HMSHost, Indiana Toll Road, and 7-Eleven hold grand opening at Wilbur Shaw Travel Plaza to celebrate completed travel plaza network and 7-Eleven’s new APLUS convenience stores
ROLLING PRAIRIE, IN, 2018-Jul-23 — /Travel PR News/ — Travelers on the Indiana Toll Road (ITR) can now enjoy new state-of-the-art travel plaza facilities with leading amenities and modern touches. ITR Concession Company LLC (ITRCC), global restaurateur HMSHost, and 7-Eleven held a grand opening at Wilbur Shaw Travel Plaza in Rolling Prairie, officially celebrating the completed 80/90 Push Project and welcoming drivers to enjoy an array of convenient new offerings. All eight Indiana Toll Road travel plazas from the Push Project are open, providing essential retreats for drivers to eat, drink, shop, and rest before getting back on the road.
“This Grand Opening is the celebration of a $70-million-dollar investment towards creating modern, state-of-the-art rest stops that focus on environmental wellness and community enhancement,” said ITRCC Chief Operating Officer Rick Fedder. “We look forward to continuing in our attempts to build a greater community here in Northern Indiana, along with our partners in HMSHost and 7-Eleven.”
“HMSHost is proud to offer a wide array of food and beverage options to satisfy hungry travelers in four of these new modern and welcoming facilities in the Hoosier State,” said HMSHost Vice President of Business Development Michael Price. “We are very excited to celebrate this milestone with the Indiana Toll Road and we thank the ITR Concession Co. for their partnership.”
“7-Eleven is excited to collaborate with the ITR by investing in and operating these State of the Art Plazas on the Indiana Toll Road,” said Brad Williams, senior vice president of acquisition operations for 7-Eleven. “We are looking forward to a busy summer drive season and want to welcome all of our customers with an enhanced assortment that will soon include Big Gulp and Slurpee drinks and, eventually, the iconic 7-Eleven branded convenience store.”
To celebrate the completion of the project in the community and to fight the root causes of poverty, HMSHost Foundation, the ITR Concession Company, and 7-Eleven made a joint grant of $7,500 to The Pax Center. The Pax Center is a food-providing organization in nearby downtown LaPorte.
HMSHost operates Starbucks®, Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, and Refresh & Co. at the Ernie Pyle and Gene S. Porter Travel Plazas in Howe. Refresh & Co. is a casual marketplace-style concept by HMSHost featuring high-quality scratch-made meals such as daily seasonal soups, hand-stretched pizzas, and grilled-to-order burgers. Refresh & Co. also features specialty retail goods at the plaza’s entrance such as healthy to-go packaged snacks and Indiana-themed items like ‘Hoosier’ t-shirts.
A list of existing HMSHost-operated locations on the Indiana Toll Road is available on the HMSHost location finder map.
The grand opening festivities were obvious for travelers stopping at plazas throughout the length of the Toll Road with all ITRCC employees wearing special grand opening polo shirts in recognition of the event. In addition, the Indiana Toll Road is celebrating its first summer with a completed travel plaza network by asking all patrons to pledge to put the phone down while driving. ITRCC volunteers at every travel plaza encouraged patrons to sign up during the grand opening festivities, working to end distracted driving and the accidents it causes. Anyone can take this pledge at www.PutThePhoneDownIndiana.com.
About HMSHost
Global restaurateur HMSHost is a world leader in creating dining for travel venues. HMSHost operates in more than 120 airports around the globe and at more than 100 travel plazas in North America. The company has annual sales of nearly $3.3 billion and employs more than 41,000 associates worldwide. HMSHost is a part of Autogrill Group, the world’s leading provider of food & beverage services for people on the move. With sales of €4.6 billion in 2017, the group operates in 31 countries and employs over 58,000 people. It manages approximately 4,000 stores in about 1,000 locations worldwide. Visit HMSHost.com for more information and connect with HMSHost on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About the ITR
In operation since 1956, the Indiana Toll Road stretches 157 miles across the northernmost part of Indiana from Ohio to the Illinois state line, linking Chicago with the largest cities on the eastern seaboard. The Indiana Toll Road – managed by ITR Concession Company LLC (ITRCC) – and its nearly 300 employees are proud to operate a safe and efficient roadway while providing high quality customer service to serve thousands of patrons every day. ITRCC is indirectly owned by IFM Investors, which is a uniquely-structured global fund manager with a strong track record as a responsible steward of some of the world’s biggest transportation infrastructure assets.
About 7-Eleven, Inc.
7‑Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience-retailing industry. Based in Irving, Texas, 7‑Eleven operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 66,000 stores in 17 countries, including 11,800 in North America. Known for its iconic brands such as Slurpee®, Big Bite® and Big Gulp®, 7‑Eleven has expanded into high-quality salads, side dishes, cut fruit and protein boxes, as well as pizza, chicken wings, cheeseburgers and hot chicken sandwiches. 7‑Eleven offers customers industry-leading private-brand products under the 7-Select® brand including healthy options, decadent treats and everyday favorites at an outstanding value. Customers also count on 7‑Eleven for bill payments, self-service lockers and other convenient services. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com, via the 7Rewards® customer-loyalty platform on the 7‑Eleven mobile app, or on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Source: HMSHost