VOL 27 ISSUE 21, May 22, 2026
Main caption: Leaders from Sportservice and its United Kingdom business pose with the Football Association Cup Final trophy, which was presented to Manchester City after it defeated Chelsea 1-0 on May 16 at Wembley Stadium, where Delaware North operates hospitality services. Pictured from left are Dave Rotherham, catering services director at Wembley Stadium; Aron Heath, general manager at Wembley Stadium; Doug Tetley, managing director of Delaware North’s United Kingdom operations; Tom Barney, president of Sportservice; Adrian Dishington, chief operating officer of Sportservice; Paul Galvin, chief financial officer of Delaware North’s United Kingdom operations; and Marco Galer-Reick, vice president of Delaware North U.K. strategy enablement and human resources.
The 2026 Emirates Football Association (FA) Cup Final on May 16 brought a sellout crowd to Wembley Stadium to watch Chelsea F.C. face Manchester City F.C. in the annual knockout championship match and the year’s biggest event in domestic English football.
Delaware North U.K., the hospitality provider at Wembley Stadium in London, ensured the fan experience matched the excitement on the field.
During the final, Delaware North introduced the first large-scale concessions concept led by a two-Michelin-starred chef: Andrew Wong delivered a bespoke menu to Inner Circle members, underscoring Wembley Stadium’s commitment to world-class dining across membership tiers.
Inner Circle is one of the stadium’s more accessible membership offerings, giving fans access to major sporting events, concerts, bars and restaurants at the venue.
Wong created a menu inspired by dishes from his acclaimed London restaurant, A. Wong, and the energy and layered flavors of dim sum.
“Andrew is an incredible chef, and this collaboration brought an exceptional level of culinary excellence to the FA Cup Final,” said Doug Tetley, managing director of Delaware North U.K. “Andrew’s vision and expertise are elevating expectations for stadium food and setting a new benchmark for hospitality in live sports.”
While Wembley Stadium’s matchday hospitality has long featured elevated dining, the launch expanded access to Michelin-level talent for fans in entry-level memberships.
“Our presence at the FA Cup Final was about creating a concessions concept that still felt true to A. Wong,” Wong said. “It wasn’t about recreating a restaurant, but redefining concessions as something more thoughtful, expressive and accessible for every fan.”
Wong’s menu included an amuse bouche of sesame crackers, British pork crackling and burnt apple puree; grazing plates such as roast chicken and black pepper sauce pie, fish and chips, cheeseburger sliders and scalded kingfish carpaccio; Hong Kong coconut buns with vanilla cream and sticky toffee pudding for dessert; and a savory pie flight and cheese plate for a post-match snack.
Delaware North culinarians at Wembley Stadium were also in the spotlight for FA Cup preparation, including planning for the five-course, fine dining menu for One Twenty, an exclusive members club, featured in U.K. publication The Caterer.
Excerpts from the article are below.
As the nation prepares for the Emirates FA Cup Final this Saturday, a different kind of intensity is simmering within the kitchens of Wembley Stadium. The stadium’s most prestigious hospitality space, One Twenty, reveals an ambitious five-course menu.
Behind the scenes is Harry Lomas, head of culinary at Wembley Stadium, who oversees all the restaurants, boxes and lounges on FA Cup Final day.
Dover sole is one of five main dishes on the menu at the One Twenty lounge fine dining restaurant.
Lomas says: “It’s bold, it’s traditional and it’s exactly what an occasion like the Emirates FA Cup Final deserves.”
On the day, the stadium’s hospitality operation runs at extraordinary scale, with more than 290 chefs working in sync across its restaurants, boxes and lounges. Teams in the One Twenty fine dining lounge and the Bobby Moore lounge prepare 342kg of British beef, 212kg of fresh British fish, 492kg of vegetables and 167kg of heritage potatoes across the venue’s dining outlets, serving up 4,020 plates in just 150 minutes.
The demand extends throughout the stadium concourses too, where 10,000 portions of chicken strips and chips – the venue’s most popular general admission food choice – are expected to be served over the course of the day.
Unlike standard stadium hospitality, One Twenty’s service model means every dish is prepared to order, moving from the pan to the pass and onto the table in minutes. Lomas says: “We want our restaurants to feel exclusive. We’re creating culinary experiences where the food is as much a draw as the event itself.”
He adds: “Planning for the final began months ago. In One Twenty, we aren’t just feeding fans; we are delivering a world-class restaurant experience in the highest-pressure environment imaginable. Serving 450 guests five courses to order in just 120 minutes is the culinary equivalent of a penalty shootout. There is no room for error. Most fans see the 90 minutes of football, but they don’t see the 12-month planning cycles, or the matchday briefing to a small army of chefs.