By admin 
For the fourth year running, Del Mar is offering free meals to its hundreds of workers on the backside. Grooms, hot walkers, assistants, anyone with a CHRB card can go into the stable kitchen on the backside and get a meal on any race day.
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The Del Mar Backstretch Complimentary Meal Program is served Wednesday through Sunday and can consist of anything from a sandwich to a chicken dinner.
“It’s going really well,” says Geoff Waddell, V. P. of facilities at Del Mar. “We had 521 people for dinner on Saturday (Aug. 22). We serve close to 2,000 meals a week. We have a rotating menu. Sometimes it’s something simple like a cheeseburger, chips and a salad. Other times it’s Sinaloa Barbeque with white beans and macaroni salad. Grilled chicken breasts with mashed potatoes and corn. We even do a fish dish once a week.”
The idea is to make sure the folks working the backside, who often put in long hours taking care of the horses, are taken care of themselves.
“Santa Anita would do a Sunday meal,” Waddell explains. “We got the idea from there. My predecessor, Sue Walls, and Josh Rubinstein created this program based off what they had seen up there. They were like ‘That’s nice but imagine if we did it every day we’re racing?’”
On average the Del Mar Backstretch Complimentary Meal Program serves about 375 meals a day, around 300 on a slow night, a little over 500 on a busy evening. The food is provided by Grupo Cayena. They’ve been working with Del Mar for the past couple of years.
“He had his taco truck here for an event,” Waddell states. “We got talking to the guy and it worked out really well for us. They have a great crew and get along with everyone on the backside.”
Del Mar is believed to be the only racetrack in the country that provides this popular service to its backside workers. It certainly beats a bag of chips and a coke from the convenience store across the street, which many lived on prior to the program. It also provides a social environment for those who decide to sit down and enjoy their meal in the dining room.
“We’ve added a few new menu items,” Waddell says of the changes made this year, “and we’ve changed the tablecloths. We try to keep it fresh so they’re not eating the same items each week, but they always get the full meal with the good sides and salad.”
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This story was originally published August 31, 2026 at 7:15 AM.