Auburn Hills, Mich. and Chicago, Ill., June 30, 2009 – Palace Sports & Entertainment today announced a new partnership with Levy Restaurants, the leader in premium sports and entertainment dining, for food and hospitality at the organization’s three premier venues. Levy and Palace Sports & Entertainment will partner to enhance the food and guest experience at The Palace of Auburn Hills, DTE Energy Music Theatre and Meadow Brook Music Festival.
“It is our continuous goal to provide our guests with outstanding hospitality and a superb variety of food and beverage offerings,” said Mario Etemad, executive vice president of facilities operations for Palace Sports & Entertainment. “To continue this, we have partnered with Levy Restaurants, who share our passion for excellence. We are very excited to team up with Levy and their experienced team of professionals to deliver – and exceed – the experiences our guests have grown accustomed to at our three venues.”
Chicago-based Levy Restaurants is a James Beard and Ivy Award-winning restaurant company that has transformed dining and hospitality at major sporting and entertainment venues across the country. Levy was recently named one of the top 10 most innovative companies in sports by Fast Company magazine.
“Both of our organizations have an intense focus on hospitality and creating a memorable guest experience,” said Andy Lansing, Levy Restaurants President and CEO. “We look forward to working with Mario and the great team he has put in place to continue their incredible tradition of outstanding food and service at the Palace, DTE Energy and Meadow Brook.”
The Palace of Auburn Hills, with a capacity of more than 22,000, is home to the NBA’s Detroit Pistons and WNBA’s Detroit Shock and hosts numerous sports and entertainment events year-round. DTE Energy Music Theatre, located in Clarkston, and Meadow Brook Music Festival, on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester Hills, host a multitude of concerts and family entertainment events in an outdoor amphitheatre setting.
About Levy Restaurants
Levy Restaurants, founded in Chicago in 1978, is recognized as one of America’s fastest growing and most critically acclaimed restaurant companies, and is the leader in premium sports and entertainment dining concessions. Levy was recently named one of the 10 most innovative companies in sports in the world by Fast Company magazine. The company’s diverse portfolio includes award-winning restaurants such as James Beard-winning Spiaggia and Bistro 110 in Chicago, Fulton’s Crab House, Portobello and Wolfgang Puck Grand Café at Walt Disney World Resort, renowned sports and entertainment venues like Lambeau Field in Green Bay, STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, and American Airlines Arena in Miami, and events including the Super Bowl, World Series, Kentucky Derby, NHL and NBA All-Star Games and the Grammy Awards. For details, visit www.levyrestaurants.com.
About Palace Sports & Entertainment
PS&E ownership includes The Palace and DTE Energy Music Theatre, as well as the management of Meadow Brook Music Festival on the campus of Oakland University. Combined, PS&E’s Michigan venues average 300 events and 3.5 million guests annually
The Palace has been voted Arena of the Year eight times by Performance magazine, twice by Pollstar magazine and is listed annually among North America’s top-grossing arenas. Voted “Best Outdoor Concert Venue” in Pollstar’s 2000 Readers’ Poll, DTE Energy Music Theatre has been listed as the nation’s most attended amphitheater by Amusement Business/Billboard each of the 18 years of PS&E ownership.
CONTACTS:
Jeff Corey, Palace Sports and Entertainment, 248.377.8204, jcorey@palacenet.com
Katie McLennan, Levy Restaurants, (312) 335-5133, kmclennan@levyrestaurants.com
