Niall Leighton started his career with Jockey Club Catering fifteen years ago when working on one of the bars at Kempton Park Racecourse. He has since worked in a variety of roles across Jockey Club Catering and is now the Deputy Manager of Sandown Park Racecourse.

What does a typical day look like for you in the lead up to a Raceday and on event?

Leading up to a race day, I oversee all the managers who are in setting up either hospitality or retail areas.  They all have different jobs to complete before a race day, and it is my responsibility to ensure that all areas are being set up to an extremely high standard. I also liaise with the clients to discuss issues that may arise and review the expectations of the upcoming race day. I double check all our restaurant table plans across the site to make sure that all guest information has been captured, and to ensure that we are in the best position possible to deliver an excellent experience each race day.

Q. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

A. Working with people from all backgrounds and experiences. Running events with over 500 casual staff members means that I am lucky enough to meet a wide range of people, and no event or area is quite the same as the next. Throughout my 15-year career at JCC, I have met some friends for life.

What challenges do you face in your role, and how do you overcome them?

A Deputy General Manager often must balance both strategic and operational responsibilities. This can include overseeing the day-to-day operations, as well as the long-term goals that we aim to achieve. Communication is key and must be clear and efficient across all levels of the business. Especially between departments and the leadership team.

Can you share your most memorable moment you’ve been part of while working for Jockey Club Catering?

The Coral Eclipse race meeting in 2018. England were in the quarter finals against Sweden, and we won 2 – 0. The atmosphere was amazing and the best that I have seen at a racecourse due to both a great day racing and the fact that England were through to the next stage of the World cup. This caused an electric atmosphere and is something that I hope to be a part of again in the future.

How did you first get involved with Jockey Club Catering?

Initially I started with Jockey Club Catering when I applied for bar work at Kempton Park Racecourse. After a few months I was promoted to a Team Leader on the busiest retail bar in the grandstand. Later I became a Bar Manager in the Panoramic Restaurant, supporting the front of house team as well.

What support and training did you receive from Jockey Club Catering to help you grow in your role?

Previously my job role was working as a Beverage Manager, working behind the scenes to ensure that all the liquor across the site was accounted for and being managed correctly and efficiently. I then moved out of the beverage role on race days and became the Retail IC Manager which is a front of house role. This opened my eyes to the whole operation and not just from looking at stock but looking after staff, dealing with issues that arise on the day, ensuring that the site was ready to trade, briefing managers, and delivering a wonderful event for our guests. This helped me grow into my current job role as I could see the business from a different point of view, and I was interested to understand the different sectors which work on site.

What would you say is your most used skill you have developed since joining Jockey Club Catering?

My most used skill is my creativity and innovation, which I use to complete retail projects at Sandown Park. This has so far included bar renovations and creating new food outlets. Recently, I transformed a small bar into a new food unit which now produces up to 300 hot sandwiches each race day. Some of our team and I went out into London to research potential new ideas, which is where we got the inspiration for ‘The Winning Bite’ from. We are all extremely proud of the product and it has outdone all our expectations in sales and the in-house sandwich concept is now looking to be replicated across the rest of our racecourses.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start a career within the events and hospitality industry?

Try to learn a bit of everything, try out a variety of all roles and in different departments, start from the bottom and be happy to help everyone out along the way.

What is your favourite fixture to work, and why?

My favourite racing fixture to work is the Coral Eclipse Festival. This is one of our biggest events of the year and I love to see how each department’s hard work comes together. We transform the grandstand area into a huge retail operation by setting up temporary bars all around the Surrey Hall, creating a space that can serve 10,000+ customers with great efficiency. 

If you could describe your role in three words, what would they be?

My role involves leadership, organisation and a huge amount of attention to detail.