F&B INNOVATION
Eating out! Dubai’s new food court of the future, Australia’s first working brewery inside an airport and Irish food and drink taking centre stage at Dublin Airport are on the menu in our global retail/F&B round-up.
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MSHost International claims to have opened the food court of the future with the unveiling of its 170sqm Food Village at Dubai International Airport (DXB). According to HMSHost, DXB’s Food Village has combined the best of design, brands and engagement to create a “truly future-focused food court experience for passengers”. It adds: “From an eclectic dining setting reminiscent of a Middle Eastern sense of place, and intelligent lighting design to direct passenger flow, through to live cooking elements and the first truly mobile food cart, Food Village can take passengers around the world in ten plates.” Combining franchise brands with home grown heroes, HMSHost believes that the new concept is an expression of its ability to select the best performers from across the globe and bring them together in a cohesive setting. The new location at DXB’s Concourse C (Terminal 3) features strong international brands like KFC, McDonalds and American Chinese Restaurant, Panda, along with a host of other concepts designed to appeal to both local and international travellers. Eugene Barry, Dubai Airports’ executive vice president, commercial, commented: “We have enjoyed a successful partnership with HMSHost for a number of years, and our partnership has evolved as customer expectations and travel behaviour has developed. “The addition of these 14 new food concepts supports our strategy to not only be the world’s busiest international airport, but also the world’s best for customer experience.”
New brewery and beer hall opens at Melbourne Airport Stomping Ground Brewing Co has opened a new brewery and beer hall at Melbourne Airport – the first working brewery inside an airport in Australia, and only the fourth in the world. Located in Terminal 3 at Melbourne Airport where Delaware North has operated food and beverage services since 1990, Stomping Ground will have 30 taps pouring a wide range of beers brewed on site and at the company’s main brewery in Collingwood. Each year up to 30 different beers will be brewed on-site, so frequent travellers can experience new flavours every time they travel. “Delaware North is thrilled to be partnering with Stomping Ground Brewing Co on their exciting new brewery and beer hall in Melbourne Airport,” said Gary Brown, Delaware North’s managing director for Australia and New Zealand.
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“This fantastic concept further enhances the excellent range of authentically-Melbourne dining and drinking options already available to passengers at Melbourne Airport, and provides travellers with a unique taste of the city’s outstanding food and craft beer scene.” Stomping Ground joins a number of other Delaware North-operated concepts, including Pickett’s Deli from celebrated Melbourne restaurateur Scott Pickett, as well as EARL Canteen, Cobb Lane and Proud Mary. “We’re incredibly excited to be representing Melbourne’s thriving independent brewing scene, and joining some of the city’s best food and drink operators at our own airport,” enthuses Stomping Ground co-founder Justin Joiner. “We’ll be tapping new beers most weeks, so there could well be a new beer added between when you depart and arrive home.”
Irish F&B brands to take centre stage at Dublin Airport Irish food and drink brands will be showcased at Dublin Airport under a new 10-year contract that the airport has signed with international food operator SSP. SSP will operate 24 separate F&B outlets at the airport and will work with Irish brands such as Bretzel Bakery, Camile Thai, Cloud Picker Coffee, Handsome Burger, Offbeat Donuts and 3fe coffee. Sustainability will be a key feature of SSP’s new contract at Dublin Airport, with a focus on a removal of single-use plastic at its outlets. Local and certified ingredients will also be used in the dishes served at the new units. “Ireland has a thriving food and drink scene and with this new partnership with SSP, Dublin Airport will be able to offer some really exciting Irish concepts to the travelling public,” said Dublin Airport’s managing director, Vincent Harrison. “Almost 100,000 passengers use Dublin Airport every day and we want to ensure that our customers have a quality dining experience, with a sense of connectedness to Ireland using fresh and local quality produce.” Under the new agreement, SSP will open 24 units at the airport in both landside and airside locations. It took over the operations of existing suppliers in February and will rebrand them over time to incorporate a mix of Irish and international brands, and new concepts. SSP has also created several specific concepts tailored to Dublin Airport, some of which will reflect the passenger mix at each terminal. At Terminal 2, for example SSP will open several outlets that will celebrate the close links between Ireland and North America to appeal to transatlantic passengers.
