Travelers hunger for more dining options at McCarran
Jim McMichael may work on the Las Vegas Strip -- home to some of the best restaurants in the country -- but he finds himself eating at McCarran International Airport on a regular basis.
Usually, it's when he has an evening flight that takes him to the airport at dinnertime. Sometimes, it's when he has an early morning flight, and "it's just easier to grab something at the airport," said McMichael, senior marketing manager at Fashion Show mall, who flies on business about once a month.
The airport, he said, has a pretty good variety of options, but he'd like to see more sit-down restaurants
"With all of the stellar chefs we have here, you wonder if that's an opportunity for somebody like the Wolfgang Puck group or Emeril Lagasse," McMichael said. "It would be nice to see some of that great dining we have along the Strip represented at the airport."
McMichael, it appears, is far from alone. Scott Kichline, airport business manager, said a sit-down steakhouse is scheduled to open with the new terminal next June. The Chop House will be operated by HMS Host, which has the master food-and-beverage agreement with the airport. But the celebrity-chef angle has been considered in the past, for existing airport facilities. In 2007, before the economic downturn, the airport had plans to add a steakhouse by Todd English, Kichline said.
"With the decline in traffic, we held back on that," he said. "It was a very expensive buildout. We're now looking at that. I don't know if it will be the same concept."
Kichline said the new terminal also will have a restaurant familiar to many Las Vegans -- the Village Pub.
"We're pretty excited about that," he said, "because that's really the first sort of local, iconic brand that's coming in."
Meanwhile, restaurant offerings in the existing airport facilities continually shift with travel patterns and travelers' needs. Many of the changes had to do with increased security after 9/11. Today, travelers can enter only the concourses where their flights are departing or arriving, so their dining choices are limited to what's available there or in the main terminal. And with most people wanting to get through security, they're less likely to linger in the main terminal.
Other changes have been dictated by the airlines.
"The whole business model at the airport has evolved as the airlines have changed their business plans," Kichline said.
Maybe 10 or 15 years ago, he said, Southwest Airlines issued plastic cards for boarding passes.
"You ran through security and you got in line because you had a blue card and you had an A," placing you in the first boarding group, he said. "You stood in line and you didn't move." Those traveling with a companion might send out an expedition to pick up fast food, which was the primary type of outlet in the C Gates, where Southwest has most of its flights.
But a few years ago, Southwest changed its procedure; passengers now get specific positions at check-in and board the plane sequentially.
"The Southwest people are kind of freed from the gate," Kichline said. "They have more of an opportunity to sit down and eat. And now we're seeing higher demand: 'I want to sit down. I want to be served and I want a beer or a glass of wine.' "
To that end, the airport recently added Sammy's Beach Bar & Grill and Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen midway down the C concourse, and a sit-down Pei Wei is planned. And consideration is being given to converting some of the walk-up Starbucks outlets into sit-down concepts serving food.
Which should be welcome news to McMichael.
"With the volume in the Southwest concourse, (Sammy's) can sometimes be a little hard to get into," he said. "It would be nice to see them either expand or see another sit-down alternative in the concourse C area."
Seth Schorr, chief executive officer of Fifth Street Gaming, said he travels through McCarran about once a week on average. He'd like to see more healthful options and more variety. For example, he said, Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York has a sushi restaurant ("but reasonably priced sushi") and a more offbeat option.
"They have a great grocery store, so you can get fresh items," he said. "I would think more people would prefer to grab and go to eat on the plane."
Which, in turn, would be welcome news to Jenny Wagner. Wagner, marketing manager for Whole Foods Market, said she travels through the airport about once a month, usually in the early morning, when not all outlets have opened for the day. The options left to her are "horrendous," she said. She usually resorts to a grab-and-go sandwich or salad or a pack of trail mix from a gift shop.
"I would like to see more in line with health and more options in granolas and cereals and yogurt," Wagner said. "I'd love to see a place that has a nice healthy yogurt bar."
McMichael said Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has a good variety, and San Francisco International Airport has recently increased its offerings.
"They represent not only the Mexican/Hispanic influence, they have some of the great restaurants that are in San Francisco out in the airport as well," he said.
Kichline said the airport's quarterly surveys show people want more casual dining options (which are not to be confused with fast food) and an acceptable level of service.
"It's tough," he said. "They're pressed for time, but they still want that same level of service that they get on the street." Restaurants such as California Pizza Kitchen and Wolfgang Puck Express, he said, have to tweak their menus to be able to get food out quickly.
They're also looking at outlets that are popping up in other airports, he said, such as Vino Volo, "a nice, comfortable wine concept."
"We're looking at some similar concepts like that," he said, "just to provide a relaxation place." Right now, with so much construction at the airport, "it's a matter of timing," he added.
"We're doing the best we can," Kichline said, "to continue to change as the business changes."
Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474
