Hartsfield-Jackson International is inviting companies to compete for contracts to refresh the shops and restaurants across the world’s busiest airport.
The requests for proposals issued Wednesday are the latest round of contracting for concessions at the Atlanta airport in a long-delayed process. It has been more than a decade since the last airport-wide refresh of concessions.
Last year, Hartsfield-Jackson awarded contracts for new stores and eateries on Concourses B, C, E and F to concessionaires Areas USA and Delaware North. Plans for those locations include an “autonomous” retail shop and a Duff’s Market from Food Network “Ace of Cakes” star Duff Goldman to open later this year and next year.
On Wednesday, Hartsfield-Jackson invited companies to compete for four contracts for concessions across multiple concourses at the airport.
The 10-year contracts up for grabs are for:
- 12 retail locations on Concourses T, A, C and the atrium, totaling nearly 12,000 square feet
- Eight retail locations on Concourses T and B, totaling more than 7,000 square feet
- Seven food and beverage and three retail locations on Concourses A, B and C, totaling more than 15,000 square feet
- Four food and beverage and four retail locations on Concourses T, A and the atrium, totaling more than 10,000 square feet
The airport will show the concessions sites to interested businesses on March 7 and 11, with proposals currently due May 29.
The lucrative airport contracts typically attract dozens of interested companies, including subcontractors and other businesses seeking to service the concessions locations.
Hartsfield-Jackson General Manager Balram Bheodari has said the goal of the airport’s refresh of its concessions program, which it calls Skypointe, “is to elevate the passenger journey and leave a lasting impression of ATL as the gateway, not only to the world, but to remarkable experiences.”
At an Atlanta City Council transportation committee meeting on Wednesday, Bheodari said he expects to complete the contract competition process in the next six months for the new round of concessions.
However, this is one of multiple rounds of new restaurants and shops, and the airport plans more concessions contracting in the future.
All told, Hartsfield-Jackson has more than 300 concessions locations across its seven concourses and two terminals.
Plans to revamp food and retail outlets were delayed for years by contracting issues and by a federal corruption investigation at Atlanta City Hall. The pause continued during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the airport extended existing concessions contracts.
Across all phases, the airport has said it plans to refresh more than 300,000 square feet of new food, beverage, retail and service space.
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