Fast food

"It is not just another feather in our cap, but for Bahrain as well," says Tapan Vaidya, general manger of Jawad's restaurant division, as cars speed past in the background at Bahrain's International Circuit (BIC).

Of course, he is talking about Formula One (F1), which made its first foray into the Middle East in Bahrain in 2004, and with spectator numbers rising each year, BIC predicts more than 120,000 attendees across the three day event, being held from April 13 to 15.

But while all eyes will be on the racetrack, and no doubt a bitter rivalry between Raikkonen and Alonso, behind the scenes the catering units work 24/7 to keep the spectators, staff members, and more importantly, the team drivers happy.

Operating the public area catering for the F1 Grand Prix since 2004, Jawad opened its first restaurant in 1982, and since then has gone from strength to strength with the acquisition of a number of franchise rights in Bahrain, for chains including Dairy Queen, Burger King and Chili's, as well as opening its own branded casual dining outlets; Thai Express and Zen Express.

"Because of our size and knowledge of the area we were able to take on this project [F1]. Serving food to 120,000 people and not knowing what they want to eat is not easy, but we have the resources," says Vaidya.

With more than 30 different kiosks located in and around the circuit, the bulk of Jawad's operation is in the main grandstand area, where it serves food to order, including freshly made burgers, sandwiches and barbeque food.

Employing around 320 staff members for the F1, Jawad also has dedicated water stands, something that it has learned from previous years.

"We have ordered around one and a half containers of water for the three days. The containers are 40ft long, so that is a lot of water," comments Vaidya.

"Because of the heat, people will always want water. In 2005 we also realised that some people who were in the food queues only wanted a drink, so that is why we now have dedicated drink stations, it helps to ease the queues," he added.

Although Jawad caters for the public areas around the circuit, German-based Kafer is responsible for the corporate boxes, VIP lounges and race control centre. It also has a section in the Gulf Air tent and caters for the V8 and Super cup lounge, as well as the media centre.

Serving a number of different food styles in these sections, Christian Maibohm, catering manager for Kafer Services in Bahrain, says it is important to offer quality dishes, but also food items that are practical.

"The people in race control do not have time to eat, they need small snacks they can walk around with. Race control will have people like Bernie Ecclestone [F1 founder] there, so the food has to be top quality. We have two service staff and one chef just for the race control centre, with the food constantly changing and being replenished," comments Maibohm.

With 34 VIP lounges located on the second floor of the grandstand - each holding up to 24 people - catering for this is also done by Kafer.