Doncaster races restaurant extends opening hours after successful first year of business

The Old Weighing Room, an award-winning restaurant in Doncaster, is celebrating a successful first year in business by cooking up some significant changes.

While celebrating its first anniversary later this month, the restaurant, located in the grounds of Doncaster Racecourse, continues to exceed expectations as its turnover is already ahead of the forecasted amount.

Currently catering for an average of 800 covers per month, The Old Weighing Room is now further extending its opening hours in line with increased demand.

From May 9, the restaurant will open on Saturday lunchtimes at 12pm and English Afternoon Tea will be served until 4pm. Sundays will see the restaurant extend lunch offers from 12pm until 8pm and the restaurant will continue to open Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.

Chef Rick Robinson, a former trainee with the Jamie Oliver Foundation, who runs the kitchen team, along with three additional chefs and a new apprentice chef, are all committed to continually evolving the menu to ensure customers return.

Furthermore, The Old Weighing Room recently launched an offer entitling those who are celebrating their birthday at the venue to receive free Grandstand tickets to a race day. The venue has also offered special themed menus in line with key dates such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Taking advantage of Doncaster Racecourse’s popularity as a conference venue, The Old Weighing Room also launched a conference package - priced at £55 per delegate - catering for up to 20 guests, looking to host events and meetings in a more informal and intimate setting.

The venue,which can accommodate up to 70 covers with a bar area, underwent a significant £125k redevelopment in April 2014.

Keiran Gallagher, executive director at Doncaster Racecourse, said: “We are immensely proud of what The Old Weighing Room has achieved over the past 12 months. It’s exciting to see it making a name for itself with people travelling from across the region to try it out.

“I don’t think there’s one particular secret to our success, I think it’s just a combination of everything, the restaurant itself offers the perfect setting for anything from light lunches, to conferences and meetings, or even just a cocktail on the terrace. And of course, our catering team are just fantastic, Chef Robinson has a wealth of experience and training that he is passing on to the team.”

Chef Robinson said: “The restaurant is going from strength to strength and we’re only getting stronger. The team has been working really hard to make sure we carry on this success and keep our customers coming back.”