Central Catering Company , suppliers of catering to public houses

Central Catering Company , suppliers of catering to public houses

The Central Catering Company, located at 100 Theobald's Road, was contracted by Whitbread in the early 1900s to supply food to its public houses. This was in response to legislation allowing magistrates to refuse license renewal to public houses that were deemed unsavoury. Whitbread decided that one of the key issues was the absence of good food in pubs and by 1905 the Central Catering Company was supplying 400 pubs daily.

Whitbread was so enthusiastic about the scheme that it decided to take over the Central Catering Company and extend the scheme to all of its tied houses. However, by the end of 1906 the company was running at a loss. The scheme had failed due to lack of background research - it has become clear that it was very difficult to supply pubs with food at the exact time that they needed it and also that many Whitbread pubs were serving their own food already. In order to prevent further financial damage it was agreed in 1907 that the company should be closed, a decision signed by Francis Pelham Whitbread (known as Frank) then company director.