The Royal Albert Hall has renewed its catering contract with premium food experience brand and event caterer, Rhubarb. The new £90m contract is for six years.
Rhubarb has provided hospitality catering services to the Royal Albert Hall since January 2011, nearly doubling the catering turnover despite a similar show count and visitor numbers.
The growth has come from the vastly improved quality of food and service delivered by Rhubarb across all their restaurants, hospitality and bars at the iconic venue; as well as the integration of modern technologies to increase the speed of service.
Rhubarb will continue to operate six venues and 14 bars including Verdi (pictured), The Café Bar, Coda Restaurant, Cloudy Bay and Elgar Bar & Grill and to cater to the private boxes within the auditorium. Working alongside the Royal Albert Hall, a new bar concept has been developed with the support of premium drinks brands including Moët & Chandon and Berry Bros. & Rudd.
A new catering vision has been jointly agreed for the future which aims to continue to improve the overall guest experience, as well as revenue growth at the Royal Albert Hall, putting rhubarb in prime position to support the venue’s 150th anniversary celebrations in 2021.
PB Jacobse, Managing Director at Rhubarb, commented, “We are delighted to have been awarded a second six-year contract with the Royal Albert Hall. We are very proud of our association with this famed London institution and the contract renewal is a testament to how hard the rhubarb team at the Royal Albert Hall work.”
Rhubarb’s portfolio also includes the Sky Garden, Gallery Mess, Pilots Bar & Kitchen at Heathrow T5 and most recently Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, where Rhubarb oversee the catering operation at the Estate’s key festival events