Airport food options have gotten much better – here’s why

Airports used to be a dismal experience when it came to food. The food was overpriced and unhealthy. You ate in a hurry and laden with luggage. And it was basically a last resort if you hadn’t brought your own snacks.

But that is all changing quickly.

In recent years, major franchise companies have courted celebrity chefs and respected food brands to open branches aimed at encouraging travelers to take some time for a proper meal before boarding their plane.

There are plenty of examples of this in the US: Tortas Frontera at Chicago O’Hare Airport, created by chef Rick Bayless, was named the best airport restaurant in the country. Michael Mina runs the Bourbon Pub in Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport. And Cat Cora, among her 15 restaurants, also runs airports in Detroit, Salt Lake City and San Francisco. Earlier this year, in March, Karen Akunowicz opened Fox & Flight, a northern Italian restaurant at Boston’s Logan Airport.

For restaurateurs and chefs who choose this option, operating an airport is far more complex – and certainly infinitely more expensive – than serving customers in a traditional restaurant or cafe. Security restrictions and background checks alone add to the costs.

At the same time, no one will cut an airport restaurant any slack if it can’t match the quality of their main restaurants. In fact, a bad airport experience can damage a reputation built over the years. This means chefs and brands need to stay on top of what’s being served at these locations.

“We’re down there all the time, checking, making sure the coffee is served well and that our brand standards are met,” says Steve Mangigian, managing partner of Zingerman’s coffee and candy store in Ann Arbor, Mich. The company has two locations at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and sells pastries and coffee in partnership with Plum Market – a deli with locations in Michigan and Florida that offers sandwiches at a food stand called the Detroit Street Lunchbox, named after its Ann Arbor address.

Changes in the gastronomy landscape at the airport

Arriving at an airport is a multi-stage process that involves not only the airport but also the concession company, as well as the chef, restaurant or hotel brand. “We have to find out what concepts the airport is looking for,” says Claude Guillaume, senior vice president of the hospitality division at Paradies Lagardère, the North American branch of the French company Lagardère Travel Retail, which operates 170 restaurants and bars in more than 100 airports worldwide, including 40 in the United States.

“It could be a burger, a snack bar, a local chef, a full-service restaurant and bar” or something unique at the airport, says Guillaume gastronomy.

Contracts are typically for 10 years, which can be a tricky issue. Data from the Small Business Administration shows that nine out of 10 new establishments close within a decade of opening. Chefs receive royalties for the use of their name and their involvement. But given the significant operational obstacles, not every big-city chef focused on running their main operation is willing to put in that amount of time.

“Working with chefs can be difficult, especially with Michelin-starred chefs, so we have to make sure the partnership is healthy. Attitude and professionalism are important,” says Claude Guillaume. However, he is quick to mention that Mina and Akunowicz, whose ventures are under the wing of Paradies Lagardère, “are big names with excellent reputations. It is a pleasure to work with them.”

In addition to the partnerships, another challenge is making sure guests feel comfortable. “It’s a struggle,” says Guillaume. “It’s very important to find a place that is more peaceful and cozy. It’s almost like saying, ‘I’ve been through this trauma and I want to enjoy food and a good glass of wine.'”

And it’s not just chefs and restaurant owners who are upping the ante. Airlines and even credit card companies are getting in on the act, offering their valued customers ever more exclusive experiences. United Airlines, for example, has Classified – an invitation-only restaurant – at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. And the newly opened 36,000-square-foot, Missoni-designed Delta One Lounge at New York’s JFK Airport features a brasserie with beverage cart service. American Express has long had its Centurion Lounge, open in many international airports around the world.

A whole series of new challenges

But chefs face a double challenge: They must copy recipes from their regular restaurants and develop dishes that can be prepared quickly in the cramped spaces of airport kitchens. For those who get the recipe right, however, airport concessions can be lucrative.

Consider this: Southern National Market at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport serves sandwiches, wraps, deli meats and pizza in a 1,200-square-foot space. The business is run as a joint venture and receives money for the use of its name. Restaurant owner Reginald “Reggie” Washington and chef Duane Nutter expect sales of about $3 million this year, similar to what they would make at a 5,000-square-foot restaurant in Atlanta. “They run the day-to-day operations,” Washington said. “Our contribution is creativity, quality control and some staff.”

Their airport contract allows them to set menu prices 15% higher than they would at a traditional restaurant. (The higher prices cover the complexities of airport operations, where supplies and staff must meet safety standards and airport rules restrict the type of ingredients that can be used in the kitchen.) In addition, they also operate a branch of Vino Volo, an airport-specialized franchise that serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, small plates and wine.

Washington and Nutter, both veterans of the airport dining scene, began their partnership in 2008 with One Flew South, which has twice been nominated for outstanding service at the James Beard Awards. One Flew South — beloved for its “elegantly inspired Southern food” like BLT&E, a breakfast dish with Benton’s bacon, pickled green tomatoes and curried mayonnaise — became so well known that airport managers from around the world flew to Atlanta just to watch them at work.

Through that experience, Washington and Nutter learned the pitfalls of airport concessions—one of which was the difficulty of delivery. Drivers couldn’t just pull up to a delivery dock; they had to have security clearances, which could be time-consuming and expensive to arrange. Since only one delivery truck could drive to their loading dock, the chefs had to coordinate loading ingredients. They made their baked goods elsewhere and put them in with vegetables and seafood. “I could have worked for UPS in logistics to get the stuff there,” Washington says. “I bought cheese and brought it through security.”

On site, they discovered that airports require certain building materials to avoid kitchen accidents that could lead to flight cancellations. The pipes had to be made of copper, “because we can’t have cracks and leaks,” says Washington.

But Nutter says the effort is worth it to be able to serve a wide variety of guests, many of whom would never find their restaurants in the city. “After a few trials, we found that 90% would never eat at an airport restaurant,” he says. After opening, guests arrived early so they could eat before their flight.

Meanwhile, the Zingermans’ ventures are “helping to make the food at the airport taste a little better,” Mangigian says. “People are so happy that we’re here, happy that they can get our pastries, our coffee drinks, things like that.”

Beyond its association with Plum Market, the company also sells its coffee beans to several other airport companies, and Mangigian says his mail-order business also benefits from airport customers. “The attention we get from 30 million passengers a year can’t be a negative, can it?” he says.