Old caterer returns, but no smoke yet in Games kitchen

Published>Tue, May 11 10 05:23 AM

Delaware North wins bid to feed Games Village again

With just a few months left for the Games to begin, uncertainty remains over who will cook food for the hundreds of athletes staying at the Games Village. Delaware North, which had been divested of the tender it won last August, has once again bagged the contract for catering at the Games Village.

Organising Committee spokesperson Lalit Bhanot said Delware North's bid was cancelled last time as they were the only bidders for the tender. However, even the second round of bidding in February attracted just two bidders. "We have given the contract to Delware North at the same cost as last time. We had refloated the tender hoping to get more firms and hence allot the bid at a lower price," said Bhanot.

Interestingly, when the expression of interest for the caterers was floated on June 27 last year, as many as 25 major players had submitted their bids. But the tender floated by the Organising Committee was drafted in such a way that only a few firms could meet the criteria. The tender said only firms who have catered Commonwealth Games, Asian Games or Olympics were eligible for bidding.

The logjam over the caterers has some quarters worried. Sources claimed senior Organising Committee officials, including joint director general Gigi Thomson, had to explain to the Commonwealth Games Federation how the organising committee despite the delay would have to find a way to feed the athletes.

And this will be no easy task. The statistics involved are mind boggling ? 36,000 meals a day during the Games, and a total of over four lakh meals between September 1 and October 30. And it is not just the numbers, for the spread will also have to be extensive too. For example, the breakfast menu alone will need eight types of juices, six types of breakfast cereals, 12 types of cheese, four grilled meats, three cured meats and so on.

Where all the food will beSERVEDMain dining hall2,300paxCasual dining400paxVillage bar110paxWorkforce break areaPolice break areaFour coffee cartsTwo street food stalls20 free vends for cold drinks and other beverages

Number of meals2,71,200Athletes84,720Official90,855Staff2,860Federation guests30,800Police, security

Where do they eat?It is not just the catering at the Games Village that is stuck, the Organising Committee has also not finalised caterers for other venues. A look at all the dining areas for the athletes, officials and organisers:MAIN DINING HALL:Has a capacity of 1,200 and will be open 24 hours. The cuisine will be divided into six zones ? Oceana, Africa, America, Asia, Caribbean and Europe ? and will be served in hot and cold zones. The hot food zone will have Indian and Asian, African Caribbean, European, American, Mediterranean, pizza/pasta, sizzling salads and fast foods. For the fast food zone, the OC is looking at a link-up with a burger chain. The cold food zone will have salad ingredients, complex salads, desserts, whole fruits, sliced fruits, breads, pastries, sandwiches, cereals and toast makers. The service style will be mostly buffet, with self-service for cold items and assistance for hot items. The dining area will be designed in a way so that 180-odd participants of para-games can move about easily. The caterer will have to pay special attention to all types of allergies including lactose, nuts, gluten and chlorine. The catering area will have separate sections pork-free areas, halal meat areas and vegetarian zones.CASUAL DINING HALL:While the main dining hall will be dismantled after the Games, the casual dining hall, a combination of indoor and outdoor seating, will be used as club house after the event. It will have live counters and salad bars.POLICE AND WORKFORCE AREAS:Will serve working meals for the organising committee officials and security officials.VILLAGE BAR:Will be located in the International Zone and will be open from noon to midnight and will serve light snacks. Hot and cold beverages will also be on offer.STREET FOOD:Open from 11 am till 6 pm at two locations in the Games Village, these areas will serve small portions of popular street foods.

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