THE HIPPODROME CASINO
our ethos and the history of the building. A roulette table is just a roulette table, the differentiator is the experience – and the staff are the experience. It could be the 100th pint of beer they’ve served or the 100th roulette game they’ve spun, but for the customer it’s the first one they’ve had. It is that initial smile and engagement, whether it’s from the doorman or host team, the customer’s first impression must be an excellent one.
CI: I spoke to Ian Peebles, hospitality director, about the lengths you go to maintain the quality of your food and stay ahead of the curve. It seems to be a hallmark of the Hippodrome; you like to be first and you like to be the best… ST: We aim to have three standards of everything: Good, Better and Best. In terms of the food, the 24-hour menu is good, you can get it any time and anywhere in the building. If you go to the steakhouse, the food is simply phenomenal. If you go to some of the shows in Lola’s, they’re good, solid entertainment; if you go to Magic Mike, it’s an exceptional experience. Depending on where you like to drink, there are some bars that you’ll find are good, and others you will find are truly memorable. So, you ensure there’s a good base standard and build from there. What we love is exceeding expectations. People undoubtedly have a preconception of casinos which helps us enormously, they don’t expect something like this to be available. It’s also about having the right people – our chef isn’t just a really good chef, he’s also a really good person. He goes above and beyond, he’s been to all the farms and he’s on first-name terms with all the suppliers. That standard goes right the way through.
CI: What is the one thing from the past 10 years that you’ll always remember? ST: We had Dire Straits in the theatre, and I was sitting with some VIP customers. I got tapped on the shoulder by one of the hosts to say there are a couple of people at the bar wanting to come and see you. Despite being with VIP customers, the host insisted I go, and it turned out to be Miss World and Miss England. It was quite surreal considering I’m a lad from Loughborough in Leicestershire, and here I am in my own theatre with Dire Straits playing and Miss England popping in to say hello.
CI: If you had a time machine and could go back 10 years ago, what would you tell yourself? ST: I would tell myself it’s going to be very bumpy, but it will work and it will be a success. As I mentioned earlier, during the fi rst six to eight months we were not cash positive and it was very challenging. I didn’t sleep for months. However, it does drive you to fi nd solutions to those challenges and work hard – but it would be lovely to have been given a psychic heads-up that it would work.
CI: What does the future hold? ST: We never stop and one of the tricks to handling a building this size is to make incremental improvements. When the customers see it they like it as they can see the investment, and the staff like it as it gives people
JULY 2022 37
something to talk about and a reason to return. It’s very much my style because I get bored very quickly; when I have a project I like to see things developing and changing. Covid was obviously challenging but it did present an opportunity. Two shop units in the front sadly didn’t make it through Covid but we managed to secure them. During Covid we had already started the developments of adding the fifth floor at the top, but we took the opportunity to swap our poker rooms with our high-end gaming areas and refurbish the entire third floor which is easier to do when you’re closed. As for the current development, we have now fully incorporated what was the Crystal Rooms arcade, expanding our main gaming floor by putting in a much better baccarat lounge. The decoration of the lounge will be finished very soon, and underneath that we will be opening our Chinese restaurant which is called Chop Chop. The opening is in partnership with the Four Seasons Group Royal China who are an amazing Chinese restaurant operator. The new units on the Cranbourn Street frontage will include a street level café concept based around crepes, cocktails, champagne, and coffee. It will feature tables out on Cranbourn Street – one of Europe’s busiest pedestrian thoroughfares -and gives another angle to the building. Underneath that we are still in the process of designing a secret bar which I will tell you more about in due course.
Special thanks to Ian Haworth for arranging this interview.
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