Working with our customers
At 3663 we understand that your business is unique, with its own priorities. We also know that your needs are influenced by consumer tastes and trends which continually evolve. We work hard at maintaining close relationships with our customers so that we can continue to offer you the solutions that you need.
Rather than just take our word for it, why not read what our customers have to say:
The Olde Windmill Inn
Lucinda Halls, Catering Manager and Head Chef
Located in the picturesque Victorian village of Great Cressingham, this destination pub and hotel has been run by the Hall family for over 50 years. Recognising the need to change with trends whilst not loosing their cosey English charm, the Inn has successfully evolved from offering basic pub food and drink to becoming mainly food led.
As Lucinda Hall explains, her family picked 3663 as a supplier 25 years ago and have not looked back. “Our food is high-end in terms of quality, choice and taste, but affordable. We have always had a fantastic relationship with 3663. They help our ideas and concepts become a reality – endeavouring to source the best quality products at the most competitive price.”
“Our account manager maintains regular contact to check we are happy and showing us new concepts they’re developing for our input and honest feedback. Theyalways make us feel our custom is valued whatever size our order is week by week. They make us feel part of their business, not just another number.”
Colchester Zoo
John Tatum, Catering Manager
Colchester Zoo is home to over 260 species across 60 acres of parkland. Since joining the catering team 10 years ago, John Tatum, Catering Manager has been delighted with the results of his ongoing partnership with 3663.
“At Colchester Zoo we serve a range of hot meals and grab-to-go lunches from our main restaurant and five smaller outlets. We use lots of 3663’s own brand products such as frozen chips, scampi and ready prepared meals – we believe they’re just as good as the well-known brands.”
“One of our clear strategies to encourage custom is holding themed days, and we work closely with 3663 on the marketing campaigns to support them. Our account manager suggests innovative menus that we can offer, sources the ingredients and supplies the posters and visual material to support the day.”
“The last few years have been tough all round at Colchester Zoo, with visitors finding themselves with less disposable income, and so the recent rises in food costs have made a specific impact on us. However, we have seen a small increase in prices that has resulted in a small drop in sales. To reinforce this and secure the lowest prices that we could we’ve made a few changes to the products we use – with the great quality of 3663’s own brand products we’ve been able to switch to buying more own brand than we used to, without compromising on the taste and experience our customers expect.”
Bromsgrove School
Phil Bird, Enterprise Manager
Bromsgrove School is attended by 1600 pupils and home to over 400 boarders. Phil Bird, Enterprise Manager, needed a reliable supplier that could provide innovative solutions to their specific needs – something he found in 3663 over two decades ago.
“Our relationship with 3663 has been built over the last 21 years and they supply us with frozen and grocery lines, as well as catering equipment. The team are fantastic in helping us source products for new menu concepts. Many of our menus are constructed around the range that is on offer, particularly the new Whites range, but if we can’t find what we are looking for then they go out of their way to help us source it.”
“3663 have certainly helped us achieve results. They have a keen sense of customer service and the information that they provide us with is very good. The choice of foods they supply is second to none and their stock holding is exceptional.”
“We have worked closely with 3663 on our contract rationalisation. We specify what we need and they confirm that they can deliver the quantity and specifics. The team look at our requirements and ensure that we receive the right products, correct quality and traceability and at a competitive price”
“The team continually monitor our orders and provide continual support. This includes after sales and technical support including sourcing nutritional information.”
“They really go the extra mile to help the school out but this isn’t exclusive to us, it’s an everyday part of their culture.”
River Hospital
Marc Witherden, Head Chef
“Rivers Hospital, comprising of a private hospital, two neurological centres and a retirement village, serves up to 14,000 meals a month to patients and staff. Marc Witherden, Head Chef of the busy kitchen explains how 3663 have supported the demands of catering at the hospital.
“Each week I sit down with my sous-chef and plan out the following week’s specials. The decision is often based on what offers 3663 has available at the time and which products sit with our menu. 3663 has a great selection of frozen seafood so we always select our fish specials around it.”
“We also buy our catering equipment from 3663. The range offered is extensive and reasonably priced and we regularly purchase crockery, cutlery and utensils. Every so often I also buy larger items from them including a recent purchase of an industrial sized blender.”
“The service that the entire 3663 team provide is tremendous. Our account manager Lee Wilson helps me out all the time and we also have a regular delivery driver who knows the best times for us to receive our order and always accommodates us if we need to rearrange due to unforeseen circumstances. These relationships are priceless and they help us focus on our business and what’s important to us – our customers.”
Wear Inns
Frank Malone, Operations Director
Wear Inns is a fast expanding pub group with a portfolio of 15 outlets based within the North East of England and Yorkshire. The company came about in 2006 when founders John Sands and John Weir saw the opportunity to transform a number of pubs in the area that were in need of new ownership and a fresh approach.
When reassessing what they wanted from their supplier, Operations Director at The Guidepost, Frank Malone, explains that it was our dedication to building customer relationships that first attracted him to 3663.
