Top 5 foodservice deals of 2015
1) Eurest drives off with £20m VW Bentley Porsche deal
Compass Group's business and industry brand Eurest saw off rival caterers BaxterStorey, Elior and Graysons to snap up this lucrative contract with Volkswagen Group UK back in March.
The five-year deal, estimated by industry insiders to be worth close to £20m, was snaffled from the three separate incumbents, all believed to be vying for the prestigious business.
But what gave Eurest the edge? According to managing director Andy Barry, who described the contract as a "significant partnership", it was the scope of services and "a bespoke solution to suit each brand's culture, catering requirements and demographic".
No doubt the company's pledge to invest more than £1.3m in the facilities at the contract's five locations also helped sweeten the deal.
2) Lexington Catering signs £20m deal with London Business School
Lexington retained its flagship contract in the year after it was acquired by Elior, which must have been something of a relief for all parties.
Elior boss Catherine Roe admitted to The Caterer that she was as nervous as her Lexington counterpart Mike Sunley during the tender process, but the hard work clearly paid off. Lexington announced the new five-year deal, worth £20m, in October, which Sunley said sent out the message that there was belief in the new Elior/Lexington relationship.
The overall refreshing of its retail spaces and the use of social media and smartphone technology received some of the credit, but the Lexington team's enterprising spirit paired with the financial clout of its parent company was more than likely the driving force behind the win.
3) Rhubarb wins five-year Goodwood contract worth £60m
Upmarket event caterer Rhubarb, which pushed Compass out of another long-term contract five years ago with a multi-million pound gig at the Royal Albert Hall, was triumphant once again with this £60m win, announced in October.
Goodwood owner Lord March said it was Rhubarb's passion and attention to detail that set it apart from its rivals, but the abundant ambition of this company, with its burgeoning portfolio of high-end business, including Royal Ascot and the Saatchi Gallery, clearly played a part too.
4) Green & Fortune wins Ogilvy & Mather contract at Sea Containers
When King's Cross-based restaurant, bar, café and events operator Green & Fortune won a lucrative contract with advertising and marketing giant Ogilvy & Mather at its new corporate headquarters, Sea Containers, there was a touch of David and Goliath to the tale.
Ogilvy & Mather already had a caterer at its current home in Canary Wharf, but it turned out that it will be leaving CH&Co Group behind when the company moves next year.
Green & Fortune chief executive John Nugent will be looking to replicate his success at Kings Place where, as the first food and event operator in an area in the early stages of regeneration, he has played the long game.
"They wanted a newer, fresher operating model," he said in October.
5) Delaware North bags £200m South Park Stadium contract
The UK's catering giants were almost certainly lining up to bid for the business at the former Olympic Stadium, but it was US-based Delaware North that finished in first place.
The value of the 20-year deal was not disclosed, but the future home of Premier League football club West Ham was reckoned by one industry expert to have the potential to generate annual turnover of more than £10m for the caterer.
Delaware North will no doubt be looking to this new business, which was announced in February and commenced in June, to help reverse its fortunes after it reported a £4m pre-tax loss for 2014, driven by a reduced food and beverage focus at its flagship contract at Wembley Stadium.
