Big changes in store for your restaurant options at Lambert thanks to a $16-million contract extension between the airport and its contractor HMSHost. From the press release:
The new agreement lays out an ambitious plan to build or renovate about two dozen food and beverage locations at Lambert with the majority of work complete by 2011. HMSHost will introduce eight new food concepts with an emphasis on adding popular St. Louis food brands including Mosaic, Fitz’s and Imo’s Pizza. It also includes a new concept called, Missouri Vineyards, which will emphasize local wines and food. The plan will also bring Lambert popular brands now at other airports including Brioche Doree, a French bakery and café, Freshens, Baja Fresh and an enhanced Budweiser themed restaurant/bar.
What? That one Chili's express isn't enough?
The full press release after the jump.
Illustration courtesy Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
Lambert unveils major restaurant makeover plan HMSHost to invest $16 million if new concession agreement gets final approval
(St. Louis) Lambert-St. Louis International has unveiled a $16 million plan that will give passengers and airport visitors more upscale and local food choices, more seats and better services. The restaurant makeover plan is part of a 7 years, 11 months contract extension with HMSHost approved by the St. Louis Airport Commission Wednesday. The agreement now awaits final approval by the City of St. Louis.
The new agreement lays out an ambitious plan to build or renovate about two dozen food and beverage locations at Lambert with the majority of work complete by 2011. HMSHost will introduce eight new food concepts with an emphasis on adding popular St. Louis food brands including Mosaic, Fitz’s and Imo’s Pizza. It also includes a new concept called, Missouri Vineyards, which will emphasize local wines and food. The plan will also bring Lambert popular brands now at other airports including Brioche Doree, a French bakery and café, Freshens, Baja Fresh and an enhanced Budweiser themed restaurant/bar.
Lambert’s pending deal with HMSHost would extend their concession agreement to 2020 with a requirement that it spends $13 million by 2011 and another $3 million spent on refurbishing existing restaurants by 2015. Just as important, the new deal provides Lambert flexibility to coordinate new construction and renovation of the food and beverage locations with the Airport Experience Program. The $105 million renovation plan for the Main Terminal and three concourses begins later this year.
Lambert projects the new choices, additional seats and capacity will bring an additional million dollars in revenue to Lambert in just the first full year of improvements. Plus, the deal eliminates an exclusivity clause now held by HMSHost with its current contract.
When the new agreement is completed, Lambert will be able to seek other food and beverage concessionaires for unoccupied spaces at the airport
“Through our Lambert Advantage program, we have been focusing on giving our passengers and visitors more choices, amenities and services,” said Dick Hrabko, Director of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. “We’re excited about the opportunity to bring more upscale and unique dining choices for local travelers and our visitors from outside the region.”
Well, an upgrade to the airside dining options is certainly welcome. The artist's rendering indicates that Lambert is also making another effort to upgrade the landside dining experience as well. I have to question the wisdom of that in the light of two very real and unfortunate situations that Lambert presently faces - (1) we're in a post 9/11 world where the goal is to utilize the landside space for nothing more than a (hopefully) speedy check-in before hurrying to get through security and (2) Lambert is no longer a hub airport requiring full service restaurants for laid-over travelers. A nice outlet for landside quick consumables (especially for those who may have to wait in long ticketing or check-in lines) will be a welcome and useful change from the decrepit Burger King on the west side of the great hall, but another attempt to put some sort of "better dining" option in that space in the northwest corner likely won't fare better than any of the prior efforts. I can't imagine there are too many travelers who will go out of their way to get to the airport early enough to sit through a nice meal without constantly checking their watch and hoping that they'll have enough time to get through security in time to make their flight. And I certainly don't think it's reasonable for the few individuals who may have a layover at STL to (1) know that there is a nice full service restaurant upstairs and (2) want to dine there knowing they'll have to go through security following the conclusion of their meal.
That said, if this upgrade program includes a total gut rehab and improvement of that dreadful food court just off the C/D Concourses, I'm on board - no pun intended.
Posted at: May 9, 2008 2:19 PM