ARAMARK and Pittsburgh Penguins Announce 10-Year Partnership for New Pittsburgh Arena
New Agreement Provides Food, Beverage, and Retail Services for New World Class Home of the Penguins Scheduled to Open in 2010
PHILADELPHIA – January 8, 2008 – The Pittsburgh Penguins and ARAMARK – a world class leader in professional services – today announced a 10-year partnership that will provide food, beverage, and retail merchandise services for the new Pittsburgh arena, scheduled to open in the fall of 2010.
Under terms of the agreement, ARAMARK – a partner with the Penguins since 1991 – will be the exclusive concessionaire managing all concessions, retail stores, kiosks as well as luxury suites, clubs and a planned restaurant. The Penguins and ARAMARK already have begun collaborating on the planning process and design of the concession and dining areas as well as retail space for the new arena.
The Penguins and ARAMARK are working together to create the ultimate food and beverage and team store shopping experience for both hockey fans and patrons of other arena events by providing them with quality service and the widest variety of menu options and merchandise. In addition to featuring the distinctive tastes and flavors of Pittsburgh, the menu will showcase the latest in culinary trends and innovations. The new agreement seeks to establish the industry standard for fan satisfaction and increase the speed of service by incorporating the latest technology and equipment, design features and amenities to ensure hockey’s newest arena will also be its most fan-friendly.
“We look forward to continuing our successful partnership with the Penguins,” said Liza Cartmell, Group President, ARAMARK Sports and Entertainment. “Working with the Penguins organization, we will make the new Pittsburgh arena an outstanding entertainment experience for everyone who attends games and events.”
“Our goal is to develop a world-class arena for Pittsburgh and the surrounding region,” said Ken Sawyer, CEO, Pittsburgh Penguins. “Continuing our long-standing partnership with ARAMARK will help us provide top-of-the-line service in concessions, retail options, dining opportunities, suites, club seats and other amenities.”
In addition to the Penguins, ARAMARK provides professional services at other Pittsburgh area sports and entertainment venues including, Heinz Field, home of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers; PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates; and the Post Gazette Pavilion.
ARAMARK currently partners with 10 National Hockey League arenas – Colorado’s Pepsi Center, Anaheim’s Honda Center, New York’s Nassau Coliseum, Ottawa’s Scotiabank Place, Philadelphia’s Wachovia Center, Phoenix’s Jobing.com Arena, Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena, San Jose’s HP Pavilion, Vancouver’s GM Place, and Washington, DC’s Verizon Center.
About ARAMARK
Through its Sports and Entertainment Group, ARAMARK provides a wide range of professional services, including food, facility and other support services to more than 130 premier sports stadiums, arenas and concert venues. ARAMARK offers organizations a single source provider for concessions, event planning, premium dining needs and catering, on-site restaurants, retail merchandise sales and facilities management.
ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. In FORTUNE magazine's list of "America's Most Admired Companies," ARAMARK has consistently ranked as one of the top three most admired companies in its industry as evaluated by peers and industry analysts since 1998. The company was also ranked first in its industry in the 2007 FORTUNE 500 survey. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 240,000 employees serving clients in 18 countries. Learn more at the company's Web site, www.aramark.com.
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Contacts:
David Freireich
ARAMARK
215-238-4078
freireich-david@aramark.com
Tom McMillan
Pittsburgh Penguins
412-642-1828
tmcmillan@pittsburghpenguins.com