Delaware North Companies Brings Celebrated Chefs To LAX

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and airport officials joined with Wolfgang Puck and Masaharu Morimoto to celebrate the official grand openings of these chefs' new dining concepts at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The much-anticipated Skewers by Morimoto – a first-ever airport location for the chef – and a newly expanded and transformed Wolfgang Puck Express, are among the first of many new dining and retail options planned for LAX.

"As LAX undertakes one of the largest modernization programs for a U.S. airport, we're thrilled to be able to spotlight top chefs and their signature dining concepts," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "These new eateries are just the beginning of many more dining and retail options coming to LAX in the near future."

"LAX is proud to showcase the first airport location for Skewers by Morimoto and the new Wolfgang Puck Express," said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports. "These concepts are a great example of some of the exciting and innovative projects that are part of our LAneXt™ modernization plan."

Skewers by Morimoto in Terminal 5 is an all-new casual dining concept developed specifically for LAX by the famed Food Network Iron Chef Morimoto in partnership with Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services.  The new concept offers a wide selection of Kushiyaki and Kushiage -- popular street and bar food in Japan. Fresh and healthy, Kushiyaki consists of small bites of skewered and robata-grilled meats and seafood served over rice and vegetables. Guests can also opt for Kushiage, in which panko-crusted meat or seafood skewers are dipped in batter and deep fried. The new Skewers menu also includes a selection of specialty salads, soups and breakfast items. The eatery's contemporary design and decor are a fusion of unique architectural and design elements like rebar and rough-sawn wood, coarse egg-shell wall finishes and earthy tones with accents of green and gray.  

The new large format Wolfgang Puck Express in Terminal 7 is the first-of-its-kind of this new concept from the celebrated chef, which includes both sit-down, full-service as well as grab-and-go, ideal to match the customers' needs.  For guests seeking a more relaxed experience, the restaurant in­cludes a hosted area where guests can be seated and served at their table.  For those in a hurry, the newly revamped Express counter incorporates digital menu boards and self-ordering kiosk technology that allows guests to quickly place an order, pay with a credit card and grab-and-go freshly made meals in a matter of minutes. 

The menu features seasonal local in­gredients and includes Wolfgang's hand-crafted signature pizzas cooked in an authentic wood-stone oven. In addition to pizzas, the menu is now broadened to include appetizers, entree salads and sandwiches, pastas and signature Wolfgang classics such as Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with mashed potatoes, port wine sauce and crispy onion rings, as well as Oven Roasted Salmon with fennel, tomatoes and horseradish cream. Architecturally, this newly expanded concept is sleek and modern, featuring quality craftsmanship and distinctive interior decor not typical of an airport setting. 

"Bringing innovative concepts to travelers is what we do," said Matt King, president of Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services. "Enlisting partners like Wolfgang Puck and Masaharu Morimoto make delivering on that promise a lot easier." 

"I'm thrilled to be a part of this revitalization at LAX," said Wolfgang Puck. "It's important to me to re-invest in Los Angeles, my hometown, and bring exciting, fun and casual dining with fresh food to locals and visitors."

"At Skewers I would like to offer something new and different – skewered meats and seafood that are very popular in Japan, but not yet done in my other restaurants," said Masaharu Morimoto. "This new LAX location provides me the opportunity to share part of Japanese food culture with both Los Angeles and visitors from around the world."

As one of the nation's leading airport food service concessionaires and retail companies, Delaware North was selected by competitive bid in 2011 to help develop and bring Skewers by Morimoto and an expanded Wolfgang Puck Express to the airport.  The company also will be bringing two additional concepts to Terminal 5 in the near future, including one based on the imagery and nostalgia of the Original Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax – one of the most visited and iconic tourist attractions in Los Angeles – as well as a new Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf location.

Currently, Delaware North operates Pink's Hot Dogs LAX and the Daily Grill Restaurant, both in the Tom Bradley International Terminal, The Encounter Restaurant & Bar, located inside the landmark LAX Theme Building, and one of the original Wolfgang Puck Express concepts in Terminal 2. 

About Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services

Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, a subsidiary of Delaware North Companies, is one of the world's leading airport food service and retail companies, operating 300 restaurants and retail outlets in more than 25 airports worldwide, and serving more than 350 million customers each year. Its award-winning operations include airports throughout the United States, such as Los Angeles International Airport and Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, as well as international airports such as Melbourne International Airport in Australia and Gatwick International Airport in London.

About Delaware North Companies

Delaware North Companies is one of the largest and most admired privately held hospitality companies in the world. Founded and owned by the Jacobs family for nearly 100 years, it is a global leader in hospitality and food service. 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 has revenue exceeding $2.6 billion annually and 55,000 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.  

SOURCE Delaware North Companies