GIG's amazing 39,000 meal weekend
Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, The Killers and Take That were among the satisfied diners enjoying some of the 39,000 meals served by the Global Infusion Group (GIG) this weekend.
The company was employed on 18 events across multiple sites, including three of the UK's highest profile music events, Glastonbury Festival, Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park and Take That concerts in Manchester.
On one of the busiest live music weekends of the year, Eat to the Beat were found at the hub of the Glastonbury Festival, providing backstage catering to the Pyramid Stage and The Other Stage. There they served 6,600 meals to the crew, and many artists specifically requested additional after-show catering in backstage and dressing room areas.
In London, Eat to the Beat teams at Hard Rock Calling served 7,000 meals to the production team alongside Upbeat Event Design who were responsible for artists and corporate hospitality catering. Sister company e2B Logistics managed the Red Bull experiential marketing materials. Simultaneously, the Take That tour saw the company serve a daily changing, three course menu throughout the weekend.
For the first time this year, Eat to the Beat launched a retail catering outlet at Glastonbury Festival with partner Square Pie, serving more than 12,000 pies over the weekend.
"It is so great to see some of the acts doing the festival circuit this year. It's been over ten years since we last fed Bruce (Springsteen) and longer since we toured with Neil Young. I am not sure if it made me feel young again or just old", smiled Tony Laurenson, Managing Director of the Global Infusion Group.
The company is on site at Glastonbury for a lengthy six weeks in all, catering for crew in the build up to the event. Over the weekend, Eat to the Beat's catering managers Soozie Coll and Colette Shryane ran the Pyramid Stage and the Other Stage respectively. In Hyde Park Michelle Bearsby-Lewis was responsible for Crew Catering while Sarah Bertie managed Artist and Dressing Room catering. Heidi Varah has been catering manager on the Take That tour.
"We provided our own kitchen equipment right down to the kitchen sinks and sourced ingredients locally wherever possible, which at Glastonbury meant utilising the large on-site cash-and-carry and bakery for fresh bread," says Tony Laurenson. "I am very proud of our teams, who delivered fresh, restaurant-quality food in some tough working conditions at three major live events over one weekend. They typify the catering and logistical excellence we always strive for."
Other events catered for included a Toyota Car Launch; Sky's Cricket Broadcast teams; a 50th Birthday Party; The Saturdays, Once in a Lifetime and Britain's Got Talent tours and AC/DC's site catering at Hampton Park.
