If communal dining has terrified you since your school days, hold on to your memories. Employee canteens often resemble stylish hotel restaurants, both in their interior design and the quality of their food offerings. And yes, they smell amazing too! In 2022, Club of Employers, decided to recognize excellence in workplace dining, which led to the creation of the Canteen of the Year competition. The event is organized by the Association for Employee Catering, whose chairwoman, Soňa Strecká, personally visits all canteens that apply. And actively encourages new ones to join. The goal isn’t just to crown a winner, but to share the best practices and know-how, which make operations more efficient while also elevating the guests' experience. After all, food quality and its correct composition significantly affects both physical and mental performance. At Fresh & Tasty canteens, the Healthy Plate  graphic helps guests make decisions by clearly showing the ideal structure of a balanced lunch. Both the menu and the graphic were created in cooperation with nutritionists from Ne hladu.

Canteens can be entered into the competition either by their operators or by employers. The evaluation focuses on the quality, variety, taste, and presentation of the food, the use of local suppliers, the dining environment, work approach, waste minimization, facilities, and creative ideas. "We send each canteen a detailed questions, for example, if they bake their own bread and pastries, how they handle bio-waste, etc. We also request three weeks of menus to assess the variety of their offering, during our on-site visit, we evaluate the canteen’s real-world conditions, what people actually eat, how operations run, what the client expects, and what extra value the operator provides," explains Soňa Strecká, Director of the Canteen of the Year competition.

Each canteen is unique. Some operate with a ordering system, which naturally helps reduce amount of bio-waste, while others are open even to the public. The menu offerings also vary according to guests' preferences.
"In cities, it’s now common practice to donate uneaten food to charities, to the organization Zachraň jídlo (Save Food), or to offer discounted meals for seniors in reusable containers called Rekrabičky ,” adds Soňa Strecká. Regional winners from seven Czech regions then compete in the national finals, held as part of the Employer of the Year competition. The canteens are divided into categories based on the number of meals served. This year, 59 canteens entered the contest, and in the category of up to 1,000 meals served, the winner was Aspira Café, operated by Fresh & Tasty by Zátiší Group.

Aspira Café is located on the ground floor of the ten-story Aspira Business Centre, near the Nové Butovice station. The building was built by the company Livesport, which is also based there. Thanks to its eco-friendly solutions for cooling, heating, irrigation, and water management, the building has received prestigious international certifications LEED Gold and BREEAM Excellent. Since its opening in 2018, the Aspira Café canteen has been operated by the Fresh & Tasty team by the Zátiší Group. “We knew Zátiší mainly from fine dining, but we were also aware of their Fresh & Tasty division, which we thought could be a great fit for running our canteen. We invited them to take part in the tender, which they clearly won – with offer, attitude, and human approach,” explains Petra Maierová, authorized representative of Livesport.

More than 15,000 m² of office space, a conference center, the canteen, and the kitchen were all designed by Studio acht. The canteen space is bright thanks to glass walls, yet cozy due to wooden furniture and soft rounded beige lights. The standout feature is a walnut bar with gold leaf-shaped lamps. Plenty of greenery, bar seating, and curtains create the impression of a hotel restaurant.
“The open kitchen is also exceptionally well-designed from an architectural standpoint, providing enough space for full meal preparation for both the canteen and office catering, while at the same time maintaining direct contact with our guests,” adds Jiří Špás, Floor Manager of the canteen.

Breakfast is served from 8 to 10 a.m. The basics include scrambled and fried eggs, sausages and toasts, which are complemented by a cold breakfast bar with cheeses, salamis, spreads, vegetables, yogurts, muesli, and a sweet bar with pastries. Twice a week, pancakes and semolina porridge are offered. On average, about 150–200 breakfasts are served daily.

Lunch is available from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. You can choose from a meat and vegetarian soup, five main courses, three side dishes, or create your own plate from the salad and vegetarian buffet. “The menu must be balanced, surprise guests with something new, and at the same time delight them with their favorite dishes. The most popular meals rotate on an eight-week cycle. We also organize themed weeks, such as game week, asparagus week, etc. Every day, we offer one dish from Czech cuisine, one international dish, one chef’s speciality – grilled meats, fresh fish, burgers, and more, as well as pasta, risotto, or stir-fried noodles, which we finish cooking as a live show right in front of the guests,” explains chef Aleš Pelka, who upon the guests' request includes dishes they are craving at the moment, and those dishes may not be offered anywhere else. 

"We prepare an average of 550 lunches daily, and about 130 people build their meals from the buffet selection. Employees from the Aspira building as well as from nearby offices come here," smiles Jiří Špás. Livesport regularly surveys guests' satisfaction with the canteen’s offerings, and the menu adjustment requests are incorporated together with chef Aleš Pelka’s team. "Czech cuisine presented by Zátiší is simply fabulous! The fresh baked pastries from Artic Bakehouse, from complementary sales are also a great success," praises Petra Maierová.

In the afternoon, you may enjoy coffee from the Nordbeans roastery, fresh fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, homemade lemonades, salads, sandwiches, or homemade desserts. The Fresh & Tasty team is happy to prepare these for meetings, conferences, or for colleagues at the office. "Every compliment we receive from our guests makes me happy, as well as repeated orders for office catering. We have successfully secured exclusive partnerships with BMW, Signify, and Albert Czech Republic, who chose us themselves," makes Jiří Špás happy.
 

The key to success, however, lies in a well-coordinated and stable team. Chef Aleš Pelka works in the kitchen with five colleagues, while another four take care of service. Together, they serve nearly 1,000 people every day. Exceptional guest care, combined with cleanliness, food quality, and a pleasant interior, earned Aspira Café its victory in the competition. “We try to notice guests' needs and accomodate them. For example, we offer a loyalty card for coffee, every 10th cup is on us. But since people often forgot their cards with them, we created a notice board where they can write their names. Now, we’re working on a e-cards. I believe it’s the little details like this that shape the overall experience and keep moving us forward,” adds Jiří Špás. You may see for yourself, Aspira Café is open to the public every weekday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Bucharova 2928/14a in Nové Butovice.
 

"This award represents recognition of the tremendous joint effort by Livesport and the Zátiší Group. It’s a proof that when a clear vision meets high-quality service, it can lead to a truly successful partnership. At the same time, it confirms that we’re able to provide our employees with quality dining in a pleasant environment," says Petra Maierová, authorized representative of Livesport.