Brightline, the only provider of intercity rail in America, introduced its newest enhancements to the rider experience, which will delight foodies. New to the Brightline experience are its signature bar, Mary Mary; an innovative autonomous market called MRKT; and Citizens culinary market helmed by Sam Nazarian’s C3 (Creating Culinary Communities).
Named for two wives of Henry Flager, founder of Florida East Coast Railway, Mary Lily Kenan and Mary Harkness Flagler, Mary Mary is Brightline’s new sit-down bar serving all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner. MRKT, the first fully-autonomous market in South Florida, makes picking up snacks and other conveniences easier. Mary Mary and MRKT will serve riders at all three Brightline stations—Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach—starting when service resumes on November 8. The launch of these food and beverage concepts follow Brightline’s unveiling of Brightline+, a new door-to-door service powered by its app and supported by a fleet of Brightline branded vehicles.
Mary Mary’s beverage menu includes a selection of craft cocktails, a selection of local and imported beer, wine by the glass and bottle provided by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, as well as various hot and cold non-alcoholic beverages, including coffee, juices, teas and Pepsi beverages. The food offerings at Mary Mary include bakery items, handheld sandwiches, empanadas from Sergio’s Restaurant, and more including an assortment of appetizers, flatbreads, salads and sweet treats. Food at Mary Mary will soon be available for pre-order via the Brightline app for to-go pickup at the counter. Mary Mary is located after each train station’s check-in safety and security area.
Brightline partnered with local food vendors and breweries as part of its mission to support local, small businesses. The list of local partners includes Lavazza Coffee, Cerveceria la Tropical, Biscayne Bay Brewing, Concrete Beach Brewing, Deliver Lean, Holistik Granola Bags, Protano’s Bakery and Joy Wallace.
“At Brightline, it is our priority to provide our travelers a complete hospitality experience from the moment they open our app to the moment they reach their final destination,” said Patrick Goddard, president at Brightline.
Brightline is also debuting the first fully-autonomous market in Florida which will be located at its three open South Florida stations. MRKT is Brightline’s new checkout-free retail market powered by Zippin’, a checkout-free platform for frictionless shopping and autonomous retail. This new seamless shopping experience enables guests to simply insert their credit card to access and depart with their favorite items charged automatically to their payment method of choice as shoppers exit. MRKT will offer travelers a large selection of Brightline swag, healthy snacks and prepared foods, beverages, small electronics such as chargers and headphones, and toiletries. This touchless environment is in-line with the station’s COVID safety and sanitation enhancements.
“MRKT brings autonomous shopping technology to Florida for the first time, continuing to show Brightline’s commitment to the integration of technology and to bringing a seamless and completely mobile travel experience to our guests,” said Goddard.
Later this year, Brightline will be rolling out its mobile ordering options where travelers will have access to a selection of food and beverage options via a seat designated QR code menu. While inside the station, each seat within the lounge area will be paired with a unique QR code menu where guests can place food orders to be delivered directly to their location. Within the Brightline trains, QR codes will be placed at each seat for onboard mobile ordering.
Brightline will be offering a new Premium service that will be offered onboard, previously known as Select, and will be a first-class experience with added amenities. This is the same elevated first-class service that was offered before and includes cold refreshment towels, individual sanitation wipes, an onboard snack basket, complimentary alcoholic beverages at the Premium lounge and complimentary alcoholic beverages per segment on board. This Premium service will also include morning and evening in-station food snacks and small bites, unlimited non-alcoholic beverages, and a reduced priced menu for purchases. All our trains will also offer a Smart class selection, a comfortable business-class option with an array of food and beverages available for purchase. Additional features guests will have access to while riding with Brighltine include: enhanced ADA accessibility, bike and carry-on storage, checked luggage options, pet friendly travel options, free charging points and free, high-speed Wi-Fi for the duration of the ride and while at the stations.
Opening on Nov. 8 is Citizens Miami, the new 26,000 sq. ft., 16-stall food hall atMiamiCentral operated by C3 (Creating Culinary Communities). C3’s popular culinary brands, including EllaMia, Umami Burger, Sam’s Crispy Chicken, Krispy Rice, El Pollo Verde, Cicci di Carne, Sa’Moto and Cindy Lou’s Cookies, will occupy 11 of the 16 food vendor kiosks with redesigned spaces. With plans for expansion, C3 restaurant brands featured in the culinary market feature menu’s from celebrity chef partners Dani Garcia, Katsuya Uechi. “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto, Alvin Cailan and Dario Cecchini. Several brands in the original food hall footprint will remain, including Rosetta Bakery, Patagonia, KUENKO, and Art de Vivre.
For more information, visit gobrightline.com.
For more 4-1-1 on rail travel, click here.