10 new restaurants at Hobby

Pappas exits Hobby Airport as City Council approves controversial, $470 million restaurant deal

Hobby Airport will soon be home to a group of new restaurants thanks to a new concessions contract. In a 11-6 vote, Houston City Council approved the 10-year, $470 million agreement with a local subsidiary of Areas, a Spain-based company with operations in airports around the world, including more than 130 restaurants at 10 U.S. airports, according to a release.

Areas has partnered with a number of local restaurants, including Killen’s Barbecue, SpindleTap Brewery, and Galveston’s The Spot. National brands including Yard House, Raising Cane’s, and Starbucks are also part of the company’s plans.

Approving the agreement came with controversy. Areas will be replacing Houston’s Pappas Restaurants, which has operated at the airport for 20 years. A social media campaign to encourage council to reject the contract garnered more than 50,000 signatures. Pappas CEO Chris Pappas issued a lengthy statement criticizing the vote and saying that the company will “explore legal options” related to the decision.

“We are disappointed in the City of Houston’s decision. Houstonians deserve a fair and transparent procurement process that supports local businesses. We did not get that from our leaders,” Pappas said.

Pappas Restaurants will offer its airport employees positions at their other Houston-area restaurants with “the same compensation, benefits, and seniority as their current position,” he added.

Ultimately, the decision came down to money. The Areas contract emerged as the winner of the city’s scoring process due to the percentage of revenue that would be provided to the City of Houston.

"One thing that will always be concrete is the percent of revenue that comes back to the city. You can't change that," District J Councilmember Edward Pollard told the Houston Chronicle. "One group was 22.2 (percent), the other group was at 15.5 (percent). You can't change those numbers. That's the only thing that you can hang your hat on."

The city states that it followed the same procurement process for Hobby’s other concessions contract. In January, council approved a separate, 10-year agreement with LaTrelle’s Management that will bring local restaurants such as Dish Society, Fat Cat Creamery, and Common Bond to Hobby.Travelers should start to see the new restaurants opening later this year. All 10 new establishments are expected to open by November 2024.

As for the agreement, projections estimate that it will generate as much as $104 million for Houston airports. Areas will hire more than 200 people to staff the restaurants.

“The new concessions package brings together an all-star list of fantastic dining concepts that includes well-known Houston area and national brands,” Jim Szczesniak, chief operations officer for Houston Airports, said in a statement. “Houston Airports is relentless in our quest to make our passengers happy. I am confident these new concessions will elevate the already incredible experience guests of Hobby Airport have come to expect from the first and only 5-Star airport in North America.”

“We are excited to partner with the City of Houston and Houston Airports to bring a distinctive program that complements the city’s culinary virtues and ethnic diversity,” said Carlos Bernal, CEO of Areas. “Travelers to William P. Hobby Airport will be delighted by an exceptional lineup of concepts, which represent the essence of the city’s greatness.”

Hobby Airport rendering Killen's Barbecue

Courtesy of Houston Airports

Killen's Barbecue is coming to Hobby.

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service switcheroo

Street food-inspired Houston restaurant swaps counter service for servers

Photo by Andrew Hemingway

Traveler's Cart is add new dishes to its menu, including steak frites and chicken parm.

A globally-inspired Houston restaurant is making a big change to its service model. Traveler’s Cart will switch from counter service to full service beginning this Monday, November 17.

When owners Thy and Matthew Mitchell opened Traveler’s Cart last year as a more casual sister concept to Traveler’s Table, their globally-inspired Montrose restaurant, they decided counter service would match the restaurant’s street food-inspired menu and lower price point. With a year of experience, they’ve decided full service — where diners sit down and order from a server — will improve the customer experience in a number of ways.

First, they noticed that some of their online reviews go to great lengths to explain the ordering process. Moving to traditional table service will elimination that confusion.

“We want to be like a great brasserie or izakaya where people come and enjoy food and drinks at a reasonable price,” Matthew Mitchell tells CultureMap. “There’s a lack of intuitiveness about the process right now. Almost a year in, we’re still having to explain where you go and how you order. That tells you we probably missed the mark.”

He also recognizes that the inherent uncertainty of counter service — people are concerned about how long they’ll have to wait to order and whether a table will be available once they do — limits the restaurant’s appeal as a date night option or for larger groups who want the certainty of having a place to sit.

Even though the restaurant has been a financial success, according to Mitchell, he thinks Traveler’s Cart is missing out on revenue with its counter service model. “I think people order less at the counter. You may not order a cocktail, and you certainly won’t get back up and order more drinks,” he says.

Switching to full service will also help the restaurant’s perceived value. With entrees mostly priced between $15 and $25, the restaurant may feel expensive relative to other fast casual restaurants. Once servers are added, Mitchell thinks diners will appreciate the value, particularly since its prices are about half of sister concept Traveler’s Table.

“I feel like the food quality is outstanding for the price, but when it crosses that $20 or $30 threshold, people perceive it as pricey,” he says.

Traveler’s Cart has other ways to enhance the value of its offering, such as its $18, three-course lunch that includes iced tea or a fountain drink. Happy hour, available Monday through Friday from 3-6 pm, includes $8 cocktails, $3 drafts, $8 small plates, and more.

Along with the new service model, Travelers Cart is updating its menu with a number of new dishes. They include Thai chili queso, Baja shrimp tacos, salmon donburi bowl, chicken parmesan, and steak frites. The cocktail menu has also been refreshed with a Mexican espresso martini and a Tuk Tuk Old Fashioned, named for the vehicle that now sits in front of the restaurant’s entrance.

Recently recognized by the Texas Restaurant Association as Restaurateurs of the Year for the Houston region, the Mitchells hope that these changes will lead to even more success. With the service style refined and the menu dialed in, they’re already looking for another location.

Photo by Andrew Hemingway

Traveler's Cart is add new dishes to its menu, including steak frites and chicken parm.

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