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Updated: 3 hours ago

Portland vetting proposals to oversee Jetport food concessions, shake up dining options for travelers

Gate area inside the Portland International Jetport. File photo / Jim Neuger Portland is seeking a new food concession operator to shake up and oversee dining operations at the Portland International Jetport, whose gate area is shown here.
By Renee Cordes

Portland is seeking a new food concession operator to shake up and oversee dining operations at the Portland International Jetport over the next dozen years. 

The concessionaire will be responsible for all the food and drink spaces at Maine's largest airport and would have individual franchise or other joint-venture agreements with the individual brands.

Officials are vetting three proposals and expect to issue an award in December for a single contract covering an initial 17-month period. That would be followed by a 10-year arrangement through June 2037.

Based on around $10.6 million in gross food concession sales at the airport for the fiscal year that ended on June 30,  Airport Director Paul Bradbury estimates sales over the 10–year term to be covered by the new contract to exceed $120 million. 

Paul Bradbury, Portland International Jetport
File Photo / Jim Neuger
Paul Bradbury

“The Jetport is looking for a robust mix of local and national brands and food options as well as a complete rebuild/refresh of the restaurant spaces,” Bradbury told Mainebiz.

Asked to what extent the airport is looking to diversify food options available for travelers, he noted that local brands should be both recognizable and reinforce a sense of place that is unique to Portland and the state as a whole. 

“Obviously, airports are first and foremost transportation nodes with very specialized operating conditions that are much different from non-airport restaurants,” he said. “We are relying on the expertise of the proposers and their understanding of airports to provide the optimal mix of options that work in the time-constrained airport environment.”

The city’s quest for a new concessionaire comes as the clock runs out on longtime incumbent HMSHost, a Swiss-owned highway and airport food-service company based in Bethesda, Md. 

It has managed airport dining at the Jetport since March 2011, following a terminal expansion. Its contract is set to expire on Feb. 1.

Proposals are being evaluated according to several criteria, including a minimum investment of $5 million to rebuild restaurant areas inside the airport. Experience and qualification as well as well as business, staffing and customer service plans will also be considered. 

The city said it plans to issue a separate request for proposals for Jetport news, gifts and retail concessions at a later date. It also noted that any company awarded the food concession will not be eligible for the other contract.

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