Tampa International (TPA) will be adding several local restaurant concepts to its lineup.
The new offerings are part of a larger program intended to increase concessions revenues by more than $1.2M in the 2012 fiscal year.
The concepts – the Green Iguana, Mise En Place, Cigar City Brewing and Columbia Cafe – will be developed by HMSHost Corp.
“We’re delighted to partner with such great local Tampa restaurants to enhance our dining program at Tampa International Airport,” says Steve Johnson, senior vice president at HMSHost. “We believe these well-known, iconic restaurants will give people a chance to enjoy the taste of Tampa’s best dining while they pass time at the airport before or between flights.”
The new eateries will be in place by March.
“I couldn’t be happier about this expanded community presence at the airport,” said airport CEO Joe Lopano. “At the same time, it’s an opportunity to increase our revenue and better serve our customers with a real taste of Tampa.”
Other restaurant and retail concepts include Shula Burger, Legoland tickets, merchandise from local attractions such as Busch Gardens and Lowry Park Zoo, upgrades to existing shops, the addition of mojito bars and fresh fruit stands at airsides, and new advertising options.
The $5.8M program will be funded by HMSHost, Stellar Partners and Clear Channel Advertising.
In other HMSHost news…
Several new dining options have opened at John Wayne (SNA).
Anaheim Ducks Breakaway Bar & Grill arrived Tuesday, a joint effort between HMSHost and the Anaheim Ducks. It pays homage to the first hockey team to bring the Stanley Cup to California.
“HMSHost and the Anaheim Ducks make a great team,” says John Wayne Airport Director Alan L. Murphy. “We’re pleased that they are bringing our passengers a terrific new restaurant that offers some of the best seats in the house: overlooking our runway.”
The restaurant, located post-security in the newly opened Terminal C, has a menu that features spicy wings appetizers, charcuterie plate, flatbread pizzas and salads, and hand-crafted signature cocktails also are available.
“It is our pleasure to offer travelers the first-ever Anaheim Ducks restaurant – another iconic Orange County brand – to John Wayne Airport’s lineup of great restaurants,” says Anthony Alessi, vice president of business development for HMSHost. “The Breakaway Bar & Grill is where travelers can find a great meal, see team memorabilia and celebrate the Anaheim Ducks team and its players.”
The restaurant is decked out in the team’s colors of gold and black, with orange accents. The design evokes the feeling of watching a hockey game: a glass-surrounded seating area with genuine National Hockey League hockey sticks and Ducks’ hockey memorabilia. Flat-screen televisions highlight great moments in the team’s history.
“HMSHost and John Wayne Airport have been fantastic partners in bringing this restaurant concept to fruition,” said Ducks Vice President of Multi-Media and Community Development Aaron Teats. “Today’s grand opening celebrates well over a year of planning and preparation, and we thank our partners for the opportunity to expose travelers to the Ducks hockey brand in such a unique fashion.”
HMSHost also has brought other new dining concepts to the food court area known as the Marketplace: Pei Wei, Jerry’s Wood-Fired Dogs, Pinkberry and Zov’s.
“The airport is pleased to join with HMSHost and their restaurant partners to provide tasty new dining choices to our passengers,” says Murphy. “These new brands offer something for every traveler’s palate.”
Jerry’s Wood-Fired Dogs is the first wood-fired grill in an airport; all of its hot dogs will come from the same local purveyor that supplies the street-side location, and all hot dogs can be customized using more than 30 toppings. At Pei Wei, travelers will find Pan-Asian cuisine. Pinkberry offers frozen yogurt made from hormone-free milk with live and active cultures; flavors include seasonal offerings and toppings, and always the company’s “tart” flavor. Zov’s is the second JWA dining option from Orange County’s chef and cookbook author Zov Karamardian; the menu features Eastern Mediterranean cuisine.
