Coffee partners of the Longest Breakfast Table discussing the logistics of the event from left are Brigid… and John Raphiri from Dulcé operations, Willem Prinsloo and George Crassas. It was announced at the meeting that freshly brewed coffee will now be served at the longest breakfast on October 12!

Rustenburg – Everybody loves the greatness of coffee in the morning. Guests at the “Old Mutual Longest Breakfast Table… in the World”, undoubtly deserve to be welcomed by an aromatic cup of fresh coffee!

Thanks to Ciro, the 2010 breakfast will be complimented with a cup of sizzling strong aroma coffee. Ciro Coffee announced this week, that as the official beverage partner of Dulcé Café, they intend treating all 1200 guests at the breakfast table with a cup of Douwe Egberts brewed coffee!

Willem Prinsloo, Regional Manager of Ciro visited Café Dulcé this week to discuss the logistical challenges of the event.
According to Mr Prinsloo, Douwe Egberts was Ciro’s choice of coffee solution as an answer to the challenges presented by the breakfast, namely quantity and speed without compromising on aroma and quality! The Douwe Egberts Coffee System is currently marketed in South Africa as the first choice in boardroom and conference coffee solution.

11 years ago, when George Crassas opened Café Dulcé in the Waterfall Mall, the coffee shop became the place for friends to meet over a cup of coffee. Here residents discovered a new world of continental food and world class coffees.

It is therefor with a touch of nostalgia that it is once again thanks to George Crassas that Rustenburg will expand its coffee experience.

The ‘Old Mutual Longest Breakfast Table’ takes place at 8am on Tuesday, 12 October and with only 173 tickets left, residents are urged to secure their seat, The breakfast is an annual fundraiser event in aid of Rustenburg Charities Unite (RCU).

Tickets are available at cost of R80 each from Centre Management at the Waterfall Mall (tel. 014 537-3600) during office hours.

Call event organiser, Marikie Visser Marketing Mix on cell. 082 8007822 for more information or visit the web site at www.longestbreakfasttable.co.za.

Dulce Grahamstown were the proud t-shirt sponsors for the up and coming group – DJ’s@Play – the dj’s from Rhodes.

When looking at the attached pictures, it is important to remember that the design has been implemented in such a way that some of the elements of the design can be moved from the back to the front, and visa versa, depending on the shape, size ( trading area of 140 – 250 m2 ) and layout of the store in question, & the type, location , size and LSM of the development.

The casual dining area – is an area planned to relax customers, and to cater for those customers that want something quick and light to eat. The seating is of a relaxed nature, with a mix of tub chairs and casual chairs, and logo-ed umbrellas. The deck area is made up of wood laminate which will fit over the tiles in the exterior seating area, and will add the necessary contrast and warmth to the store. You will note that the barista area and the take out area is more prominent to the passing trade. Where possible, there will be more emphasis on quick service and take out service within this area. There will also be a counter section with bar stools for wi-fi for customers with laptops within this area, so that table seating is not unnecessarily taken up by single customers.

Overall front impression: The signage has been added to over the barista and take out section, and the flat screen tv will show coffee menu items and take out prices. . In addition, we have also allowed for a cake and retail display station within this area, making the shop more inviting and less formal in this regard, with the option of allowing shops to sell a range of retail items such as muffins, biscuits, chocolates, etc.

The barista / deli take out area is a result of putting more emphasis on the good quality coffee and ready made sandwiches, etc that will be on display in the display fridge. The barista will also be dressed in a different uniform, thereby further emphasizing Dulce Café’s focus on great coffee.

The internal seating area is planned for the customers that want to sit down and have a more substantial meal, or more privacy. Seating is made up of a bench seat running down the one wall with tables and chairs, whilst on the other side, individual bench seats make up the majority of the seating as these are the preferred seating areas within most stores. Care has been taken that tables can be re arranged to take in bigger groups if necessary. The bulkheads balance out the ceiling space, and the hanging lights add the final touch to the optimum lighting solution. Mirrors have been included in order to create the impression of space, whilst the textured walls with the alternative pictures create the right look and feel of a relaxed atmosphere conducive to a dining environment. The feature wall at the back of the store is designed to pull people through to the back of the store due to the warm colours and lighting within this area.

We would like to thank Pareto & Metropolitan to agreeing to the first new outlet in November in Tygervalley Centre – athough we will likely open several stores before this, but these deals are not yet been fully concluded.

Results can be seen on the Action Sports website, go to fixtures and results, IPT 2010, Men’s o/30.

www.actionsports.co.za

1) Hillcrest: Mark Luyt
2) Vincent Park: Coleen Dressen
3) Mountain Mill: C Marais
4) Zambezi: Wilma Love

Congratulations!

Photos of our winners

In mid-February 2010, chef Jodi-Ann Pearton, of The Food Design Agency, was first challenged with the franchise foodie brief, to redefine the concept by refocusing the menu mix in line with the brand’s identity – that of a continental café.

‘Green’ menu follows international trends

Ryall and Pearton embarked on a countrywide expedition of investigation into various working processes both inside and outside of the store kitchens; scrutiny of suppliers and contracts; analysis of sales figures across various food dishes; testing of existing menu items; and lastly, interviewing franchisees on their thoughts and drawing on their wealth of in-store experience.

Pearton and her team then retreated to her culinary studio to embark upon two month’s worth of trials and testing, to produce a gourmet range of 21 new standardised and delectable dishes that went in-store on 14 June 2010. The new ‘green’ menu follows the international trend towards healthy simplicity.

“The new menu is in-line with international food trends, which means it is healthy and utilises both local and seasonal ingredients. The flavours are wholesome and superb – going back to the brand’s roots. As a direct result, each dish is not overly processed, yet still suitably familiar to entice the South African palate, explains Pearton.

Pity, no more pita

“I removed items such as the pitas and pancakes, as I felt this was causing confusion and inconsistencies in the category of cuisine synonymous with the franchise food offering. I have included items such as cumin butternut and chickpea salad, nicoise salad, panzanella salad, chicken spedini’s, butter chicken curry, pannacotta, chocolate mud cakes and an entire soup section – just for starters.

“I believe that it is colourful, flavoursome and offers great value for money. More importantly; all the new menu items are simple for the store kitchens to reproduce – ensuring speedy service, quality and consistency in every dish,” she concludes.

The brief was to focus on redefining the Dulce Café concept by refocusing the menu mix in line with what the brands identity is “a continental café”. The process including massive research into PLU’s, many hours of working in various Dulce café kitchens and many weeks worth of testing and tasting all kinds of concepts for the brand. The result has been a revamp of the Dulce Café menu – the new menu (launching on the 1st June, Nationwide) is in-line with international food trends which means it is healthy and utilizes local, seasonal ingredients, the flavours are superb and the food is not over processed, yet it is still familiar enough to entice the South African palate!

We have included items such as Cumin butternut and chickpea salad, Nicoise salad, Panzanella salad, chicken spedini’s, butter chicken curry, pannacotta, chocolate mud cakes and an entire soup section – just to name a few.