Focus on local flavors garnering attention for Delaware North’s travel business

Delaware North’s travel business was the focal point of a recent CNN story (click here) focused on the growing trend of local foods and restaurants popping up in airport terminals across the country. This strategy of incorporating regionally-inspired dishes on menus and opening airport outposts of well-known restaurants has been successful for Delaware North across its portfolio of airports, and travelers are taking note.
 
CNN’s story used The Mustard Seed, a popular BBQ restaurant in Atlanta, as a prime example of how thinking local is a hit with travelers at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
 
“Barbecue is really important in Atlanta, so we went out and found a really unique concept called Mustard Seed,” said Kevin Kelly, president of Delaware North’s travel business, in his interview with CNN. “So we brought that concept to the airport, and it just screams Atlanta.”
 
Kelly went on to detail the authentic experience Delaware North brings to travelers at The Mustard Seed’s airport location.
 
“We actually smoke the meat right in the airport,” he said. “We’ve got electric smokers, and we smoke the meat overnight. So you’re getting fresh, smoked meat – and we emphasize it with sweet teas, sweet-tea cocktails, and we even bring in local beers.”
 
The CNN story also featured Delaware North’s Grindhouse Killer Burgers and Atlanta Stillhouse restaurant concepts at the Atlanta airport and its Farmer’s Market retail concept at Los Angeles International Airport.
 
Delaware North’s presence at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and Denver International Airport were also recently featured in a local TV news story from the ABC affiliate WGNO-TV (click here). The story focused on Dooky Chase’s – an iconic New Orleans restaurant that partnered with Delaware North to open a location at the New Orleans airport – and Lefty’s Mile High Bar & Grill, a concept created by Delaware North for the Denver airport.