for Cricket World Cup and beyond

MR. JOSEPH SIMON, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF GODDARDS CATERING, GRENADA

There is a certain sense of pleasure and satisfaction that comes from succeeding at ones endeavors and fulfilling ones responsibility to others.

This feeling is in no way new to Goddards Catering, Grenada as that has been the driving force behind the progress and success of the business from since it was established first as In-flight Caterers and then Goddards catering, Grenada.

Therefore when Goddards Enterprises based in Barbados was awarded the contract to cater for ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 the local subsidiary was more than ready to accept the challenge of being in charge of catering for the 6 Super-8 matches that were held here.

Managing Director of Goddards catering, Grenada, Mr. Joseph Simon is of the view that his establishment recorded one of the success stories of the Grenada leg of world cup if not in enormous financial returns in achievement and very satisfied people.

For those of you who are wondering who, what or where is Goddards Catering, Grenada, a little background on this company located on the upper floor of the Point Salines International Airport.

Goddards Catering, Grenada/ Lift Off Restaurant experienced birth in 1993 when Simon and Goddards Enterprises got together and formed a company called In-flight caterers, Grenada Ltd.

The purpose of the company then was to do airline catering at a time when British Caledonian Airlines out of London was expected to commence visits to Grenada. Initially 17 flights were anticipated for the winter season and when Simon learned of the impending visits he approached Monarch Airlines to be given the contract to cater for their flights. Monarch put him in touch with Goddards catering and thus the company In-flight Caterers was formed.

What was supposed to be catering for 17 flights turned out to be a permanent in-flight kitchen and in 2001 the name was changed to Goddards catering Grenada since by that time Goddards catering was well established and represented in many countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

Simon said the in-flight catering industry knew Goddards very well and he thought it would be prudent to give In-flight Caterers a name brand.

Simon gives the assurance the Goddards Catering Grenada is very much a Grenadian company, himself owning 50%, Goddards 26% and LSG owning 24%.

The brand owners; however is a strong and reputable establishment. In fact Simon said Goddards is one of the oldest and most respected conglomerates in the Caribbean established over 85 years ago be the Goddards family of Barbados.

As a result when Goddards beat out other competitors to be awarded the contract to cater for world cup cricket, the custodians of the tournament were obviously taking all this into consideration.

Goddards then got involved with a company out of New Jersey, USA called Positive Impact, a company specialized in catering for large sporting events.
Goddard’s role on accepting the contract was to provide the best possible catering services and options. Goddards Catering Grenada was responsible for the fair selection, licensing and management of all vendors to operate at the National Stadium on match days.

Simon said it was a long process of oversea conference calls and weekly departmental meetings. He is justifiably proud of all the hard work put in to get ready for Cricket World Cup. The managing director said it was definitely a successful venture.

What was thought was going to be a major problem which was how to ensure enough ice to last the duration of the games here was solved and at the end there was ice to spare.
Simon said there was nothing short at any time during the matches, Goddards catering Grenada was never late with the provision of services of any kind, the vendors and caterers were clean, professional, well stocked and organized.

According to Simon they all did a beautiful job and he is proud to have been associated with them.

Of course the task of ensuring ultimate success fell squarely on the shoulders of the managing director since it was going to be the quality of the team he had put together and how well he was able to coordinate that team and get the best out of the members.
Simon said one of the major challenges was the fact that an event of that magnitude had never been held in Grenada so there was no precedent to draw lessons from therefore everything had to be done from scratch.

Then there was the challenge of logistics and the availability of trained personnel. He did not have the number and quality of cooks necessary. Fortunately Allied caterers of Trinidad and Tobago a subsidiary of Goddards assisted by providing 11 experienced cooks.
In addition two executive chefs from other Goddard locations were added to its CWC food presentation team. Also they recruited students from the TA Marryshow Community College, TAMCC and locals to get the Caribbean taste and flavor for the tournament much to the delight of the spectators.

In all the staff had to be increased by more than 100 persons in the quest to ensure that the company carried out its responsibilities effectively.
Goddards Catering Grenada went the distance of renting apartments close to the venue for the temporary staff some of whom were from the rural areas to ensure that they could be picked up on time to reach the venue at 3am which is the time work began on match days.

Food safety and hygiene was a very important consideration in catering for Cricket World Cup and the caterers had to ensure that all food handlers were exposed to the necessary training and certification in these areas.

Some 375 people who worked as servers and food handlers had to go through the training and be certified. Simon is also grateful for the assistance he received from sister company in other parts of the region which was absolutely necessary because of the size of the event and the anticipated attendance.

He said approximately 19 persons were brought from Positive Impact Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Maarten and St Lucia to help manage the stadium and as a result Goddard’s had a representative in every area at every moment that a match was in progress. Simon is a very pleased man concerning the outcome of the whole effort made even more pleased by the fact that the teams and officials including Australia and New Zealand which are very particular about their food, as well as local patrons complimented the company on the quality of its food.

The Managing Director admits that he took away some valuable lessons from the world cup effort one of which being the importance of planning in advance and meeting regularly to discuss those plans.

He said this may be the main factor responsible for his success in providing the kind of service he had set out to provide for Cricket World Cup.

Simon said he has worked in the hotel and catering industry all his life and anytime one is planning an event it is necessary to meet regularly and chart where you are going and how far you have reached in the overall planning process.

The last thing Simon wanted was for the day of the event to come and not knowing what was going on and where to turn. He was hoping that the first day would not be a panic situation and as result of the preparations made there was no first day foul-ups.

As Goddards Grenada moves on from the world cup experience the company is looking at the development of tourism in Grenada and is anxious to be part of that development.
Simon said if there is scope for expansion in the catering business they are ready to jump at it and the process assist in further training personnel for the catering and hospitality industry.

Airlines have been happy with the service over that years and for the 2 year that American Airline flew into Grenada Goddards Grenada was the best kitchen serving that airline.

Simon has been involved in the hospitality industry since he finished school in the early 1960’s. He worked at the Grenada beach Hotel for 7 years then joined Holiday Inns as a management trainee assisting the management in staffing when the hotel was opened.

He was then sent to St. Lucia to do food and beverage training worked in Barbados Holiday Inn as Food and Beverage Comptroller and Holiday Inn St. Kitts as Front Office Manager.

Simon was then brought back to Grenada as front office manager then transferred to Holiday Inn, Slough England before coming back here to manage the Cinnamon Hill hotel eventually starting his own business.

During the period of the Peoples Revolution, Simon left for St. Maarten where he worked for 7 years at the Maho Beach Resorts, Little Bay Beach Hotel and Club La Grand as Activities and Entertainment Coordinator and Food and Beverage manager and from there came back and started Lift Off restaurant in 1989.

Simon admits to loving the industry saying that once you get involved in it you don’t want to leave.
The experienced hospitality professional holds the view that Cricket World Cup was a success here and Grenada was outstanding in all aspects.
The only downsides he saw were that the second and last matches ended too early so caterers including Goddards could have done better. Caterers were also hurt when the decision was taken to allow spectators to bring in food and water to the matches.

The opportunity to manage catering during Cricket World Cup has further enabled the company Goddards Catering Grenada and Lift Off restaurant to be more prepared to do what it has set itself to do above all, to provide the best quality service that meet customer expectations.