Ripon Racecourse has received a national RCA Excellence Accolade for its Club Dining Room.
It also takes its place for the first time amongst the top dozen racecourses in the country, according to the VisitEngland assessment scheme.
The national tourism boards provide a rating that takes into account efficiency and friendliness of customer service as well as cleanliness of facilities. All racecourses scored the minimum rating required to be classed as ‘good’. Collaborating with VisitEngland allows racecourses to benchmark against other attractions, ensuring that standards of customer experience remain high in the face of such competition.
For the RCA Excellence Accolades, there are six categories covering all aspects of the racecourse experience, with Ripon securing an Accolade for its Club Dining Room Restaurant in their Club Stand. Ripon stand alongside Musselburgh and Kempton who have also received the award out of 59 Racecourses in the UK.
RCA Chief Executive, Stephen Atkin, said:
Once again our racecourses have demonstrated that they stand up well when compared to other attractions across Britain. We are very proud of the service and value for money that all of our racecourses offer and this is backed up by the results from VisitEngland and VisitScotland.
Our partnership with the tourism board, it allows us to offer customers a guarantee of quality whenever they visit a racecourse. The results show that racecourses large and small can all compete on the same level when it comes to quality and that is one of the unique attractions of British racing.
Pam Foden, Head of Industry Development at VisitEngland said:
Our racecourses are incredibly popular, both for visitors at home and from abroad. The Quality Assured Racecourse Scheme is an excellent way for racegoers to feel confident that a day at the races will be a quality experience that meets, and in many cases exceeds, expectations.
The RCA Excellence Accolades reflect the high standards of quality found at racecourses across the country, recognising the wonderful ways that racecourses are going above and beyond the call of duty to ensure racegoers enjoy their day out.
Managing Director at Ripon Racecourse, James Hutchinson, said:
We are delighted to be recognised in this way. It is a great tribute to all of our staff and racecourse partners who have worked very hard to achieve this result. It gives us another target to work towards during the forthcoming season.
The RCA is the trade body representing 58 of Britain’s racecourses.
Criteria for RCA Excellence Accolades:
- Fast Food Outlet – achieve 90% or higher in ‘Retail & Concessions’ (full section), Staff (Retail & Concessions only) and a 5 rating for ‘Retail & Concessions Cleanliness’
- Bar Area – achieve 90% or higher in ‘Bars’ (full section), Staff (Bars only) and a 5 rating for ‘Bars Cleanliness’