“We chose to partner with 3663 as we believed they were able to provide better service, quality and choice of products, all at a great price - a belief that has been realised over the last three years.”
“Our relationship has continued to grow over time and our Account Manager has worked with us from the very beginning to develop ideas for our menu. Through frequent discussions with our team, our account manager and development chefs at 3663 were able to recommend products that matched exactly what our customers wanted and gave us the tools we needed to be able to provide this. They even came up to The Guidepost, and held a cook-off so that we could sample products and decide which ones were best for us. If we have any problems or want to change our order we get a quick and friendly service. It’s much more personal than other large suppliers I’ve worked with previously.”
Athlone Catering
Ian Addison, Proprietor
“We cater at high profile large events all across the country from fully equipped, self-contained kitchen units. Whether it’s roast beef, canapés or birthday party food we do it, 3663 supply the products to make it possible”, says Ian Addison, proprietor of Athlone Event Catering.
“3663 supply our events catering business with predominantly fresh, grocery and frozen foods but also with catering equipment and disposables on an ad-hoc basis. As our business constantly moves around the country to different events they adapt to our needs to cater in a number of unconventional places, such as fields and busy racecourse events."
“Before each event, our sales manager takes our food order and sets up an account for us at a regional depot close to where the event will take place. When we arrive at the site of the event, such as the British Superbikes Tour, we set up our unit and 3663 simply arrive with the food. Whether we’re catering in Scotland, Wales or the South of England the team always ensure we get top notch, quality products we need on the day. The flexibility that they offer removes all the organisational trouble for us, which is priceless."
Ian concludes: “We’ve been working with 3663 for over five years and the service they provide is always first class. The personal relationship that has been built between the team and us is fantastic. It is the continuity in this relationship that, in our eyes, makes 3663 stand out from other suppliers."
Bluestone National Park Resort
John Glasby, Head of Food, Beverage and Retail
“Bluestone National Park Resort, located in the picturesque Pembrokeshire National Park, is a 5 star rated, new-generation holiday village with a range of activities including indoor & outdoor adventure centres, spa and swimming facilities. It’s a family orientated short-stay holiday destination with the capacity to accommodate approximately 1300 guests in timber lodges, traditional Welsh cottages, and luxury studios”, says John Glasby, Head of Food, Beverage and Retail.
“3663 were the obvious choice to supply us based on their competitive pricing and the level of service they offer. For the eighteen months since we’ve been working with them they’ve provided a one-stop shop for the majority of products we need for our food offerings – they’ve more than exceeded our expectations."
“As a high-end holiday venue, local sourcing is very important to us when creating our menus. Our sales manager sat down with us to discuss which local producers we wanted to work with. We came up with quite an extensive list. This didn’t faze him or the team and he started working on building relationships with these local suppliers to ensure we got the produce we needed. Some of our local suppliers have become part of their range, including our favourite local coffee brand. This has been fantastic for us as we’ve been able to maintain our ethos of providing locally sourced food, without having to buy from lots of different suppliers and have lots of separate deliveries. Our order is now consolidated, freeing up our time to concentrate on our guests and delivering a great experience – not continually taking in deliveries."
"The team have also worked closely with us on creating catering concepts on site. Together we created and launched a takeaway menu concept, which is a great addition to our offering. Guests can choose from a number of dishes that include pizza, pasta and oriental foods that are delivered straight to their cottage as and when they want it enabling our guests to enjoy a meal in the privacy of their own rooms."
John concludes: “Our relationship with 3663 is excellent. I would describe it as a partnership where we work together to achieve mutually beneficial business objectives.”
Loughborough College Student Refectory
Tim Carr, Catering Manager
Tim Carr comments: “We serve over 900 meals a day to students and staff in our bustling college refectory. Our offering is huge with a wide choice of meals including salads, pastas, sandwiches ‘to-go’ and homemade meals including pies, casseroles and curries. 3663 supplies us with pretty much everything we need to make our entire menu possible every day."
“We work closely with the 3663 team to develop ideas to ensure our food offering is the best it can be. Our 3663 sector development manager came up with our most recent and exciting project – a Mexican mix-and-match using Old El Paso products. Students pick their tortilla base and choose their favourite toppings from a selection that includes spicy meats, vegetables, beans, rice and salsas."
“The 3663 team have given us great support in turning this idea into a reality. They have provided us with point of sale material including posters and table talkers, and even arranged salsa dancers to perform in the refectory on our launch day – the place was buzzing! What’s more, the food is going down brilliantly with the students, shown by the increase in sales we’re already beginning to see."
Tim concludes: “The customer service that 3663 provides is outstanding. Our 3663 account manager is always available and keen to show us new concepts that, more often than not, we love. They are always on hand to help and I can’t praise the telesales team enough – they are absolutely fantastic – always there offering help and advice on an order and ensuring we get the best deal. I hope that the Mexican initiative is just one of many new concepts we’ll launch to our customers this year and I’m sure 3663 will help make this a reality."
