HMSHost and its business partner of 20 years, Starbucks Corporation, celebrated the grand opening of Chicago O’Hare International Airport’s green-designed Starbucks Coffee café on the L Concourse in Terminal 3.
“On behalf of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, we are delighted to welcome this beautiful new Starbucks store to O’Hare,” says Rosemarie Andolino, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation. “The sustainable materials used in the store’s design, such as reclaimed wood and locally-sourced materials, reflect the work of HMSHost, Starbucks, and the Chicago Department of Aviation to make O’Hare’s restaurants and stores as environment-friendly as possible.”
The design, inspired by Starbucks’ ongoing commitment to ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship, and community involvement, is an example of how the company continues to evolve the coffee house experience, offering customers great coffee, comfort, and the sense of community built across the company’s 40-plus year history.
“This new Starbucks is the flagship design for our future airport Starbucks Coffee stores,”says Steve Johnson, senior vice president of business development for HMSHost. “It shows that innovative design, sustainable practices, and a great cup of coffee can go hand-in-hand. Already, all of HMSHost’s ORD Starbucks Coffee locations contribute coffee grounds to the airport’s composting program in partnership with the CDA.”
Starbucks’ commitment to the environment is demonstrated in the new store’s use of environmentally-responsible materials, as well as equipment, including low-energy-use LED lighting and low-flow plumbing fixtures. The design makes use of simple yet beautiful elements, such as hot-rolled steel, and metal work details such as fasteners, bolts, and nail head trims that have been left exposed.
The new design also includes a communal table and a central bar—a configuration that allows for the coffee theater to be center stage in an interactive experience between customer and barista. This newest store offers seating for more than 40 travelers.
“We’re excited to bring such a beautiful new store to our loyal customers at Chicago O’Hare,”says Mark Cromett, vice president, licensed stores for Starbucks. “This store is indicative of our joint commitment with our long-time partner HMSHost, to ensure our customers have the same Starbucks Experience while traveling as they do in their neighborhood store.”
The store’s walls feature warmly colored murals displayed in the community area telling the story of the harvest and processing of Starbucks Coffee and the human connection it involves. Local maps of the Chicago rail systems are on display as well and share the connectivity between neighborhood and the historical reference to past industrial districts.
In 2011, HMSHost and Starbucks celebrate their 20-year business alliance, which includes 350 Starbucks stores managed by HMSHost in airports and motorway travel plazas across North America. The two companies extended their exclusive agreement for another 10 years, through the end of 2020.
