Belfast company wins RTÉ canteen contract

Mount Charles will serve ‘home comfort’ food for staff in Donnybrook

From left: Gavin Annon, head of sales and marketing and Terry Woods, commercial director, Mount Charles with Eileen Duggan, RTÉ’s sustainability and environmental services manager, and Philip Sangari, Mount Charles head of operations
From left: Gavin Annon, head of sales and marketing and Terry Woods, commercial director, Mount Charles with Eileen Duggan, RTÉ’s sustainability and environmental services manager, and Philip Sangari, Mount Charles head of operations

The Belfast-headquartered Mount Charles group is planning to serve up “bespoke” and “home comfort” food and beverages for RTÉ staff based at its Donnybrook media campus after winning a seven-year contract with the national broadcaster.

The Northern Ireland group, which provides support services including catering, cleaning and security to more than 400 organisations across Britain and Ireland, did not disclose the value of the RTÉ contract.

But Mount Charles did confirm that it has invested £100,000 (€118,219) to deliver a “new experience” for RTÉ’s 1,822 staff and visitors to enjoy at the Donnybrook campus.

Mount Charles, which employs 2,500 people, said all of the menus on the Donnybrook campus have been developed exclusively for RTÉ.

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It is the second major contract win in the Republic in recent months for the family-run Belfast group.

Griffith College

In October it also won a £9 million catering and hospitality services contract with Griffith College in Dublin. It has also won a series of major contracts with the Public Appointments Service, Ordnance Survey Ireland, Abbey Theatre, National Aquatic Centre and Custom House in Dublin over the last two years.

Trevor Annon, the chairman and founder of Mount Charles, described the RTÉ contract as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of its recent wins.

“Using our extensive knowledge from operating many similar catering solutions, we believe that we have created a strong food offer and brand that is appealing and will meet all of RTÉ’s staff and customers’ needs,” he said.

Francess McDonnell

Francess McDonnell

Francess McDonnell is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in business