Cafe Services’ World-Class Corporate Dining Reflects Spirit of Innovation at Schneider-Electric
Opening Day Goes Off Without a Hitch at New Innovation Center
When Schneider-Electric opened its gleaming new research and development (R&D) center earlier this year, a top priority was designing a corporate dining program from scratch to reflect the company's global reputation for innovation.
Where did Schneider-Electric, Regional Facility Manager Matt Volpe turn for help? With just a short window of time between the opening of the building and corporate dining room, the clear choice was Café Services. A premier corporate dining company serving Massachusetts, Café Services is widely known not only for its state-of-the-art cuisine and service, but also its can-do professionalism.
When time is of the essence, Café Services comes through.
Café Services lived up to its reputation and began serving Schneider-Electric diners as scheduled on Monday, April 14, 2014—a mere days after passing health inspection and as electricians, plumbers and window-washers finished up.
"We do a lot of openings," says Mike Poppers, Café Services Northeast District Manager. "So we have it down to a science."
Judging from the impressive number of Schneider-Electric employees that dined with Café Services on April 14, opening day went well. Café Services went above and beyond to ensure a seamless dining experience. This involved bringing in managers from nearby locations to train new staff over the weekend and preparing meals in advance—like baking 500 muffins for Monday morning breakfast.
Today, Schneider-Electric diners have a full menu to choose from including deli sandwiches, paninis and pizza made from fresh dough, as well as roast turkey, beef, seafood and salads. Café Services chef/manager, Bob Matulonis, sources a lot of what he prepares locally. For the diet-conscious, he offers Fit Picks™ meals with 600 calories or less and customizes menus for different dietary preferences.
Special touches create energy.
With a successful opening under his belt, Bob is now looking forward to staging special attractions like carving stations, barbecues on the outdoor patio and cooking demonstrations.
"It's the special touches that help to create energy in a dining environment," says Mike. "For companies like Schneider-Electric that thrive on creative energy, it really makes a difference."
I’ve been born and bred corporate dining and corporate catering from the very beginning of my career in the Silicon Valley and now, since 2001 in the Boston Metro Area. While working my way up through the ranks, all the experience has led up to my current position as the Corporate Executive Chef for Café Services, based out of Manchester, NH. I have the privilege to be able to utilize creativity, research and technology to dream up our company’s new culinary programs and custom menus for corporate cafeteria clients and bring them to life. Café Services supplies the resources to ensure success of our ever-evolving companywide culinary initiatives and I’m very grateful for the opportunity. Seeing the success of new programs in the field is my motivation. It’s a win win.