Northern Ireland family firm extends catering contract at Kingspan Stadium and reveals £100,000 investment boost

Northern Ireland family-owned catering firm Yellow Door has extended its hospitality contract at the home of Ulster Rugby until at least June 2025.

Owned by the Armagh-based Dougan family, the firm has been the catering partner at Kingspan Stadium for the past 11 seasons. It is also investing £100,000 in new equipment for the stadium in its bid to extend its high-quality food and services at events.

The contract includes providing hospitality services in the stadium’s Spirit of ’99 lounge, A&L Goodbody Lounge and executive boxes, as well as in the new Ravenhill Suite in the AbbeyAutoline Family Stand which seats up to 35 guests.

Yellow Door currently employs over 300 full-time and casual staff across its deli and events functions which include wedding catering and outdoor events. It also holds the contract with Catalyst, the Innovation Centre in Belfast.

The firm is currently joint partner with Mount Charles in Hospitality Belfast. Hospitality Belfast holds the catering contracts for the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park and the Waterfront Hall/ICC.

Excited about the opportunity that the contract renewal brings, Yellow Door director Andrew Dougan says he’s delighted to be continuing the partnership.

“A venue such as Kingspan Stadium never stands still,” said Mr Dougan. “For us, match days are unique, and still hold a very special place in our community. All of us involved want the venue utilised all year round, including through the corporate events we run on non-match days.

“Our focus in the stadium and across our business is continuing to practice as sustainably as possible. The key thing for us is firstly buying everything we can locally, not least because our farmers and growers produce some of the best food in the world, developing seasonal menus to eliminate as many food miles and as much packaging from our supply chain as possible.

“Sustainability has risen right to the top of the corporate agenda. Luckily the core principles and ethics, which Yellow Door food is based on, is where most food producers and caterers would like to be. We focus on instilling a passion for local quality in our kitchen teams which for us is the biggest tool in being a sustainable food business.

“We’ve developed a fantastic relationship with Ulster Rugby over the years, and we anticipate even more success to come from our fruitful partnership.”

David Edwards, sales executive at Ulster Rugby, added: “At Kingspan Stadium, we’re committed to providing a world-class experience for our spectators and visitors to the stadium and, as part of this ambition, we want to offer a top-quality food and catering service across our varied hospitality spaces.

“We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Yellow Door, as we’re confident that, as a team, we can continue to deliver a top notch offering to those visiting the home of Ulster Rugby on match nights and beyond.”

For more information or to book hospitality at the stadium please contact David on: [email protected].