TORONTO, Canada — SSP Canada, a division of SSP Group, a leading operator of food and beverage brands in travel locations worldwide, has opened three restaurants at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) offering an expansive range of high quality, locally-inspired food and beverages to travellers.
The new restaurants — OBISPO, Balzac’s Coffee Roasters and Market@416 – were officially launched at the newly-designed airport lounges developed by Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners. Each concept features menus that showcase local, vibrant flavours and dishes reflective of the region, allowing the airport’s nearly three million passengers to experience a true taste of Toronto.
SSP Canada worked with renowned Toronto-based Chef Grant van Gameren to create the menu and direction for OBISPO, which is inspired by travellers’ desire for delicious, health-conscious, easy grab-and-go meals. The collaboration led to the development of a simple menu of hot sandwiches, well-crafted flatbreads, an impressive array of antipasto dishes and garden-healthy salads that emphasise fresh, wholesome ingredients with a few guilty pleasures.
Chef Grant van Gameren said: “We created a menu that was as quick and convenient as the airport itself. There is something for everyone, with a focus on fresh, delicious food that can be prepared and consumed quickly and that is portable enough to be taken on your flight. And, at the end of the day, everyone loves a good sandwich!”
Market@416 will offer hungry patrons a wide selection of unique and filling dishes, including BBQ wings, pot stickers, “Street Tacos”, Montreal beef sandwiches, a “BBQ Carnita Torta”, “haute dawgs”, as well as breakfast items such as a Downtown Benedict, Calabrese Flatbread and Steel Cut Oatmeal. Passengers can also indulge in beer on draft, in bottles or cans, and choose from an extensive selection of wines.
Balzac’s Coffee Roasters will be a welcome brand for locals who already know Balzac for its thirteen locations in and around Toronto, including the iconic Distillery District location. Delivering coffee roasted in Ancaster, Ontario, and milk sourced only from regional dairies, Balzac’s defines local. From neat espressos to Americanos, to café mochas and café au lait, Balzac’s offers speed and sophistication. In addition to a variety of sweet and savoury breakfast items, all baked locally, Balzac’s offers a selection of breakfast paninis and a wide variety of sandwiches and salads throughout all day parts.
Pat Murray, executive vice president of SSP Canada, said: “We are honoured to partner with the YTZ team to build a fresh, new portfolio of brands tailored to the YTZ passenger. We look forward to helping YTZ passengers explore the new offerings and to being part of the YTZ community.”
Neil Pakey, chief executive officer of Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners, added: “As part of Nieuport Aviation’s terminal upgrade project to add space and comfort to the lounges at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, we now also have locally inspired restaurant bars that will further enhance our passengers’ travel experience.
“Choice and selection in our airport’s food and drink menus will bring tremendous value to the 2.8 million passengers who choose our airport for its efficiency, location, convenience and service, which is why we are so pleased to have made these investments and partnerships.”
