Aug 3, 2015

HMSHost to Bring 14 Dining Locations to Tampa International Airport

HMSHost creates a ‘sense of place’ in the airport with local restaurants while also delivering national favorites

TAMPA, FL— Global restaurateur HMSHost announced today that it has been awarded contracts for 14 dining spaces at Tampa International Airport, in partnership with joint venture partner Tinsley-Bridgeman, ensuring that travelers will continue to enjoy their favorite coffee along with several other popular local and national restaurants. The restaurant openings are scheduled to run from spring 2016 to mid-2017.

“HMSHost is thrilled to be serving travelers with so many options at Tampa International Airport, with local restaurants that give them a taste of the city, as well as favorite must-have national brands,” said HMSHost Vice President of Business Development Michael Price. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Tampa Airport, and to bringing travelers the dining experience they expect to see in a world-class airport.”

“Tampa International Airport has long enjoyed a great partnership with HMSHost concessions and we’re thrilled to work with them once again, this time with new and fresh concepts,” Tampa International Airport CEO Joe Lopano said. ““I have no doubt that HMSHost and its partners will deliver amazing results to help make this new program one of the best in the country, if not the world.”

Travelers will now find two locations of the local gourmet burger joint Burger 21, in Airsides A and C, serving hand crafted beef, ahi tuna, and black bean “burgers”, and milkshake flavors including Strawberry Shortcake, Crème Brulee, and Ybor City Double Espresso, among other tempting menu items.

Ybor City’s renowned street side Cuban restaurant, Columbia Restaurant Café will continue to have an airport location in Airside E, drawing travelers back to the turn of the 20th century, when a Cuban immigrant opened the restaurant, envisioning a better life for his family. Today it is a staple of Ybor City, and now travelers will have a chance to experience its decades of culinary excellence.

Iconic local craft brewer Cigar City Brewing will have a full service restaurant with brewery in Airside C and a smaller bar featuring a pub menu called Cigar City Taproom in Airside F. Cigar City is a true Tampa success story, founded by a fourth generation Tampan and self-described beer geek with a two pronged vision: to make the world’s best handcrafted beer with unique, interesting flavors, and for the beer to serve as an ambassador to Tampa’s fascinating culture and heritage.

Airside F will also be home to some good pirate fun at Gasparilla Bar, a true recreation of Tampa’s historic Gasparilla celebration, played out on a pirate ship-shaped kiosk, right in the airport. What better way to invite travelers to enjoy Tampa then with some of the highlights they’d experience at the city’s famous Gasparilla Pirate Festival?

The airport dining experience would not be complete without travelers’ favorite coffee, Starbucks, which will have locations in Airsides C, E, and F, and an Airside A Starbucks Reserve, the latest Starbucks experience, which features the Clover-brewing system and a varying selection of the most diverse beans from around the world. At Starbucks Evenings in the pre-security Center Landside Main Terminal, travelers will be able to enjoy all that Starbucks has to offer while also sipping a glass of wine or beer and enjoying an enhanced dining menu of small plates.

Also in the pre-security Main Terminal, families and friends can send loved ones on their way with a meal together at the award-winning Asian restaurant P.F. Chang’s. If travelers’ time is limited, they may prefer to visit P.F. Chang’s quicker version in Airside A, Pei Wei, where they’ll find some of the same famous dishes. The Landside Main Terminal Food Court will also get a new Wendy’s to be subleased and operated by Tinsley-Bridgeman.