UK. SSP officially welcomed The Meriden Bar & Restaurant to Birmingham Airport’s Departure Lounge last week.
The Foodie Report attended the official opening event of the locally inspired restaurant which was highlighted by live music, food tastings and Champagne.
SSP was keen to convey a strong Sense of Place with the bespoke airside concept. Named after the nearby village in the borough of Solihull where the airport is located, The Meriden serves a menu of classic British food featuring products sourced from local suppliers. Dishes include fish & chips, pork pies, Welsh rarebit on a crumpet, and sausage & mash. The concept is not full service; instead customers order food and drinks at the bar which are delivered to the tables.
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Journey to the centre of England: Meriden creates a Sense of Place with its classic British food and quality ales |
The selection of local cask ales, which can be ordered in smaller tasting portions of three, has earned the restaurant the Cask Marque recognition for quality.
The new 730sq m restaurant will also offer access to an airside smoking balcony for its customers, which provides lighting, shelter, hand gel and litter solutions, as well as a flight screen to allow customers to keep up to date on the departure of their flight.
Birmingham Airport CEO Paul Kehoe said: “We were delighted to work with SSP to create its new UK flagship bar and restaurant here at Birmingham Airport. The Meriden Bar fits perfectly into our overall food & beverage range and provides further choice for our passengers travelling through the airport. We chose the name Meriden after the village six miles from the airport which is traditionally known as the centre of England. This provided further focus on ensuring locality was also introduced into the menu, emphasised with the local cask ales on offer within the bar.”
SSP UK Local Site Marketing Manager Jackie Smith said: “We always aim to offer our customers choices that are ideally suited to their needs, and also reflect the community we serve. We believe that Meriden Bar combines a flavour of the heritage of the region with the high standards expected of a leading international airport.”
SSP has operated at Birmingham Airport for over 10 years with concepts including M&S Simply Food, Burger King, Upper Crust, Soho and Champagne bar Blanc et Noir.
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The best of British: The Cask Marque accredited Meriden concept is SSP’s new UK flagship bar & restaurant |
*FOOTNOTE: Genevieve Knevitt is Deputy Editor of The Foodie Report, an e-Zine published by The Moodie Report and dedicated to all travel-related, revenue-generating food & beverage services. To view the most recent edition click here.
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Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the host of this year’s Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards to be held on 20-22 June. Click here for details.
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