Designing for Experience: How Airport Foodservice Is Evolving (and What That Means for Designers)
In our last blog, we delved into the challenges of designing foodservice operations in airports: tight footprints, security constraints, cost pressures, and more. But these very challenges are now driving an exciting transformation in airport dining — and that presents a fresh opportunity for design teams like IF Design Team to step in with creative, strategic solutions.
Here’s how airport foodservice is evolving — plus key design implications to consider as part of that shift.
1. Elevated Concepts, Local Flare, and Food Theater
Travelers today don’t just want a quick grab-and-go sandwich — they want experiential dining. Airports are embracing local chefs, chef-driven concepts, and regionally inspired restaurants.
Design implication: Brands need to feel “of the city,” not generic. Materials, finishes, and signage should reflect a local flavor, while maintaining enough flexibility to meet airport design standards.
Spatial planning: These elevated venues often need to support high volume and fast service — designers should prioritize open counter layouts, strong visibility from concourses, and intuitive flow to capture travelers from a distance.
2. Durability + Practicality: Designing for Luggage, Traffic, and Turnover
Terminals are high-traffic environments, and restaurant spaces get more abuse than typical retail. Designers must think about wear-and-tear in a very intentional way.
Furniture & finishes: Use materials that are stain-resistant, scuff-resistant, and easy to clean. For example, wainscoting or base moldings help protect walls from roller bags.
Seating design: Because many travelers dine solo, designing more bar seating or two-tops (instead of large communal tables) can feel more natural.
Acoustics: With all the terminal hustle, sound control is critical. Incorporate acoustic treatments to keep dining areas comfortable amidst the ambient noise.
3. Back-of-House Constraints and Operational Efficiency
Kitchen and storage space in airports is often much smaller than in street-level restaurants.
Menu simplification: Operators are condensing their menus to core, high-throughput items that are fast to prepare.
Vertical solutions: Maximize vertical storage, multi-use equipment, and modular back-of-house layouts to make the most of limited square footage.
Security considerations: There are added rules: from how knives must be handled to what equipment is allowed.
4. Logistics, Supply Chain, and Staffing Realities
Logistics in an airport are complex — deliveries often go through security, and space for storage is limited.
Supply chain design: Designers should account for staggered, constrained delivery windows, and plan for off-site commissaries or satellite storage.
Staffing: Employees need background checks, and turnover can be higher. Staffing models must be flexible to absorb sudden rushes when flights are delayed or during peak times.
Waste and sustainability: Because freight is expensive and disposal fees can be higher, designing for minimal waste (through portion control, reusable or compostable packaging) is increasingly important.
5. Regulatory & Approval Complexity
Designing in an airport means navigating a lot of bureaucracy — stringent permitting, limited contractor pools, and sometimes overnight build windows.
Contractor management: Only approved contractors may work inside airside spaces, and they often charge premiums for night work.
Signage rules: Airports may have strict rules on sign size, lighting, and branding — designers must balance brand identity with compliance.
6. Designing for Irregular Operations & Passenger Flow
Airports are dynamic environments. Unexpected events — flight delays, cancellations, surges in passenger traffic — all ripple into foodservice demand.
Resilience in layout: Design flexible seating and flow zones that can absorb peaks and troughs in passenger volume.
Technology integration: Leverage digital ordering kiosks, pre-order, or mobile platforms to smooth throughput and reduce queue congestion. Many airport locations already report high kiosk adoption.
Adaptive signage & communication: Wayfinding and real-time prompts can guide travelers to dining options based on crowding or proximity, enhancing both sales and experience.
7. Brand Exposure + Experiential Opportunity
Despite the challenges, airport locations offer one of the most powerful stages for foodservice brands. Sales per square foot can be significantly higher than street locations.
For design teams, this means investing in brand storytelling through architecture and interiors — intentional design can amplify brand exposure and reinforce authenticity.
There's also a growing “food hall” or marketplace model in airports, clustering complementary food concepts to create a vibrant destination rather than just a concession row.
For IF Design Team, these trends highlight a compelling pivot: not just designing for constraint, but designing for opportunity. The very limitations that make airports hard — security, space, logistics — are also fueling innovation. As foodservice operators push toward elevated, local, resilient, and efficient concepts, designers are uniquely positioned to lead the transformation.
By approaching airport foodservice with both pragmatism and creativity, IF Design Team can help our partners deliver memorable dining experiences that resonate with travelers — while maximizing operational efficiency, compliance, and brand impact.