SAN DIEGO – July 13, 2023 –The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Board ensured today that San Diego International Airport’s new Terminal 1 will feature restaurants and shops that look, feel, and taste like San Diego.

The Board approved the final group of New T1 concessions leases for restaurants and retail shops that offer a mix of local, regional, and some national brands. The first concession lease was approved by the Board in early June. A total of six concessions operators will open 19 restaurants and seven retail stores in the New T1. The first phase (19 gates) is slated to open in 2025 and the remaining 11 gates in early 2028.

The concessions operators selected to fill the 32,000 square feet for food and beverage space, and 14,000 square feet for convenience retail space are: High Flying Foods, Areas San JV LLC, Paradies Lagardere@SAN, LLC, Marshall Retail Group LLC, Emerging Domestic Market Ventures Inc., and McDonald’s USA, which represent the following brands and concepts, many of which are well-known to San Diegans:

• Food and Beverage: Kettner Exchange, Puesto, Mostra Coffee, Better Buzz, Cutwater Restaurant & Bar, Lofty Coffee, Understory Bar & Restaurant, NOVO Brewing, El Pez, Taco Stand, Ambrosio 15, Herb & Air, SIP Wine & Beer, NOVECIENTOS GRADOS - A Tony Hawk Public House, Luna Grill, Mr. Moto Pizza, Carnitas Snack Shack, Chick-fil-A, and McDonald’s.
• Retail, Convenience, and Gifts: Gaslamp Marketplace, Hip & Humble, SAN Supply Co. and Goods Express @ SAN, Goods Univision Travel Store, No Boundaries, The Commissary, InMotion, WHS Smith, Liberty Station, and The Arts District Market.

“We were extremely impressed with all the proposals for restaurants and retail shops we received,” said Kimberly Becker, CEO and President of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. “Proposers were required to meet specific concept, design and operational criteria that will help SAN offer our customers a wide selection of regional and national brands. We were pleased that all of the proposals were competitive and compelling.”  

When selecting the concessionaires, the airport looked for a variety of local, regional, and national names, while taking into consideration financial capability and experience, concept development, unit location design, materials and capital, environmental sustainability, small business inclusion, and customer service. Restaurants were required to offer menu options to meet customer needs for full-service casual dining, quick service (“fast food”), gourmet coffee/bakery, and bars with appetizer plates. In addition, the menus are tailored to a broad variety of tastes and nutritional needs, served as breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. 

Four of the six concessionaire operators selected are new to the Airport Authority and two of the operators, High Flying Foods and Paradies Lagardere@SAN, LLC, have existing leases for restaurant and retail space. All operators will have ACDBE-certified (Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) business participation through either joint venture partnerships, subleases, or vendor/suppliers.  Two leases will be assigned to or operated by an ACDBE prime concessionaire.

For more information on the selection process and details on the concessionaires, please click here.

ABOUT SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (SAN)

Owned and operated by San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority), San Diego International Airport (SAN) is one of the busiest single-runway commercial service airports in the world and the third-busiest airport in California. SAN contributes nearly $12 billion in economic activity for the region by connecting the world to San Diego and San Diego to the world. In November 2021, the Airport Authority began construction on the New T1 which includes the replacement of the current Terminal 1, improvements to the airfield, improved transportation connectivity to the airport, and a new administration building. The New T1 program’s total project budget is $3.4 billion and is estimated to create between 15,000 to 20,000 construction-related jobs. For more information about the New T1 please visit newt1.com. For more information about SAN please visit san.org.

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