USA. Global restaurateur HMSHost is to open three new restaurants at Raleigh-Durham International Airport as part of the Terminal 1 Modernization Project, which is set to be completed in early 2014.
Concepts joining the line-up include ACC American Café, the first officially licensed restaurant from the Atlantic Coast Conference, dedicated to athletics. HMSHost’s own La Tapenade and international franchise Starbucks complete the offer.
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ACC American Café: the first officially licensed restaurant from the Atlantic Coast Conference |
“We couldn’t be happier to be bringing these three restaurants to our travellers,” said Raleigh-Durham International Airport Business Development Officer Ingrid Hairston. “With so much history in this area, the ACC American Café will be a hit with all ACC fans, no matter what team you support, and together with Starbucks and La Tapenade, the combination will be just the right offering.”
HMSHost said the Raleigh-Durham area is a hotbed for the Atlantic Coast Conference, making it an appropriate venue for the first ACC American Café. The walls of the café will be covered in historic photos, Player of the Week features, real-time scoreboards and live ACC Network games.
The food at ACC American Café will be made from fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. Salads can be topped with a variety of ingredients including seared tofu, blackened tilapia, lemon-thyme chicken or cabernet-marinated flat iron steak. The menu also offers a variety of sandwiches such as North Carolina barbecue or tilapia with Georgia peach relish, and signature dishes such as the jalapeno glazed half chicken.
The ACC and HMSHost will use a portion of the proceeds from the restaurant to sponsor scholarships as part of the ACC Postgraduate Scholarship programme. The scholarships are awarded annually to select student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree following completion of their undergrad requirements. HMSHost will also offer internship opportunities for ACC students who are studying in fields such as restaurant management, construction management and culinary development.
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La Tapenade is HMSHost’s Mediterranean café offering sandwiches and flatbread pizzas |
La Tapenade is HMSHost’s bespoke Mediterranean café offering sandwiches and flatbread pizzas topped with fire-roasted vegetables, speciality meats and cheeses.
Starbucks offer fresh coffee and espresso drinks and a variety of grab-and-go food options.
“HMSHost is ecstatic to have the opportunity to help revamp the dining landscape at Raleigh-Durham International Airport,” commented HMSHost Senior Director of Business Development at Bryan Loden.
“Working with the team at the ACC to open the first ACC American Café has been extremely exciting, as well as bringing Starbucks and our own concept La Tapenade to travellers.”
ACC Commissioner John Swofford added: “We are proud to partner with HMSHost to bring the pageantry and excitement of the ACC and our member institutions to the patrons of the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. This is a terrific opportunity to showcase our league’s student athletes, coaches, teams and institutions in a first-class environment.”
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