Celebrating food & beverage excellence: FAB 2018 Awards winners revealed

INTERNATIONAL. The best and most innovative concepts in travel-related food & beverage have been recognised at the 2018 FAB Awards.

The awards were presented at a glittering gala event held during the seventh annual Airport Food and Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards in Helsinki this week, hosted by Finavia and organised by The Moodie Davitt Report and The Foodie Report.

Congratulations to all the FAB 2018 winners

The gala evening was hosted by SSP. A special e-Zine exploring the winning concepts – and reviewing the FAB conference – will be published in coming weeks.

The winners, regional winners and commendations are:

Airport Coffee, Tea, Non-alcoholic Beverage Shop of the Year

Winner: HWH Hospitality Investments, Treehouse Juicery, Dubai International Airport

Regional winner (Europe): BTA Havalimanlari Yiyecek Icecek Hizmetleri a.ş, Cakes and Bakes, Turkish airports

Regional winner (Asia Pacific): HMSHost International, Djournal Coffee, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport

Regional winner (Middle East, Africa & India): HWH Hospitality Investments, Treehouse Juicery, Dubai International Airport

Regional winner (Americas): SSP America, Café con Leche, Tampa International Airport

Star of the night: SSP America’s D’Angelo Charles was named F&B Team Member of the Year

Airport ‘Food to Go’ of the Year

Winner: High Flying Foods, Phil’s BBQ, San Diego International Airport

Regional winner (Europe): SSP Norway, Haven, Oslo Airport

Regional winner (Asia Pacific): SSP Asia Pacific, Upper Crust, Brisbane Airport

Regional winner (Middle East, Africa & India): Emirates Leisure Retail, Giraffe Stop, Dubai International Airport

Regional winner (Americas): High Flying Foods, Phil’s BBQ, San Diego International Airport

Airport F&B Offer of the Year within a Retail/Convenience Store

Winner: Crews, Cafe Intermezzo/Buckhead Books, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Highly commended: Lagardère Travel Retail, Premium Food Gate, Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport

Airport Bar of the Year (over US$3 million and Best Bar Overall)

Winner: TRG Concessions, The Curator, London Heathrow Airport

Airport Bar of the Year (under US$3 million in sales)

Winner: Travel Food Services, The Irish House, Indira Gandhi International Airport

Airport Bar of the Year (Highly commended and regional winners)

Highly commended: High Flying Foods, Stone Brewing Co, San Diego International Airport

Highly commended: SSP America, LoLo American Kitchen & Craft Bar, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

Regional winner (Europe): TRG Concessions, The Curator, London Heathrow Airport

Regional winner (Asia Pacific): Travel Food Services, The Irish House, Indira Gandhi International Airport

Regional winner (Americas): High Flying Foods, Stone Brewing Co, San Diego International Airport

Airport Food & Beverage Offer of the Year: Senior Manager, Commercial Operations and Performance Management Suzanne Merrell and Associate Director, Retail & Passenger Development Giovanna Verrilli accept on behalf of Greater Toronto Airports Authority and Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Airport Wine Bar of the Year

Winner: CRU Food and Wine Bar, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

Airport Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year (over US$5 million)

Winner: HMSHost North America, The Hearth by Lynn Crawford, Toronto Pearson International Airport

Airport Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year (under US$5 million and Best Overall)

Winner: Emirates Leisure Retail, Kitchen by Mike, Sydney Airport

Airport Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year (Regional winners)

Regional winner (Europe): Casual Dining Group, Oriel Grande Brasserie, London Heathrow Airport

Regional winner (Asia Pacific): Emirates Leisure Retail, Kitchen by Mike, Sydney Airport

Regional winner (Middle East, Africa & India): Travel Food Services, ID, Chennai International Airport

Regional winner (Americas): HMSHost North America, The Hearth by Lynn Crawford, Toronto Pearson International Airport

Airport Street Food Offer of the Year

Highly commended: Areas, StrEAT, Ibiza Airport

Winner: SSP America, Five Borough Food Hall, New York John F. Kennedy International Airport

OTG SVP Business Development Karen Mirante and Director Business Development Samantha Blatstein accept The FAB Wow Award.

