ATL challenges don't deter eateries

When The Real Chow Baby on Ponce owner Chip Joyner decided to try to take his stir-fries to the world stage of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, he knew there would be challenges.

Due to security rules, especially beyond checkpoints, knives in the kitchen must be tethered down and inventoried daily. Steak knives aren't allowed in the dining area.

On most of the Atlanta airport's concourses, only electric ranges are offered, instead of the gas ranges chefs prefer. Some kitchens are less than half the size of those in street restaurants, even though they may do twice the volume at times.

"You really have to understand what you're getting into," Joyner said.

More homegrown restaurants than ever are seeking space at the airport as Hartsfield-Jackson embarks on a historic revamp of its concessions with a focus on local flavors and prepares to open the new international terminal next spring. Many new restaurants will start opening at the airport next year. Major concessionaires have wooed local restaurateurs to include in their proposals for contracts, and small businesses can compete for the smaller contract packages.

The Varsity is perhaps the most widely known among the bunch. The limited kitchen size means that if the vaunted fast food outlet wins an airport contract, it may not be able to offer the popular Frosted Orange in the airport.

"The Frosted Orange takes a lot of labor and specialized equipment," said Gordon Muir, president of The Varsity. At this point, he said, it doesn't appear that the airport location will accommodate that.

His plan would be to open with a trimmed-down menu of popular items, including chili dogs, hamburgers, fries, onion rings, pies and soft drinks, "and see what we can do later."

One solution for local restaurateurs is to partner with a concessionaire with experience operating at an airport. Muir and Joyner both have licensing agreements with concessionaire HMSHost to get royalties while limiting their risk.

HMSHost has a culinary test kitchen in which the company works with its restaurateur partners, develops new menu items and trains employees.

Well-known Atlanta chef Kevin Rathbun is partnering with concessionaire OTG Management for two proposed restaurants at Hartsfield-Jackson --- a diner called The Atlantan and a steakhouse called Peach-tree Prime.

For the steakhouse, some of the steaks will already be sliced, and others will be "fork-tender," Rathbun said. Even without gas ranges, "some of these electric ranges now burn pretty hot. You can get a great sear on these steaks and almost get your char with some cast-iron pans," he said. "With quality meats we'll be able to do it quite well."

For a proposed outpost of Manuel's Tavern at the airport, burger grilling will have to be adjusted for electric ranges, said Manuel's owner Brian Maloof.

"We've done some sampling and testing, and I think we can put out an almost identical product" at the airport.

Beyond the restrictions on kitchen areas, storage space and deliveries also are limited.

"The whole issue of getting food in and out of the airport is a logistical challenge compared to the street," said Ron Paul, president of Technomic, a Chicago-based food industry consulting firm.

Staffing also can be difficult. Concessions employees must go through extensive, TSA-approved background checks, which limits those who qualify.

Many fine dining restaurants open for only lunch and dinner also must develop breakfast menus for the airport's busy morning travel rush. And airport restaurants sometimes must stay open until the last flight, even if it's delayed, requiring employees to work overtime and well into the wee hours.

On the other hand, tightened security since the 2001 terrorist attacks has prompted some travelers to arrive at the airport earlier, allowing them to sit down and dine once they get through security, said The Pecan's chef Tony Morrow.

"So security is helping the dining a little bit and also raising the bar for the kind of restaurants that go into the airport."

Still, "we know people don't have the same amount of time in the airport" as in a street restaurant, Morrow said. "We have to come up with techniques that will allow us to prepare the same quality cuisine but in a faster manner."

Even for casual restaurants or fast food, operating at the airport is different.

Joyner said running an eatery at Hartsfield-Jackson, the world's busiest airport, is known as operating in a glass box "because only there will you operate a Burger King where the president of Burger King" will come to the restaurant.

"You can have a Burger King on the street for 20 years, and you'll never see anyone higher than a regional manager," Joyner said. But when executives have layovers in Atlanta, they may take the time to visit their restaurants at the airport.

"If you're not operating well, everybody hears about it, and heads will typically roll. So you're really on stage," Joyner said.

For some restaurants, the added hassle of the airport is still worth it. One reason: exposure. An average of nearly 250,000 passengers go through Hartsfield-Jackson every day --- many of them business travelers on expense accounts.

There's also a captive audience of travelers waiting for flights on which no meals will be served. In some cases a restaurant's airport outlet may outlive its street location.

Joyner has been thinking about an airport location for The Real Chow Baby since 1997, but it's only now that the airport is awarding contracts for some 125 food and beverage outlets. With nearly 90 proposals competing for nine contract packages --- one package alone attracted 19 proposals --- competition is stiff.

"This is such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Joyner said.