Fri 13th Jan 2017 - Casual Dining Group lands contract to operate Jersey Airport concessions Casual Dining Group lands contract to operate Jersey Airport concessions: Casual Dining Group (CDG) has landed the contract to run all food and beverage concessions at Jersey Airport, after a competitive tender process run by Ports of Jersey. CDG, which operates Bella Italia, Café Rouge and Las Iguanas, will invest £1m in five air and landside outlets at the Channel Islands airport after the contract commences on 1 March. CDG will also introduce two new brands created especially for the airport – Brasserie Forty Five and Bar Forty Five. Brasserie Forty Five will introduce a new table service option for airport passengers. The concessions contract for the airport, which sees about 1.5 million passenger movements every year, was put out to competitive tender last year after being held by another company for the past 34 years. Mark Nelson, CDG’s managing director of concessions and franchising, said: “This is quite a coup, and shows our determination to take our strong all-day restaurant brands into new locations, and to expand the CDG concession presence in airports.” CDG already operates five restaurants at London’s Heathrow Airport; a Rapide grab-and-go outlet at Inverness Airport, in Scotland; and is set to open a Bella Italia and Oriel Grande Brasserie at London Luton Airport early in 2017. At Jersey Airport, CDG will open Rapide Kitchen, Brasserie Forty Five, and Bar Forty Five airside; while landside departures and arrivals will each get a Rapide. Rapide Kitchen offers freshly prepared grab-and-go items, including breakfast pastries, porridge, baguettes, sandwiches, salads, health pots and impulse items, complemented by hot food, available to take away or to enjoy in a sit down area. Brasserie Forty Five will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner in “a small, but perfectly formed modern European brasserie” featuring table service. It will be complemented by Bar Forty Five, featuring “a range of fresh flavours in food and drink”. During peak summer season, and at select intervals throughout the year, CDG will operate a series of pop-ups, presenting the best that Jersey’s food and drink suppliers have to offer, including oysters, crab, black butter and Liberation Brewery beer. Nelson added: “We were up against all the other leading food and beverage operators in the competition to win this tender, and have proved CDG to be best in class. We’re investing a significant amount, employing up to 80 staff and planning to take on more, and encouraging island suppliers and businesses, including Liberation Brewery, to sell their products through our outlets. We’ll offer travellers competitive pricing, value-led meal deals, seasonal promotions, excellent quality, fresh food and drink featuring the finest ingredients and presentation. They can also expect superb customer service in comfortable, well-designed spaces. All of this, together with the Bella Italia we already have in St Helier, will combine to strengthen our position in Jersey.” Ports of Jersey chief executive Doug Bannister added: “As we move into our 80th year at Jersey Airport, we are delighted to welcome Casual Dining Group as our newest airport partner. Having a progressive and experienced operator for our food and beverage concession will bring new experiences and offerings as part of our overall customer journey experience. I would also like to acknowledge our current catering company, Autogrill, and thank everyone involved for their support of Jersey Airport over many years.”