Travelers have become much more sophisticated when it comes to the food they want to eat in airports. I last covered airport food upgrades being offered by concessions operator Delaware North.

Airport concession operator HMSHost has unveiled a new concept -- 1897 Market -- in the Main Atrium at North Carolina’s Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. 1897 Market is a new distinctive urban gourmet marketplace that was developed through a partnership with celebrity chef and television personality Todd English.


Doug Draper, senior director of adult beverage and bar development for HMS Host, sees the trend of more sophisticated fare catching on in airports. “I think it’s become more what travelers are used to. The restaurant scene streetside has gotten better and more popular,” he said. “We’re dealing with the Food Network generation, which is making good food more accessible.  People want it in their general life, so no exceptions are given for it not being in the airport environment. It’s become the new norm.”

The concept for 1897 restaurant came from the heritage of the Carolina region, said Draper. “We wanted to create something that could cater to all travelers in a sophisticated way, with different time frames,” he said. “We have a full-service restaurants, a quick-service deli sandwich offering, a wood pizza oven, and also grab-and-go prepared sandwiches, salad and snacks in 9,000 square feet. Our average square footage is about 900, so that’s 10 times bigger.”

HMSHost got that space by design, said Draper.

“The airport added a new connector to connect two terminals and expanded the space,” he said. “Because of the size, we can capture guests from three different entrances.”

1897 Market offers travelers a legitimate foodie experience with recipes using local and regional ingredients and features a raw bar and an exhibition kitchen with a carvery, an aromatic grill and an enticing woodstone pizza oven.

The menu offers items including dirty mac & cheese, parmesan herb chicken tenders and spicy shrimp toast. Some featured entrées are steak frites with a whisky-peppercorn cream sauce, barbecue shrimp & grits and sandwiches such as the carved turkey breast and the herb chicken. while The raw bar features east and west coast oysters and Middleneck clams.

1897 Market’s bar offers a unique drinking experience that features an impressive variety of domestic, imported and craft brews, Scotches and small batch bourbons bottled in bond, and premium wines from the world’s most celebrated regions.

The marketplace side of the restaurant features lightly stained oak shelving and featuring library-style rolling ladders, similar to an old-style general store. It sells items that travelers will want to give as a gift or something special to take home, such as tins of gourmet nuts, specialty candies, and a carry-on cocktail kit which includes all the necessary items to make an ‘emergency’ cocktail (sans liquor).

HMSHost has been developing other concepts that have become popular in other airports. “Inside Charlotte, we also have PZA, which is hand-made dough made on site and cooked in a wood-fired pizza, along with meatballs. Our newest one opened at JFK Airport pre-security in Terminal 1,” said Draper.

Another concept is Pork and Pickle, a modern gastropub at Kansas City International Airport, said Draper. “It features a hardwood wood inside the airport and you can smell the smoke in the terminal and everything is made from scratch,” he said. The concept will be opening in Montreal and there’s one in Anchorage, he added.

Other HMSHost airport concepts include:

• MKT, a full-service marketplace and carvery at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Las Vegas International Airport, Anchorage International Airport and Tulsa International Airport;
  
• Shula Burger at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport;
  
• Twist by Roger Mooking, Caplansky’s Deli, and Paramount Fine Foodsat Toronto Pearson International Airport;
  
• PGA TOUR Grill at San Diego, Las Vegas McCarran and Honolulu International Airports;
  
• Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grillat Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport;
  
• ink.sack, Chaya, Umami Burger, Vanilla Bake Shop, Border Grill, 800 Degrees Pizza, Starbucks Evenings, The Larder, Cole's, The Kogi Truck, 8oz.Burger, Real Food Daily and Campanile at Los Angeles International Airport;
  
• Vancouver Canucks Bar & Grill atVancouver International Airport;
  
• Eighteen 76at Lambert St. Louis International Airport; and
  
• Fruteria, La Gloria and Mission City Ice House at San Antonio International Airport.
  

HMSHost has been working hard to bring in more upscale concepts to its airport clients, said Draper. “Charlotte [airport] is a great partner of ours and they were excited about the 1897 concept and wanted to roll it out. We were excited to bring in local ingredients and farmers as a part of it,” he said. “We can do the 1897 concept in other cities, using the same framework, but we’ll be able to personalize it and bring the soul of the city to the market.”

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