Indian food to be offered at Beijing Olympics!

A small acquisition that happened in November 2007 will prove to be a blessing for lovers of Indian food in China in August this year.

American facilities management company Aramark, which acquired the 3000 member-strong Patman Group, is now going to use its domestic base to send chefs and caterers to China to provide Indian food at the Olympics.

Aramark has been the official caterer for the Olympics since 1968 (with a solitary exception) and for the first time will be sending around 10 Indian caterers and chefs to Beijing in August 2008.

For the upcoming Olympics, Aramark expects to provide food for 25,000 athletes, 10,000 coaches and manager and 45,000 media representatives at the Beijing Olympics.

Ravi K Saligram, president, international and executive vice-president, Aramark Corporation, said that the details are still being worked out, but assured that Indian food will be available at the Olympics.

Privately-held Aramark Corporation had in November 2007 acquired the Patman Group for an undisclosed sum and thus got its first foothold in India, a market that it considers would be its major growth driver in the future. 

Aramark has over 2.5 lakh people on its rolls and is one of the world's largest faculties management companies that provides outsourced services for corporations, governments and civic bodies.  On the domestic front, Aramark Patman Services (the new company post-acquisition) will kick-start afresh by focusing on facilities management for major hospitals in India.

"We have already been approached by several major hospitals in India to manage their facilities. We are waiting to put our global systems and practices in place in India to accept business," said Saligram. Moving patients in and out of hospitals is key to Aramark's interests in managing hospital facilities. (The key) is in how you make hospitals financially more viable," he said.