Fosters signs £6m deal with Bristol Old Vic
Family-owned Bristol company Fosters has been chosen as the sole catering partner for the Bristol Old Vic in a deal worth an estimated £6m.
The five-year appointment will start in autumn next year, when the theatre reopens after a multi-million pound redevelopment.
Fosters will operate the new 120-cover event space called Coopers' Hall, the refurbished cafe Bar and the theatre bar.
It beat 15 other operators to win the deal.
Emma Stenning, Bristol Old Vic chief executive said: "We searched nationwide for the right catering partner; one who would share our pride in this city, and who would work with the kid of creative flair that a theatre demands. I was delighted that the best team just happened to be based in Bristol."
The contract will be overseen by Fosters' chef director, Tom Green who started his career in London working under Herbert Berger, before later working with Michael Caines. He went on to be head chef at the highly acclaimed Riverstation restaurant for three years and was behind the opening of the Rosemarino restaurant.
He said: "Bristol Old Vic represents an opportunity for Bristol to showcase itself to a wider regional, national and even international audience. With the South West's rich abundance of food and drink producers and suppliers it is an ideal opportunity to match the spectacle of the Bristol Old Vic experience with an equally impressive food and beverage offer. Our aim is to ensure that visitors to Bristol Old Vic, and guests at events, leave with a real sense of the region's food heritage, provenance and quality, alongside its' proud thespian history."
Fosters caters for over 150,000 guests annually from its 10,000sq ft central production unit and head office in Bristol.
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