2023 Concessions Customer Service Excellence Award Winners

Oct. 30, 2023
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and MarketPlace Development, the concessions program manager at Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, announce 2023 Customer Service Excellence Award winners.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and MarketPlace Development, the concessions program manager at Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, announce the 2023 Customer Service Excellence Award winners.

“We are profoundly proud to recognize the exceptional businesses and individuals who consistently prioritize customer service excellence at Dulles International and Reagan National Airports” said Michael DiCosola, President of MarketPlace Development. “Their unwavering commitment to surpassing traveler expectations underscores the premier standard of service we strive to achieve across all MarketPlace Development airport programs.”

Awards were presented to Dulles International and Reagan National Airport retailers, quick-service food operators, and restaurateurs at their Customer Service Excellence Awards event on October 25, 2023. 

“It is a credit to each one of our concessionaires to be recognized for their hard work this year,” said Jaimini Erskine, vice president for marketing and concessions of the Airports Authority. “We are proud to enhance the passenger experience at Reagan National and Dulles International by our continued partnerships with these many businesses.”

The 2023 Excellence in Customer Service Awards winners are listed below:

 Dulles International Airport 

  • Merchant of the Year | Capital Grounds Coffee (Aptitude, LLC)
  • Best Onsite Operations | The Firkin & Fox (Fox Pubs USA, LLC)
  • Best Retail Customer Service | Travel Tech (Travel Tech, LLC)
  • Best Restaurant Customer Service | Vino Volo (Paradies Lagardère/ H&H Hospitality)
  • Best Retail Merchandising Unit or Kiosk Customer Service | GenX Wireless (iWireless Shop, LLC)
  • Best Travel Convenience Customer Service | Capital City Ink – Concourse D (Crews of California)
  • Best QSR Customer Service | Five Guys Burgers and Fries (MEM Concessions, LLC)
  • Best Customer Service Score Increase | Forbes – Ticketing (Paradies Lagardère/BZB International) 

Reagan National Airport

  • Merchant of the Year | Ben’s Chili Bowl (SAS Management)
  • Best Onsite Operations | TUMI (Tumi Stores, Inc.)
  • Best Retail Customer Service | Johnston & Murphy (Genesco, Inc.)
  • Best Restaurant Customer Service | El Centro, D.F. (Grace Concessions, LLC)
  • Best Retail Merchandising Unit or Kiosk Customer Service | Elsen Oils (Elsen Oils, LLC)
  • Best Travel Convenience Customer Service | CNBC (Paradies Lagardère/BZB International) 
  • Best QSR Customer Service | Five Guys Burgers and Fries (Five Guys Properties, LLC)
  • Best Customer Service Score Increase | Hudson – National Hall (Hudson Group, Newburns Management Group and The Jarvis Company)

The Customer Service Excellence Awards were created to reward airport establishments for outstanding performance in both operations and customer service. Merchants are eligible for award consideration on the basis of MarketPlace Development’s customer service mystery shopper program performance and analysis of operational performance. The majority of this year’s winners are certified Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (ACDBE).