INTERNATIONAL. The Moodie Davitt Report today named the inaugural winners of the FAB Superstars Awards, a programme that recognises the efforts and achievements of staff in the travel food & beverage sector around the world.
The announcement was made at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, as the culmination of the Knowledge Hub programme at the event.
Along with sister awards programme Travel Retail Superstars (announced earlier), FAB Superstars was created to shine a light on the frontline and behind the scenes heroes and heroines who have helped keep the industry going throughout 2020 and into this year.
We asked employers to submit a written entry for each individual or team, addressing the impact made by the person or department through their actions, and how far they reached; how they measured success in terms of service or helped improve the business; and what made a particular staff member or team stand out?
Categories included Star Team, Star Individual, Star Story (Team or Individual), Innovation (Team or Individual) and Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration. Nominations were invited by region and by department (Front of House; Kitchen; Stores/Admin/Logistics) to cover as broad a spectrum of staff as possible.
The winners are featured in the video on this page and listed below. Congratulations to them and all who were nominated.
STAR TEAM
Star Team Americas: Front of House
Starbucks Airside E Team, TPA Airport, USA
Nominated by HMSHost North America, Autogrill/HMSHost
Star Team Americas: Stores / Admin / Logistics
Unison Consulting Team, Chicago O’Hare International Airport
Nominated by Unison Consulting
Star Team Asia Pacific: Front of House
Perth Front of House Team, SSP Perth, Australia
Nominated by SSP APAC Australia
Star Team Europe: Front of House
TRG Team, Multiple locations UK
Nominated by The Restaurant Group
Star Team Europe: Stores / Admin / Logistics
Maria Markach & Vladimir Rybakov, Shift Leaders, HMSHost International, Pulkovo Airport
Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost
Star Team Middle East & Africa: Front of House
Middle East Team,UAE & Qatar, HMSHost International
Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost
STAR INDIVIDUAL
Star Individual Americas: Front of House
Freddie Maldonado, Server, Cigar City Brewing TPA Airport (USA)
Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost
Star Individual Americas: Stores / Admin / Logistics
Tim Wilmes, Senior Manager of Openings/Operational Excellence at SSP America (pictured below)
Nominated by SSP America
Star Individual Asia Pacific: Front of House
Tim Mercer, On-site Manager, Vantage Bar, Emirates Leisure Retail, Auckland International Airport
Nominated by Auckland International Airport Limited
Star Individual Asia Pacific: Stores / Admin / Logistics
Venkat Subramanian, Technical Services, TFS, Chennai Airport
Nominated by Travel Food Services
Star Individual Europe: Front of House
Erdal Sari, Food & Beverage Associate, Istanbul, Turkey
Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost
Star Individual Europe: Stores / Admin / Logistics
Sonja Hohle, Hr Manager Shared Services, The Netherlands
Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost
Star Individual Middle East & Africa: Stores / Admin / Logistics
Frantzeska Georgiou, Burger King Brand Manager, Eastern Europe and Middle East
Nominated by SSP EEME
STAR STORY
Star Story Americas: Front of House
Stephanie Torres, Barista, San Diego International Airport
Nominated by SSP America
Star Story Americas: Stores / Admin / Logistics
PHL, Chickie’s and Pete’s & Marriott Partnership – All Teams – PHL Airport, USA
Nominated by MarketPlace PHL Airport
Star Story Asia Pacific: Front of House
Nangamuthu Murugan, Guest Service Associate, TFS, Chennai Domestic Airport
Nominated by Travel Food Services
Star Story Asia Pacific: Stores / Admin / Logistics
Ho Thi Anh Guong, Accounting Officer, Phu Quoc Airport, Vietnam (below with team)
Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost
Star Story Europe: Front of House
Lisa Uranie, Shift Manager, Schiphol Airport
Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost
INNOVATION
Innovation Americas: Front of House
Marketing Team, Areas, Mexico
Nominated by Areas
Innovation Americas: Stores / Admin / Logistics
Partnership between DFW Concessions, DFW Environmental Affairs, Servy & Star Concessions, Terminal D Extension, DFW
Nominated by DFW International Airport
Innovation Asia Pacific: Stores / Admin / Logistics
Accounts Payable Team, TFS Head Office
Nominated by Travel Food Services
Innovation Europe: Front of House
BTA Food & Services, IGA Istanbul Airport
Nominated by BTA Food & Services
Innovation Europe: Kitchen
MISA Ghost Kitchen Team, Lagardère Travel Retail Poland
Nominated by Lagardère Travel Retail
Innovation Europe: Stores / Admin / Logistics
Team formed of representatives from Collinson, Airport Dimensions and Servy, Club Aspire Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal 5
Nominated by Collinson
HUMANITY, LEADERSHIP & INSPIRATION
Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Americas: Kitchen
Chef Patrick Fischer, Executive Chef of Paradies Lagardère’s Dining Division & Paradies Lagardère Marketing Team
Nominated by Paradies Lagardère
Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Americas: Stores / Admin / Logistics
Vino Volo Team, ‘Cheers To You’, Paradies Lagardère
Nominated by Paradies Lagardère
Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Asia Pacific: Front of House
Bangalore Team, India – all FOH, Kitchen, Stores/Admin/Logistics
Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost
Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Asia Pacific: Kitchen
E Venkateshan, Chef De Partie, Lounge Kitchen, Bangalore
Nominated by Travel Food Services
Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Asia Pacific: Logistics / Warehouse
David Mackay, Regional Managing Director for Asia Pacific, HMSHost
Nominated by Autogrill/HMSHost
Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Europe: Front of House
SSP UK Birmingham Airport Team
Nominated by SSP UK
Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Europe: Stores / Admin / Logistics
Marly la Ville Warehouse Team and Phenix, an anti-waste French start up, and a partnership between Lagardère Travel Retail and Phenix
Nominated by Lagardère Travel Retail
To help decide the award winners, The Moodie Davitt Report gathered an advisory committee of hugely experienced travel food & beverage specialists as judges. They included industry consultant Nick Inkster, who spent 25 years in senior roles with SSP; Kevin Zajax, CEO at Ground Control Global and former CEO & Managing Director at Emirates Leisure Retail; US airport commercial management consultant Alan Gluck, alongside The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie.
The Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt said: “The number and quality of the entries we received from right around the world was humbling and inspiring.
“We thank all of the companies that made nominations – we plan to recognise everyone who took part in a special publication very soon – and most of all we salute those heroes and heroines of the front line and back office that have kept our sector running through its greatest crisis.
“These awards reinforce the message that this is an industry built on its people, their humanity, their service, the personal touch that sets great in-person dining and retail apart from other channels – values that will sustain our industry as it recovers.”
*For more rolling coverage from the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, click here.