Airport Premium Dining Restaurant of the Year

Winner: Areas, Kirei, Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport

Airport Food Hall of the Year

Winner: Marqette, Dublin Airport

Regional winner (Asia Pacific): SSP Hong Kong, East to West, Hong Kong International Airport

Regional winner (Americas): Metropolitan Airports Commission, Food Truck Alley, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

New Food & Beverage Concept of the Year

Winner: Travel Food Services, Frshly, Chennai International Airport

Regional winner (Europe): SSP France, Bellota-Bellota, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport

Regional winner (Asia Pacific): Changi Airport Group, The Most Authentic Japanese Culinary Experience in An Airport Outside Japan, Changi Airport

Regional winner (Americas): Tastes on the Fly, Samovar Tea Lounge & Bar, San Francisco International Airport

Regional winner (Middle East, Africa & India): Travel Food Services, Frshly, Chennai International Airport

Red Sky at Night: Dominic Hawksworth of TRG Concessions picked up the #AiroftheDog Great Airport Cocktail Award, sponsored by Copper Dog.

F&B Marketing & Promotions Campaign of the Year

Winner: Finavia, #LifeInhel, Helsinki Airport

Customer Service Initiative of the Year

Winner: Incheon International Airport Corporation, Smart Service

#AiroftheDog Great Airport Cocktail Award, sponsored by Copper Dog

Winner: Dominic Hawksworth

Individual Food & Beverage Offer of the Year in a Railway Station

Winner: Mango Tree Co, Mango Tree Kitchen, Japan

Motorway Services F&B Offer of the Year

Winner: Autogrill, Villoresi Est, Milan

The winner of ‘La spirito de vojaĝado’ – ‘The spirit of travel’ – was ‘Empanaditas Viajeras’, La Bonbonniere, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Director of Retail Services Coque Ossio and Director of Development Alejandro Serra Sarria received the award.

‘La spirito de vojaĝado’ – ‘The spirit of travel’

Winner: ‘Empanaditas Viajeras’, La Bonbonniere, Jorge Chávez International Airport

Airport Food & Beverage Offer Best Reflecting Sense of Place

Winner: Changi Airport Group, Food for the Generations

Regional winner (Europe): SSP Finland, Rovaniemi Café, Rovaniemi Airport

Regional winner (Asia Pacific): Changi Airport Group, Food for the Generations

Regional winner (Middle East, Africa & India): Travel Food Services, Travel Club, Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

Regional winner (Americas): HMSHost North America, Whisky River, Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Outstanding Food & Beverage Design of the Year

Winner: SSP Norway, Norgesglasset, Oslo Airport

Regional winner (Europe): SSP Norway, Norgesglasset, Oslo Airport

Regional winner (Asia Pacific): SPC, Incheon International Airport Terminal 2

Regional winner (Americas): OTG, Global Bazaar, Newark Liberty International Airport

The FAB Environmental Initiative Award was won by HMSHost International, Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru. HMSHost International CEO Walter Seib picked up the award.

The FAB Airport Food & Beverage Transformation Award

Winner: London Stansted Airport

The FAB Wow Award

Winner: OTG, Q, Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport

The FAB Thought Leadership Award

Winner: Autogrill, Bistrot

The FAB Environmental Initiative Award

Winner: HMSHost International, Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru

F&B Team Member of the Year

Winner: D’Angelo Charles, SSP America, Phoenix International Airport

Highly commended:

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (SSP and Cousins BBQ), Carolyn ‘Suzie’ Grider, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

HMSHost North America, Lily Olson, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

