Twelve months since its five-year appointment as public caterer to ZSL London Zoo, Ampersand is unveiling one of the most significant dining spaces in the Zoo’s history – and in all UK Day Visitor Catering this year – with the launch of a new restaurant on 19 July.
The Terrace Restaurant
ZSL London Zoo has invested £4.6m to create its new The Terrace Restaurant, which is itself an integral element in the restoration of the Zoo’s historic Regent’s Building. The visually stunning space features a double height 40ft ceiling spanning the dining area and is overlooked by a beautiful mezzanine level that leads onto an upper terrace deck designed to afford unique views across the Zoo.
700 covers
The new restaurant marries architectural sensitivity with culinary scale – the overall seating capacity is 700 covers, which makes it one of the UK’s biggest Day Visitor restaurants. Ampersand’s menu takes its inspiration from the concept of “feeding time at the zoo” – and offers fresh, nutritious and delicious meals that are appropriate to the venue.
Ampersand – which is the public attraction catering business in the CH&Co portfolio – won the £22 million five-year contract in June last year and 30 of its staff provide catering services at a venue that attracts 1.1 million visitors every year.
Significant investment for an iconic destination
Paul Jackson, Managing Director of Ampersand said: “We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone in our partnership with ZSL London Zoo. Make no mistake, this is one of the globally iconic destinations in London, and its restaurant has had significant investment to make it the envy of other venues. The eyes of the world will be on us, and it’s our job to leave each and every customer satisfied with their experience. We promised that we would deliver leading edge, creative ideas and services to enhance visitors’ experiences, and in turn deliver financial return for our client. Now is our chance to show what we can do.”
Rich Storton, ZSL’s Commercial and Communications Director, says: “The Terrace Restaurant is an exciting addition to ZSL London Zoo and is set to ensure that our visitors have an even more fantastic day at the Zoo.
Months of building work have culminated in the creation of a world-class restaurant, and we’re delighted to have appointed Ampersand as our official caterers. More than a million people visit ZSL London Zoo every year and now feeding time at the zoo is as much fun for the visitors as it is for the animals”.
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