US. SSP America, a division of leading food & beverage group SSP, has opened The Palm Bar & Grille at New York JFK International Airport Terminal 4. It marks the first airport location of the famed New York steakhouse, which was founded by Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi in 1926.
The Palm Bar & Grille is located in the pre-security public area of T4, and is accessible to the more than 9 million travellers passing through the terminal each year – as well as meeters & greeters, plus airport employees, airline workers and service providers, and others who make up the JFK business community.
Travellers passing through T4 will enjoy The Palm’s prime cuts of meat and popular Italian and seafood dishes, said SSP.
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The Palm Bar & Grille at JFK T4 is the US family-owned restaurant’s first airport location |
At the inauguration, The Palm’s Co-Chairman and Co-Owner Wally Ganzi was joined by New York State Governor David A. Paterson; JFK International Airport, Port Authority of New York/New Jersey General Manager Jerry Spampanato; SSP CEO Andrew Lynch; SSP America President and CEO Les Cappetta; JFK IAT LLC President Alain Maca; and Janice Holden, Chief Commercial Officer of JFK IAT LLC, the company that operates the terminal.
The restaurant is part of SSP America’s new line-up of food & beverage options in Terminal 4. The Palm Bar & Grille was founded on Second Avenue in New York City by Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi in 1926, and has grown to be the oldest family-owned, white-tablecloth restaurant to expand across the US.
“SSP’s investment in JFK’s Terminal 4 underscores our vision to redefine airport dining,” said Cappetta. “Our mission is to elevate travellers’ dining experiences in airports across the nation and our partnership with JFK IAT is helping us do just that in New York City, one of the most important gateways to the world.”
JFK Terminal 4 is home to 40 international and domestic airlines from 30 countries with an annual passenger volume that reached 9.5 million travellers in 2009, including more than 4.5 million departing passengers.
Maca noted: “The airport community has long sought a high quality restaurant that would be a place to gather to do business, and where everyone would feel welcome. SSP America has achieved that vision at Terminal 4 with The Palm Bar & Grille. Their team truly understands the airport environment and the community we serve, and that’s what makes the SSP/IAT partnership rock solid.”
Holden added: “JFK IAT is excited to continue working with our partner, SSP America, to create a food & beverage programme of culinary offerings that reflects the city we live in and, at the same time, meets the needs of our travellers. The new restaurants have been well received by the travelling public. We are confident that The Palm Bar & Grille will meet with the same success and will raise the bar even higher.”
“The Palm has an unwavering commitment to providing our guests with only the highest quality food, unparalleled customer service and a casual but refined atmosphere that has made our restaurants a legend all across the US, Mexico and London,” said Wally Ganzi. “We are thrilled to partner with SSP America and launch the first Palm Bar & Grille in New York, less than 20 miles away from the original Palm restaurant on Second Avenue. I look forward to personally working with SSP’s Andrew Lynch to introduce The Palm Bar & Grille in additional cities in the U.S. and Europe.”
“It is a pleasure to witness two of New York’s great institutions join forces here today as SSP America has partnered with The Palm to bring its international legacy to JFK Airport, and in particular, to Terminal 4, where the former International Arrivals Building used to stand,” Governor Paterson said. “I look forward to New Yorkers and visitors of our great State enjoying the Palm experience in Terminal 4 for many years to come.”
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Caviar House & Prunier is another key element in the development of the food & beverage offer at JFK T4 |
The Palm Bar & Grille at JFK Terminal 4 features a private dining room for meetings and events and offers private catering from breakfast to evening dining.
At the event SSP America announced its partnership with USGAVE. This partnership, the first of its kind in the airport market, will provide qualified veterans the opportunity to partake in a mentoring programme to become business owners and managers within SSP’s broad portfolio of restaurants.
In July 2009 SSP America announced a new restaurant line-up at Terminal 4, which includes The Palm Bar & Grille as well as the first US location for the popular European seafood restaurant Seafood Bar by Caviar House & Prunier.
SSP’s other new restaurants at Terminal 4 include Zpizza, offering lighter, healthier and creative pizzas; two new post-security sit-down restaurants Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar and Tigin Irish Pub & Restaurant (slated to open in May 2010); and two international bakery concepts, Upper Crust and Panopolis, both offering high-quality baked goods and sandwiches. Panda Express, the nation’s leading Chinese fast-casual restaurant and Peet’s Coffee & Tea, which offers a superior and distinctive range of coffees brewed from the highest quality beans from around the world, has also opened locations at JFK Terminal 4.
About JFK Terminal 4
The 1.5-million sq ft facility at John F. Kennedy International Airport opened in May 2001 and reached an annual passenger volume of 9.5 million air travellers in 2009. Terminal 4 is one of the largest terminals in the New York area serving 40 international and domestic airlines. It is operated by JFK IAT, LLC, the only private, non-airline company to operate a terminal at JFK.
The food & beverage concessions in T4 are part of the 100,000sq ft shopping mall known as The Shops at Terminal 4.
