Centerlines - January 2008 - (Page 21)

REVENUE Seattle-Tacoma won big at this year’s Concessions Conference Awards luncheon, taking first place in the large-airport division in the categories of Best Food and Beverage Program and Best Specialty Retail Program. than 125 entries from airports of all sizes throughout the United States and Canada, and 20 airports were recognized for their superior concessions programs. For Seattle-Tacoma, building a customer-friendly concessions program has involved blending local flavor with well-known, nationwide brands. Hungry travelers can choose between local favorites such as the 7,000-square-foot Anthony’s Restaurant, which features signature seafood dishes from the Pacific Northwest; Ivar’s Seafood Bar, a favorite for seafood and chowder since 1938; and Pallino Pastaria, billed as the Pacific Northwest’s best in fresh Italian cuisine. For the less adventurous, there’s always Wendy’s hamburgers and chili. That same versatility is seen in the Pacific Marketplace’s retail shops, which include local clothing store Ex Officio and familiar names such as Borders Books & Music, The Body Shop and Hudson News. All of the airport’s tenants conduct regular customer-service evaluations through mystery-shopper programs, and the airport makes it a point to ensure that there are food options available 24 hours a day. “We have created a Pacific Northwest ‘sense of place’ by blending nationally recognized food/beverage and retail stores with shops and restaurants that are iconic of the Seattle region,” Reis said. “We believe this blending of shops and restaurants along with the high-quality dining, shopping and relaxing services that we have available with a wide range of pricing were all important factors that the committee considered.” food available 16 hours each day. Chili’s, Quiznos Subs and Starbucks Coffee operations complement local establishments such as Spokane’s Best Pizza and a wine bar that serves Washington State wines. Convenience and Specialty Retail Spokane was another big winner, taking first place among small airports not only for Best Food and Beverage Program but also for Best Convenience Retail Program and Best Specialty Retail Program. Spokane expanded from one to three branded concepts, all representing the Spokane area: Auntie’s Bookstore, known for a large selection of Northwest books as well as Spokane history; Simply Northwest, offering more than 200 specialty food items as well as gift baskets, wine, specialty crafts and artwork, clothing and unique gifts; and Riverfront TravelMart, which brings a bit of downtown Spokane’s Riverfront 100-acre Park to the airport. All retail operations were closed in 2006 for the remodel to make all of this happen, and the space expanded from 1,478 to 4,050 square feet. Concessions per enplanement have grown from $.93 to $1.77—a 90.3 percent increase. www.aci-na.org | CENTERLINES Food and Beverage Winners Among medium-sized airports, San Antonio International’s Terminal 1 received top honors in the food and beverage program category. Approximately 80 percent of San Antonio International’s food concessions feature local or regional concepts, and all of its tenants must adhere to the airport’s strict street-pricing policy, which requires a written request for changes in menus or pricing. In 2006, Terminal 1’s food and beverage program generated sales of $9.3 million, a 13 percent increase over 2005. In the small-airport division, Spokane International’s Rotunda took first place. Spokane International recently expanded its food concessions from one to five branded concepts and makes 21 http://www.aci-na.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Centerlines - January 2008

Contents President’s Message Canadian Airports Associates’ Corner Policy Center Regulatory Front On the Hill and On the Stump One on One: Dave Barger Revenue: The Concessions Awards Environment: O’Hare Expansion Passenger Focus: Houston Friendly Safety and Security: After Comair, What Next? Air Service Recruiting: Charleston’s Acquisition of AirTran On Management: Performance Benchmarking at DFW Now Underway Grand Opening Conference Previews and Reviews New Members Index of Advertisers/Advertiser.com Box Scores

Centerlines - January 2008

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