Food Network and Delaware North Companies Partnering on New Menu and Restaurant Concepts

NEW YORK and BUFFALO, N.Y., March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Delaware North Companies and Food Network, one of the most popular lifestyle networks on television, have entered into a partnership to develop new menu, restaurant and retail concepts for the global hospitality and food service provider's locations across North America.

Delaware North operates at sports stadiums, entertainment complexes, parks, resorts and airports, including marquee locations such as the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, Delaware North-owned TD Garden in Boston, Los Angeles International Airport, Kennedy Space Center, Yosemite National Park and The Queen Mary.

In the first phase of the multiyear agreement, Food Network is creating signature dishes for suite menus as Delaware North's Sportservice division introduces the partnership to its Major League Baseball clients. Sportservice operates concessions and premium dining at more than 50 sports and entertainment venues in North America.

Sportservice's chefs will be introducing the Food Network-branded menu items at several ballparks in the coming weeks after Opening Day, including at the Cleveland Indians' Progressive Field, the Milwaukee Brewers' Miller Park, the St. Louis Cardinals' Busch Stadium, the Cincinnati Reds' Great American Ballpark and Rangers Ballpark at Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers.

Food Network reaches nearly 100 million U.S. television households with popular lifestyle programs, including Iron Chef America, Chopped and Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, and superstar chefs Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Alton Brown, Giada De Laurentiis and others. Its Web site, www.foodnetwork.com, attracts nearly 10 million unique visitors each month. Food Network Magazine, with a subscriber base of 1.25 million, is considered one of the most successful magazine launches of the 21st century.

"At Food Network, we are all about feeding people's passions in fun and interesting places," said Sergei Kuharsky, general manager, new business enterprises at Scripps Networks, a division of Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), owner of Food Network. "This partnership with Delaware North Companies allows us to spread our table wider, and deepen Food Network's relationship with viewers who have always wanted to taste what they see us serve up on TV, online and in the magazine."

Delaware North will build and operate the concepts, while Food Network will provide training, brand standards and marketing support. All food, beverage and retail concepts developed as a result of the partnership will carry the Food Network brand.

"We are thrilled to be working with Food Network, the brand that connects millions of people to the excitement and joy of preparing, learning about and enjoying food," said Dennis Szefel, Delaware North's chief administrative officer. "Food Network has the depth of culinary expertise to help us develop new and unique food and beverage concepts and experiences for the millions who dine at the special places where Delaware North operates."  

Delaware North's Travel Hospitality Services division is already working with Food Network "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto to create Skewers, a unique Asian dining concept for airport travelers. The division operates dozens of national and regional brand restaurants and shops at more than 20 major U.S. airports.

About Delaware North Companies

Delaware North Companies is one of the world's leading hospitality and food service providers. Its family of companies includes Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Delaware North Companies International and Delaware North Companies Boston, owner of TD Garden. Delaware North Companies is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States with revenues exceeding $2 billion annually and 50,000 associates serving half a billion customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.DelawareNorth.com.

About Food Network

FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers' best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring and empowering through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to more than 98 million U.S. households and averages more than 9 million unique web users monthly. In its first year Food Network Magazine doubled its rate base and passed the one million circulation mark. Headquartered in New York, Food Network has a growing international presence with programming in more than 150 countries, including 24 hour networks in Great Britain, India, Asia and Africa. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), which also owns and operates HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Great American Country (www.gactv.com) and Cooking Channel, is the manager and general partner.

SOURCE Delaware North Companies