D’Angelo Charles, SSP America, Phoenix International Airport

SSP UK, Darren McLean, Manchester Victoria Station

TRG Concessions, Fabio Azevedo Dos Reis, London Heathrow Airport

Airport Food & Beverage Offer of the Year

Winner: Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Toronto Pearson International Airport

Regional winner (Europe): Copenhagen Airport

Regional winner (Asia Pacific): Changi Airport Group, The Language of Food, Changi Airport

Regional winner (Middle East, Africa & India): HMSHost International, Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru

Regional winner (Americas): Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Toronto Pearson International Airport

HWH Hospitality Investments CEO & Co-Founder Talha Al Hashimi and Founding Partner Mustafa Al Hashimi collect the Airport Coffee, Tea, Non-alcoholic Beverage Shop of the Year award for Treehouse Juicery at Dubai International Airport.
The Airport ‘Food to Go’ of the Year award was won by High Flying Foods, Phil’s BBQ, San Diego International Airport.
Travel Food Services’ The Irish House at Indira Gandhi International Airport was named Airport Bar of the Year (under US$3 million in sales). Travel Food Services’ Chief Operating Officer & Business Head Gaurav Dewan and General Manager – Business Development Darpan Mehta, General Manager received the award.
Airport Bar of the Year (over US$3 million and Best Bar Overall): The winner was TRG Concessions’ The Curator at London Heathrow Airport. TRG Managing Director Nick Ayerst and Commercial Manager Dave Wells are pictured.
CRU Food and Wine Bar at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport was named Airport Wine Bar of the Year. Zenola Campbell, Vice President of Concessions at the airport, collected the award.
Airport Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year (over US$5 million): HMSHost North America’s The Hearth by Lynn Crawford at Toronto Pearson International Airport was named winner. HMSHost North America President & CEO Steve Johnson, along with Toronto Pearson’s Suzanne Merrell and Giovanna Verrilli, took the award.
Airport Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year (under US$5 million and Best Overall): The winner was Emirates Leisure Retail’s Kitchen by Mike at Sydney Airport. Emirates Leisure Retail’s Business Development Director Vipin Singh collected the award.
Airport Street Food Offer of the Year: Pat Murray accepts the award on behalf of SSP America’s Five Borough Food Hall at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Airport Premium Dining Restaurant of the Year was Areas’s Kirei at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport. Marketing & Business Development Director (Spain & Portugal) Mireia Martí picked up the award.
Michael JF Wright Hospitality Group CEO Michael Thornton collects the Airport Food Hall of the Year award for Marqette at Dublin Airport.
Travel Food Services’ Gaurav Dewan and Darpan Mehta returned to the stage to collect the New Food & Beverage Concept of the Year award for Frshly at Chennai International Airport.
Finavia’s brilliant #LifeInHel campaign at Helsinki Airport won in the F&B Marketing & Promotions Campaign of the Year category. Finavia Vice President Commercial Services Elena Stenholm collected the award.
Incheon International Airport Corporation’s Smart Service was the winner in the Customer Service Initiative of the Year category. Sunguk Ko, Manager of the F&B Services Team, picked up the award.
Trevor MacKenzie, Managing Partner at Mango Tree & COCA Restaurants Worldwide, collected the Individual Food & Beverage Offer of the Year in a Railway Station award for Mango Tree Co’s Mango Tree Kitchen in Japan.
The Motorway Services F&B Offer of the Year award was won by Autogrill for Villoresi Est in Milan.
SSP Norway won Outstanding Food & Beverage Design of the Year for Norgesglasset in Oslo Airport.
Changi Airport Group (Singapore) Pte Ltd Manager Seah Kay Siong collected the Airport Food & Beverage Offer Best Reflecting Sense of Place award for the company’s Food for the Generations.
London Stansted Airport won The FAB Airport Food & Beverage Transformation Award. Head of Retail Richard Cross was among those to collect it.
Autogrill also won in The FAB Thought Leadership Award category, for its Bistrot concept.
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