connecting every sector of the UK Food Industry

Durham Cricket appoints Thomas Franks as catering partner to provide hospitality at Banks Homes Riverside from 1 January 2026, signalling a shift from in-house delivery to specialist stadia operations with a stated focus on local suppliers.

Thomas Franks Takes Over Catering at Durham Cricket’s Banks Homes Riverside as Venue Shifts from In-House to Specialist Operator

Durham Cricket has moved its food, beverage and hospitality operation to Thomas Franks, with the contract live from 1 January 2026. The club says supplier-locality and service innovation were central to the decision. Thomas Franks will be operating from Banks Homes Riverside in Chester-le-Street, handing the operator responsibility for the full food, beverage and hospitality programme at the venue.

The move replaces an in-house model previously managed by Durham Cricket Events Ltd, and marks a clear step-change in how the club wants to run hospitality across matchdays, conferences and large-scale events. The contract launched on 1 January 2026.

Durham’s finance director Ian Dawson said the club was impressed by Thomas Franks’ “personal approach”, “robust” financial projections and “creativity”, adding that there was strong alignment around supporting small local enterprises within the supply chain—an important statement in a regional economy where local sourcing can drive both economic benefit and authentic visitor experience.

For Thomas Franks, the appointment continues the build-out of its Sport & Leisure division, launched in 2023 and already operating stadia contracts at Somerset County Cricket Club and Dunfermline AFC. The operator positions itself as a family-owned catering partner focused on locally sourced produce and tailored hospitality delivery.

Banks Homes Riverside has rapidly become more than a cricket ground. Alongside domestic fixtures and England internationals, the venue runs a busy events and hospitality programme—meaning catering performance now sits directly at the centre of commercial growth, reputational delivery and customer satisfaction.

UK FOOD COUNCIL VIEW: WHAT THIS SIGNALS
This appointment is part of a wider pattern: venues are increasingly treating food and hospitality as a revenue engine with measurable performance expectations—where specialist operators can offer systems, procurement leverage, menu engineering, training and event-scale delivery that in-house models often struggle to sustain. The risk, however, is that “efficiency” can dilute locality unless supplier strategy is actively protected.

KEY QUESTIONS WE’LL BE WATCHING
• Will local SME suppliers gain real, repeatable access to the venue’s purchasing—beyond one-off “showcase” initiatives?
• How will pricing, speed-of-service and quality shift across general admission, kiosks, bars and premium hospitality?
• What workforce investment is made to support consistent delivery at scale across cricket, concerts and corporate events?

HOME   ABOUT   INITIATIVES   INSIGHTS   MEMBERSHIP   PARTNERSHIP   EVENTS   CONTACT   LOGIN

The UK Food Council works in partnership with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to strengthen food systems, promote sustainability, and advance food security across the UK and beyond. We invite individuals, businesses, and organisations in the food industry to join us in building a more resilient and sustainable future. Together, we can improve food access, support innovation, and ensure food security for generations to come.

UK Food Council Insight — Register Free

The UK Food Council hosts exclusive executive events, connecting food industry leaders through focus groups, roundtables, seminars, and conferences.

Privacy Policy I Terms and Conditions I Contact Us

The following creatives, photographers and production teams assisted in the making of this website: Tima Miroshnichenko I Cottonbro I Michael Gaida I Peter H I Ralf Siebeck I Wilfried Pohnke I Achim Scholty I Miguel Á. Padriñán I Patrick Robert Doyle I Milan Csizmadia I Raphaël Tomi-Tricot I Bianca Lucas I Dmitry Vechorko I Egor Vikhrev I Jonathan Farber I Craig Whitehead I Ruslan Gamzaliev I Ryoji Iwata I Constantin Lordache I Ben White I NASA I Matt Moloney I Kaboompics I S Migaj I Fauxels I Tranmautritam I Brian McGowan I Richard Gatley I Ron Lach I Andrea Piacquadio I Alexander Shatov I Amy Hirschi Kaleidico I Tranmautritam I Helena I Alex GorbiI Alexander Andrews I Deksha Pahariya I Jack Niles I Mitchell Luo I Edmond Dantès Jakob Owens I Monstera I Bulkan Evciman I Ruvim Miksanskiy I KoolShooters I Kévin et Laurianne Langlais I Ketut Subiyanto I Hulki Okan Tabak I Huy Phan I Matheus I Cenali Egor Kamelev I Christian Heitz I Singkham I Shvets Production I Bruno Martins I Dani Hart I Matheus Bertelli I James Watt I Mali Maeder I Christina & Peter I Anthony I Anna Tarazevich I Kevin Tanner Dan Rooney I Rene Terp I Cihan Yüce I Davide Baraldi I Arno Senoner I Matt Seymour I Tanya Barrow I Nick Fewings I Apurv Das I Taras Chernus I Hailey Tong I Yogesh Pedamkar I Jakob Cotton I
Christopher Eden I Aurelien Chateaudon I Michael-Carrasco-Flores I Drew Gilliam I Victor Clime I

© 2026 UK Food Council. All rights reserved. Registered in England and Wales. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Partners: Amadeus IT Group I Cognito I Ingenious I Smithfields AIT I SoftBank I Rothamere I Economist

#farming #food #foodproduction #foodservice #grocery #restaurant #technology #logistics #sustainability #foodsupply #foodmanufacturing #pos #restaurants # #hunger #menus #supplychain #foodsecurity 

Copyright © 2002 - 2026 UK Food Council. All rights reserved.