The Ambassador Theatre Group

The Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) is the world’s number one live-theatre company, with close to 50 venues worldwide from the West End to Broadway, including iconic listed buildings as well as regional theatres in major UK cities.

Historic West End theatres includes the Apollo Victoria, Duke of York’s, Fortune, Harold Pinter, Lyceum, Phoenix, Piccadilly, Playhouse and Savoy. On Broadway, ATG operates the Lyric Theatre, home to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Part I & II, and the oldest theatre in Broadway, Hudson.

ATG is also an international award-winning producer.

Montfort Catering Consultants have recently been working with Ambassador Theatre Group, undertaking a strategic, operational and financial review of their Bistro operations across six of their iconic regional theatres – Bristol Hippodrome, Edinburgh Playhouse, Liverpool Empire, Milton Keynes Theatre, Manchester Palace and Sunderland Empire.

Initially we met with with ATG Executives and Senior Management along with regional managers, Bistro managers and wider stakeholders to further understand objectives for the Bistros as well as research and audience profiling relevance. Following this we undertook a high level strategic, operational and financial review across each of the Bistro operations as well as undertaking an overview of each respective external environment. Wider research included the application of our national research data and trends to support the development of potential relevant opportunities and market gaps.

Montfort Catering Consultants also undertook a detailed financial review of the operations and benchmarked the venue catering against our database of relevant regional theatre catering and bar operations.

Our report and feedback to the ATG Executive Team included an overview of the performance of each operation, setting out high level considerations and opportunities for development of each of the venues as well as collective strategic considerations for food and drink across the venues. Potential collective opportunities further addressed strategic opportunities in relation to the Bistro booking and payment system; concept and food production; recruitment, staffing and training; head office support as well as branding, marketing and signage. Key to this was ensuring that the audience experience could be optimised while enhancing the commercial potential from food and drink across the venues.

Advice & support has included:

• Bistro strategic, operational & financial review x 6 venues
• Stakeholder engagement
• Theatre audience profiling & food & beverage trend relevance
• External environment & competitive analysis
• Bistro operational review
• Theatre catering financial benchmarking & potential
• Food & beverage gap analysis & opportunities by venue
• Bistro booking & payment system review & opportunities
• Food conceptual & food production opportunities
• Bistro space & equipment recommendations
• People – recruitment, staffing & training opportunities
• Head office food & beverage support requirements
• Brand, marketing & signage potential & recommendations