Tampa International Airport celebrates eight new concessions openings
Tampa International Airport welcomed a wide range of new local flavors and national brands this week with the grand openings of eight new concessions.
With these new concepts, the Airport has now opened 22 of the 65 shops and restaurants coming to the airport as part of the expansion and concessions overhaul.
On Monday afternoon, TPA celebrated the grand opening of its Main Terminal food court, including Chick-fil-A, Qdoba and Wendy’s; at Airside F, the airport welcomed a new Illy coffee and a Starbucks Reserve; at Airside E, TPA officially cut the ribbon on Pei Wei and a second Starbucks Reserve location.
On Wednesday, the airport celebrated the opening of a NewsLink news stand on Airside C that features nine different local brands, including Kahwa Coffee, TeBella, La Segunda, CaterMeFit, Seventh Avenue Apothecary, Seashell Gems, Sweet Diva’s Chocolates, The Nature Baker and Le’Anns Cheesecakes.
“This week really shows what this new concessions program is all about,” said Airport CEO Joe Lopano. “We are trying to create the perfect balance of variety, price points and, of course, local flavor for our guests. With these new concessions, there is truly something for everyone.”
The Main Terminal food court will bring together three of everyone’s favorite food groups: Burgers, chicken and burritos.
On Airside F, TPA’s international terminal, Illy and Starbucks Reserve will give passengers more coffee options than ever before. Illy features premium high-end coffees and pastries from Piquant bakery from Tampa’s Hyde Park, while Starbucks Reserve offers an expanded menu that includes rare reserve coffee from exclusive estates around the world.
Pei Wei, on Airside A, provides a unique sit-down dining experience and full bar with dishes inspired by the cuisines of China, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand, allowing guests to order anything from lettuce wraps to fried rice to sushi.
Guests on Airside A will also have access to Starbucks Reserve and the high-end coffee brewed by a specialized Clover machine.
A lot of different concessionaires are responsible for making these openings possible.
TPA Hospitality Partners, which includes Delaware North, Mise en Place Hospitality Group, Superior Hospitality Group and Green Clay Concessionaires, is responsible for bringing Chick-fil-A back to the airport.
“Chick-fil-A is a powerhouse fast-casual concept with a tremendous following all over the country,” said Kevin Kelly, president of Delaware North’s travel business. “We are delighted to bolster our food offerings at TPA by bringing in Chick-fil-A, and we know it will be well received by travelers.”
HMSHost, which has operated out of the airport for decades, welcomed four new concepts, including Wendy’s, Pei Wei and the two Starbucks Reserves.
“HMSHost is extremely proud to be celebrating the opening of these additional restaurants with Tampa International Airport,” said HMSHost President and CEO Steve Johnson. “We have a great team in the airport and are committed to continue giving Tampa travelers memorable dining experiences when they visit our locations.”
Hojeij Branded Foods celebrated the opening of Qdoba in the Main Terminal and Illy on Airside F.
“We are particularly excited to work with the extremely quality-focused leadership team at Tampa International Airport,” said Regynald Washington, CEO of Hojeij Branded Foods. “I would like to thank Joe Lopano and the entire leadership team at Tampa Airport for giving HBF – Tampa Partners the opportunity to participate in this newly-developed concessions program.”
Raymond J. Kayal, President & CEO of NewsLink said he is thrilled to open their “redesigned, next generation NewsLink travel convenience concept.”
“Incorporating a fresh and bold aesthetic with state of the art digital signage branding, we continue to offer the traveling passenger all the basic core newsstand essentials,” he said. “NewsLink is also very excited about incorporating a number of instantly recognized local food & beverage brands.”