The Geffrye Museum
Change Programme for Visitor Cafe
The Client
The Geffrye Museum is set in elegant 18th century almshouses and depicts the quintessential style of English middle-class living rooms. Its collections of furniture, textiles, paintings and decorative arts are displayed in a series of period rooms from 1600 to the present day. In 2000 the museum opened a café within a new wing that overlooked attractive period gardens.
The Challenge
The café, run by a dedicated team of in house staff, was a popular venue for visitors and locals alike but had not achieved the financial success that it deserved, so the Trustees decided to investigate why. In 2008, Boyd-Thorpe Associates was appointed to carry out an operational and financial review of the café. The review highlighted a number of areas where improvements could be made but, as there was no catering expertise in-house above the café manager, BTA was retained and continued to work closely with the catering team to implement the necessary changes.
Results Delivered
The result has been a major turnaround in the cafe’s financial position and much improved customer service standards. Turnover has been increased by 21% and costs have been reduced; delivering a 30% improvement to the bottom line. BTA continues to provide monthly management support to the venue.
Delivery Model
- Operational, staffing and financial review
- Consultant management support to guide the team through a change programme
- Staff training in service standards
- Management training in budgeting and ongoing financial management
- Menu engineering and product development
- Health & safety and food safety assessments, staff training, policies and procedures
- Ongoing management support in the form of ad hoc telephone advice, e-mail advice, monthly operational support meetings and continuing staff training
“A real pleasure to work with! All of Fiona Boyd-Thorpe’s consultants have been fantastic!
I cannot tell you how wonderful Louise is...”
Deputy Director, Geffrye Museum
