UK. East Midlands Airport opened its brand new food court within the terminal building last Friday (14 February), marking the completion of the second phase of the £12 million terminal redevelopment.
The food court houses three new food & beverage (F&B) outlets operated by HMSHost: Burger King, Flat White and Castle Rock Taproom and Kitchen.
HMSHost Senior Director Business Development Michiel Reuvers said: “As global airport restaurateur, we are very excited to bring these new restaurants to East Midlands Airport. Both Castle Rock Taproom and Flat White are great new concepts and with Burger King we are sure we will further delight the appetite of the passengers.”
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Fast food chain Burger King and coffee shop Flat White are two out of three food & beverage concepts housed in East Midlands Airport’s new food court |
The Autogrill-owned F&B specialist, which also operates the Pork & Pickle English Delicatessen and existing Flat White locations in the airport, brings to East Midlands the first Castle Rock Taproom and Kitchen. The bar concept is designed to celebrate Nottingham-based Castle Rock Brewery and offers a wide selection of locally produced food and drinks.
Castle Rock Brewery Managing Director Colin Wilde said: “For us to see our locally brewed Harvest Pale on sale in the departure area at East Midlands Airport, the region’s leading international venue, gives us a feeling of great pride.
“Autogrill’s determination to involve a local supplier such as Castle Rock gives UK and East Midlands passengers a chance to enjoy that last bit of home before flying away. More importantly, perhaps, it gives our international visitors a reminder of all that is good about East Midlands food and drink giving them an incentive to return.”
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Castle Rock Taproom and Kitchen celebrates Nottingham-based Castle Rock Brewery |
The food court opens in time for the half-term holiday rush this week – over 77,800 passengers are expected to pass through the terminal, an increase of +2.5% when compared to the previous year. Sunday 16 February is expected to be the busiest day with Tenerife, Malaga, Alicante, Lanzarote and Dublin being “the firm favourites” for destinations, according to the airport.
East Midlands Airport Managing Director Andy Cliffe said: “We are delighted that the new catering outlets are now up and running in the departure lounge and in time for the busy half-term holidays. We’re expecting a +2.5% increase in passengers for the first official school holiday of 2014 and we’re pleased to be offering a great selection of places to eat.”
In December 2013, the airport partially opened its new security hall, having invested an additional £1.5 million in this area. The full security hall and queuing space is expected to be opened in April, with the next phase of retail space expected to open in time for the busy summer season.
Cliffe continued: “Our passengers are now starting to see the changes that are coming online as we complete each phase. It”˜s important that we continue to develop our facilities and services to meet the expectations of our customers. We are now looking ahead to fully opening the security hall and the retail space, so that passengers can enjoy the new shops in time for summer.”
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