Months after approval of a massive round of contracts for new concessions at the Atlanta airport, some shops and eateries have been delayed and the international terminal opened in May still lacks its flagship restaurant, Ecco.
The delay of concessionaire HMSHost’s version of the Midtown restaurant comes after the airport moved the location to meet Delta Air Lines’ request for an expanded Sky Club lounge.
Moving the Ecco location led to $2.5 million in infrastructure costs, with the airport building a concrete slab and a steel structural support beam in the new space, according to Hartsfield-Jackson. Ecco now should open in November, according to the airport.
The food court and some other eateries in the $1.4 billion international terminal are up and running.
Jekyll Island Seafood Company restaurant, operated by Global Concessions, is scheduled to open Oct. 15. A European-themed eatery called Maison Mathis operated by an HMSHost joint venture is set to open in November.
The airport had previously said restaurants including Ecco, Jeykll Island Seafood and Maison Mathis that weren’t ready for the terminal’s opening on May 16 would open in the spring and summer.
The city had also emphasized the importance of getting restaurants open in time for the terminal’s opening, or as close to it as possible, when arguing for the award of new contracts.
The contracts also cover concessions on domestic concourses, where some openings may also be pushed back.
Hartsfield-Jackson said it has had “minor delays” with bringing natural gas and upgraded electricity to more concourses. Hartsfield-Jackson general manager Louis Miller said he decided it made sense to add natural gas to concourses that are currently all electric. Last month the Atlanta city council approved spending of up to $3.5 million for the installation of natural gas to Concourses A through D.
Most of the airport concessions throughout the airport will be phased in through December 2013, according to the airport.
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