Airport Experience® News - Food & Beverage Issue 2025

As airports strive to create authentic local connections and a sense of place with their concessions approach, one company is trying to help by connecting celebrity athletes with F&B concessions operators, hometown airports, and a royalty-based restaurant model. The Playmakers Group , a restaurant concept that connects the sports icon of a major city with restaurant operators, recently made a splash with their latest signee, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles. Her restaurant, Taste of Gold, is on track to open at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) by the end of 2025 after initial plans for first quarter

were delayed. Biles’ deal is the latest in a model where the group works with athletes and handles the bulk of the development to create “hometown hero” dining concepts. Other signees include former Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, who partnered on a restaurant at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) that opened in 2023, plus several other athletes in the pipeline or actively operating. Playmakers president and CEO Ken Myres says their model works around upfront athlete investment, and the hardest part about each deal is finding the perfect location for each athlete. The Biles Impact At IAH, leaders are gearing up to open Simone Biles’ concept later this year. Houston Airports Chief Development Officer Francisco Cuellar says the partnership is a natural fit, considering Biles’ local connection and the airport’s larger goals for excellent dining.

Left, Below: Gymnast Simone Biles wowed the world at the 2024 Olympics. Now, George Bush Intercontinental Airport and SSP America are hoping a restaurant bearing her name will wow travelers when it opens later this year.

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AX NEWS JULY/AUGUST 2025