As well as operating and developing the two restaurant/cafés at the RAF Museum – which attracts over 220,000 visitors a year and is running a series of special events in 2013 to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Dambusters raid – Lindley will work closely with the RAF Museum’s in-house events team providing sales and marketing support to promote the venue to business and private event organizers.
The venue’s facilities allow it to cater for 400 guests and include a 224-seat tiered Lecture Theatre and the 480 sq m Dermot Boyle Wing, both suitable for larger gatherings; the refurbished Boardroom can accommodate 20 delegates.
The RAF Museum is a registered charity, so all venue so hire rates are VAT exempt and all profits are reinvested in the museum.
Lindley now plans to re-fit and re-brand the current Wings Restaurant and the caterer will also be introducing a completely new, quality food offering and table service.
The self-service canteen counter displaying hot food is being replaced with new counter fittings, and hot food ordered at the counter will be freshly prepared and served at the table by waiting staff.
The new restaurant menu will focus on home-cooked British classic dishes using seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients, along with a choice of themed sharing platters bearing names such as The Spitfire, The Royal Wessex and The Westland Whirlwind.
A series of signature dishes are also being created specifically for the RAF Museum and these will be showcased on weekly ‘Wartime Specials’ menus. The wartime theme will continue through to a ‘Children’s Evacuee Menu’ and a children’s light snack offering which will be packaged in a ‘gas mask-style’ lunchbox.
Lindley Heritage is also under-taking a full refurbishment of the Wessex Café to create a premium grab-and-go/light lunch offering. A self-service counter designed in the shape of a Wessex helicopter will provide the focal point.
A selection of deli-style sandwiches, freshly-baked savouries and cakes and pastries – some featuring honey sourced from a local bee farm – will be made available in both the restaurant and Wessex Café, and Lindley is partnering with a coffee roaster to create an exclusive blend of coffee which will only be served at the RAF Museum.
Vicki Hibbert, Corporate Events Manager at the RAF Museum, says: “In reviewing our catering services we wanted a fresh, new and dynamic approach which would re-invigorate our offering and enhance the experience for our visitors by raising the bar in terms of the quality of food and level of service.”
It marks the first venture into the museum market for Lindley Heritage, the division created by The Lindley Group in 2011 to offer bespoke catering for museums, historic houses, arts and leisure venues, and visitor attractions.
It has built a portfolio of clients that include The Hepworth Wakefield, the Theatre Royal Bath, Malvern Theatres and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, London which opened last year.