Airport Experience® News - Food & Beverage Issue 2024

with no grease traps and no hood systems — and we’ve been able to drive revenues like a full-on QSR and food court, in a tiny little snack and indulgent space,” he says. “We’ve been able to show that we could drive almost five to six times what the snack and indulgence [revenue] was in that space.” Buscemi adds that customer feedback from Sambazon’s first few airport locations tell them that “it’s a product that brings a lot of value to the consumer and the traveler that’s always struggling to get something healthy.” Demonstrating Samabazon’s small-space, high-revenue generation to airport operators has been “really gratifying to our whole team,” adds Buscemi. “We’re just scratching the surface” of wellness-brands in airports, he adds, and are “really excited about the future and where we can go.” Another health-focused brand hoping to make their way into the airport space is Cherrish, a Washington State-based cherry juice company offering an antioxidant filled beverage targeted at jet-lagged passengers and flight crews alike. After establishing itself as a leader in collegiate and professional sports nutrition products, Cherrish was looking at other areas where people need to regulate their sleep, says Jim Corbett, vice president of business development for the brand. Researching the airport market, Corbett and the Cherrish team have developed a proposed offering of both a bottled beverage to sell in concessions QSRs and grab-and-go retail as well as TSA-friendly concentrate for passengers taking multi-leg journeys. Having had productive conversations with national brands, distributors and airport operators through 2024’s Airport Experience Conference and Business Pitch Showcase, the team at Cherrish is hopeful that they can break into the market, and maybe even become an industry standard for constantly on-the-go airline staff. “We want to make sure that it’s one of the choices that people have [when traveling],” adds Corbett. Concessionaires are helping to drive the wellness-brand push, too, with many major airport distributors choosing to add healthy brands to their portfolio. Airport concessionaire Paradies Lagardère is “continually expanding” its healthy repertoire, says Alice Cheung,

senior director, brands and concepts at Paradies Lagardère’s Dining Division. A few wellness-focused concepts joining the Paradies Lagardère lineup include Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)’s Vessel Kitchen , a healthy, quick casual concept that opened in October 2023 and offers seasonal salads, signature bowls, flatbread tacos, and other freshly prepared, locally sourced fare; and the inclusion of fresh salads and other greens from nearby 80 Acres Farms at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)’s retail stores as well as its Vino Volo locations. Getting customers to embrace their healthy brands isn’t a challenge, says Cheung. “In our experience, there isn’t as much of a need to entice travelers to try healthy options in airports as people in general are seeking and enjoying these offerings on their own. Like in any environment, the key is having a variety of options for travelers,” she adds. “Speed of service is always a factor as well, and many of our brand partners with a focus on wellness are keeping pace with that demand,” says Cheung, noting that Paradies Lagardère’s Tropical Smoothie Cafés located in both Oklahoma City’s Will

Above, Opposite page: Among better for-you brands in the Paradies Lagardère are Vessel Kitchen at SLC and Tropical Smoothie Café. The company says travelers are seeking options, including healthy choices, when in an airport.

Rogers World Airport Airport (WRWA) and ATL have been a “great example” of a successful integration of desired product and travel-friendly convenience. Tran Nguyen, founder of Georgia based concessionaire Verge Tersylbran JV , which operates both Sambazon Açaí Bowls and “fresh-casual” concept Freshëns at ATL, notes that while “many customers are hesitant to try new concepts or menu items that they have never experienced before — it’s a habit to go to a legacy brand name — there is a shift in airports for more better-for-you, health-focused brands.” Even so, the shift takes time, adds Nguyen. “The advantage of enticing passengers with a new health-focused concept, like Sambazon Açaí Bowls, is that once the passenger does try the new product, it tastes delicious, and makes them feel good, they will seek out the brand and become repeat customers,” he says.

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AX NEWS JUNE 2024