Greyhound Stadia joins Restaurants Association of Ireland

Today saw Greyhound Stadia unveiled as the latest in a diverse range of businesses to benefit from membership of The Restaurants Association of Ireland. The Irish Greyhound Board (IGB), with restaurants in nine stadia nationwide, announced their membership of the industry body this week.

The IGB stadia offer In excess of 4,000 restaurant seats weekly, making them one of the largest members under The Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) umbrella. Venues can be found in all major Irish towns and cities including Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Mullingar, Newbridge, Tralee and Waterford.

Restaurants in the IGB Stadia are operated by Events & Hospitality Services (EHS), the catering arm of the Irish Greyhound Board. EHS assumed management and operation of the stadium restaurant’s in early 2015, having previously run on a franchise model.

Philip Peake, Head of EHS, said “I see membership of the RAI as a key development for Greyhound Stadia nationwide. We are just beginning the busiest period of the year, where we will cater for an estimated 28,000 people in our restaurants during the Christmas Party season, however by the end of the year we will have fed over 400,000 in our venues!”

Adrian Cummins, CEO of the Restaurant of Association of Ireland said “We are delighted to welcome the IGB restaurant group as the newest member of our association.  We look forward to working with the stadiums nationwide to promote the Irish restaurant industry and to continue to grow employment both locally and nationally”

The Restaurant Association of Ireland, formed in 1970, represents in excess of 1,400 members across a range of establishments, including full service restaurants, coffee shops, hotel restaurants, gastropubs, golf clubs and cookery schools.

IGB Greyhound Stadia welcome over 400,000 restaurant customers each year across Ireland, with over 800 race nights this year alone. Customers can book their Night at the Dogs on www.gogreyhoundracing.ie or by calling the dedicated Sales team on 1890 269 969.

Ends

About The Irish Greyhound Board

The Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) / Bord na gCon are responsible for the control and development of the greyhound industry in the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Greyhound Board has licensed a total of seventeen tracks in the Republic, of which ten are owned and controlled by the Board. The remainder are owned and operated by private enterprise. There are also a further three privately owned stadiums in Northern Ireland.

The greyhound industry in Ireland makes a very valuable contribution to rural economic and social life and as such is a sector that is deserving of attention, recognition and support. The industry employs just over 10,300 people directly and indirectly. The gross wage bill generated by this employment is estimated at €207 million per annum and the tax contribution from this employment is estimated at €21 million.

For more information about Greyhound racing in Ireland and individual track racing events please log on to www.igb.ie