How Newrest helps give everyone a Break
This is a special feature from PAX International's December 2020 FTE APEX Virtual Expo digital edition.
Daily Break is coffee built for both grab-and-go, and seated dining in many locations
Passengers by the millions moving through several North African airports over the past few years have passed by a coffee and snack outlet boasting a range of sit down and grab-and-go options and a design that evokes images of a distant metropolis that is said to never sleep.
Though they may be too distracted or stressed to notice much as they pass by the Daily Break coffee shop, the French company that developed the concept has nonetheless gone to great pains to reproduce a traditional New York coffee shop experience in a faraway place. Intimacy is added with softened colors and brick and wood details designed to help passengers “enjoy your moment, suspended between comfort and frantic routine,” said a description of the shop.
Since its launch in 2006, Newrest’s Daily Break has been a steadily growing in the airport environment, with outlets operating in Tunis, Algiers, Casablanca and Lagos. Two years ago, the company sought to revamp the concept. Now it is poised roll it out to retail shops, schools and universities and several industries, among them mining and offshore oil rigs.
Newrest is rolling out its Daily Break concept from airports to institutional catering and remote locations
The changes for the Daily Break come at a critical time. Across the airline catering industry, watchers are predicting a shift in the post-COVID-19 world toward less traditional airline food service models, and an increased reliance on pre-ordering meals as well as working more closely with outlets in the airside concourses. Airline caterers are also looking opportunities outside the airport environment.
Consumer preferences worldwide have also moved toward out-of-home dining and snacking. Newrest has developed the Daily Break to meet the needs of on-the-go people moving at various paces, says Marc Starké Vice President Communication, Marketing and Digital Transformation Newrest.
“Airport outlets will definitely play a role in the recovery,” he tell PAX.. “In the sense that we believe that there will be a strong shift in what airlines will be able to provide as a solution to their clients. I would say airlines would be keen on dropping some of their catering experience inside the aircraft knowing that inside the airport there will be some strong brands available.”
The shift has brought more passengers opting to purchase meals in the airport, a trend that began 20 years ago in the United States and has moved to the rest of the world, Starké adds.
In addition to the Daily Break, Newrest has a list of proprietary brands. Newrest Retail has designed a portfolio of internal brands such as Le RDV, Caffé Lindo, Sky Shop and The Lunch. It also works with local restaurants in various countries. Among them are Malinche in Costa Rica, Timgad Café in Algeria and Seagull in Croatia. The company has also forged ties with Italian coffee maker Illy. It also works with several well-known franchises around the world.
Designs of the Daily Break run the gamut from small kiosks and portable carts to outlets that cover between 200 and 300 square meters, says Starké. Larger units have what Starké calls the “day side” which feature grab and go products and quick service and another side which welcomes customers to dine over a longer period.
“It gives us great flexibility in how we implement the concept, especially in an airport environment, where with one concession space we can create two atmospheres and we can cater for multiple expectations, from a consumer point of view,” he says.
To bring the concept up to date, Newrest has developed a smart phone app for the Daily Break. Users can pre-order and pay for anything on the Daily Break menu. While successful in the airport environment, Starké says that Newrest sees possibilities for a New York-style coffee concept with some of the more far-flung markets.
“People are looking for experiences. They go to the same place day-in and day-out for 250 days a year. So, they want the caterer to animate and break their routine,” he adds. That desire extends to what he calls “extreme locations” such as mining and off-shore oil rigs.
Newrest will catering Virgin Atlantic from Cape Town and Johannesburg
Newrest secures airline catering contract in Africa
In October and early November, Newrest's catering operations in South Africa picked up two important customers as airlines began resuming operations after a long lull.
On October 30, Newrest secured a catering contract with Air Namibia on its weekly flight from Johannesburg and twice weekly flights from Cape Town. The airline had been a customer with Newrest for seven years and the newest contract represents and extension of the previous agreement. Also from Johannesburg, Newrest began catering the Air Seychelles in its weekly fight from Johannesburg.
“Those results are welcomed in the COVID-19 affected market, albeit with a much-reduced schedule,” reads the release from Newrest.
Also in October, Newrest South Africa began catering Virgin Atlantic Airways as the airline resumed service to Johannesburg. The airline operates 787 service in a three-cabin configuration five times per week on the route. In December, Newrest will be return catering Virgin Atlantic on its London – Cape Town route.
