New Caterer for Brighton & Hove's top attractions

Royal Pavilion tearoom

The City Council has announced that the tea rooms and cafés at the Royal Pavilion, Hove Museum, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery and Brighton Dome are to be run by Peyton & Byrne -  run by renowned restaurateur Oliver Peyton (above)

Peyton & Byrne have strong connections to Brighton & Hove and are family owned and operated. The family moved to Brighton in 1979 and ran a hip-hop club called The Can before expanding into other areas. They have grown over the last 10 years and now provide catering at well-known institutions such as the Royal Academy of Arts, the National Gallery, the British Library and Kew Gardens, as well as running bakeries in Heals and St Pancras in London.

The Royal Pavilion & Museums and Brighton Dome & Festival invited submissions from a selection of companies – including social enterprises – wishing to tender for commercial catering and hospitality services at the multiple sites across the organisations.  The criteria encompassed experience, capability, sustainability and the fact that services needed to be in keeping with the cultural and heritage sites which both parties operate.

Peyton & Byrne will also enhance both organisations’ approach to sustainability by using seasonal produce and local suppliers to reduce food miles and through procedures to manage waste, minimise packaging and reduce energy consumption

Cllr Geoffrey Bowden, chair of the economic development and culture committee said: “We’ve been working in partnership with Brighton Dome & Festival to secure joint catering and hospitality services that will mean our residents and visitors can enjoy events, together with good food and drink, at these venues for years to come. It will also put our catering operation on a much sounder footing, as individually we don’t have the investment potential, but together we’ll have the capacity to do much more.

“Our existing staff, who do a fantastic job in the existing café and tea rooms, will also have the opportunity to join the new venture with all their rights protected and have access to much better career opportunities.”

Peyton Events will be sole event caterer across both sites, catering all events including conferences corporate events, weddings and private hires.