There’s a new name behind the bars and kiosks at Plough Lane. AFC Wimbledon has appointed Aramark UK as its new catering partner in a multi-year deal, starting on 1 July 2025, at the Cherry Red Records Stadium in south-west London. The appointment follows a competitive six-month tender process, as first reported across the trade press.
The timing is no accident: the Dons sealed promotion to League One in May 2025, and the club is sharpening its commercial operation to match life a division higher.
What Aramark is taking on
Under the new deal, Aramark UK takes over the operation of all food and beverage outlets at the stadium, including:
- the hospitality level
- general-admission kiosks
- the stadium pub
- management of the independent traders in the Fan Zone
As part of the agreement, Aramark has committed significant capital investment to upgrade the stadium’s catering facilities, and the deal maintains the club’s commitment to the London Living Wage for all on-site staff. The club has also confirmed a guaranteed financial uplift from the partnership.
Who are Aramark UK?
Aramark is one of the largest contract catering companies in the world, and its UK sports and entertainment arm has been busy. The AFC Wimbledon win comes shortly after Aramark launched its UK stadium offering at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium and at Sussex CCC, alongside its work with Merlin Entertainments venues such as LEGOLAND, Alton Towers and Thorpe Park.
Daniel Clark, managing director of sports & entertainment for Aramark UK, said the company was “incredibly proud to be appointed as the new food and hospitality partner at AFC Wimbledon – a club with such rich heritage and a close connection to its community,” adding that the aim was to “help shape and elevate the food and drink offering – creating memorable matchday experiences at every turn.”
The partnership will be overseen by the club’s head of operations, James Wilcox.
Who’s leaving?
The outgoing partners are Elior UK and craft-beer operator By the Horns, who had run hospitality and catering at the stadium since it opened in 2021. Both are supporting what the club describes as a smooth handover, and AFC Wimbledon managing director James Woodroof thanked their staff for their efforts since the ground opened.
What this means if you work (or want to work) matchdays at Plough Lane
This is the part that matters for readers of this site. When a stadium catering contract changes hands, three things typically happen:
- The existing casual pool usually gets re-engaged. Casual matchday workers aren’t always covered by TUPE in the same way permanent staff are, but an incoming operator almost always needs the experienced local workforce on day one. Expect Aramark to run onboarding and re-registration for the existing Plough Lane casual staff over the summer, ahead of the 2025/26 League One season.
- A hiring wave before the season opener. New operators want their own supervisors, team leaders and hospitality staff in place for the first home fixture. If you’re in south-west London and looking for matchday work, the weeks before the new season are the moment to get an application in.
- Apply to the operator, not the club. AFC Wimbledon doesn’t pay the bar and kiosk staff – Aramark does. That’s the single most useful thing to understand about stadium work, and it’s exactly why a registration with a multi-venue operator like Aramark can open doors well beyond one ground. (More on this in our guide to how matchday hiring works.)
The bigger picture
Contract churn like this is normal in stadium hospitality, and it’s a reminder that the company actually paying the matchday workforce can change over a single summer – even when the badge above the door stays the same. For Aramark, adding a newly promoted, community-owned club to a portfolio that already includes a brand-new Premier League stadium is a clear statement of intent in the UK sports market.
We’ll update our Aramark UK profile as the operation at Plough Lane takes shape ahead of the new season.
Source: Hospitality Week, 3 June 2025 and Facilitate Magazine, 10 June 2025.
