The Sprung Collective – a new food service consultancy that wants to champion the importance of food service for all
James Greetham has been a well-known and popular figure in the food service sector over the last fifteen years. He is now founding, with partners, a new consultancy which he believes can help support the new narrative emerging but which also really make the case for the great potential that food service does possess for the landscape to emerge post-Covid.
All know the challenges being faced but now is the time to start focusing on learning the lessons of what maybe did not work well enough in the past and what is needed for the future.
EP has long championed the fact that the sector has so much unrealised potential and the fact that food service plays a far more important role than is sometimes realised in bringing new audiences together, breaking down barriers and being the basis of a strong community. The importance of this message has been increasingly recognised over the last year and it is natural that a new narrative is emerging with a stronger focus on how food service can play a positive role and create real value for all types of operation from venues and attractions to B&I to schools to hotels and beyond.
So why did James view this time as the right moment to found The Sprung Collective?
“With the effects of the last 12 months now changing the landscape of many aspects of our much-loved hospitality industry, it was clear to me that now was a perfect time to put my eclectic 30 years of experience in this arena to good use and bring to light the undiscovered potential that lies ahead for many of our clients, industry partners and friends.
I’ve been extremely fortunate that my career has been filled with some fantastic projects and experiences across a number of sectors, with their ultimate success being down to the simple but effective desire to work collaboratively with teams of creative thinkers all tailored to each project.
With this ideology and formula at the heart of the success (with very occasional failure), this was going to be the backbone principle of our newly formed consultancy called “The Sprung Collective”. The Sprung Collective is firmly built on listening to our client’s needs, objectives or challenges and then carefully curating the perfect team of experts from our collective to take them on a journey of discovery in formulating a long-term sustainable plan to help them see their full potential. This discovery journey is not for the faint-hearted; we will challenge the status quo, suggest big ideas, and help each client be brave with sound business advice backed up by fact and experience.
On the one hand, we all know how challenging it's been for our industry, but on the other, there’s great opportunity for those who are prepared to be challenged to lift the bonnet and discover the true potential or direction they should be taking their business to thrive.
Food service has such an important role to play as we all rebuild. It is a central pillar to everything in today’s world. Attractions need strong food service destinations which stand part. Events will bounce back as people do want to come together again but what will create a real USP for a venue? Perhaps what sometimes was acceptable before will need to evolve and be challenged to be better?
The productivity issue has been long debated within B&I but there is more and more evidence emerging which does show how food service can impact on this positively; how it does bring people together and break down social barriers.
And Sustainability is clearly going to be a primary issue for every operation to have at their heart.
This is a challenging period but also an exciting time which could see food service really come to the fore. I do believe in its importance and value. I want to champion it and bring a new thinking into the discussion which serves all well.”
