PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) honored the growing success of the PHL Food & Shops program with a preview event that highlighted the recent merchant additions.
Over the past few months, PHL opened eight new shops and restaurants, and three additional openings are scheduled before year’s end. Qdoba, Sbarro and Evolve are set to join the PHL Food & Shops program, which currently has 147 locations operating. More growth is expected in 2023, with roughly eight or nine additions planned.
"We’ve been thrilled with the success and expansion of our PHL Food & Shops program recently," said Mel Hannah, Vice President and General Manager of MarketPlace PHL. "Our team has truly bounced back following the effects of the pandemic to keep our program’s standards high and our passengers as a priority."
PHL Food & Shops has had immense success with the following eight openings, four of which are minority operated:
- Bud and Marilyn’s: A local restaurant that celebrates American classics and focuses on simple, well-prepared comfort foods.
- 1920 Merch: A one-of-a-kind merchandise concept that celebrates a woman’s right to vote.
- Lily Palmer: PHL’s first brick-and-mortar flower shop, offering signature floral designs and unique gifts for travelers.
- Chick-fil-A: The home of the original chicken sandwich for more than 70 years, along with other delicious items like fries, salads and sweets.
- WinKitchen: Another one-of-a-kind concept that features southeast Asian street food, led by award-winning chef Chris Nguyen.
- Onsite News: Provides snacks, beverages, reading materials, accessories and more for any travel needs.
- Desigual: A creative, colorful and sustainable clothing option for women, men and kids.
- Beauty on the Fly: A unique collection of skin care and hair care brands that tie in both botanical ingredients and holistic wellness.
A better understanding of consumer insights is vital to uphold PHL Food & Shops' mission of addressing passenger needs. Through surveyed passengers, PHL learned that other amenities such as concierge service were important to those flying out of PHL. Because of this, the airport has recently partnered with SkySquad, its gate-to-curb concierge service, which helps families, business travelers and anyone who needs assistance getting to and from their gate. Another amenity recently announced, which will be available to travelers in 2023, is Roam Fitness. This will be a full-service gym located in Terminal F that offers not only gym equipment and machines but also name-brand workout gear, training sessions and showers.
"Our recent and upcoming openings are in step with what our passengers are looking for when they come to PHL," said Megan O’Connell, PHL Director of Marketing and Branding. "We’ve instituted a robust consumer insights program and are using the feedback we’ve received from passengers as the focus of our leasing program, as well as a guide for what airport amenities our guests find most helpful."
PHL is currently opening new locations at the same pace at which it was opening them in 2017-2019, which is a testament not only to the on-site team but also to the national and local interest that businesses have in operating at PHL. There will be eight to nine new openings in 2023 announced in the upcoming months, and six of these are minority-owned businesses. PHL has evolved its leasing plan to focus on the insights received from passengers and what they’d like to see. The program is committed to keeping passenger needs as a priority as the impressive roster of offerings for travelers continues to expand.