-site lunch break. Basically, there was a logical need and there are foodservice professionals on-site. Hence, the hospital’s catering service is born.
While this narrative may not perfectly fit the origin story for all hospital catering enterprises, for some this may seem eerily familiar. Often business enterprises arise out of a need. Unfortunately, the business model of a service that arises from an existing need is that the need to sell the service is less critical to driving revenue. If there is no need to seek out business, the emphasis on branding and marketing is drastically diminished.
Over time, the business aspect of the catering service may begin to come into play. For example, the service may become a part of the hospital’s operating income or serve to support other areas of foodservice. When this happens, the revenue source becomes expected, or more importantly, expected to grow year-over-year. Now the simple service that was provided by the food service director has to subscribe to a more complex operating model. This means managing a lot of things that may have not been on the radar before this transition; like a brand identity.
Why Is Establishing the Brand Important?
There are many reasons why a brand identity is essential. Branding consists of everything used to help identify and differentiate one product, service, or company, etc., from another. Branding can be as much or as little as is needed to establish the desired engagement from a target audience. With regard to hospital cafeterias, some of the branded design used may reflect that of the hospital, but on a smaller scale. In other cases, it may be necessary for the catering service to stand out from the experience that the hospital creates.
When first establishing the brand identity for hospital catering services, consistency is very important. Some of the target audience may have been familiar with the service prior to the commencement of the branding campaign. Others may not know of this service at all. The new approach should be visible throughout all interactions with the customer base. Common colors, arrangements, decorations, etc. should all echo this central theme. Doing this serves to further legitimize the service as a stand-alone operation.
How Can the Expressly HUBERT® Cerve Collection Support a New Branding Campaign?
Expressly HUBERT®’s Cerve Collection can help support a branding effort by seamlessly and effortlessly providing service display options that are guaranteed to match no matter the configuration. This is extremely important when creating a brand identity because an instantly recognizable presentation is a great way to establish familiarity with new and existing customers.
Cerve offers several neutral color pallets that blend well with virtually any event. Additionally, the Cerve Collection offers a wide variety of risers, bowls, and trays to support many different configurations.
No matter what brand identity is established, the Expressly HUBERT® Cerve Collection is flexible enough to suit virtually any occasion, while delivering a consistent appearance. The food and the service is the star of the show, and Cerve is the stage where it can shine.
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