The Minnesota Twins and their food vendor are bringing a taste of
Target Field to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Twins Grill, a 204-seat restaurant run by the airport division within Delaware North Cos.’ travel hospitality group, opens in mid-January next to a tram stop on Concourse C. The restaurant replaces a TGI Fridays.
Delaware North invested roughly $3 million to redevelop the 6,100-square-foot space, and will pay the Twins royalties tied to the restaurant’s business, said Terry Mahlum, Delaware North’s regional vice president of operations.
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A rendering shows Twins Grill, to be run by team concessionaire Delaware North Cos.
Photo by: COURTESY OF MINNESOTA TWINS
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The project, designed by local architect
Shea, allows the Twins to reach a broader audience at the airport, in addition to strengthening the relationship with their vendor, said
Matt Hoy, the Twins’ senior vice president of operations.
Sportservice, a division of Delaware North, has run the food and retail at Target Field since it opened in 2010.
The centerpiece of Twins Grill is a sign of the team’s iconic characters Minnie and Paul shaking hands, replicating the neon structure behind center field at Target Field. It’s designed as a prime photo opportunity for airport visitors, Mahlum said.
The decor extends to the Minnesota Town Ball wall, similar to the stadium’s Town Ball Tavern in the left field corner, which is themed after the amateur baseball teams that smaller communities in the region field. The Twins will provide memorabilia periodically for display at the grill, Hoy said.
Twins Grill features a full bar with 16 beer taps and a focus on local brews. The menu, prepared with assistance from Target Field executive chef Kurt Chenier, a Delaware North Sportservice employee, will include nachos, chicken quesadillas, onion rings and cheese curds, all ballpark staples.
A grab-and-go kiosk will have food items available for travelers on a tight schedule. For those with time to spare, multiple televisions will display sports events, including Twins games.
On the retail side, Twins Grill will have a small selection of merchandise, most of it hats, jerseys and T-shirts, Mahlum said.
Delaware North’s airport group also runs Earl Campbell’s Sports Bar at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas.
Elsewhere, Delaware North and TPA Hospitality Partners, a company in which Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik has a 20 percent ownership stake, are partners in eight food stands at Tampa International Airport. Their newest location, a Chick-fil-A restaurant, opens Oct. 17.
The deal adds to Delaware North’s relationship with the Lightning, which originated at Amalie Arena, where Sportservice runs the food operation.
> BACK IN THE FOLD: Carlos Bernal has been named president of Sportservice, in a move announced last week by Delaware North officials.
Bernal, who had been serving as Sportservice’s chief operating officer and interim president since November, first worked for the firm 30 years ago as the general manager at old Chicago Stadium, the former home of the Bulls and Blackhawks.
From 1989 to 1991, he held the same position at old Busch Stadium in St. Louis before leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. From 1991 to 1993, he was Host Marriott’s general manager at Dodger Stadium.
Most recently, he was CEO of Wagamama North America, a Japanese-themed restaurant chain.
Bernal replaces John Wentzell, who left Sportservice late last year.
Sportservice, founded by the Jacobs family in 1915, has deals with more than 50 stadiums and arenas.
Don Muret can be reached at dmuret@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @breakground.
