The Best Airport Restaurants and Bars in 2013

It is time to rethink how we think about airports. It is a theme we have been talking about here at Skift a lot lately, including our latest in-depth report: “Airports as Destinations: The Rise of User Experience.”

As part of that, the food and drink experience at airports has been getting better and better, as consumer consciousness about better quality and healthier choices has risen, and as digital allows passengers to get more information about the choices available at airports.

The Moodie Report‘s third annual Airport Food and Beverage Awards recognize the best airport and railway food and beverage operators in the world. The awards were announced yesterday in Dubai.

Among the big winners were juice and snack store Joe & The Juice at Copenhagen Airport and The Red Lion pub managed by Wetherspoon at London Gatwick Airport. Four U.S. airports won six different awards, which is surprising (and maybe a sign of better days ahead) and Copenhagen Airport got three awards.

The full list, below, is still missing a lot of new and innovative initiatives — especially local ones in Asia — but is still worth perusing for what the industry overall considers the best in  breed:

Best Airport Coffee Shop 
Winner: Copenhagen Airport – Joe & The Juice
Commendation: Chicago O’Hare International Airport – Argo Tea

Best Airport ‘Food To Go’ 
Winner: San Francisco International Airport – Tastes on the Fly, Napa Farms Market

Best Airport Bar
Winner: Gatwick Airport North Terminal – JD Wetherspoon, The Red Lion
Commendation: Dubai International Terminal 3, Concourse A – Emirates Leisure Retail, Jack’s Bar & Grill
Commendation: Manchester Airport Terminal 1 – SSP, The Grain Loft

Best Airport Wine Bar
Winner: Denver International Airport – HMSHost, CRU

Best Airport Casual Dining Restaurant
Winner: London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 – The Restaurant Group, Giraffe

Best Airport Chef-Led Dining
Winner: Copenhagen Airport – SSP, Le Sommelier

Best Airport Food Court
Winner: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, F Concourse – HMSHost

Best Fast Food/Quick Service Restaurant
Winner: New York JFK Airport – SSP America, Shake Shack

Best Food & Beverage Marketing & Promotions Campaign
Winner: Copenhagen Airport – Nordic Dining
Commendation: Dublin & Cork Airports – ARI, The Loop, Feed your Family

Best Digital or Social Media Initiative
Winner: Autogrill – Vyaggio

Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative
Winner: Autogrill – A Future

Best Railway Station Food & Beverage Offer – Best Individual Station F&B
Winner: Milano Centrale Station – Autogrill, Bistrot Milano Centrale
Commendation: Waterloo Station, London – Sports Bar & Grill

Best Railway Station Food & Beverage Offer – Best Overall Station F&B
Winner: Waterloo Station, London – Network Rail

Best Food & Beverage-Related Innovation
Winner: Denver International Airport – Premium Value Concessions Program
Commendation: LaGuardia, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Toronto Pearson airports – OTG, Language Support on iPads

Best Airport Food & Beverage Reflecting Sense of Place
Winner: San Francisco International Airport, Terminal 2 – Tastes on the Fly, Napa Farms Market

Airport Food & Beverage Offer of the Year
Winner: Dubai International
Commendation: Copenhagen Airport

To understand more about how airports are changing, get our latest report: “Airports as Destinations: The Rise of User Experience.” 

This 26-page report will show how the changing business environment is turning airports into more welcoming places. It will explain the history and context for the trend and what’s coming next.

Check out the extract below, and buy the report here.