Airport Experience® News - Retail & Services Issue 2025

LATEST BUZZ

a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf café; Piada Italian Street Food cafe; and a new Whataburger across its DFW terminals. Rounding out DFW’s new offerings will be OdenMickens DFW Concessions, which will open a new Chick-fil-A; Brewers craft coffee café and The Peach Cobbler Factory, a specialty dessert restaurant. Operators say that DFW’s robust new portfolio of concessions will reflect a mix of familiar national brands with hyper-local offerings. “Lone Chimney Mercantile is a beautifully curated shop that celebrates Texas Americana with a little twist,” says Patrick Wallace, vice president of business development at Paradies Lagardère . “Everything in the store reflects [owner] Annie Holland’s passion and her deep Dallas roots, from handcrafted jewelry and unique apparel to books by local authors and gourmet snacks. These kinds of partnerships make the airport experience feel more personal, more local, and way more memorable.” “We’re just as excited about Bluebonnet Exchange – it’s a fun, dynamic space that really brings the spirit of Texas to life,” adds Wallace. “Travelers can grab a fresh wrap or salad, pick up a local gift, or grab a last-minute charger or headphones from the iStore Express. We’re especially proud to feature Whiski Designs, and working directly with India Hearne has helped us make sure her brand shows up exactly the way she intended – authentic, bold and unmistakably Texan.” “Visitors to DFW come from around the world, so we very thoughtfully partnered with brands that will appeal to the vast tastes and preferences of these travelers,” says Steve Johnson, president and CEO

of North America, Avolta. “They also contribute to creating a unique culinary experience at DFW that will excite guests – making them happier along their journey.” Gilbert Aranza, president and owner of Star Concessions says his company’s concessions, which will open in early 2026, “reflect our commitment to enhancing speed, convenience, and quality for every kind of traveler. “The Whataburger planned for Terminal B will expand access to Texas’ favorite burger concept across the terminals,” Aranza says. Piada Italian Street Food “will bring a modern, fast casual take on Italian cuisine,” offering “hand-rolled Piadas (thin Italian flatbreads filled with fresh ingredients and grilled to order) along with customizable pasta bowls and chopped salads.” Flyer’s Market, Aranza says, “will offer a grab-and-go experience with the feel of a fine foods shop rather than a typical airport stop, featuring fresh-baked pastries, specialty sandwiches, salads, and sweets, including slices from Dallas favorite Cake Bar” while Sundance Travel Essentials, also in design for Terminal B and E, “will deliver a streamlined shopping experience tailored to time sensitive travelers.” The team at Star Concessions also looks forward to opening a new outpost of popular national brand Chili’s, as well as new locations of both Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Starbucks. “Together,” he says,“these concepts represent our continued investment in delivering a diverse mix of high-quality, traveler centric experiences across the airport.”

Above: Two new concepts – Lone Chimney and Bluebonnet Exchange – are locally focused. Both are to be operated by Paradies Lagardère.

The OdehMickens concessions team, operating in joint venture partnership with M2 Concepts , “will deliver a unique blend of beloved national brands and locally inspired favorites,” says owner Ray Mickens. “Chick-fil-A will offer travelers its iconic Southern hospitality and quick service classics; BREWED will bring the craft coffee and community vibe it’s known for on Fort Worth’s Magnolia Ave; and The Peach Cobbler Factory will serve up comforting desserts that feel like home. These new concepts represent our vision for making every stop at DFW a destination in itself.” “At our new DFW Airport location, we’re proud to bring travelers a taste of comfort with a curated selection of our most-loved desserts,” adds Greg George, CEO of The Peach Cobbler Factory. “ Guests can enjoy a variety of our signature fruit cobblers, creamy banana puddings, rich cheesecakes, and fresh-baked cookies, perfect for a quick treat or a sweet sendoff. We’re excited to introduce our brand to one of the busiest airports in the world and to share a little Southern sweetness with people from all over the globe.” Whether it’s relishing in a more efficient airport arrival, new and enhanced terminal spaces, tasting local fare or picking up essentials in convenient grab-and-go markets – with so many new places to shop, dine, and relax before a flight, it’s clear that DFW’s latest improvement efforts will keep the airport as busy as ever.

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AX NEWS SEPTEMBER 2025