Introduction: Istanbul Airport was recently named the 2024 winner of the Best Airport Dining category at the Skytrax World Airport Awards. Our Senior Business Editor Mark Lane spoke to Sadettin Cesur, CEO of the TRU Hospitality Services & Retail Group, which leads food & beverage and retail concessions at the airport, to discover the strategy behind Istanbul beating the world’s top travel hubs to the prestigious dining crown.
When Istanbul Airport took second place in the Best Airport Dining category at the 2023 Skytrax World Airports Awards, dubbed ‘the Oscars of the airport industry’, its food & beverage team immediately set its sights on claiming top spot in 2024.
“It was an honour to receive such a prestigious recognition, but we knew there was still work to be done in improving the diversity of our F&B offerings, especially in terms of offering both premium and value-for-money brands,” TRU Hospitality Services & Retail Group (TRU) CEO Sadettin Cesur tells The Moodie Davitt Report, reflecting on what it took to become the 2024 Skytrax Best Airport Dining winner.
“That is why we have added to our great selection of well-known, premium and experimental brands in our new business strategy.”
“We are very proud of the wide variety of our F&B offering, and the way it appeals to and meets the needs of many different markets and passenger profiles,” he adds.
Europe’s second-busiest airport in 2023, Istanbul Airport is home to an impressive 115 food & beverage outlets, made up of a diverse mixture of fast food (36 locations), casual dining (eight), café (19), grab-and-go (45) and bar (seven) concessions over 34,000sq m.
They are complemented by 77 TUM-operated F&B vending machines, spread across the airport’s huge single terminal which serves both domestic and international flights.
Picking out some key F&B locations that have been unveiled at the airport across the last 12 months, within the framework of TRU’s premium brand acquisition strategy, Cesur highlights the opening of Saltbae Burger.
Now with a worldwide reputation, the gourmet burger restaurant brand has been developed by the extrovert Turkish celebrity chef Nusret Gökçe, who has more than 53 million Instagram followers.
Gökçe – who made a high-profile personal appearance at Istanbul Airport in November last year to launch the 200-seat Saltbae Burger venue – has built his image on his association with celebrity names such as Leonardo DiCaprio, David Beckham, Andrea Bocelli, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and many others.
All have been pictured with the one-of-a-kind chef at his restaurants, which now number around 30 across 14 cities in seven countries.
Underlining the eclectic mix of cuisines at the core of Istanbul Airport’s F&B success, Cesur also mentions the recent openings of the Godiva café (from the premium Belgian chocolate brand), Bottega bar and restaurant (classic Italian wine and food), Pierre Hermé restaurant (from the eponymous French pastry chef), Kaimakk restaurant (authentic Turkish food and delicacies with a contemporary twist) and McDonalds.
Asked about the key factors behind Istanbul winning the Best Airport Dining Skytrax Award, Cesur points to TRU’s strategy of collaborating with some of the best Turkish and internationally known chefs.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with internationally renowned chefs such as Akrame [Benallal, the French chef], [Arkady] Novikov [owner of the Novikov group] and Nusret [Gökçe], along with some of the most esteemed culinary talents in our nation.”
The Turkish talents Cesur refers to include well-known domestic chefs Ömür Akkor, who runs the Tadında Anadolu restaurant at the airport, and Çiğdem Seferoğlu.
“Ömür is currently providing exceptional service to a large number of passengers at our terminal daily,” he says. “And we are collaborating with Çiğdem Seferoğlu to create and deliver our exquisite menu for the İGA Lounge. Moving forward, we are excited to seek guidance from prominent world-class chefs from around the world to continuously enhance our menus.”
Another major strand in the TRU strategy across the last 12 months has been the focus on what Cesur calls “operational sustainability”, which has seen the establishment of a 1,750sq m central production kitchen at Istanbul Airport.
“With this kitchen, we have moved to the stage of supplying products to contractors within the airport. We are working together with our expert staff to ensure the highest-quality hygiene and food standards under the TRU brand,” he says.
Asked about what TRU is planning to keep evolving the Istanbul Airport dining offer, which will next see the opening of the Asian/Italian restaurant Novikov, Cesur replies: “Due to the increasing number of passengers each year, and our commitment to customer service, we are aware that we must continue to adapt and improve the F&B offering.
“We are going to heavily invest in this sector and significantly expand the F&B offer to create even more options and opportunities – we have 17,000sq m already earmarked for further dining development.”
The plans include the launch of a pop-up restaurant in the vibrant Bosphorus area of Istanbul Airport, where international passengers congregate. “The luxury dining experience will serve the exceptional cooking of renowned Michelin-star chefs, offering a rotating menu of their signature dishes on a periodical basis,” notes Cesur.
“With this restaurant in the bustling Bosphorus area of our airport, more people will be able to indulge in the world’s most luxurious and unique delicacies.”
Reflecting further on the Sytrax win, he concludes: “We are so honoured to receive this award, which is considered the Oscars of aviation in the field of F&B. It is amazing to see how the hard work of our team, our commitment to brand diversity and strong management has come together to achieve such success.
“This is just the start of our ongoing journey to provide a varied, accessible and world-class food & beverage offering to all who pass through our airport.” 
Note: The Moodie Davitt Report publishes the FAB Newsletter, which features highlights of openings, events and campaigns from around the world of airport and travel dining.
Please email Kristyn@MoodieDavittReport.com to subscribe.
