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Catering Division, one of the operating
divisions of the Company headed by Brian
Salmon and incorporating Pleasure Food,
Wimpy International and Town & County
Catering Ltd, adopted the title of J. L.
Catering Ltd in December 1970. The
directors of the new operation were Harold
Young (Managing Director), L. G. Bizat, P.
J. R. Byford, S. C. Hearson, T. W.
McLaren, W. E. Morris and J. D.
Wilkinson.
Harold
Young had been the chief executive of
Catering Division from its formation in
1963 out of the former Teashops Department
and the Corner Houses. The Division had
been responsible for all the groups
restaurants and catering establishments as
well as conferences, banquets, theme parks
and special events such as the Wimbledon
Lawn Tennis Championships and Buckingham
Palace Garden Parties. With the conversion
to limited status Catering Division thus
followed the decentralisation pattern set
by Lyons Groceries Ltd and Lyons Bakery
Ltd.
In July
1971 the self-service restaurants of
Jolyons, the Steak Houses, miscellaneous
restaurants and other catering units were
formed into four operational groups each
with a J. L. Catering Ltd director in
charge. They were: Jolyon Group (S. C.
Hearson) consisting of the Jolyon
self-service restaurants, Woburn Wild
Animal Kingdom theme park, Strand Corner
House and Supermarket; the Steak House
Group (P. J. R. Byford) encompassing the
Steak Houses, miscellaneous restaurants
and the Liverpool Robley Group; Town &
County Catering Co Ltd (W. E. Morris); and
the Airport Group (L. Oblath) which
covered London Airport, Syon Park and the
Throgmorton Restaurant.
In
September 1985 J. L. Catering Ltd moved to
new premises in Alperton &endash; the old
factory of Alperton Carton Co Ltd. They
were officially opened by Major Ronald
Ferguson and his daughter Sarah, the
fiancée of Prince Andrew at the
time.
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