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INTERNATIONAL. We bring you a recent highlight from our regular series in The Moodie Davitt e-Zine, in association with The Design Solution, dedicated to the important, but often misunderstood, concept of Sense of Place.
Passengers have their longest interaction with an airport in the F&B space, and it is through food that the true heart of a location is defined, says The Design Solution Founder and Director Robbie Gill. It is no wonder, then, that many airports and retailers are putting a great deal of thought into creating a carefully tailored offer mixing local with global.
The world has a voracious appetite for food – in looking and discussing as much as eating. The online world of blogging and Instagram is crammed full of food posts, pictures and recipes, with diners regularly posting photos ‘live’ from the restaurant table, often telling the world what they think of their starter before they share that thought with their dining companion.
TV channels offer a smorgasbord of options for foodies and gluttons alike, with celebrity chefs, celebrities as chefs, bake-offs and culinary journeys. Millions watch with bated breath as sponges rise and master chefs battle it out, the winners becoming overnight stars with their own recipe pages in the press and TV appearances. The world is obsessed, and people’s expectations are ever higher.
Every country has its own cuisine, favourite dishes, quirky products and unique foods. Whether it is food to eat in a terminal, buy as a gift or a self-indulgent treat for a busy passenger, food epitomises a city, a region and a country.
In terms of a true Sense of Place there is nothing more powerful than the smells and tastes of fantastic food. I remember walking through the warehouses of Kochi in Kerala, India – a mist of spices hanging in the air, sun streaming through the high windows and wonderful exotic aromas all combining to make an incredible experience.
Recently I was sitting in a square in Toulouse enjoying the world famous sausages. In another trip I found myself walking through Göktürk, a small town near New Istanbul Airport to find a shop selling Turkish paprika, totally different from the powdered supermarket offering found in the UK. It is through food that the true heart of a location is defined – and it is an undeniable ingredient in the creation of Sense of Place.
Airports came late to this particular table and, not so long ago, it was easy to get seriously ripped off just having a cup of tea and a curled sandwich in a less-than-salubrious environment.
Back in the old days, long before snail porridge was invented, BAA started to change things when the CEO at the time, Sir John Egan, asked renowned food critic Egon Ronay to check out existing standards and report back ‘warts and all’.
This helped lead the charge to make things better – and perhaps without realising the extent to which this would catch on, it was a turning point for airport F&B. Fast forward 20 years and it’s true to say that there are now many great places airside and landside to eat, drink and be merry or to kill time when the flight is delayed.
Airports are emotion-filled places, and food is a universal panacea for many of life’s stresses; it speaks the language of every traveller and it’s a guaranteed crowd puller.
When masterplanning a terminal the optimal space for food is around 40%, and if positioned well it will attract the attention of stressed and hungry travellers. Don’t forget, F&B is where passengers have their longest interaction with an airport, so it really does make sense to give it the right location and a carefully tailored offer, built on a foundation of local hero brands and global favourites.
Many airports also understand the crucial importance of choice, ensuring passengers can ‘grab and go’ or sit back and relax, choosing from a menu created by a well-known celebrity chef, such as at Pittsburgh with Michael Symon – an ‘Iron Chef’ on the Food Network and one of the hosts of the daily talk show ‘The Chew’ on ABC.
It’s a trend that is also very apparent in the retail offer at airports which take their identity seriously by showcasing local artisan products and producers. Good examples include the handmade ‘Salty Fred’ chocolate and dried sea cucumber at Copenhagen, jamón ibérico at Madrid, smoked salmon and maple syrup in Tastefully Canadian at Toronto Pearson and haggis and single malt at Glasgow.
The best retailers understand that the gift and self-treat appeal of these products play straight to the heart of shopper purchase motivations. Make the store beautiful – as for example at Warsaw with its stunning painted ceiling and vintage van display of Polish vodka – and you’re definitely on a winning streak.
