”Agencies tend to either be strategic or great at dealing with reactive needs and it’s quite rare to find an agency that can excel at both. But Midnight finds that balance, getting their hands around the big strategic issues, while having the agility and result-driven mindset to land the reactive pieces too.
Carol RheadMarketing & Insight Director, Eurest – Compass Group UK & Ireland
Headline results
- Five major awards won for sustainability excellence since 2022
- MD named Edie Sustainability Business Leader of the year 2025
- Six strategic white papers published featuring external experts and partners – demonstrating that the business looks out as well as in
- 6% LinkedIn engagement – four times the target
Time frame: 2021-2026 and continuing
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The challenge
Eurest is part of Compass Group, one of the world’s largest foodservice businesses. It’s a reminder that responsible business isn’t the preserve of small, founder-led companies. It can be achieved at real scale.
Eurest had just become one of the first UK national contract caterers to publish a Net Zero road map when Midnight was brought on board to help build its profile in the sustainability space and highlight how its innovative menus support health and wellbeing.
In 2025 Compass Group Plc was awarded a Gold Sustainability Rating by EcoVadis, highlighting its commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) standard. A remarkable achievement given its size and continued growth.
Back in 2021, Eurest, under the guidance of then Managing Director Morag Freathy, had just taken a ‘time out’ to reconsider its strategy.
Morag used the pandemic, when many workplace restaurants were closed, to re-think what the business was all about, bringing sustainability to the top of the agenda.
It now sat alongside the delivery of an inspiring food and beverage offer that could deliver health and wellbeing impacts for people. One that was exciting enough to match the High Street and challenge outdated perceptions of Eurest’s menu that had hampered growth.
But here’s where it gets interesting. The reality of Eurest’s business was in direct contrast to industry preconceptions. Eurest has one of the most progressive stances in the sector with a dual focus on understanding the impact of nutrition on health and productivity, as well as sustainability. Specifically reducing food waste, championing plant-based and plant-forward dishes and sourcing British produce wherever possible.
A goal of changing the image of a whole industry, two enticing pillars on which to hang campaign activity and an ambitious commercial objective to increase revenue through new business? Sounds like a recipe for an award-winning campaign. We were in.
Goal: making sustainability central to Eurest’s commercial identity
Eurest aimed to be a leader in sustainability innovation, so Midnight showcased its commitment to outstanding food and beverage – but with sustainability considered in everything that involves.
The board at Eurest saw this shift, including a move towards a more plant-based menu (which also brings health benefits), as crucial to business growth. They believed future clients would want to work with a contract caterer that could support and advise on their own sustainability goals – especially around food waste, food sourcing, food miles and removing single-use plastics.
What we did
Working with a client so committed to sustainability – and ready to make big change to achieve it – made this a strong partnership. Especially when combined with a menu deliberately designed to support the physical and mental health of customers.
The strategy generated a lot of collateral to inspire PR campaigns.
This included:
- Eurest becoming the first UK contract caterer to introduce eco-labelling on menus following a partnership with the University of Oxford.
- The appointment of nutritionists and sustainability leads.
- A drive to ‘nudge’ customers into making healthy food choices.
- A new plant-based menu – and a big focus on ‘plant forward’ recipes
- An internally designed food waste dashboard.
- Innovative food waste recipes.
- A major focus on recipes that support physical and mental health.
To support and amplify these initiatives, Midnight has:
- Strategically targeted sustainability awards to raise awareness of Eurest’s sustainability integrity.
- Built a thought leadership campaign that set the agenda for sustainability, health and wellbeing in the workplace restaurant.
- Identified and reached out to external experts to amplify the message in white papers and features.
- Championed industry firsts such as sustainability labelling and the food waste dashboard
- Delivered digital PR that built long-term authority.
- Built and grew an engaged LinkedIn audience.
- Crafted leadership profiles that put human faces on the story
©Frasershot Ltd
Results
10 high profile award wins, including:
- Edie Awards Sustainability Business Leader of the Year
- FDF Diet & Health Award
- Management Today Women in Leadership Power List:
- Footprint Sustainability Health in Hospitality Award
- Waste2Zero Best Waste Prevention Project
- FDF Environmental Leadership Award
- FAB Awards Health & Wellbeing Initiative of the Year (in collaboration with Heathrow Airport)
- The Cateys Foodservice Caterer Award
- Footprint Sustainability in Labelling Award (in partnership with the University of Oxford)
- Foodservice Cateys Business & Industry Caterer of the Year
2025 results:
- Increased follower growth on LinkedIn by a fifth
- 6% LinkedIn engagement rate – four times the target of 3%
- 85 items of coverage against an annual target of 48
- 429 brand mentions
- 28m potential audience reach
- 38 backlinks direct to the Eurest website
- 2 major awards won and a further 5 shortlisted
Why it mattered
Being recognised as a leader in sustainability, health and wellbeing is driving sales and retention as Eurest continues to grow. In 2025 the business achieved a 97.5% client retention rate – a reflection of the reputation and trust it has built over time.
This case study matters beyond the numbers. Responsible business is often associated with small, founder-led companies. Eurest proves it doesn’t have to be that way. As a subsidiary of Compass Group – a FTSE 100 global business – it demonstrates that genuine commitment to people and planet can be achieved at scale. It just takes leadership, ambition and the right partners.
For Midnight, it’s exactly the kind of work we exist to do.
Contact us today to discuss your PR objectives.
