Food credit card launched for pubs

JJ Food Service announced the launch of the card today (23 October) to help support caterers’ cash flow.

CEO Mustafa Kiamil said: “This is a first for the UK foodservice industry – we understand how hard it can be for independent caterers to manage cash flow.

“The Mastercard can be used to pay for anything from petrol and utilities to food and drink supplies.”

Mastercard​

All caterers, even those who have never used a business card before, can apply for JJ Food Service’s Mastercard the firm said.

“Opening a trade account can be difficult if you have minimal trading history,” JJ’s group general manager Terry Larkin said, who added that the application process can be dealt with online.

“More than 90% of customers receive a decision within 30 seconds of completing [the application],” Larkin added. “It’s just one of the many ways we are supporting the independent sector.”

The wholesaler recently launched a ‘five-star employee’ campaign to recognise great customer service within its business.

Outlets were directed to nominate contenders through Facebook or Google Review and list their business name, postcode and the name of the branch and person they had nominated for a five-star rating.

Eligible for votes​

Employees from drivers, to sales managers, counter staff, warehouse staff and telesales staff are all eligible for votes. The cut-off date to vote is 31 October and winners will be awarded £250.

Meanwhile, the wholesaler added a new range of frozen chips to its Super Crisp Chip range, the Chippy Chip.

Of the new range Larkin said: “Prepping your own potatoes is an ideal way to make traditional chips, but it can also be expensive and time consuming.

“We’ve noticed that attitudes in this area are changing and our customers are being more open-minded about new ways of doing things - our new chip is a perfect alternative or ‘back up’ to freshly cut chips.”