Travelers and Racing Fans Are Revved Up to Experience New NASCAR Drafthouse Concept — Now Open in Terminal 1
BETHESDA, Maryland (June 14, 2024) – Global restaurateur HMSHost, part of Avolta AG (SIX: AVOL) and a world leader in creating dining for travel venues, has teamed up with NASCAR to create the ultimate pit stop at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), NASCAR Drafthouse. The new dining spot will have travelers racing to Terminal 1 to fuel up on a turbo-charged, all-day menu of Southern comfort favorites for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a full bar and convenient grab-and-go options.
The officially licensed NASCAR Drafthouse bolsters HMSHost’s long-time presence at STL. The 90-seat full-service restaurant and bar, located in Terminal 1 near gate C15, is poised to become a sought-after destination for NASCAR fans of all ages, with its memorabilia-adorned walls, numerous TVs, and menu offering a range of hearty, flavorful appetizers, entrées, burgers, sandwiches, and early-morning fare.
“NASCAR is an icon of the motorsport world, and HMSHost is thrilled for the opportunity to offer travelers and diehard NASCAR fans a fun new food and beverage experience at St. Louis Lambert International Airport,” said HMSHost Vice President of Business Development Bryan Loden. “NASCAR Drafthouse pairs the energy of this renowned racing brand with HMSHost’s culinary expertise to create a restaurant that makes a traveler’s journey as exciting as their ultimate destination. We are proud of our continued partnership with St. Louis Airport Authority to transform the passenger experience.”
“St. Louis is a passionate NASCAR market and we’re thrilled to partner with an industry leader like HMSHost to bring the NASCAR Drafthouse concept to life here, providing visitors to and from the region a great new spot to refuel on the road,” said Megan Malayter, Managing Director, Licensing and Consumer products at NASCAR.
“NASCAR Drafthouse is a unique experience for travelers at St. Louis Lambert International Airport,” said STL’s Airport Director and CEO Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge. “The restaurant also satisfies patrons with its Southern comfort food selections. We are proud to be the airport location for this first-of-a-kind dining experience.”
Travelers starting their morning at NASCAR Drafthouse can dine on breakfast options like flaky biscuits and sausage gravy, a diced ham omelet with mushrooms and cheddar, or a sweet and savory beignet. The lunch and dinner menu features an assortment of stick-to-your-ribs BBQ and seafood dishes such as farm-raised fried catfish, spicy grilled shrimp and creamy grits, chicken fried steak, and tender pulled pork mac and cheese. Juicy burgers, classic sandwiches, gumbo, and salads round out travelers’ multitude of options, with a selection of convenient grab-and-go choices available, as well.
NASCAR Drafthouse visitors can also enjoy an impressive array of draft and canned beer that includes Anheuser-Busch products as well as wine and specialty cocktails like “The Caborita” and “The Checkered Flag,” featuring Cabo Wabo Tequila. The spirits menu even includes moonshine — a nod to NASCAR’s earliest days when numerous future race-car drivers got their start as moonshine runners, building fast cars to haul illegal moonshine throughout the Southeast. Alongside several Sugarlands Shine offerings, NASCAR Drafthouse also features Midnight Moon®, the award-winning moonshine inspired by the family recipe of legendary bootlegger and NASCAR Hall of Famer Junior Johnson. Of course, an abundance of non-alcoholic beverages are available, as well, including Coca-Cola and Monster Energy products.
NASCAR Drafthouse at St. Louis Lambert International Airport is open seven days a week from 4:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.
For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X and Snapchat.
About STL
St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) is the primary commercial airport for the St. Louis metro area and parts of eastern Missouri and southern Illinois serving nearly 15.9 million passengers annually. STL is an Enterprise Fund Department of the City of St. Louis. It is wholly supported by airport user charges. No general fund revenues are used for the operation, administration, promotion or maintenance of airport facilities. For more information on St. Louis Lambert International Airport, log onto www.flystl.com or follow us on Facebook: @flySTL, Twitter: @flySTL and Instagram: @flySTL.
About HMSHost
HMSHost, part of Avolta AG (SIX: AVOL), is a leader in creating dining for travel venues. The restaurateur operates over 1,000 locations in nearly 80 airports across North America, including proprietary concepts, local, regional, and national brands, and partnerships with award-winning chefs. For decades, HMSHost has curated food and beverage programs that make a traveler’s journey as exciting as the destination.
The industry has repeatedly recognized HMSHost with awards such as Restaurateur with the Highest Regard for Customer Service and Best Brand Restaurateur for Shake Shack by Airport Experience News. In recent years, USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards has awarded first place honors to HMSHost’s Three Kings Public House at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) and its Whisky River locations at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). ACI-NA, the trade association representing commercial service airports in the United States and Canada, recognized HMSHost with the 2020 Associate Inclusion Champion Award for leadership and achievement in the ongoing inclusion of business and workforce diversity, outreach, and advocacy. Additionally, ACI-NA awarded HMSHost the 2022 Excellence in Airport Concessions Award for the Best Employee Recognition Program. The company also creates original, award-winning events and campaigns including Airport Restaurant Month, Channel Your Inner Chef live culinary contest, 1,000 Acts of Kindness, JBF@ORD Chef Series, and Eat Well. Travel Further.
Visit HMSHost.com for more information and connect with HMSHost on LinkedIn and Instagram.
About Avolta
Avolta AG, (SIX: AVOL) is a leading global travel experience player. With the traveler at its strategic core, Avolta maximizes every moment of the traveler’s journey through its combination of travel retail and travel food & beverage, passion for innovation and excellent execution. Avolta’s well-diversified business across geographical, channel and brand portfolio pillars operates in 73 countries and more than 1,000 locations, with over 5,100 points of sale across three segments – duty-free, food & beverage and convenience – and various channels, including airports, motorways, cruises ferries, railway, border shops and downtown. An inherent element of Avolta’s business strategy is found in ESG, aiming for sustainable and profitable growth of the company while fostering high standards of environmental stewardship and social equity – making meaningful impact in the local communities. The company’s access to 2.3 billion passengers each year reinforces the power of it’s more than 76,000 people, committed to surprising guests and delivering solid execution, supporting the company in creating value for all stakeholders.
To learn more about Avolta, please visit avoltaworld.com.
