It appears that Cafe2U remains the Royal Family’s catering service of choice, after being called upon to provide refreshments at the recent Coronation of King Charles III. The UK franchise was selected ahead of a number of companies, to cater for members of the UK’s Armed Forces during the celebration party in London at the beginning of May.
Cafe2U secured the tender and, after holding a dress rehearsal in the early hours of Wednesday, May 3rd, the chosen franchisees were primed for the real event three days later. During Saturday’s coronation, Cafe2U served coffees and pastries to approximately 6,000 military personnel and dignitaries.
And for Cafe2U, whose head offices are based in Leeds, this was their second Royal assignment in less than eight months. Back in September, they journeyed to central London to provide a similar service for around 3,500 military personnel during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
On the day of the coronation, the franchisees that were selected to represent Cafe2U kept members of the armed forces supplied with caffeine and sweet treats, during what was the biggest military parade the UK has seen in over 70 years.
Franchisees were supported by the company’s management team, who were kept busy, as they travelled from van to van to restock the supplies of their business partners.
The chief executive of Cafe2U, Martyn Ward, said: “We were delighted and honoured to have this opportunity to play our part in such a momentous and historic event. I’m thrilled to report that everything went smoothly.
“We estimate we served around 10,000 coffees and 5,000 pastries over the two days. This included a very high number of ‘double-double’ espressos. Suffice to say the schedule for rehearsals was exhaustive and those taking part in Wednesday’s practice run were busy serving food and drink at two o’clock in the morning.
“The majority of the franchisees that took part are based in Greater London. But one of our newest franchise partners travelled all the way from Bath, highlighting the commitment of our incredible team.
“This didn’t go unnoticed by some of the organisers with military backgrounds either, who praised us for going above and beyond the call of duty when they requested two more of our vans – so there’d be no shortage of pastries on the day. Of course, we were happy to oblige.”
Bernard Sullivan, owner of a Cafe2U franchise in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, added: “Serving our military personnel at the Queen’s funeral last year was an honour. And then being asked to serve them for a second time was simply wonderful. This time the occasion was more of a celebration, while last September the mood was extremely sad and sombre.
“I know I speak for all our franchisees who took part in the coronation, when I say the occasion was one of our proudest ever moments.”
This article comes courtesy of Cafe2U the UK’s premier mobile coffee business, serving food and beverages to customers at ‘non-traditional’ locations such as business parks and sporting events. Every day, its growing network of mobile café vans and skilled baristas provides thousands of happy customers with a welcome break and coffee treats.