From Speedway to Speed Catering: How John Davis Built a Catering Empire

John Davis started AJ Catering & Premier Food Courts in 1994 and has been an NCASS member for nearly as long as we’ve been operating. He is certainly someone we could all a lot from. Here, John tells us his story and talks about the next phase in his business, Evolution Airstreams.

When John broke his leg in the mid-1990s, it marked the end of his elite Speedway racing career and the beginning of an unexpected journey into the catering world that would see AJ Catering and Premier Food Courts become a key player in the event hospitality sector.

A highly ranked Speedway competitor, John was amongst the world’s top riders, but his racing career came to a halt when a serious injury left him with a stark warning: crash again, and he could lose his leg. Faced with 11 months off the bike, he found himself stepping into another world “I was looking to buy a Porsche,” he recalls. “Instead, I happened upon a catering trailer and bought that instead.”

“Everyone was sceptical,” John remembers. His experience with cookouts / BBQ’s in Australia, New Zealand & Argentina whilst on tour would prove to come in handy but it was his racing connections would prove to be invaluable. A phone call to a Clay Pigeeon karting track landed him his first three-year contract and that first unit, bought on impulse, quickly became the cornerstone of a thriving catering business.

“Instead of taking bikes to events, we started taking the catering unit.” Momentum built from there. He leveraged his network of speedway racing sponsors, moved into mountain bike events, and was soon trading every weekend. Within a year, he’d secured a spot at Glastonbury thanks to a contact in the office who recognised him from his racing days, specifically from throwing cans of beer at him in Sydney Showground whilst he was racing for England in the Ashes Series against Australia…”They said it would take five years to get in. But we got lucky and someone dropped out. They gave us a chance but told us we couldn’t sell burgers. So we adapted.”

That adaptation included steak rolls, breakfast baps, pork fillets and it paid off. Back then they charged us £1,000 plus Vat and we made £8,000 in one weekend, cementing Glastonbury as a key part of their calendar until the pandemic.

A Shift to Venues

While many mobile caterers chase festivals, John went into permanent venues. “Facilities, loyalty, and weather protection, give me Newbury Racecourse or Beaulieu Museum over a muddy field any day.”

Over the years, he’s secured long-term contracts at prestigious locations including Beaulieu Museum, Goodwood Festival Of Speed, Newbury Racecourse, Duxford Museum, The British Open, Lords Cricket Ground, Southampton Boat Show and countless other venues.

Unlike festivals, which are often driven by the highest bidder, venues offered consistency, loyalty, and the opportunity to build lasting relationships. “You put in the same effort to win a weekend event as you do to win a year-long venue contract, but the venue contract delivers long-term returns.”

Learning the Business Through Experience

The early years provided essential lessons in volume and logistics. “I learned quickly that you can’t keep up cooking every burger fresh when the queue is 100 deep.”

At major concerts, he observed experienced traders preparing everything in advance. “Back then, some operators were pre-cooking burgers and repackaging them. We found ways to stay compliant while serving efficiently, but it was a steep learning curve.”

He also had to navigate industry politics, including competitive tensions and disputes over catering unit specifications. “It wasn’t always the most collaborative industry in those early days.”

The relationships you make are everything

Davis attributes much of his success to building strong relationships with venues, suppliers, staff and customers. “The customer doesn’t see AJ Catering. They see Newbury Racecourse or Glastonbury, you’re representing someone else’s brand, and that requires respect and professionalism.”

His professional sport background taught him the value of image, communication and reliability. “Sponsorship wasn’t charity, it was a business transaction and that mindset translated well to catering.”

He remains hands-on today, focusing on quality control, compliance, presentation and relationship management working alongside his long-time collaborator Alan Phillips, they maintain high standards across their nine units.

Lessons from Loss and Legacy

John’s career has encompassed both triumphs, winning World Team Championships, The World Masters and being Capped by England 68 times and, significant personal losses. After retiring from racing, he mentored young rider Lee Richardson, who became Under-21 World Champion but was tragically killed during a race in Poland.

“He was like a son to me,” John says. “That loss hit me hard, but it reinforced how important it is to give back and help others succeed.”

“I condensed 20 years of experience into training Lee within one year,” John reflects. “He was completely dedicated to improvement. That mentoring relationship continued until the day he was killed, he  meant everything.to me”

Industry Reflections

“Many new businesses create excellent food but struggle with volume. You need to balance quality with operational efficiency to do well in this industry.” For John, success comes down to understanding your customers, maintaining focus, staying adaptable, and never losing sight of business fundamentals. “This business is about consistency, speed, and practicality”

John’s passion for the industry remains strong. he has a close oversight on the business continues mentoring and brings the same intensity he had on the racing track to the events industry. “I might not be cooking anymore, but I still care about how every item we serve looks and tastes.”

After nearly 30 years of building a catering business from the ground up, that commitment to consistency shows in every aspect of the operation. “Luck plays a part,” he acknowledges. “But you create opportunities through discipline, resilience, and building the right relationships.”

John’s experience and industry insight has enabled him to launch another arm of his business, Evolution Airstreams together with James Pounds, who joined him in the search which extended across the length and breadth of China. This is a venture they thoroughly researched, visiting nine factories in China before selecting the one that met their standards for quality, delivery times, and the partnership.

We’re proud to announce this new partnership with the formation of Evolution Airstreams, you’ll hear much more about this in the coming months.

Many thanks to John for speaking with us and sharing his story.

You can follow Premier Food Courts and Evolution Airstreams through these channels:

https://www.facebook.com/p/Premier-Food-Courts-LTD-100063607179469/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-davis-53731717/

https://evolutionairstreams.com/

https://premierfoodcourts.com/