SERVING UP A SENSATION
In recent years, the North American food and beverage industry has leveled-up with food delivery apps and quick-service restaurants (QSRs) now offering almost endless options and speedier service than ever.
The everyday ease when it comes to accessibility has translated to employees having higher expectations for food offerings in the workplace.
Increasingly diverse dietary preferences have also raised the bar, requiring businesses to offer more choices than ever before for their staff. Additionally, workplaces must provide not only convenient choices but healthy ones, as employees are more health-conscious while having busier working environments.
As a result, companies are continuously innovating with exciting ways to deliver around-the-clock food and beverage offerings to their staff.
Enter Continental, a dining and refreshments provider that partners with companies to understand food and beverage complexities and design services customized to their employees.
Continental’s guest-first approach has made it the market leader in the Midwest, serving communities and workplaces across Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
“We design our services around our guests, not our guests around our services,” says Brent Basch, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships.
Continental is redefining how workplace food and beverage services should be by giving clients the freedom to customize their food programs in order to meet the unique needs of their teams.
This is the basis behind its ongoing campaign, Food Your Way™, which promotes personalization and tailors clients’ individual food offerings to suit all different tastes, schedules, and workplace environments.
Whether it’s a simple snack, a gourmet meal, or something in between, Continental delivers flexible, high-quality offerings that exceed expectations.
“No matter where your team works, great food and beverage offerings should always be within reach,” Basch adds.
The company partners with employers who look to not only support their teams with food, but with experiences that bring them together, because Continental believes fueling the day and fostering a sense of community go hand-in-hand.
STANDING OUT FROM THE COMPETITION
Serving more than 2,800 clients, ranging from manufacturing sites to hospitals, universities, and major corporations, Continental stands out with its hands-on, personalized approach that comes from a deep-rooted understanding of its clients’ needs.
“What sets us apart from other providers are our homegrown concepts, initially developed out of what we ourselves wanted in our own workplaces,” explains Basch.
This means that clients can expect 24/7 access to fresh, crave-worthy food, with more than 1,000 snacks and beverages at their fingertips, premium, exclusive coffee blends, and chef-crafted meals from the company’s 12+ signature restaurant concepts featuring global flavors.
“From chef-crafted meals to the latest technology-enabled vending, we allow the client to design what truly works for them as a one-stop provider,” he clarifies.
The company even offers its very own mobile app for order-ahead convenience as well as meal delivery, enabling clients to plan their meals up to a week in advance.
Continental is proud to both serve small businesses and Fortune 100 companies who value quality offerings and personalized attention.
No matter how large or small the client, for Continental, its focus remains the same: putting the guest first, with a clear focus on hospitality and service.
CUP-OF-JOE CONNOISSEURS
Developing each of Continental’s food and beverage offerings in-house from high-quality ingredients, the company is determined to provide only the best of the best for workplaces.
Continental is so committed to quality that when it fails to find products that match its exacting standards, it develops its very own.
Take for instance Continental’s exclusive coffee brand, Built & Brewed Coffee Co. The proprietary blends were created when the company struck out trying to source a java offering that was full-bodied, rich, and complex.
“We’re a bit coffee-obsessed here – you could even say we’re cup-of-joe connoisseurs! So, we created our very own coffee brand. We did tons of research, partnered with a local, family-owned roaster with four generations of expertise, and perfected the blends side-by-side,” Basch says.
Today, Continental offers Built & Brewed Coffee Co. to workplaces in premium, small-batch blends, roasted in Detroit with hand-selected beans from the world’s most renowned fields in South America and Africa.
Whether enjoying a cup with a colleague or grabbing one to go, Continental’s custom coffee and water services are designed to keep workplaces energized and hydrated around-the-clock.
“We believe our clients and guests deserve the best, and we always figure out how to make it happen.
“It’s just one of the ways we go above and beyond to create the food and beverage offerings that we ourselves want to enjoy at work,” he adds.
WHOLESOME OFFERINGS FOR ALL
Continental has always prioritized wholesome offerings for all, which is why it’s particularly focused on creating food options to suit a variety of dietary preferences while ensuring allergens are communicated clearly.
“We know how difficult it can be to find delicious options that align with clients’ needs, and we never want anyone to struggle or question whether there’s something for them,” Basch reflects.
This is why Continental offers an array of plant-based, allergen-free offerings, whether that’s good-for-you goodies, grab-and-go smoothies, power snacks, fresh grain bowls, or vegan meals.
By designing its menus with the freshest ingredients featuring fewer preservatives, the company confidently delivers real, delicious food.
Continental has doubled down on the diversity of its offerings with the development of home-grown concept, Enlighten, which supports guests on their path to their best selves.
“Each item is guided by recommendations from the American Heart Association but still packed with flavor, not artificial additives,” Basch says.
In addition, Continental regularly partners with local chefs and culinary leaders to extend its array of wholesome offerings and introduce rotating specials.
A TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED FUTURE
There’s no doubt that technology has been instrumental for Continental as it continues to lead the pack and deliver an exceptional guest experience.
“Technology helps us everywhere, from providing food at the click of a button in our mobile app to tracking clients’ order delivery status and taking payments at our micro-market kiosks,” Basch says.
These systems allow Continental to guarantee its guests have what they want, when they want it.
The company continues to scale food offerings through first-class logistics solutions and by integrating the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), though there’s no substitute for personal attention and guest interaction with its detail-oriented team.
Continental is constantly pursuing the future with further expansion to bring more of its offerings to workplaces throughout the Midwest while exploring non-traditional opportunities in public settings as well as hotels.
Underpinning Continental’s success is its entrepreneurial spirit, which permeates the company culture.
“Our core values of hospitality, collaboration, innovation, responsibility, and excellence set the foundation for everything we do, and I speak for all of us when I say we’re excited for what’s next,” Basch concludes.
CONTINENTAL PARTNER
