For the first time in 14 years, the Portland International Jetport will change its roster of restaurants starting this fall.
Jetport officials issued a notice of award to North Carolina-based master concessionaire Tailwind Hospitality Inc. earlier this month; they are currently finalizing the contract. Tailwind will bring four new restaurants to the concourse, including Maine brands Luke’s Lobster and Sisters Gourmet Deli, along with Buffalo Wild Wings and the Mexican-style fast casual restaurant Qdoba.
The new brands will stay in place for the duration of Tailwind’s 10-year contract. Airport Director Paul Bradbury said Tailwind will change the concourse restaurants one at a time, starting sometime after Sept. 15.
It will take 17 months to complete the full changeover, as four current venues — Linda Bean’s Lobster Cafe, Shipyard Brewport, Burger King and Great American Bagel — are replaced.
“I think it’s a good mix of local and nationwide franchises, a good balance,” Bradbury said. “It’s exciting to have Luke’s, a local brand that’s growing strong. I also think Sisters has a wholesome and unique menu — the selection committee was impressed by that menu.”
Three master concessionaires vied for the new contract, including the current concessionaire, HMS Host. Tailwind’s bid involves a $12 million investment to build out the new concepts, including a midterm refurbishment, the highest proposed investment “by a significant amount” of the three master vendors, Bradbury said.
Tailwind CEO Jeff Switzer could not be immediately reached Tuesday to comment on his company’s strategy for the jetport.
The plan Tailwind submitted to the jetport selection committee also includes a pub showcasing various Maine craft beers. The pub will be located next to Luke’s, and will serve Luke’s food.
A kiosk called “Portland Market” will sell grab-and-go items from Luke’s, Sisters and Starbucks. The coffee chain is the only food-and-beverage venue currently in the airport that will remain after the changeover. The market kiosk will also feature a small bar program with a rotating selection of local beers, regional wines and small-batch spirits.
“We have a really good blend where nobody is going to be stepping on the other’s toes, and we’re almost like the perfect complements of each other,” said Michaela McVetty, who co-owns Sisters Gourmet Deli in Bath with her husband, Nick Roberge.
While she’d never previously considered opening an airport location, McVetty said she was approached by two master concessionaires over the past two years in anticipation of the jetport coming up for bid.
“This has literally been years in the making,” she said. “Both companies flew people out over a year ago to see Sisters in person, meet with me, try this food and work through contracts.”
Some small airports, like Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas, host nothing but chain restaurants. Others, like Vermont’s Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport, have only local options. The jetport falls in the middle, with three national chains and two local brands, though the Luke’s Lobster website shows 36 locations, including Japan and Singapore.
Jetport officials wanted the new master concessionaire to provide a strong-performing mix of local and national brands. Bradbury noted that while some travelers are on the lookout for local flavors with a sense of place, many simply want the comfort of a fast and familiar meal from a brand they might have in their hometown.
Bradbury said an airport location presents plenty of challenges for restaurants, particularly to smaller independent owners.
“Airports are unique markets,” he said. “There are busy times of day, but then it’s slow, and you have to be there the whole day, every day. It’s almost 24/7, 365, and 17 hours a day. So it’s harder than your typical downtown restaurant, and the way you manage it is very different.”
The Sisters’ jetport location will be a mini version of its Bath restaurant, with the same kind of grab-and-go hot bar. McVetty is aware that just as an airport location can broaden her brand’s exposure exponentially, it can also cause outsized problems if customers have a bad experience.
Still, she’s confident the contract she negotiated with Tailwind has set her up for success.
“My contract is very detailed. I want to protect the brand,” McVetty said. “They have essentially given me full autonomy to run it exactly the way I run the Sisters in Bath. I got to literally design the space — pick my color, my tile, chairs, literally everything. They said I’m the most involved partner they have ever remembered.”
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Tim Cebula can be reached at [email protected].
