BETHESDA, Md. -- With more than 50 guests, music and fantastic Gourmet to Go food, the first airport Z Market opened Monday at DFW International Airport in Dallas-Fort Worth. Z Market is a combination of convenience store and upscale delivariety in a quick-serve environment, said joint-venture partners HMSHost and Howell-Mickens LLC. It also offers travel essentials including health and beauty items, cell phone accessories, film, batteries and memory cards.
The new Terminal B concession is part of a retail contract awarded to HMSHost and Howell-Mickens. Chef Tim Love brings [image-nocss] his Gourmet to Go menu to Z Market in an agreement between HMSHost and Love Style Inc.
As a pioneer of urban Western cuisine, Love wears a cowboy hat in place of a toque, appoints nachos with kangaroo carpaccio, and marries foie gras with chiles at his signature Fort Worth restaurant, Lonesome Dove. He has won numerous awards for his culinary expertise, including the Food Network's Iron Chef competition.
Love's Gourmet to Go selections include prepackaged sandwiches and salads, boxed meal combinations, snacks, heat-and-eat one-dish meals and sushi. Featuring exclusive packaging and signage specially developed by HMSHost, the variety and menu will vary based on seasonal favorites and new creations by Love.
"Z Market is 'the convenient convenience store' with a difference," said Joan Ryzner, senior vice president, HMSHost Retail. "Partnering with a local celebrity chef for upscale gourmet to go selections adds enormous appeal. We are pleased to introduce Z Market to U.S. airports, starting with DFW. This evolutionary retail experience is a new vision for travel shopping."
Z Market is designed specifically to accommodate travelers with luggage in tow, with wider aisles, stone tiles. Self-service stations are set in a design that appears curved, making it quick and easy for customers to move from one spot to another as they help themselves to coffee and pastries, fresh grilled items, fountain beverages and more.
Bethesda, Md.-based HMSHost operates in more than 100 airports around the globe. A part of Autogrill S.p.A, HMSHost and the rest of the Autogrill Group are recognized leaders in travel restaurants and retail.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.