£12m Belfast contract is sweet music for Amadeus

THE catering arm of the NEC Group has secured a £12m contract in Belfast to operate the catering function at four of the city’s major visitor attractions.

Amadeus starts the five-year contract next month. It will see the division responsible for the catering at Belfast Castle, Malone House, Belfast Zoo and the Stables coffee shop in Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park.

The contract win the firm’s second in Northern Ireland after it won a £16m contract with Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall in April this year.

Kevin Watson, managing director of Amadeus said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract with Belfast City Council.

“We celebrated our 40th birthday this year and our vast amount of knowledge in retail, conference and banqueting and events catering made us best placed to deliver this exciting contract in Belfast.

“We share (the) city council’s aspirations for the visitor sites and we will be looking to draw more interest to the venues to support the local economy. I know the team already have plenty of ideas for the four venues that will excite visitors.”

Chris Reynolds, sales director, Amadeus added: “We are proud to have been selected by Belfast City Council to work with them on these four prestigious venues and even more so to have done so while they celebrate their year of food.

“As this is our second contract in Belfast we understand the passion behind locally sourced food and benefit from established relationships with Belfast suppliers. We are looking forward to working with the existing staff at the venues, who have all been invited to stay and will gain support from the Amadeus team.”