BUFFALO, N.Y., and BELMONT PARK, N.Y. (August 3, 2021) – UBS Arena, the metropolitan area's most anticipated live entertainment venue and future home of the New York Islanders Hockey Club, has selected global hospitality and entertainment company Delaware North to manage food and beverage services at the venue, which opens this fall.
Developed in partnership with Oak View Group, the New York Islanders and Jeff Wilpon – UBS Arena, located on the border of Queens and Long Island in Belmont Park, will be a state of the art venue that hosts more than 150 sports and entertainment events each year, including the NHL’s Islanders, live music and entertainment from a roster of world class artists, and local community events. UBS Arena will offer the highest end amenities and customer service, across concessions and through VIP suites and clubs that merge boutique hospitality with a live entertainment setting.
“UBS Arena will be the blueprint for arenas of the future, and we are proud to bring our ever advancing model of hospitality to the table,” said Jerry Jacobs Jr., CEO of Delaware North. “We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Tim Leiweke, Peter Luukko and the Oak View Group team and work with Islanders owners Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky, as well as Sterling Equities EVP Jeff Wilpon to be part of their vision for the sports and entertainment landscape in New York.”
Delaware North is leveraging its culinary talent and operational experience in New York, including its Patina Restaurant Group and relationships with top chefs and restauranteurs, to bring a refreshed approach to arena food and beverage offerings in both concessions and premium areas at UBS Arena.
In concessions, Delaware North will feature market style outlets that offer a mix of hot, fresh prepared food selections complemented by a variety of ready to go meals and self serve snack and beverage options. The markets will use a streamlined checkout process, with self checkout, mobile ordering and other cashless payment technology.
UBS Arena will boast 12 of the markets – three of which will be large, multi concept designs housing several different prepared foods and menu options. Another market will feature a 100 footlong tailgate bar to create a destination where guests can socialize before, during and after the event.
Beyond the markets, Delaware North will provide a full accompaniment of premium hospitality services at UBS Arena in 56 suites, 22 UBS Club lofts and five major club areas throughout the arena.
“As we get closer to UBS Arena’s official opening, we look forward to partnering with Delaware North to offer fans a food and beverage program unlike any other venue in the New York Metro area,” said Hank Abate, President of Arena Operations. “In addition to utilizing innovative technologies for contactless payment solutions and leveraging the area’s top culinary talent, UBS Arena is proud to be working with Delaware North to help further our commitment to supplying sustainable, local and healthy food and beverage offerings.”
Through UBS Arena’s partnership with Delaware North, all unused food from both the front and back of the house will be distributed to local food banks. UBS Arena will additionally work with Delaware North to develop the venue’s food and beverage program with an emphasis on locally sourced, sustainable and healthy ingredients.
At opening, Delaware North will:
- Source 75% of food ingredients within a 300 mile radius based on seasonality
- Source produce that is certified USDA Organic where applicable
- Source 100% of eggs from cage free hens
- Source seafood that meets Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Watch rating
- Source plant based proteins, including vegan and vegetarian offerings
Specific subsequent goals include:
- All paper products within the venue will be compostable
- Source antibiotic and hormone free proteins and grass fed beef where applicable
“We’re prepared to deliver the highest culinary standards using our industry-leading expertise in food and beverage programming, implementing multiple service styles and developing chef-created signature menu items,” said James Obletz, president of Delaware North Sportservice.
In addition to owning and operating TD Garden – home of the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics – Delaware North operates concessions, premium dining, event catering, year round restaurants and retail at more than 50 venues across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Asia. The company’s U.S. operating locations include the new Globe Life Field in Texas, the new Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Other Delaware North NHL clients include Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Bridgestone Arena in Nashville and Amalie Arena in Tampa.
About Delaware North
Delaware North is a global hospitality and entertainment company founded in 1915 and owned by the Jacobs family for more than 100 years. Delaware North operates at high-profile places such as sports and entertainment venues, national and state parks, cultural landmarks, destination resorts and restaurants, airports, and regional casinos. Our associates are dedicated to delighting guests by creating the world’s best experiences. Delaware North serves millions of guests each year in the sports, travel hospitality, restaurant and catering, lodging, gaming, and specialty retail industries. Learn more about Delaware North at www.DelawareNorth.com.
About UBS Arena
UBS Arena is New York's newest premier entertainment and sports venue and future home of the New York Islanders. Located at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, the state of the art facility will open for the 2021-22 National Hockey League season and host more than 150 major events annually. The arena and surrounding development are expected to create 10,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs, generating approximately $25 billion in economic activity over the term of the lease.
Developed in partnership with Oak View Group, the New York Islanders, and Jeff Wilpon, UBS Arena is poised to be one of the area's – and the nation's – most prestigious and appealing venues for musical acts, events and performers of all genres, and will create a unique entertainment experience for artists and audiences alike. The arena is being constructed with a fan-first approach that leverages sophisticated engineering acoustics to amplify the audio experience, high-resolution LED displays and will include the largest scoreboard in New York.
UBS Arena will offer the highest-end amenities and customer service, through VIP suites and clubs that merge boutique hospitality with live entertainment. Clubs and suites will have a timeless design inspired by classic, well known New York establishments and will offer premier views of the bowl. Complementing UBS Arena, the surrounding campus will consist of 340,000 square feet of luxury retail and will include a 4 star boutique hotel.
UBS Arena is being built to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for New Construction. In an effort to build a greener future and minimize environmental impact, UBS Arena intends on being 100% carbon neutral, utilizing renewable energy by 2024, which will make it the first arena to do so on the eastern seaboard.
About the New York Islanders
Founded in 1972, the New York Islanders Hockey Club is the proud winner of four Stanley Cup Championships and nineteen consecutive playoff series victories. The Islanders have had nine members inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and play in the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference.
The Islanders Children’s Foundation has helped countless youngsters in need around the world since its inception. Donations are raised through the efforts of our players, management and employees, along with our fans and partners.
UBS Arena at Belmont Park will be the team’s new, state of the art home starting with the 2021-22 NHL season.
About Oak View Group (OVG)
Oak View Group (OVG) is a global sports and entertainment company founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015. OVG is focused on being a positive disruption to business as usual in the sports and live entertainment industry and currently has eight divisions across four global offices (Los Angeles, New York, London and Philadelphia). OVG is leading the redevelopment and operations of the New Arena at Seattle Center as well as leading arena development projects in Belmont Park, NY; Austin, TX; Palm Desert, CA; Manchester, UK. OVG Global Partnerships, a division of OVG, is the sales and marketing arm responsible for selling across all OVG Arena Development projects.
Media Contacts:
Glen White
716-858-5753
gawhite@delawarenorth.com
Jay Beberman
609-947-0358
Jay.Beberman@newyorkislanders.com
Kerry Graue
818-761-6100
kgraue@solters.com