The Evolution of Airport Foodservice at DIA

In airports, there are full-service restaurants, QSRs, cafeterias, kiosks, and even ghost kitchen-type operations to meet the needs of today's passengers. For airport foodservice operators, this means understanding the demands of air travel, keeping up with 2023 restaurant trends, and upgrading the airport's foodservice equipment and service expectations. 

Here, we'll explore how airport foodservice is changing and what operators need to know for success.

The State of Air Travel

In the past few years, the air travel industry has experienced a significant amount of disruption. Airfare has become more expensive, with plane ticket prices rising with inflation and fuel costs. Still, in a post-pandemic world, airports are as crowded as ever.

This leads us to the airports themselves. Many don't have the space or enough foodservice operations to accommodate the demands for food and beverage. Add in labor shortages alongside supply chain issues, and we have an airport foodservice industry that often struggles to meet travelers' expectations. Here in Denver, we're seeing airport foodservice operations make great changes to overcome these challenges to delivery high-quality foods in a variety of formats.

The Evolution of Airport Foodservice

Whether your airport holds a workplace cafeteria for employees or a series of restaurants for travelers, it always helps to stay up-to-date with the latest foodservice products. Certainly, many of these trends can be found today at DIA, with many more planned for the future. From local establishments like Root Down and Elway's to everyone's favorite donuts at Vodoo, major franchises are expanding at DIA.

The essential point here is today's airline travelers expect more than just the basics. For an airport to set itself aside as a premier foodservice airport in the country, options must be enticing, different, and even localized. For passengers just passing through on a layover at DIA, for example, it's possible to experience some of what makes Denver such an amazing food destination -- without needing to leave the airport.

The Importance of Ventless Operations

If you've been in some of the newer wings at Denver International Airport, you'll notice there aren't many buildouts for foodservice operations. To operate foodservice establishments in some of those spaces, operators need to work without overhead ventilation. This is where ventless foodservice equipment can help turn unusable space into profitable F&B locations.

Some airport foodservice operators are teaming up with ventless foodservice equipment manufacturers like TurboChef to get rapid cooking ovens and ventless automation, which provides flexibility, versatility, and ultimately profitability.

Click the image below to schedule a visit to the Chef's Playground where you can discover a range of ventless foodservice equipment designed specifically to help operations like airport foodservice establishments make the most out of any given space.

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