T Options aplenty FOOD AND BEVERAGE he Covid-19 pandemic forced a ground-up rethink across many industries. Airports – one of the hardest-hit sectors – had its share of navel gazing, closely analyzing each profit center and working out ways to emerge from the pandemic leaner and fitter. In that contemplation of P&Ls, one aspect became clear: at the peak of the crisis in mid-2020, food and beverage (F&B) was outperforming. Perversely, this was because, in general, food service saw smaller sales contractions than retail did. For example, at London Gatwick Airport – the 10th busiest international airport in the world last year – the difference in those shrinking sales meant that in the first half of 2020, F&B narrowly overtook duty-free revenue (US$11.8m versus US$11.6m) to become, for a short while, the biggest retail category at the busiest single-runway airport in the world. Travelers at the time were buying only the essentials, not the nice-to-haves, and sustenance was top of the list. Mélanie Guilldou, Lagardère Travel Retail’s EVP Foodservice, says, “Both food and travel essentials did well during the pandemic. Customers were looking for one-stop shopping, with packaged foods doing well at the time due to a perceived safety benefit.” Of course, with post-Covid passenger traffic now rebounding fast, so is retail. But the pandemic shone a light on F&B as an overlooked, unglamorous concession segment and lots of airports are addressing this issue now. Terminal overhauls and revamps – particularly in the US and Europe – are giving F&B better positions, with more choices for the traveler. Concessionaires are introducing comprehensive and interesting dining options, which Asian airports like Singapore Changi learned to do a long while ago. Last year, Fraport USA brought an iteration of the legendary downtown Nashville steak house The Southern Steak & Oyster to Nashville International, complete with a bar overlooking the runway. The airport described the move as “part of our new reimagined concessions program where we continue to bring the flavor of downtown Nashville right here”. Such revamps are becoming commonplace as airports upgrade Both food and travel essentials did well during the pandemic their passenger experiences in line with ACI’s airport service quality (ASQ) benchmarking program. Sprucing up F&B is one of the smartest ways to win over passengers’ hearts. Not for nothing has Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport been honored by ACI Europe as Europe’s best airport for the fifth time in six years (in the >40 million passenger category). For six consecutive years the airport has also been at the top of the European ranking for its service quality to passengers. While there are multiple factors involved in such awards, including sustainability and innovation, operator Aeroporti di Roma (AdR) has made F&B a priority for several years. Exemplifying this was the July inauguration of a new foodservice space in Terminal 1’s Area A, where eight new formats have come to life in partnership with Autogrill, Lagardère Travel Retail Italia and ice cream maker Venchi. They occupy about 2,000m 2 and complement the offer already available under the Eataly brand, which has been in operation for just over a year at the Roman hub. This additional range is mainly focused on table service concepts, with Italian heritage represented by the likes of Doppio Malto, coupled with Mélanie Guilldou, Lagardère Travel Retail international flavors such as the Japanese-Brazilian Temakinho restaurant. Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci has been named Europe’s best airport five times in six years “A place to live” Area A at Leonardo da Vinci has been designated as a meeting and socializing space for passengers, showcasing the best of Italian food and wine culture. It covers an area 6,000m 2 , of which 2,000m 2 are dedicated to lounges. AdR’s sales manager, Marilena Blasi, says that within the space, 1,500 food menu items are available to cater to all tastes, with 600 additional seats, 190 charging stations and 34 extra tills. She adds that the aim was for passengers “to perceive Leonardo da Vinci Airport not as a simple transit area but as a place to live”. That description sums up AdR’s high ambition. Luca D’Alba, general manager of Autogrill Italia, says that his company’s F&B concepts – Temakinho, Sophia Loren Restaurant, Alemagna and the Berlucchi Franciacorta Sparkling Bar – were designed to respond to the needs and different tastes of tourists in transit “with special attention to sustainability”. The Roman model is a standout F&B offer pulling together three operators. Autogrill, which has a global www.PassengerTerminalToday.com Sophia Loren Restaurant was one of eight additions to Rome Fiumicino T1 this summer The Eataly food and retail emporium opened in T1’s Area A at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport in 2022 ABOVE LEFT 60 Passenger Terminal World JANUARY 2024