Kommercial awarded CSIRO catering bid
09 December 2009
Kommercial has cemented its strong reputation in the hospitality and catering sector with the successful tender of its latest, if not a little challenging, industrial café in Geelong.
While all Kommercial staff working at the CSIRO site agree providing its hungry employees with food is a pleasure, the security procedures required to enter one of two cafes within the facility is quite daunting.
The Portarlington Road CSIRO building is home to the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) - a national centre regarded as one of the most sophisticated laboratories in the world for the safe handling and containment of animal diseases.
AAHL includes a high-biocontainment facility, to safely fulfil its major role of diagnosing emergency animal disease outbreaks.
This part of the CSIRO building is secure, meaning there is strict quarantine procedures in place.
Kommercial Business Development Manager Roxanne Bennett said everyone who goes through the secured facility, including everyone from the scientists who work there to Kommercial staff, must leave their clothes at the door.
“Because the area is secure, nothing can come out of that area once it has gone in,” she said.
“That means clothes must be left at the door and different ones are provided to wear inside the secure area.
“When a staff member comes out they must shower thoroughly before being allowed to put on their own clothes.
“We also have to be careful about the kind and amount of food we take in, because whatever goes in, can’t come out again.
“Obviously the CSIRO have some very specialised requirements but we are thrilled to be entrusted with the job and the responsibility.
“We have only been providing our service at the CSIRO since October and already the procedures have become second nature.”
Roxanne said for supported employees, working in industrial kitchens exposed them to all sorts of procedures and experiences not normally required in a conventional hospitality setting, which only added to their skills and qualifications.
She said Kommercial’s existing café at Alcoa required all people on the premises to have an in-depth knowledge of Occupational Health and Safety practices, over and above what is normally required when working in a kitchen.
Over the next five years Roxanne said further expansion of Kommercial’s industrial cafes was on the cards and it was hoped the experience gained by staff working within such important environments would assist them in winning further tenders.
“There are a few proposals coming up which we are certainly interested in and we hope the faith that organisations such as the CSIRO and Alcoa have put in us will assist us in those bids.”