Sodexo Live! to tickle taste buds at Deepdale

Article posted by Coliseum, May 29^th, 2023

Image: Deepdale, Steve Daniels, CC BY-SA 2.0

Sodexo’s dedicated business for sports, events and hospitality, Sodexo Live! has been confirmed as the official venue partner for the EFL Championship club Preston North End F.C. (UK).

‘FMJ’ stated that from July 1^st, 2023, Sodexo Live! will take over the catering operation at the Deepdale Stadium in Preston, England (UK) from Heathcote & Company, who has been the club’s catering partner since 2018. Service provision will include hospitality in the lounges and boxes, and on the concourse on matchdays.

Sodexo is a French food services and facilities management company headquartered in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux. It has 412,088 employees as of 2021, operates in 55 countries and serves 100 million customers on a daily basis.

Sodexo Live! deliver far more than world-class sports, leisure and travel experiences. One will have access to the kind of insight and expertise that surprises and delights guests, enriches lives and turns venues and events into unforgettable memories. Sodexo Live! help put the power of positive emotion into one’s experience, boost revenue growth and reach one’s true potential.

The Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England (UK). They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.

The 23,408-capacity Deepdale is a football stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England (UK), the home of Preston North End. Deepdale is “widely recognized as being the oldest ‘continuously used’ football stadium in the world, though this is contested.”

Preston (UK)-based Heathcote & Company are an event and stadia catering company. Its philosophy is to run high quality catering events and parties, festivals and permanent stadia. The Heathcote & Company history dates back to 1990, from a small restaurant in Longridge gaining two Michelin Stars, Egon Ronay Chef of the Year, 3 Catey Awards, and a whole host of accolades from AA to the Good Food Guide.

‘FMJ’ further stated that as part of the agreement, Sodexo Live! will invest in the catering infrastructure at the Deepdale Stadium with the aim of enhancing an efficient and enjoyable matchday experience for the club’s supporters.

Ahead of the beginning of the 2023-2024 seasons, the club will organize a meeting with supporters’ representatives to discuss Sodexo Live’s matchday provisions.

Put in Peter Ridsdale, Club Director, “We are delighted to have agreed to a long-term partnership with Sodexo Live!, who arrive with a fantastic reputation of providing a high-quality service. As a company who are well-versed providing a service to the football fans, we are confident our supporters will be satisfied with the new offerings they will experience on a matchday at Deepdale. We are looking forward to establishing a mutually beneficial relationship in the coming years.”

Remarked Rebecca Kane Burton, head honcho of Sodexo Live! UK and Ireland, “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the Preston North End and are delighted to be working with another excellent venue in North West England. We can’t wait to bring our knowledge in hospitality, retail, guest experience, and venue management to Deepdale. Enhancing the guest experience and creating an enjoyable and memorable matchday experience for everyone is in our DNA. We can’t wait to get started.”

Sodexo Live! has extensive experience of working in football and live entertainment catering, as the company is currently partnered with – amongst others – the Premier League teams Everton F.C. and Newcastle United F.C., as well as venues such as ACC Liverpool in Liverpool, England, the 70,000-capacity Ascot Racecourse in Ascot, England, and the 21,062-capacity Headingley Stadium in Leeds, England.

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