How a brand leader sees service, AI and loyalty in contract catering

As part of Tech Table by Pej, we spoke with Dee Wombwell, Head of Brand and Communications at Wilson Vale.

With more than a decade in the sector, Dee sits close to sales, bids and site marketing. Her vantage point bridges client expectations, on-site teams and the evolving tech stack that supports them.

A service industry means everything is tailored

“We are in a service industry,” Dee says. “By its very nature it is bespoke.” Contract catering is built around the needs of a specific client, site and employee community. 

That mindset stretches far beyond food on a plate. It is customer service, and customer service is tailored.

This shift reframes the canteen as a social hub and community builder. The restaurant is still the heart, but the experience now extends before and after the moment of purchase.

Hybrid working demands communication beyond the restaurant

Dee’s first principle for hybrid working is clear: communicate outside the four walls. Apps and digital channels extend reach on days when people are at home, with menus available 24/7, pre-ordering for hospitality, bookings and push notifications that nudge attendance on the right days.

The service offer has broadened too. Beyond a rotating menu, sites now run pop-ups, street-food themes and world-cuisine takeovers. Teams host chef-led workshops where colleagues bake bread, roll sushi or make pizza together. Food becomes a reason to come in, and a tool for team building.

AI that frees people to be more present

Dee is optimistic about AI’s role. The opportunity is personalisation and efficiency that feels invisible to the guest.

Integrated into pre-ordering and communication, AI can remember preferences, surface relevant choices and remove friction. Used well and in line with a company’s purpose and values, AI gives time back to chefs and front-of-house teams so they can perfect their craft and spend more time with guests at the counter.

She also imagines assistance that adapts to context. Digital signage that changes with the weather. Menus filtered to your dietary needs. Systems that quietly orchestrate a no-queue, get-what-you-want experience, while making allergens, nutrition and carbon data transparent for those who want it.

Loyalty that helps people reach their goals

Traditional loyalty will stick around. Buy-nine-get-one-free still has a place. But Dee argues for something deeper: longer-lasting, meaningful connections.

Instead of only transactional rewards, loyalty can help guests work toward personal goals. That might look like nutrition plans, healthier-lifestyle nudges, training-for-a-marathon support, or environmental milestones such as planting a tree at a certain threshold. When the caterer helps you achieve something that matters to you, repeat custom and belonging follow.

What will not change

Even as tech evolves, Dee believes two constants endure:

• Human craft in the kitchen, led by talented chefs.
• Human connection in the restaurant, the social heart of the office.

Technology should make everything else seamless. No queues. Clear information. Effortless transparency about what you are eating and where it comes from.

Five themes shaping contract catering’s next chapter

Personalisation at scale
AI assistance remembers preferences and removes friction across ordering, communications and events.

Always-on communication
Menus, messaging and bookings live where people are, including days at home.

Experience-led food
Pop-ups, street-food themes and chef workshops turn the canteen into a reason to come in.

Loyalty with purpose
Rewards align to health, wellbeing or environmental goals, not only transactions.

Data and transparency
Allergens, nutrition and carbon insights at your fingertips, when you want them.

Use technology to simplify, personalise and inform. Use the time it saves to deepen human connection. When that balance is right, the result is exactly what guests want today: an experience that feels as seamless as it is social.