The big interview: Aramark

How would you describe Aramark’s operations on these shores in the years prior to Covid? You might have viewed the US-listed company’s UK offshoot as being something of a sleeping giant; a company with a respectable presence in government services, business and industry, education and healthcare, yet somehow a tad lacklustre, despite the vast economic clout of its American parent, with its current underlying global turnover of some £14bn.

However, perceptions have changed since the former Apprentice it girl Helen Milligan-Smith took over the helm five years ago. She has clearly shaken things up, deploying her retail pizzazz, acquired at Brakes/Sysco, Greggs and M&S, to good affect with a series of new growth strategies. These include the acquisitions of caterers such as Wilson Vale, Graysons Hospitality and, more recently, Entier. However, the real coup de grace was undoubtedly winning the Merlin Entertainments contract back in 2022.

The deal involved Merlin outsourcing its catering at seven theme parks, five in the UK and two in the US:  Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland Windsor, Thorpe Park and Warwick Castle, as well as Legoland in California and Legoland in Florida.

“To say is was a significant contract win is probably an understatement,” acknowledges Daniel Clark, who was initially headhunted to run the Merlin contract and is

now managing director of the recently created Aramark sports and entertainment division in the UK. “I believe it was the largest food and beverage contract ever awarded.”

With a background in running catering operations at Center Parcs, O2 and Wembley, Clark ticked just about every box. His appointment appears to have been another canny move by the redoubtable Milligan-Smith, who quickly realised that Aramark, along with virtually all other UK contract caterers, had little in the way of any real previous experience in the specialised world of theme parks. “No-one could really claim to have a proven track-record in this field because, until recently, catering had generally not been contracted out,” Clark explains.

But that did not stop either Aramark or numerous other competitors from tendering. The bidding war was intense. Clark had already lived through one major outsourcing at Center Parcs, where his own role disappeared when the contract was handed to three external companies. Hence, he knows exactly how destabilising such shifts can be for long‑serving staff.

At Merlin, Clark framed the move as one of “hearts and minds rather than seismic change”, stressing that people would “park in the same place, put the same uniform on, do the same job – just a different logo on the corner of the pay cheque”. The result was an attrition rate of under 2%, with most leavers already in transition – evidence, he says, that you he can manage sensitive transfer of undertakings (protection of employment)‑style transfers with minimal disruption.

This level of sensitivity may have helped determine Aramark’s eventual success. Bids, even in tough economic times, should never solely be determined by finances and spreadsheets. “It’s all about the people, the attitude, the mindset, the commitment and your credibility in delivering what you say you will do,” says Clark.

As he affirms, Merlin was also Aramark’s qualifier into the whole new world of elite British sport, an area that the caterer had been notably absent from; this was despite the US parent company’s extensive commitments that include being the exclusive food, beverage and retail concessionaire for the Denver Broncos in Colorado.

However, all this changed after the Merlin deal, with Premier League clubs being more than happy to take Aramark’s calls. “Suddenly, everyone was saying, ‘Hang on a minute, this is really interesting,’ and we found ourselves in conversations with Everton over an opportunity to be their caterers at their new £800m Hill Dickinson stadium,” recalls Clark.

Merlin became the springboard to other sporting wins. Having secured the exclusive catering contract at Everton FC in August 2024, Aramark UK then quietly assembled a diversified UK sports and leisure portfolio that goes well beyond one blockbuster theme‑park deal. Its recent wins include Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, AFC Wimbledon’s 10,000‑seater ground in south‑west London and Sussex County Cricket Club in Brighton.

It is an intentionally mixed estate – from Premier League football to rugby internationals, lower‑league clubs to county cricket. This is designed to balance scale with variety, and to prove that the same playbook of partnerships, technology and experience‑led catering can work across very different venues.

As Clark maintains, the world of sports is one in which “people buy people”. He adds that this includes finding personable caterers who are committed to providing one seamless partnership with suppliers and clients.

Nevertheless, is a highly competitive business that operates on tight margins and high-volume service. It is also labour-intensive, involving a high degree of interactive human support – a facet of the business that Clark strongly welcomes. “We are in a very labour-generative business, thank God, because I love working with people,” he says.

But the market is also delineating into specific segments beyond the basic offer versus high-end hospitality. “You’ve got the guy that turns up and wants a pie and a pint, and then you’ve got the higher end,” acknowledges Clark. “But what is absolutely clear is that there are strata, layers, tiers to everyone’s disposable income.”

In this regard, Aramark UK has very deliberately tapped into the company’s US stadium know‑how, to lift sales and throughput at Everton and other venues by importing proven technologies and operating models. For instance, Clark and his team have introduced frictionless ‘just walk out’ stores from the Denver Broncos stadium to Everton’s new home.

“You basically come to a gate, show your phone, it opens and you walk in,” he explains. “There’s hot food, snacks, pints of beer and soft drinks. You pick what you want, a camera records what you collect and you get charged you on the way out. It is very fast, very slick and very reliable – there is a less than 1% attrition rate, where the camera does not recognise something.

Everton now has four such outlets. They have already dramatically increased transaction speed in the short pre‑match and half‑time windows, driving higher per‑capita spend.

Again, drawing on US stadium practice, Aramark has installed some 30 self-serve beer points at Everton. Fans tap their cards, insert a cup and get “a perfect pint” in about six seconds. This relieves pressure on traditional counters and pushes more volume through the bars.

Crucially, such measures are not about cutting staff, as Clark emphasises. Staff are instead redeployed to guest service or age/sobriety checks and wayfinding. It is about using technology to handle transaction elements, while people handle the experience.

The company has solicited help from its American cousins in UK mobilisations. US stadia specialists, such as Troy McKenna (ex-Kansas City), were brought in to help at Everton, as well as at the Principality Stadium. These experts essentially act as in-house consultants on design, flow and tech deployment.

Another global colleague, Jay Morrison, feeds in what’s new and next in stadia development to ensure UK projects benefit from the latest American playbook. All this conspires to re-position the UK subsidiary as a tech-forward partner, rather than being just another caterer competing on price.

For all the talk of frictionless retail, self‑pour bars and data‑driven yield, Aramark’s fast‑growing sports and leisure arm in the UK is not chasing growth for its own sake. The strategy, Clark insists, is to build a balanced portfolio of stadia and attractions where the company can deliver on its promises, not just win headlines. It is about “intentional” expansion rather than a land grab.

Yet behind the tech and the tenders sits a very old‑fashioned conviction that catering is still “an incredible industry”. One that involves hard work, tight margins and long hours, certainly, but also one that offers the type of experiences, camaraderie and sheer variety that few careers can match. Having been head‑hunted to help write Aramark’s next UK chapter, Clark now talks about “sending the lift back down” in the hunt for the next generation of new talent.

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