Outstanding dining and the airport – that has to be an oxymoron

NEW YORK, NY – Delta Air Lines wants to reinvent the customer dining experience at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, and to meet that end it is introducing 13 new food and beverage concepts throughout its

NEW YORK, NY – Delta Air Lines wants to reinvent the customer dining experience at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, and to meet that end it is introducing 13 new food and beverage concepts throughout its main terminal facility beginning this fall.

Developed exclusively for Delta by airport restaurateur, OTG Management, the LaGuardia upgrade reinforces Delta’s commitment to customer service and is one of several major investments being made by the airline in New York.

Along with adding more than 40 new destinations from LaGuardia and JFK combined, Delta, during the last four years, has expanded its award-winning BusinessElite service to transcontinental flights from JFK to Los Angeles and San Francisco, reintroduced “Red Coat” customer service ambassadors at LaGuardia and JFK, added 2,000 jobs across New York state, and recently announced new first-class service to six mid-sized cities in the southeast and midwest.

“As part of our aggressive plan to invest and improve our main terminal at LaGuardia, Delta is fully committed to enhancing the experience for our New York customers with superior amenities that include outstanding food and beverage choices,” said Gail Grimmett, Delta’s senior vice president, New York. “We’re confident that the unique concepts we’re developing with OTG at LaGuardia will reinforce our efforts to become New York’s preferred airline, offering our passengers the best customer experience available in airport dining.”

OTG Management will own and operate each of the new dining establishments and has assembled a group of New York City’s top chefs – including Riad Nasr, Lee Hanson, Michael Lomonaco, Dominick DeMarco, Jamison Blankenship, Jim Lahey, and Jason Denton, as well as restaurateurs Chris Cannon and Garrett Oliver to create restaurant concepts that are exclusive to Delta’s main terminal at LaGuardia.

The new dining experience will include 13 distinct food and beverage concepts and brands, an expansive gourmet food hall, coffee bars, and a wine bar. The redesign will launch in phases, starting August 21, with full redevelopment of the space expected to be complete by summer 2011.

“OTG is committed to reinventing the airport dining experience and establishing a new, higher standard for food and beverage that is offered to travelers,” said Rick Blatstein, CEO, OTG Management. “At Delta’s LaGuardia facility, we will deliver an authentic New York culinary experience with offerings created by the city’s top chefs for all of Delta’s customers.”

Delta’s LaGuardia Main Terminal dining experience will feature full-serve restaurants, bars, and cafes:

– Bisoux: A bistro inspired by Provencal cuisine
– World Bean: coffee and espresso beverages
– Prime Tavern: modern American steakhouse
– Crust: Neapolitan-style pizzas
– wibar: wine bar
– Minnow: seafood and raw bar
– Bar Brace: Italian road food

A gourmet food hall will enable travelers to mix and match menu items from four quick-serve eateries, self-serve hot and cold food bars, a soup station, sundae station, bakery, gourmet market, and other delicious options, to create the perfect meal:

– Tagliare: Classic New York-style pizza
– Pat LaFrieda Burger: Burgers and milkshakes
– Shiso: Asian noodle and sandwich shop
– Harry’s Deli: New York style Jewish deli
– Cibo Express Gourmet Markets: gourmet market
– Imbibe: infused cocktails, wines, and beers

The new restaurants replace mainstream airport concepts that have existed at the terminal for more than a decade. In addition to new cuisine, each new restaurant will feature inviting design, lighting and music created by New York-based design firm ICRAVE and custom music provider EL Media Group.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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