The Fire Service College is a leading organisation for fire prevention, protection and response, providing assessed, accredited and assured fire and multi-service training for emergency service professionals globally.

The Fire Service College is entering a major phase of development aimed at strengthening its position as the UK’s leading centre for integrated emergency services training, crisis management capability, and national resilience. Over the coming years, the College will enhance its operational, digital, and campus infrastructure to support a broader, more advanced training and exercising ecosystem.

Located in Moreton-in-Marsh in the rural Cotswold region, current facilities include:

• Accommodation for over 400 delegates on-site.
• Incident Ground, with 365-acre site enabling replicate scenarios to be undertaken.
• Dining & Hospitality comprising of Connections Restaurant, providing dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner; Muster Bay Coffee Bar; the College Shop; two large licensed bars, vending and extensive conference and events hospitality.
• Sports Centre, including 25 meter heated indoor pool, sauna, fitness suites, sports hall and multi-use outdoor courts for squash, tennis etc.
• Places of Worship.

Montfort Catering Consultants supported The Fire Service College with a review of the catering commercial model, along with providing options and a clear recommendation as to its future structure. To achieve this we also undertook a catering operational review and detailed financial analysis of the restaurant, coffee bar, licensed bars, vending, free issues, hospitality & conference facilities and wider catering operations. The nature of the environment is such that the catering demand and requirements are complex.

Our approach included detailed stakeholder engagement and operational analysis of the College’s extensive catering facilities.

The financial analysis of the catering included a detailed review of all operating costs and sales, along with benchmarking and clear recommendations to ensure costs can be accurately forecast and provide best-value to the College. Appropriateness of central costs and management reporting were also analysed and recommendations provided.

Operational recommendations for the catering set out actions to achieve an enhanced guest experience commensurate with leading peer organisations as well as supporting wider food and beverage trends.

We set out alternative options to benefit the commercial structure of the catering contract along with clear recommendations to reduce complexity, increase transparency while ensuring that costs can be accurately forecast and are realistic.

Our specialist hospitality consultancy services has provided the plan to develop the existing catering services while creating the foundation for expanded hospitality and conference facilities and opportunities.

Catering consultancy services included:

• Site visit and catering operational analysis
• Stakeholder engagement
• Financial analysis and recommendations
• Catering operational development recommendations
• Commercial catering model review, options and recommendations
• Report and presentation to Partners