{"id":54807,"date":"2025-09-11T08:52:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T22:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/?p=54807"},"modified":"2025-09-12T09:31:45","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T23:31:45","slug":"what-it-takes-to-make-a-million-meals-a-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/blog\/what-it-takes-to-make-a-million-meals-a-year\/","title":{"rendered":"BCEC: What it takes to make a million meals a year"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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As Bidfood celebrates 30 years in Australian foodservice, we sat down with some of our customers who have shared the journey with us to uncover the secrets behind their success, hear about their experiences over the decades and meet the people who have helped shape foodservice in Australia.<\/strong><\/p>

Having also recently marked 30 years of operation, the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) stands as a Queensland success story and an icon of the state\u2019s hospitality industry. We went behind the scenes to see what it takes to craft one million meals each year and meet the team behind this multi award-winning operation.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Stepping from the public arena into the operations area of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC), the outside world falls away. The concrete corridors are clean and orderly, weaving like arteries through the building as impeccably dressed chefs slip in and out of kitchens. The smell of cooking is clean and bright, not heavy. The rattle of pans is deliberate, not frantic. It\u2019s a quiet morning, yet the larder kitchen is humming, preparing quails for 500 entr\u00e9es. In the pastry kitchen, trays of golden pastries march out by the hundreds, while in the main kitchen, preparations begin for dishes destined for banquet halls that can seat thousands.<\/p>

Even for a seasoned hospitality professional, the scale is awe-inspiring. The cutlery room alone is bigger than most restaurant kitchens. In the barware room, neatly stacked glassware covers an area about the size of a basketball court. And, in the scullery, two enormous dishwashers lay dormant, waiting to make short work of even the most daunting mess.<\/p>

“We make all our jus and sauces,” says Donna Brown, kitchen operations coordinator, gesturing to two impeccably maintained stock cookers. The kitchens are equipped with the latest technology, yet there\u2019s an old-school feel here \u2013 cooking as a craft, performed with tradition and care.<\/p>

It\u2019s clear that Donna, who has worked at BCEC for more than 27 years, loves her job. You might say the endless back of house corridors aren\u2019t just part of the building anymore, they\u2019re part of her story. “We do one million meals a year. A 1,000 pax is a quiet day,” she says without flinching.<\/p>

Working alongside Donna to ensure the seamless delivery of service at this scale is executive chef Matthew Arnold. “We call her ‘Work Mum’,” Matthew says, laughing. “She keeps us all in check, along with our trusted suppliers.”<\/p>

Matthew, who has been with BCEC for more than 20 years, having served as executive chef for the past three, previously worked as the executive pastry chef. While clearly organised and driven, he is equally affable. “We are very protective of each other here,” says Donna. “We\u2019ve always valued one another for who we are. Over the many years, we\u2019ve worked side by side, grown older together, and built a bond that extends beyond the workplace. We know each other\u2019s families, children, parents and that familiarity has shaped a deep mutual respect within the team.”<\/p>

Catering at this scale, it\u2019s clear efficiency sits at the heart of operations \u2013 shaping everything from guiding customers through menu planning, orders, catering for thousands, HACCP and ISO22000 compliance and recycled waste management. Every step in feeding a guest is carefully considered in advance.<\/p>

“The menu is launched at the start of each financial year,” Matthew explains. And although that was only six weeks earlier, work on next year\u2019s menu has already begun. “Around this time of year, we start putting some ideas together. Then, when we come into our quieter period, we begin trialling dishes. It takes a good six months to turn it all around.”<\/p>

Having worked together for so long, there are many changes Matthew and Donna have observed over their nearly three decades at BCEC. “Plates are no longer simply white and round but now come in different shapes and sizes,” Donna says. “The changes in equipment have also been very helpful,” adds Matthew.<\/p>

Above all, though, the biggest shift has been in catering for dietary requirements \u2013 reflected in an onsite standalone allergen free kitchen and a dedicated gluten free and nut free storerooms.<\/p>

“Gluten free really took off about 15 years ago. When it comes to mains, we\u2019ve had to adapt, with most of our meals now gluten free and dairy free. Our stats show these are the main concerns \u2013 around 10 to 13 per cent of guests at every function have these dietary needs.”<\/p>

This transition has been one of continual improvement over the past decade, and it\u2019s not just Matthew\u2019s job but the responsibility of the entire team. “It\u2019s every chef\u2019s job here \u2013 from tracking what gets served to each dietary requirement.”<\/p>

This is no small task. There are about 500 items on the menus, each listed within a menu management software, complete with a photograph, standard recipe and allergen details. “Every ingredient in every dish is tracked through the process.”<\/p>

It\u2019s not all about technology, though. Matthew blends old-school culinary instincts with modern, team-driven management. Flavour remains paramount, but just as vital is the collective effort it takes to uphold excellence at scale. It\u2019s not just about thoughtful menu planning; it\u2019s about the ongoing discipline of tasting, refining and checking every dish before it reaches a guest. High standards aren\u2019t a one-time achievement \u2013 they\u2019re a shared commitment, carried out daily.<\/p>

When asked which dish from the past they would bring back, they both laugh. “We never got rid of it \u2013 sticky date pudding,” says Matthew. “It\u2019s the simplest thing, just butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream, that people are continually drawn to.” “We have redesigned how it\u2019s served, though, with a modern twist,” Donna adds.<\/p>

Looking at the future of the business and industry, it seems that AI may even be beginning to enter kitchen operations. “It\u2019s unclear how extensively this will impact equipment and the use of robotics, but if current workflows are automated, we\u2019ll gain real-time visibility into key metrics, enabling more strategic, data-driven decisions about resource allocation and operational priorities.”<\/p>

He gestures toward the restaurant world as a glimpse of what\u2019s already possible. “Think about your POS system \u2013 it\u2019s quietly collecting data every minute. By the end of the week, you know exactly when your rushes hit and which dishes flew off the pass. That means you can stock up on what\u2019s popular, dial back on what\u2019s not, and avoid both shortages and unnecessary waste. It\u2019s smart, simple, and it\u2019s already happening.”<\/p>

When it comes to AI and robotics replacing human labour, though, Matthew\u2019s outlook is optimistic. “Using equipment to perform mundane tasks, like portioning block cakes, will free up time for chefs to focus on more exciting things and advancing their skills in other areas.”<\/p>

Preparing more than a million meals a year takes more than scale and precision \u2013 it takes people who care. As Donna puts it, “If your internal customers are happy, then your external customers are going to be happy. And that flows on to the food. If you\u2019ve got staff who are happy, they\u2019re going to take pride in what they do.”<\/p>

When asked what advice he\u2019d offer chefs working across all different types of venues, Matthew doesn\u2019t hesitate: it\u2019s all about uncovering efficiencies in the everyday. “That old-school mindset of \u2018if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it\u2019 doesn\u2019t quite cut it anymore,” he says. “I\u2019m always questioning the process, looking for the small tweaks, the subtle shifts, that can make a big difference over time.”<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t

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Having also recently marked 30 years of operation, the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) stands as a Queensland success story and an icon of the state\u2019s hospitality industry. We went behind the scenes to see what it takes to craft one million meals each year and meet the team behind this multi award-winning operation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":54811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[14,13],"tags":[120,115],"class_list":["post-54807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-reports","category-industry","tag-foodservice","tag-industry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54807"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54939,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54807\/revisions\/54939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bidfood.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}