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Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Extends, Expands Food and Retail Contracts with Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services


Prestigious Rankings and Concepts with Local Austin Flair Drive Ongoing Partnership

BUFFALO, N.Y. (Dec. 21, 2009) – Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services and its local partners has been awarded contract extensions that include expanded operation of restaurants and retail stores at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The Austin City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to approve a two-year extension of Delaware North’s food and beverage contract and a five-year extension of its retail contract.

Delaware North will also operate an additional four new food and beverage locations near the Barbara Jordan Terminal for the next seven years. The new restaurants will be operated through a joint venture between Delaware North’s Brazos Concessions Co. affiliate and the owners of the original Salt Lick Bar-B-Q restaurant in Driftwood, Texas, with whom Delaware North already partners to operate the airport’s renowned Salt Lick location.

A number of authentic Austin restaurant concepts are being discussed for the four new restaurants, which will replace shuttered Harlon’s Bar-B-Q locations. Harlon’s closed and went bankrupt earlier this year. Delaware North will renovate the spaces to develop the new restaurants.

With these new locations, Delaware North has enhanced its position as the preferred hospitality company at Austin-Bergstrom, with its operations expected to account for about 80 percent of the concessions revenue at the airport, said Matt King, president of Delaware North’s Travel Hospitality Services subsidiary.

“I want to thank the City of Austin and its team at the airport for this opportunity to do even more to make a great airport even better,” King said. “We are committed to helping Austin continue to offer one of the best airport experiences a traveler can have.”

Since its partnership with Austin-Bergstrom International Airport began in 1999, Delaware North has focused on developing and operating exciting, high-quality concepts that fit the company’s revolutionary Gateway Concept. Through the Gateway Concept, travelers are treated to restaurants, lounges and retail shops that allow them to experience Austin without ever leaving the airport.

Local concepts at the airport include the Salt Lick Bar-B-Q, Maudie’s Tex-Mex, Earl Campbell’s Sports Bar, Amy’s Ice Creams, Schlotzsky’s Deli, Austin Java, Ray Benson’s Roadhouse Bar, Mangia Pizza, Lefty’s Bar and Grille on 6th Street, The Longhorns Store, Austin City Limits, Waterloo Records, Book People, Austin Chronicle News, and Austin Warehouse District.

Travel + Leisure magazine recently included the Salt-Lick-Bar-B-Q on its list of the nine best places to dine in airports across the globe. The Salt-Lick airport concept, a partnership between Delaware North Companies and the original Salt-Lick-Bar-B-Que in Driftwood/Hays County, Texas, connects travelers with the rich flavors and culture of the Lone Star state. Travel + Leisure praised “the sauce-smothered sandwiches of Austin’s venerable barbecue franchise.”

Delaware North also helps Austin-Bergstrom International Airport invite passengers to catch a few minutes of music, another aspect of the Gateway Concept. With stages located in three restaurants and one record store, 11 live performances per week are (all by local musicians) offered on a daily basis to ticketed travelers inside the concourse.

King credited Delaware North District Manager/General Manager Terry Mahlum and his team of dedicated associates for providing the foundation for the contract extensions and approval for expansion.

“They have a constant focus on superior operations and customer service through Delaware North’s proprietary GuestPath® program,” King said.