HANOVER TWP., LEHIGH COUNTY, Pa. — Lehigh Valley International Airport officials cut the ribbon Thursday on a new airport bar/restaurant called The Drafthouse, with more new additions to come this year.
The Drafthouse, located in the center of the main terminal area, is the first of three new restaurants coming to LVIA this year as part of a contract with Tailwind Hospitality, a Wilmington, N.C.-based company operating shops and restaurants at regional airports across the United States.
The new bar replaces The PA Pub in offering drinks and a sit-down restaurant menu for travelers.
Relocating the bar opens up The PA Pub’s former home across from Gate Seven for a new tenant: national sandwich chain Which Wich.
Construction of the new eatery, offering a range of hot and cold deli-style sandwiches, already is under way and on track to open in late August, Tailwind Senior Vice President of Operations Jess Backhaus said.
'Giving travelers so many new options'
Once the sandwich shop opens, the airport’s existing coffee stand and gift shop both will close for renovations.
The coffee stand will become an outpost for local cafe chain Zekraft; the gift shop will reopen with a new focus on local brands, Backhaus said.
“Clearly, you'll have your airport goods — you know, your electronics, your meds — but you're gonna see a lot more of a local feel,” he said.
If all goes to plan, the new cafe and the updated gift shop will be open for business by the busy Thanksgiving travel season.
The new eateries are a response to changing demands, Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority Executive Director Tom Stoudt said, as more passengers forgo a sit-down meal in favor of quick bites they can eat at the gate or on the plane.
“It's trying to look at how do we match concession, food and beverage options to all of those unique situations where somebody's looking for something.”
Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority Executive Director Tom Stoudt
“One of the things I'm most excited about is giving the travelers so many new options,” Stoudt said.
“It's trying to look at how do we match concession, food and beverage options to all of those unique situations where somebody's looking for something.”
For the length of its 15-year contract with Tailwind, which began last September, the airport will get 10% of gross income from the stores Tailwind operates.
LNAA officials have not yet projected how much revenue that likely will bring in.