Sodexo Live! has been appointed the catering and hospitality partner for Edinburgh Zoo following a competitive tendering process, with its Edinburgh-based Heritage Portfolio brand leading operations, drawing on its extensive local expertise in retail and event catering.
This partnership marks the beginning of a new era in the zoo’s food and beverage experience, with a focus on quality, consistency, and alignment with the values and mission of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), which operates the zoo. This will shape a distinctive on-site food culture that celebrates Scottish ingredients, supports local producers, and enhances the visitor experience.
With a food and beverage plan built around conservation, community, and engagement, early priorities to be delivered by the team will focus on improving quality and consistency across the site, refreshing menus with seasonal produce in collaboration with local suppliers, and embedding a service culture that mirrors the zoo’s educational and conservation values.
Claire Morris, CEO of Sodexo Live! UK & Ireland said, “Edinburgh Zoo is a world-class visitor attraction, and this partnership gives us the unique opportunity to really transform the catering offering to reflect RZSS’s vision. By positioning Edinburgh Zoo as a place of global exploration and education – a living classroom for all – we want to create a sense of culinary adventure and discovery through exciting, diverse global flavours aligned to the animals’ natural habitats. We want our food to be more than just a service – we want it to add joy and make visitors’ zoo experience even more immersive and meaningful.”
Ben Supple, RZSS Deputy Chief Executive said, “We want to provide visitors to Edinburgh Zoo with the very best experience as this will encourage more people to learn about and protect our natural world. Catering is an essential part of that, and we are looking forward to working in partnership with the Sodexo Live! and Heritage Portfolio team to develop an exceptional offer which celebrates local, high-quality and sustainable produce.”
The collaboration represents a local partnership, combining extensive Scottish hospitality knowledge with RZSS’s mission to ‘protect, value and love nature.’ Inspired by the zoo’s animals and their habitats, a ‘Feeding Natural Curiosity’ philosophy will be implemented, guiding menu development, emphasising global flavours, from-scratch cooking, zero-waste initiatives, and community partnerships.
Find out more about Sodexo Live! or book ticks to Edinburgh Zoo via the website.
