Preparing for the Future of Concessions at Tampa International Airport

Tampa International Airport (TPA) is working towards major updates to its terminal concessions. Passenger needs are changing rapidly. Travelers want more diverse food and beverage options, healthier grab-and-go choices, and comfortable seating near their gates. The airport plans to expand its food and beverage offerings while reducing its traditional retail footprint across the Main Terminal and Airsides A, C, E, and F. We are proud to partner with TPA to design solutions and plan spaces that further enhance their already award-winning passenger experience.  

Feasibility as the Foundation

Every successful project starts with a clear plan. Before anyone breaks ground, we must understand exactly what the current structures can handle. Feasibility studies serve as this essential blueprint for redevelopment. 

Our team conducted thorough site inspections to assess existing field conditions and reviewed historical record drawings to map out the facility’s hidden systems. By comparing the current infrastructure with the airport’s future vision, we pinpoint which systems can be reused and which would need to be retrofitted to support new development.  

We then clearly share this information and our recommendations for the spaces to empower smart decision-making. Understanding the existing conditions and the feasibility of the airport’s current spaces is a crucial first step toward getting a redevelopment project of this scale underway. 

Planning for Progress

Our team evaluated the technical requirements to accommodate the possible/proposed changes across multiple terminal areas. We prepared a comprehensive Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate to guide the base-building modifications. 

In the Main Terminal, we identified the base building modifications required to accommodate reimagined concession spaces and to reconfigure the Blue Express Curbside entrance to improve passenger flow. At Airside A, we outlined the utility extensions needed for potential new vented cooking concepts. For Airside C, our team coordinated the infrastructure required to support exciting new island bar concepts. Our utility planning at Airside E and F identifies the required building utility improvements so that future multi-tenant food courts and coffee shops will operate smoothly. All of these “behind-the-scenes” pieces are necessary to ensure that the airport and its concessions program generate more revenue opportunities and enhance the passenger experience. 

View all the concessions’ preliminary space plans. 

Partnership & Vision: Creating Tomorrow, Together

No single person has all the answers or all the insight. That is why it’s so important to work together as a team. The airport, engineers, planners, architects, contractors, and the community each fill a piece of the puzzle in delivering a successful product and ultimately enhance the passenger/traveler experience once again. 

TPA hosted a concessions redevelopment information session to share preliminary floor plans. The session sparked interest among business owners in the Tampa Bay region and beyond in bringing a little slice of Tampa to the millions of travelers who visit TPA every year. This open collaboration highlights the vast community impact of the upcoming concessions overhaul. The most significant transformation will align with the highly anticipated Airside D expansion. This new terminal will create up to 25,000 square feet of fresh, gate-adjacent concession space. 

Learn more about the Tampa International Airport Concessions Redevelopment.