FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (July 27, 2016) – Delaware North Chairman Jeremy Jacobs today joined golf legend Jack Nicklaus and his wife, Barbara, to officially open the Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear Grill at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Terminal 3.
The restaurant – managed by Delaware North, which operates in more than 30 airports globally – welcomed its first visitors with a soft opening on June 24.
The 2,800-square-foot restaurant, which seats up to 100 people, features memorabilia and family photos hand-picked by Jack and Barbara Nicklaus to connect customers to the storied legacy of golf history’s greatest champion.
And while the Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear Grill certainly celebrates the game of golf, it also celebrates the life and lifestyle that surrounds the game. Barbara Nicklaus worked closely with Delaware North to design the warm, inviting and comfortable interiors. She also worked closely with the Delaware North culinary team to design the menu, which includes several of her personal recipes – including meatloaf – and those from a cookbook, “Well Done!,” authored by her and her daughter.
The Jacobs and the Nicklaus families have been friends since 1999, when Delaware North’s chairman became one of the founding members of The Bear’s Club, Jack Nicklaus’ private golf club in Jupiter, Fla.
“We’ve been looking for a place to partner with Jack and Barbara on a product since we first met, and I’m truly happy that it has come to fruition,” Jacobs said. “With the Golden Bear Grill, we’re sure Jack will help bring customers in, but it’ll be Barbara and her recipes that will keep them there.”
“You might say I am a food aficionado – which, translated, means I like food quite a lot – and Delaware North is a leader across the country in delivering great dining experiences, so partnering with them made sense,” said Jack Nicklaus, who was among the pioneering athletes to leverage his success and his name to create a brand. “Delaware North is well-respected in the business, and they’ve done a great job everywhere they’ve been.”
The Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear Grill is an exclusive licensing agreement between Delaware North and the Nicklaus Companies. Delaware North is slated to open a second Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear Grill in September at Charleston (S.C.) International Airport.
About Delaware North
Delaware North is one of the largest privately held hospitality and food service companies in the world. Founded in 1915 and owned by the Jacobs family for 100 years, Delaware North has global operations at high-profile places such as sports and entertainment venues, national and state parks, destination resorts and restaurants, airports, and regional casinos. Our 60,000 employee associates are dedicated to creating special experiences one guest at a time in serving more than a half-billion guests annually. Delaware North operates in the sports, travel hospitality, restaurant and catering, parks, resorts, gaming, and specialty retail industries and has annual revenue of about $3 billion. “Delaware North” is a reference to Delaware North Companies Inc. and its affiliates and subsidiaries, including location-specific operating entities. Learn more about Delaware North, a global leader in hospitality and food service, at www.DelawareNorth.com.