THE POD BY PEABODYS
THE WORLD OF HOSPITALITY 17 designated order point and a pick up point . There is a built-in menu , and customers tell the staff their choice in safety , behind a glass screen . There is also a built-in sanitising area with hand gel to use before and after a visit .
Indoor and outdoor pods are available and both are characterised by a beautiful sleek , authentically Italian feel , featuring unique designs from award winning Italian architects , Modourbano . The indoor pods are made in the UK using natural wood and steel , and the outdoor versions have been stylishly based around a framework of a shipping container . The compact pod comes ready to use with everything needed to serve its customers – espresso machine , grinder , boiler , high speed oven Menumaster Xpress , undercounter fridge and freezer , ice maker , blenders , soup kettle , refrigerated display cabinet , utensil sink , EPOS system and hand sink .
Claudia comments , “ Peabodys Coffee has become successful because we ’ re incredibly flexible . In those early years it was unheard of to have a coffee shop of our quality in a hospital . We invested heavily in bringing high street standards into the hospital environment . I feel we have set the standards and set a trend in our sector for artisan quality .”
Claudia believes that “ Good coffee on a good day is great , but good coffee on a bad day is essential ”.
“ We have always trained our staff to be as positive , kind , caring and helpful as they can . We also follow all the screen guidelines . We are very aware that we are a coffee shop situated in a hospital .”
In 2003 when the company was officially purchased , it was tiny – just a small coffee shop in St George ’ s University Hospital .
A second coffee shop inside the Royal London Hospital followed shortly , along with Bartholomew ’ s and St Helier Hospitals , and further expansion within St George ’ s . From there , Peabodys reputation preceded itself , with a snowball of openings across NHS Trusts within the M25 .
Claudia isn ’ t your ordinary coffee shop boss . She could easily have been the Nigella of Time Team , with a PHD from Cambridge in Archaeology and a successful business partner in husband Luke .
But her passion for working with the NHS to generate community spirit and run an employee centric business prevailed , and following a few years of running Peabodys part time decided to dedicate her career to the company .
She has travelled to Brazil to learn about coffee provenance , takes the lead on sustainability strategy , and always , always , has the customer experience and employees ’ wellbeing at the centre of her work .
“ We have learnt how to work together well with the hospital team , to help give a sense of community . For example , the staff working in our coffee shops in St George ’ s University Hospital feel part of the same community . The community spirit should be there because there is that connection . I like to be part of that community and am a member of St George ’ s Trust because I want to understand their needs . We always help when we can – we like to feel part of a bigger environment – not just a coffee shop .”
WEBSITE : www . peabodyscoffee . co . uk