Industry News for July 27th, 2024

Renowned chef and restaurateur Daniel Boulud announces the launch of Cuisine Boulud New York, a new culinary venture designed for corporate catering, special events, galas, conferences and more. The new business venture has been created in partnership with LifeWorks Restaurant Group. Led by Michelin-starred Chef Daniel Boulud and his Dinex Group hospitality business, and backed by the organizational prowess of LifeWorks, Cuisine Boulud New York is strongly positioned in the Metro New York catering market. With 30-plus years of experience at the high end of catering through his previous events business, which was largely operated from the kitchen at Restaurant DANIEL, Chef Boulud is known for delivering curated experiences and warm hospitality to the most discerning and diverse clientele. Now he and the Cuisine Boulud New York team are poised to broaden their offering, to include social events of all kinds, weddings, galas, corporate catering, and workplace amenities, with the ability to serve groups of varying scales. Operations for Cuisine Boulud New York will be based primarily out of a new, state-of-the-art 12,000-square-foot kitchen located at SL Green’s One Madison Avenue in Manhattan.  Cuisine Boulud New York will also be the exclusive caterer for Le Jardin sur Madison, the recently-opened rooftop event space at One Madison. In addition, La Tête d’Or, the new steakhouse opening at One Madison this fall, is a partnership between Boulud, Lifeworks and SL Green. With its facilities centralized in the heart of New York City, the company is positioned to provide its services throughout the city and beyond.    

Penn State University Athletics today announced a landmark partnership with Oak View Group (OVG) and its OVG Hospitality division to become its first food and beverage partner to expand and enhance the offerings across multiple Intercollegiate Athletics facilities. Through a multi-year partnership, OVG Hospitality will bring a reimagined customer service approach to several Penn State Athletics venues, including Beaver Stadium, the second-largest stadium in the country, and Pegula Ice Arena. With a focus on providing the ultimate fan experience, OVG Hospitality is prioritizing several investments in the food and beverage program. Plans include enhancing the premium experience in suites and clubs, expanding concession locations, increasing food & beverage personnel, and introducing technology to streamline ordering and payment processes to reduce lines and wait times. Additionally, OVG Hospitality will introduce new menu selections and market concepts throughout the year. In preparation for the 2024 season at Beaver Stadium, new food and beverage markets will be unveiled along with the expanded menu selections and improved premium guest services. OVG Hospitality will integrate its industry-leading services across multiple athletics venues, enhancing all Penn State game-day experiences. This initiative will provide fans with high-quality dining options and utilize local, regional, and national partners on menu items that reflect the local culture. Venues to include: Beaver Stadium, Pegula Ice Arena, Recreation Building (Rec Hall), Multi-Sport Facility & Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track, Jeffrey Field, Nittany Lion Softball Park, Panzer Stadium, Field Hockey Complex, Blue and White Golf Courses Nineteenth Hole Café, and Performance Dining at Greenberg Indoor Sports Complex. As part of the partnership, Penn State will become GOAL’s first university member. GOAL, Green Operations & Advanced Leadership, is a membership network focused on elevating sustainability for arenas, stadiums, convention centers, cultural institutions, and other large-scale venues, of which Oak View Group is one of the founding partners. GOAL will collaborate with Penn State’s sustainability team to quantify the university’s carbon footprint, identify opportunities for waste reduction and energy efficiency, and help align the Athletic facilities’ operational efforts with the university’s robust sustainability goals. GOAL will also support OVG Hospitality’s sustainability efforts, including a focus on food waste reduction and the avoidance of single-use plastic.  

World Food Championships (WFC) has brought Shamrock Sports & Entertainment on board to provide strategic sponsorship marketing and sales services.  Shamrock will provide depth to WFC’s day-to-day team with a focus on supporting premier events and international growth. The World Food Championships (WFC) is the premier food sport competition globally.  Since its debut in 2012, WFC has amassed a tremendous worldwide following, providing a one-of-a-kind culinary experience at its events, as well as numerous live and made-for-TV shows. In addition to popularizing competitive cooking, the WFC platform has had an undeniable impact on the food industry, facilitating the creation of more than 10,000 new dishes and supporting communities via partnerships with various local non-profits, charities, and food banks throughout the United States. In short, the WFC platform has given birth to “Food Sport” by providing a level playing field, a fair judging system, innovative culinary programming, ambassador opportunities, TV visibility and a process that allows talented culinary teams to compete in ways never seen. The 2024 World Food Championships will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 8-12, with qualifying events being conducted throughout the year.