The Mezz, a new suite, premium bar and restaurant, opened in March 2024, at the AO Arena in Manchester, as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations. The new and exclusive, members-only experience promises to “take guests above and beyond the show,” with the aim of being “the ultimate space to kick-start and end a night of live entertainment.”
The Mezz sits between the new concourse and 23,000 capacity arena bowl, as part of the £50 million redevelopment. It takes guests just moments to move seamlessly from their tables to the best seats in the house and boasts spectacular, uninterrupted, panoramic views of the main stage.
Guests can expect the very best modern British cuisine, champagne, fine wines, signature cocktails and post show entertainment.
The restaurant features a unique collaboration between chefs Simon Rogan, MBE and Tom Barnes - the first collaboration of its kind in any arena. There will be regular appearances and quarterly seasonal dishes from both chefs and the highest-calibre of sustainably sourced fresh produce from Simon
Rogan’s regenerative ‘Our Farm’, situated in the Cartmel Valley in the Lake District.
Membership includes guaranteed attendance for all shows at the AO Arena, direct access to the arena bowl, early access via a dedicated VIP entrance, dedicated parking, all-inclusive food and drink, private cocktail bar, a private dedicated table in the restaurant and personalised service, including a cloakroom boasting the latest in-venue technology, members app and portal, together with dedicated host service.
“As one of the busiest venues in the world and the 2nd largest indoor sporting arena in Europe, attracting over one million visitors each year, our vision and mission for The Mezz is to enrich the dining and service experience for our VIP guests. We want to deliver a premium experience, with elevated elegance, while redefining luxury for those guests,” explains Tom Beauchamp, Food & Development Director, ASM Global, Europe.
To ensure The Mezz could deliver on the exacting requirements of its VIP clientele, the venue knew it required a leading, state-of-the-art technology partner, who could realise its vision and make it a tangible reality.
Beauchamp Explains: “Our mantra at The Mezz is to deliver an experience across our food and service. It has to be a premium experience. It has to be a luxury experience. It has to be an elegant experience and most-importantly, it has to deliver the ultimate experience. When it comes to our food, we’ve formed strategic partnerships with local and seasoned producers to ensure every plate leaving our kitchen delivers on that mantra.
“It was very clear to us when researching and meeting QSR Automations, that they were leagues ahead of anyone in the field of kitchen display systems. The ConnectSmart® Kitchen technology has brought numerous benefits to our operations. The technology and the automation provided has enabled us to streamline, optimise and increase efficiencies across our back and front-of-house service model, to create a beautiful synergy between our teams.
“Pivotal to our operations is the ability for chefs to see how orders are progressing by simply looking at the ConnectSmart® Kitchen screens. The fact that we can tailor the system design and configuration was a key factor in our decision to select QSR Automations as our partner. The customisation capabilities mean we can continually evolve on our path to deliver that ultimate dining experience for our guests. Every interaction our chefs have with ConnectSmart® kitchen is recorded, which means we have vast amounts of data and analytics to make informed and better business decisions based on facts,” states Beauchamp.
When asked how his chefs have adapted to the technology, together with the feedback from guests on the quality of the dishes they’ve been served, Beauchamp had this to say: “Our chefs have adapted so easily to ConnectSmart® Kitchen, because it is so quick, simple and intuitive to use. The paperless element also reduces stress in the kitchen. If I took it away, I’d be facing a riot! The guest feedback has been phenomenal, exceeding all our expectations. One guest quote particularly springs to mind. ‘The food is 1st class and the hosting and management of the facility has been what you would expect for a true VIP experience.’ Put simply, without ConnectSmart® Kitchen, we would be blind,” concludes Beauchamp.
To find out more about how ConnectSmart® Kitchen can streamline, optimise and increase efficiencies across your back and front-of-house, visit ConnectSmart® Kitchen or call 020 3870 4571.
