SJC travelers to gain more international flavors, craft beer, and national favorites
San José, Calif., 2018-Mar-12 — /Travel PR News/ — Silicon Valley airport travelers are set to gain several new places to eat well while on the move as global restaurateur HMSHost has secured a six-year contract extension valued at approximately $267 million. The San José City Council on March 6 approved the extended contract, with a minimum capital investment of $6 million, to construct and re-concept several dining offerings, including two new locations in partnership with Burlingame, Calif.-based WSE Group, Inc. in Mineta San José International Airport’s (SJC) Terminals A and B before the end of 2020. New brands coming to the airport include Shake Shack, Chick-fil-A, The Great American Bagel, International Beer Union, and Trader Vic’s. HMSHost will also expand the existing and ever-popular Gordon Biersch, and one of four Starbucks® stores.
“HMSHost is excited to expand the dining scene and to continue to serve great food and beverages in support of Silicon Valley airport’s continued passenger growth records,” said HMSHost Vice President of Business Development Michael Price. “We thank the San José City Council and airport team for their ongoing partnership and we look forward to opening these leading brands along with enhancing some existing restaurants for travelers to enjoy for many years to come.”
HMSHost’s Terminal A plan includes the addition of the critically acclaimed, modern day “roadside” burger stand, Shake Shack. SJC will also get a craft beer-focused concept from HMSHost called International Beer Union (IBU) – a play on the abbreviation for the ‘International Bitterness Units’ scale used to measure beer’s bitter flavor characteristics. Additionally, Terminal A’s existing Gordon Biersch will be expanded and the Starbucks® store located near Gates 1-5 will be expanded to serve the growing number of travelers using this concourse.
In Terminal B, HMSHost will open the brand that leads the industry in the chicken category with a devoted following, Chick-fil-A. HMSHost, in partnership with WSE Group, Inc., will further enhance Terminal B with the
brand that invented the Original Mai Tai® cocktail, world-famous Trader Vic’s with its flagship location in Emeryville, Calif., known for its ancient-style Pacific Island BBQ cuisine, will be featured as a full-service
restaurant, and in a more compact Trader Vic’s Outpost location to serve travelers’ grab-and-go needs. Terminal B will also get the beloved breakfast and all-day fare from award-winning bagel bakery and deli concept, The Great American Bagel, to be constructed next to the recently-opened Gates 29 and 30.
“The City of San José has been a long-time partner of HMSHost, and we are pleased to continue our relationship in mutually serving Silicon Valley travelers for at least the next six years,” said Director of Aviation John Aitken. “These new food and beverage offerings, combined with HMSHost’s existing successful concepts, give our diversity of passengers a variety of flavor and price-point choices. Whether our customers are business travelers flying to Europe with an extra hour to enjoy a sit-down meal, or a family of four going to Walt Disney World with just enough time to grab a quick meal to enjoy onboard our five-hour, nonstop flight to Orlando.”
HMSHost operates several restaurants at SJC, providing original dining experiences to travelers such as the Shark’s Cage Sports Bar & Grill, Smashburger and more. A list of existing HMSHost-operated locations at SJC is available on the HMSHost location finder map.
HMSHost Leading the Industry
HMSHost is recognized by the industry as the top provider of travel dining with awards such as 2017 Best Overall Food & Beverage Operator (for the tenth consecutive year) and Food Operator with the Highest Regard for Customer Service (for the eighth year) by Airport Revenue News. USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards recognized HMSHost’s Dale Jr.’s Whisky River at Charlotte Douglas International Airport as Best Airport Bar and Best Airport Sitdown Dining. HMSHost infuses innovation and culinary expertise into everything we do; with events such as the first-of-its-kind Airport Restaurant Month at more than 50 airports across North America, the award-winning Channel Your Inner Chef live culinary contest at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, and the Adrian Awards Gold winning campaigns, #HMSHostLove and Eat Well. Travel Further.
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 99 travel plazas in North America. The Company has annual sales in excess of $3.1 billion and employs more than 39,500 sales 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 over €4.5 billion in 2016, the Group operates in 31 countries and employs over 57,000 people. It manages approximately 4,000 stores in about 1,000 locations worldwide. Visit www.HMSHost.com for more information. We can also be found on Facebook at fb.com/HMSHost and on Twitter at @HMSHost.
SJC: Transforming How Silicon Valley Travels
Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) is Silicon Valley’s airport, a self‐supporting enterprise owned and operated by the City of San José. The airport serves 12.5 million passengers annually, with 200+ peak daily departures on 16 international and domestic carriers to 54 nonstop destinations. SJC has been America’s fastest‐growing major airport over the past two years, based on percentage increase in passenger seat capacity. For more airport information, visit flysanjose.com.
Media contacts:
HMSHost
Sean Matthews
Sean.Matthews@HMSHost.com
240-694-4290
SJC
Rosemary Barnes
rbarnes@sjc.org
408-392-1199
Source: HMSHost