Behind the Takeoff: Airport Concessions Explained

Howdy, travelers—or shall I say, concession connoisseurs! You’re probably asking what a concession is, and why did I just call you an expert in it? And no, we’re not talking about the concession at your local sporting event selling candy and popcorn. We’re talking about the local-based businesses at the Austin Airport that give you the best slice of “weird” our city has to offer.
 

Whether you’re an airport aficionado or only have flown a few times in your life, you have experienced or at least walked past retail and restaurant concessions in the terminal. In this issue, you will learn how numerous businesses operate all in one place in such a fast-paced setting. Let’s start with learning the logistics of concessions by chatting with Cassandra Thomas, a Contract Management Specialist at AUS.

What is considered as a concession in the airport? 
The rights granted to concessionaires at the airport are to develop and operate a business to sell food, beverage, retail products, and services to the public. Concession contracts are normally no more than 10-year terms, but they are offered a mid-term refresh every five years to make changes within the establishments that they have. Changes like redoing the floors, switching out the furniture, or overall refreshing for a new look. AUS has a total of 31 food and beverage outlets and 20 retail outlets.  

Why does AUS only have a handful of large food chains?   
The Austin Airport was one of the first airports to foster the local-brand concept, meaning we have 85% of local brands and only 15% of national brands implemented. Our passengers love to come into the airport and see the same iconic brands they have seen on the street side. They get to be immersed in the Austin vibe by enjoying the quality of the food along with live music playing.   

How does an Austin local business get a spot in the airport?     
So, the airport follows the City of Austin rules and policies governing the release management and award of revenue contracts. An RFP (a Request for Proposal) will be issued for concession contracts with associated locations and packages outlined for bid. Not following the instructions on what is required will result in disqualification, you have to make sure you have the correct commodity codes. RFPs are scored by a panel of airport staff or selected experts, and the results are taken to the Airport Advisory Commission and the City Council for approval without any lobbying. We encourage those who do business with AUS to register with the City of Austin Connection, Austin Finance Online to make them aware of any RFPs that are available for the airport and other city departments. If you contact the Small and Minority Business Department, you can find out if your business qualifies and can assist you with registration.   

Now that you understand all the professional lingo behind concessions, let’s get an in-depth point of view of what it’s like to work for a concession. I sat down with Lynda Browder, a concession manager who looks over three restaurants on the East end of the terminal.

What does the typical day of a concessionaire manager consist of?  
Oof, it really depends on your people. If we’re staffed well--it’s a matter of managing, stepping in, taking care of them, getting the things that they need. If we don’t have the people then, “Hello, my name is Chef Lynda,” and I put on a different hat. Every day is different, we have our books to check that things are squared away but ultimately, we’re here for the people.  

A huge part of my role is interacting with our customers, making sure they have a good experience no matter the circumstances. One night, we had some older patrons who were stranded in 24 Diner. We kept trying to get wheelchair assistance to come get them, as they were just stuck in a booth. One of our servers was like “Lynda, what do we do?” and I was like “Well, there’s wheelchairs right there.” So, we played wheelchair pushers to get the old ladies on their plane.  

Another customer one day came in with a recipe card she had written, for what she thought was this spectacular never-heard-of-before Lemon Drop Martini. She had this other bartender write her a recipe card so that wherever she went, she could get this drink and share it with the world. She was the cutest thing, and like... we know what a Lemon Drop Martini is... but I turned around to our bartender and said “Look, I don’t care what your Lemon Drop recipe is, this is THE Lemon Drop Martini for this lady!” She was a good time; we are now friends on Facebook.

How does an airport restaurant differ from an outside restaurant?    
Wildly! So, I come from the streets, right? I’ve worked in mom-and-pop places, I’ve worked outside corporate. This is so different! There is so much that goes into just getting the product we need alone. Like I finished counting and putting in my orders this morning, right? Now I got to call those customer lines to make sure they got my order and I’ll get all the things on my order. If I can’t get the things on my order, then I have to get my substitutes approved. So, if big corporate doesn’t approve what the substitute cup is... then we’re just out of cups.

The other big difference is the clientele. Normal restaurants rely on people that have a great time, coming back to have another great time. So, when you’re in a restaurant on the streets, you develop a rapport. Doesn’t matter here in the airport. I hate to put it that way but it’s totally different, which is good and bad. Like yeah, it works for us as a big business, but it doesn’t in that we still want to have that hospitality and positive interaction, it’s just way harder because we are limited on what supplies we can get and how fast. Having full menu availability can be a struggle, we can’t just make a grocery run. Like I’m sorry if we’re out of avocados, but TSA isn't letting me bring in 50 avocados without some questions.

What does it take for the performance of a concession to be successful?   
To be successful, we have to have the people, we have to have the products. Sometimes we’re so short-staffed that I don’t get to interview. The last interview I did from the closet at Jugo--sitting on a milk crate, taking notes on the back of a receipt so I could turn around and fill out a form later. That interview was wild, he kept saying “Fo-shizzle!” to half the questions. Did he get hired? No, but I spent thirty minutes interviewing him over the phone since that is the caliber of candidate we’re getting.

How do you stay optimistic during high-volume travel days? Any advice for someone working in that type of stressful environment?   
Don’t let it get to you, like none of this is going to matter in a year anyway. Really, it is really okay. Everything might feel like it’s falling apart right now, but eh—will you remember it next week? Will you remember it a month from now? Maybe, but it’s not that deep, life goes on. 

If you could ask passengers to do one thing to help out during high-volume travel days, what would it be?  
Oh my gosh, just be patient. Like, we’re trying to have a good time here too. We know you’re stressed; we’re stressed, like look around. We just work here, and we hate that you’re being delayed too. We hate that there are so many people here too, but we’re doing our best and you see us. I know you see us, like my smoothie queens are juicing beets as fast as they can. Take a breath, if you’re nice to us, we’ll be extra nice to you.  If you see that we are busy and it is high volume, don’t expect us to pump your order out faster than the others. They come in a line; you’ll get it in a line. Give yourself time and be kind. 

What is your favorite part about this role?   
It’s the inter-personal connections I get to make with strangers every single day. A huge part of our responsibilities is to check-in on guests, see how it’s going. There was a lady that had me in tears last week. She was surprising her mother, hadn’t seen her in two years, was on her way to visit her and help her move back home. The mom had no idea, it was a big-ol’ surprise, it was beautiful. Or the little old lady at 24 Diner who added me on Facebook because we clicked, and now I get to watch her go white water rafting as a 60-year-old. 

The other night, we had one table left in 24 Diner. It was close to closing time, me and the server were cracking jokes while cleaning up. At one point, I was asking the team if anyone had a spare charger for one of our employees at Jugo with a dead phone who needed it alive so she could find a ride. Then, one of our guests had a spare charger on her, and she had such a good time with us, interacting and having fun, that she said “here, I don’t need this, I have an extra, give it to your girl and make sure she gets home safe.” Had I not had that connection, that other connection may not have happened. 

It’s the people hands-down, that’s why I wanted this job. It’s not a food business, it’s a people business. Remember the golden rule? Here it’s the platinum rule, treat others how they want to be treated.