Global restaurateur HMSHost will welcome travelers with three new restaurants at Raleigh Durham International Airport as part of the airport’s Terminal 1 Modernization Project. The project is slated to be completed in early 2014. Travelers at Raleigh-Durham will experience the first ever ACC American Café, as well as HMSHost’s own La Tapenade and national favorite Starbucks.
“We couldn’t be happier to be bringing these three restaurants to our travelers,” says Ingrid Hairston, business development officer at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. “With so much history in this area, the ACC American Café will be a hit with all ACC fans, no matter what team you support, and together with Starbucks and La Tapenade, the combination will be just the right offering.”
The Raleigh-Durham area is a hotbed for the Atlantic Coast Conference, one of the country’s most storied and prolific college sports conferences, which makes it the perfect venue for the first ACC American Café.
The walls of the Café will be covered in historic photos, “Player of the Week” features, real-time scoreboards and live ACC Network games, which will reflect the timeless spirit of the conference. The menu at ACC American Café will appeal to all lifestyles with items crafted from fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. Salads can be topped with a variety of ingredients including seared tofu, blackened tilapia, lemon-thyme chicken, or cabernet-marinated flatiron steak. Travelers can also choose from a variety of sandwiches, such as genuine North Carolina barbecue or tilapia with Georgia peach relish, and signature dishes like the jalapeno glazed half chicken.
The ACC American Café isn’t just about the food, as the ACC and HMSHost will use a portion of the proceeds from the restaurant to sponsor scholarships as part of the ACC Postgraduate Scholarship program.
The scholarships are awarded annually to select student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree following completion of their undergrad requirements. HMSHost will also offer internship opportunities for ACC students who are studying in fields such as restaurant management, construction management and culinary development.
Joining the ACC American Café is La Tapenade, HMSHost’s exclusive Mediterranean café that offers a variety of fresh and healthy sandwiches and flatbread pizzas topped with fire-roasted vegetables, specialty meats, and a broad assortment of cheeses. HMSHost will also be opening a Starbucks, which will allow travelers to grab their favorite coffee or espresso drink and a variety of grab-and-go menu items.
“HMSHost is ecstatic to have the opportunity to help revamp the dining landscape at Raleigh-Durham International Airport,” says Bryan Loden, senior director of business development at HMSHost. “Working with the team at the ACC to open the first ACC American Café has been extremely exciting, as well as bringing Starbucks and our own concept La Tapenade to travelers.”
“We are proud to partner with HMSHost to bring the pageantry and excitement of the ACC and our member institutions to the patrons of the Raleigh-Durham International Airport,” says ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “This is a terrific opportunity to showcase our league's student athletes, coaches, teams and institutions in a first-class environment.”
