Flexible station concept addresses company's post-pandemic foodservice needs

FM Top 50 contract firm Continental’s proprietary Greens concept was custom-designed to exceed the four post-pandemic foodservice goals of a corporate dining client at its flagship campus. Those goals were to (1) entice employees back with healthy, delicious offerings, (2) engage guests with convenient mobile app ordering, (3) provide peak agility for its variable hybrid workforce needs, and (4) create a fully realized concept with limited labor needs.

"Our client sought an elevated experience with more variety, healthier options, and greater appeal than a national franchise to delight their diverse workforce, and the Greens was the ideal fit," explains the Continental culinary team that created and developed the concept.

Photo: Continental chef Zach Boyer prepares Greens orders.

Photo credit: Continental

In replacing a national brand, Greens increased profitability while reducing royalties and labor costs with higher quality and more popular options. It not only achieved significant financial success in its early stages but is already on track to outperform initial estimates and benchmarks for success by year’s end, trending 10-15% month-over-month growth.

With elevated chef-crafted concepts, fresh-prepped vegetables and sauces, thoughtful proteins, whole grains and vibrant greens, Greens captures six distinct flavor profiles served in a bowl, salad or wrap. One particular favorite is the made-to-order, bibimbap-inspired Gochujang Shrimp Bowl featuring marinated shrimp, sesame-wilted kale, shiitake mushrooms, pickled ginger, carrots and sesame soy dressing. With its fermented and seafood ingredients, the umami-packed dish offers numerous health benefits.

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Greens dishes are served in a bowl, as a salad or as a wrap.

Vegetarian offerings form a third of the Greens dishes, with innovative international options such as the Ethiopian-spiced African Roast Cauliflower, which has slow-roasted turmeric cauliflower on a bed of red quinoa garnished with raw beet slaw, dried apricots, crispy spiced chickpeas, arugula, feta cheese, harissa garlic sauce and a bright green herbed tahini dressing.

With return-to-office, the client’s campus experiences a large variance in day-to-day staff presence and Continental’s solution was designed to meet the challenge of that unpredictability in demand while making significant gains in participation. The result so far has been a 62.5% increase in capture rate over comparable previous offerings, while daily covers more than doubled since the program’s inception.

Continental’s approach to workplace dining solutions and extensive test kitchen process not only puts the most popular and wholesome meals at the heart of the concept’s offerings but keeps costs in line and waste minimized despite the unpredictable staffing numbers.

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With elevated chef-crafted concepts, fresh-prepped vegetables and sauces, thoughtful proteins, whole grains and vibrant greens, Greens captures six distinct flavor profiles.

Also, since Greens replaced a prior provider, most of the existing station cookware and setup was available for reuse while the flexible model and streamlined concept allowed Continental to reduce staffing overhead and generate a more robust, profitable offering for the client even as the proprietary concept eliminates the royalties paid previously to the national brand.

Continental began working with the client months in advance of the concept's launch in January 2023, when it began operating with the support of the company’s other dining concepts on the campus to meet the differing needs of a diverse workforce that includes both office staff and manufacturing employees. The offerings are freshly prepped and available onsite as dine-in or grab-and-go bowls.

The Greens concept is designed for hybrid work schedules because Continental saw the challenge of unpredictable employee populations as an opportunity to reinvigorate the campus’ culinary offerings. Hence, flavorful options that are also fast and convenient can be enjoyed all around the campus, on-the-go and at all hours of the day, which is perfect for shifting work schedules.