Airport Experience® News - Food & Beverage Issue 2024

and followers than could reasonably be accommodated through a traditional sit-down restaurant model.” Grzechowiak adds that as a new prominent generation of travelers, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, emerges, airports need to be laser-focused in offering more interesting and high quality food options to tailor to these demographics. “This generation is known for having grown up with more diverse culinary experiences and higher expectations for quality, even in fast-casual settings,” she explains. “Celebrity chefs entering the QSR space capitalize on this by offering familiar names and showcasing their culinary talents in a convenient format. This can be a win-win for both the celebrity chef, who gets increased brand exposure, and the airport, which gets improved customer satisfaction, creating a more elevated and

competitive dining experience for the modern traveler.” Concessions International’s Bluemle notes that the emergence of more celebrity chefs in the QSR airport space reflects a keen strategic move on the part of the chefs. “It’s about these chefs taking advantage of the opportunity to put their brand in an airport space when they don’t want to wait for the full-service, chef-inspired RFPs to come out,” he says. “It’s about having one more tool in the toolbox and being available for the variety of opportunities that come out.” And, of course, there’s the undeniable fact that there’s no place quite like the airport for brand exposure. “The main purpose for any brand, not just a high-profile chef, is really for marketing - it’s a phenomenal way of getting recognition from people that perhaps would not have

heard of you before,” Modica notes, adding that there is one important challenge to consider. “You have to ensure that the operator is going to operate the airport concept up to your systems and quality, because if you have a restaurant on the street, but the operator is bastardizing the concept in the airport, now you have a negative reputation,” he says. “So you have to be really careful or have the systems in place, including trainings, certifications, and follow ups, to ensure it’s being operated correctly.” DiCosola notes this as well. “The key to success for celebrity chef-driven concepts is maintaining consistency and quality of the chef’s brand, especially in a QSR where the passenger may expect to find a diluted version of the brand,” he says. “We feel strongly that the celebrity chef should have a consistent presence in the space to give more credibility to the authenticity of the brand.” As to whether celebrity chef QSR and fast casual concepts have staying power in the airport space, Bluemle feels it depends on the power of the celebrity. “As long as the celebrity chef trend continues, it’s about whether their status warrants enough of them,” he says. “Celebrity chefs who know how the airport space works realize they need to have more than a traditional full service concept in their portfolios so they can reach people who otherwise would never have the opportunity to experience them at street level. Ultimately, a celebrity chef having a casual space in an airport makes them more accessible, allowing them to get closer to customers through brand connections and engagement, especially as travelers post about their travel experiences on social media and tag the chef and the chef’s branded concept restaurant.” Grzechowiak believes that in order to stay relevant, celebrity chefs, just like any other food and beverage operator, need to stay ahead of trends. “As the market becomes more competitive or saturated, celebrity chefs will be forced to innovate beyond just quality offerings,” she explains. “Leaning into the trends that resonate with younger travelers such as sustainability, local sourcing, healthier options, and technology will ultimately help distinguish themselves and build stronger brand loyalty among this key demographic.”

Right, Below: Food Network star and chef Guy Fieri opened his Chicken Guy! QSR concept at Los Angeles International Airport in partnership with Earl Enterprises last year, joining a growing list of high profile chefs getting into the QSR and fast casual airport space to broaden their reach with a wide range of consumers.

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AX NEWS JUNE 2024