MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When traveling through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) this holiday season, make sure you allow time to experience what Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) calls the Best Food and Beverage Program of any large airport in North America.
The award win announced earlier this month celebrates the MSP’s Terminal 1-Lindbergh food and beverage program, which was recently enhanced by 11 new restaurants on Concourse G. The new restaurants were developed and are operated by OTG, a company known for locally inspired menus and iPads at every seat.
The ACI-NA Excellence in Airport Concessions Contest is meant to inspire creativity in the industry and to recognize innovative and outstanding airport concessions. The contest is judged by an independent panel comprised of high-level professionals with no vested interest in concession operations or the outcome of any one airport. ACI-NA received 200 nominations from airports throughout the U.S. and Canada for this year’s contest.
OTG was selected by Delta Airlines and the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) to create and operate new dining and retail space on Concourse G. OTG’s goal was to create an exceptional airport experience for its passengers through its technologically innovative seating concept and offering fresh, often locally sourced food created by some of the Twin Cities’ most respected chefs. All concepts incorporate fresh, vivid designs and local chef-driven menus accessible by iPads at each seat. Seating extends into the airline gate hold areas, so travelers can relax and enjoy a meal or drinks without worrying about missing boarding announcements. Sales on Concourse G have increased 44% since the program launched.
The concourse offers travelers a variety of flavor profiles, including: Asian (Shoyu); Italian (Volante); Pizza (Vero); French (Mimosa); American (TwinBurger, Mill City Tavern); and others. More than 1,700 iPads are available throughout the concourse, including one at each seat at every restaurant. The iPads can be used to order food, check flight status, access email or browse the internet.
“Our goal is to provide travelers with the best airport experience in North America, and this award confirms we are on the right track,” said Metropolitan Airports Commission Executive Director/CEO Jeff Hamiel. “OTG has taken a visionary approach to airport dining and provided travelers at MSP an experience they won’t find anywhere else.”
“We are thrilled by the success of the dining and retail program at MSP’s Concourse G,” said Rick Blatstein CEO of OTG. “At the start of the program, we sent our Concept Chef out on the town to get to know the region and its food trends as well as recruit the biggest local chefs such as Chef Andrew Zimmern (MinniBar) and Chef Russell Klein (Mimosa) so that our airport experience could authentically offer the best of the city.”
OTG has received numerous accolades for their work across North America. Most recently, Travel + Leisure voted Minneapolis-St. Paul International one of the 10 best airports in 2013 and number one in 2012.
Nominations for the ACI-NA concession awards were judged on concessions’ goals and how they were met, use of concepts and branding, program design and layout, customer service, revenue performance and location.
Learn more about MSP Airport at www.mspairport.com. For more information about OTG please visit: www.otgmanagement.com. More information about MSP’s award for Best Food & Beverage Program can be found at http://www.aci-na-2013concessions-book.org/#!best-food-program---first/cdpc. More information about the ACI-NA concessions contest can be found at http://aci-na.org/newsroom/press-releases/san-francisco-winner-overall-griesbach-award-excellence-2013-aci-na-concessi.
About OTG:
OTG (www.otgmanagement.com)
is an award-winning airport food & beverage operator with more than 200
restaurants and retail boutiques in 10 airports, including
Minneapolis-St. Paul, John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, Toronto Pearson,
Boston Logan, Tucson, Washington National, Orlando, Chicago O’Hare and
Philadelphia. Since its entry into airports in 1996, OTG has been
recognized throughout the industry for its exceptional customer focus
and groundbreaking innovation; growing to become the second largest
privately held airport food operator in the United States in just over a
decade.
About the Metropolitan Airports Commission:
A public
corporation of the state of Minnesota, the Metropolitan Airports
Commission owns and operates seven airports in the Twin Cities
Metropolitan area, including Minneapolis-St. Paul International. MSP
injects more than $10 billion into the area economy each year and
supports more than 76,000 jobs.
