42
27/6/11
10:20
Page 1
42
SUPPLEMENTATION AND NUTRITION Educating members about nutrition can prove challenging for any gym owner but introducing food and drink facilities on site can help them win the battle – and generate valuable secondary spend. Workout speaks to clubs which are leading the way.
How a healthy cafe can add that extra ingredient to gyms ... IF your gym has an underused area, an in house, healthy-eating cafe could be the perfect way to utilise the space and bring in some extra cash. A typical menu could include a range of high protein, low carb options with popular choices including egg-based dishes such as omelettes, chicken, tuna, jacket potatoes, healthy sandwiches and fruit smoothies. But with a minefield of nutritional information available to members, the message from clubs who have tried and tested cafes is clear – keep the menu simple and affordable
and customers will come back for more. One club leading the way is Zeus gym in East Sussex where the cafe area is proving popular with members who want a nutritious meal post workout. Owner Sue Kennedy explained: “Exercise and nutrition go hand in hand. Explain to people what they should be eating, without getting technical and put it in simple terms. “The menu here is low fat with good clean carbs – things that people should be eating. If you have got everything under one roof, people can get the results they want.”
Ripped Gym in Harlow is also promoting healthy eating habits by serving up food to hungry members. Gym owner Michelle Mead added: “Having a kitchen seemed like the other half of the coin – if you are going to train you need to eat properly. The menu is mostly targeted at bodybuilders. Most people know chicken and tuna are the staples but we try to flavour them as much as possible, using spices like cajun and tandoori. Our kitchen is open from 10am to 9pm and gets absolutely packed. It’s always busy and really good for secondary spend.”
Fruit smoothies and protein rich dishes are selling well in many gym cafes Michelle also offered advice for any other clubs thinking about taking the plunge and opening their own cafe. She told Workout the kitchen gets inspected once a year by Environmental Health and awarded a star rating so it is vital to keep up to date with safety and hygiene. Ripped’s kitchen has achieved the maximum five stars and Michelle puts this down to regular staff training. She added: “We train our staff regularly and they have to have certain certificates. We keep them up to date with their training and hygiene is always top of the list.”