Airport Experience® News - Post-Conference Issue 2026

BEFORE YOU TAKE OFF A DAY IN THE LIFE Concessions International Hosts Immersive Career Exposure Program

BY SALLY KRAL

Left: Concessions International’s new “Day In The Life” initiative is designed to cultivate interest in culinary and hospitality careers among 6 th , 7 th , and 8 th grade students.

in their home to pursue restaurant work and hopefully airport restaurant work specifically because that’s a big gap for us.” A Day in the Life of a Restaurant Manager took off featured a presentation from the restaurant’s host on how to greet customers with enthusiasm and hospitality; a tour of the kitchen with the kitchen manager on back-of-house operations, including a cooking demonstration; and demonstrations with front-of-house staff on serving customers. During these activities, students were invited to perform in mock scenarios to gain hands-on experience. “We talk about a lot of things in our school and our students learn a lot from books and social media, but it’s nothing like having a real, live experience of actually doing it,” said Dr. Chendra Dupree, principal at Herman J. Russell West End Academy. Following the training and informational sessions on front-of-house and back-of-house operations, the students were joined by two long-time Paschal’s servers for a lively discussion about the story and legacy behind the restaurant, specifically its connection to the Civil Rights Movement. During the sixties, Martin Luther King, Jr. and other Civil Rights leaders frequently gathered at Paschal’s, earning it the designation as an unofficial headquarters of the movement. “So, not only are the students learning about what it’s like to run a restaurant, they’re learning about history as well,” Russell Atkins said. “This experience so much more than just food and serving people, it’s preserving a legacy.”

n early March, a group of 40 students from Herman J. Russell West End Academy arrived at

Russell’s granddaughter, Mori Russell Atkins, is a business development manager for Concessions International. “As a family member, I thought it was so important that we’re not just a name on the school, but that we’re actually involved in the school,” Russell Atkins said. “So, when Nikki tasked us with doing something that ties in CI, that’s when we came up with the idea to bring these students into the restaurant and give them this behind-the scenes experience of what it’s like to be a restaurant manager.” Harland noted that Concessions International hopes to be providing a “clarifying voice” for these students. “We want them to know that if they decide to go down this path in hospitality, there are so many options for them that they may not know about—that’s what makes this program critical,” she says. “Our hope is that the students absorb it and then go back to their households and talk about their experiences and maybe inspire others

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Atlanta’s historic Paschal’s restaurant to participate in “A Day in the Life of a Restaurant Manager,” a new program from Concessions International (CI) designed to cultivate interest in culinary and hospitality careers among middle school students. “When I started in this role in October, I met with our business development team and said, ‘We have so many assets and we need to activate them and we need to focus on young people,’” said Nikki Tinsley Harland, Concessions International’s new CEO. The assets she’s referring to include Concessions International’s strong connection to both Herman J. Russell West End Academy and Paschal’s—the school is named for Concessions International’s founder, Herman J. Russell, and Concessions International operates three Paschal’s locations at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

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AX NEWS APRIL/MAY 2026