Delaware North
Delaware North is a global food service and hospitality company headquartered in Buffalo, New York in the United States. The company also operates in the lodging, sporting, airport, gaming and entertainment industries. The company employs over 55,000 people worldwide and has over $2.6 billion in annual revenues.
Company history
Delaware North began as Jacobs Brothers in 1915 and was founded by brothers Marvin, Charles and Louis Jacobs. The current operating name for the holding company was first used in 1980. Today, the company remains family-owned and operated by Jeremy Jacobs who also owns the Boston Bruins. The arena in which the Bruins play, the TD Garden, is owned by Delaware North. Jacobs is also a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Board.
In 1915, Jacobs Brothers, ultimately to become Delaware North, was founded in Buffalo, New York, to operate theater concessions. When the establishments closed down in the hot summer months, the three men turn their attention to ballparks, the first being Offermann Stadium, and the creation of the sports concession industry. Sportservice was created in 1926 following contracts with minor-league ballparks in Buffalo and Syracuse, New York. Today, Sportservice is Delaware North's largest operating company. In 1930, the company entered into its first major-league deal by signing an agreement with the Detroit Tigers to handle food service at Navin Field. The team is still a Sportservice client today. The Jacobs brothers expanded their business in 1939 by acquiring a racetrack, marking the beginning of Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment. In 1941, the company entered the airport arena with a contract to provide food service in Washington National Airport. Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services today operates in more than 30 major airports worldwide.