The Festival will see the creation of 23 marquees, including the longest triple deck structure in Europe; eight Guiness bars; 60 mobile catering units; 240 private boxes and chalets; nine restaurants and 34 temporary kitchen structures, which are all erected four months prior to the event.
34,000 hospitality meals are expected to be served, along with 250,000 pints of Guinness, 20,000 bottles of champagne and 8,000 gallons of tea and coffee.
JCC recognises that good service is at the heart of The Festival experience and the event is supported by a catering team of 3,000 including 300 chefs and 300 managers, as well as 700 students that are selected from 17 local colleges*. All of these elements combine to make truly legendary guest packages.
Phil Roberts, Jockey Club Catering General Manager at Cheltenham Racecourse, says: “It’s an honour to work at The Festival and every year, we want to offer our racegoers food and drink experiences that match the world-class horseracing.”
Cheltenham Racecourse is currently undergoing a £45 million redevelopment that will see the creation of a new five and a half storey grandstand set to be completed in time for The Festival 2016.
Jockey Club Catering is a venture partnership between Jockey Club Racecourses, the UK’s leading racecourse and venues group, and Compass Group UK & Ireland, to provide top quality catering, hospitality and service at 15 racecourses nationwide.
The group created an infographic to highlight the work and preparation behind catering for the Festival, which can be downloaded below.