Multi award-winning contract and event caterer, Kudos has been awarded a three-year contract to provide event and retail catering at the John Smith’s Stadium for newly promoted Premier League team Huddersfield Town F.C and the Huddersfield Giants rugby league team.
The deal will mean that Crown-owned Kudos will soon provide all catering services for both match days and non-match days, as well as catering for retail premises such as the HD1 Café. Kudos will also deliver their award-winning catering for all conferences and events held at the 24,500 seater stadium and surrounding stadium-run facilities.
Kudos impressed the board of Kirklees Stadium Development Ltd (KSDL) with their exciting ethos which celebrates local producers and seasonal menus, alongside their experience and know-how to meet the growing demands of increasing the stadium’s non-match day business.
The catering company has already teamed up with award-winning, local supplier, Jones Pies, a family run baker and pie maker who handcraft every pie in their Yorkshire based bakery using an array of locally sourced ingredients and products, such as flour from Yorkshire’s Bradshaws of Driffield and packaging, seasoning and chorizo from Bradford to create a selection of special match-day pies including beef and potato, steak and ale, chicken curry which has been made from Huddersfield chickens alongside an experimental ‘Huddersfield lamb hotpot’ and a vegetarian offering of cheese, potato and onion pasty.
Gareth Davies, Managing Director of The John Smith’s Stadium, said, “Flexibility and a willingness to move away from standard practices within the stadium catering sector was key to us working with Kudos on our future plans. Kudosare a Michelin star business with an attention to detail and a great work ethic which fits exactly with our philosophy at the stadium.”
“Kudos are committed to minimising their environmental impact, and are proud supporters of using local and British produce to provide a sustainable catering service, which was something that also appealed to the stadium partners.”
Speaking about their impressive contract win, Jon Pryce, Senior Partner of Kudos, commented, “We’re thrilled to have been selected by KSDL. Being an independent British retail and hospitality provider allows us to build a personal and tailored experience that suits the demands of the two successful sports clubs at the stadium.”
Pryce continued, “The stadium is on the verge of significant expansion including the construction of a new hotel to compliment the growth of the existing facilities which will certainly add value to the non-match day offering, allowing the stadium to be classed as the leading conference and events destination in West Yorkshire.”
The stadium, located 10 minutes outside the town of Huddersfield is a hotspot for leisure activities in the north of England, with further expansion upcoming in the form of the 250,000 sq. ft. HD One leisure complex.
Pictured from left to right: Karl Wilkinson- Head of Safety and Compliance, Crown Partnership, Charles Beer – Senior Partner, Crown Partnership, Alan Wadsworth- Factory Manager, Jones Pies, Tony Risso-Gill- Managing Director of Jones Pies.