The Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt paid a recent visit to one of Europe’s most exciting travel retail destinations, Antalya International Airport. Today we feature the first part of our conversation with BTA Food and Services Group CEO Baha Bülbül, who speaks about identifying the right F&B mix for the location. Video excerpts will follow in part two. See also our profile of the duty-free offer with ATÜ Duty Free President and CEO Ersan Arcan at this link.
TÜRKIYE. A varied, multi-layered and highly original food & beverage offer is a signature of the new Antalya International Airport Terminal 2, as we discovered on a memorable visit recently.
The BFA joint venture between BTA Food & Services Group (60%) and Fraport (40%) manages the business, spread across around 10,000sq m of space, and with much more to come amid planned commercial expansion ahead. BFA also provides F&B in the Terminal 2 lounges.
Highlights of the T2 dining space include Taste of Anatolia, a wonderful representation of regional cuisine in collaboration with renowned Turkish chef Ömür Akkor – named Airport Chef of the Year in the Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) + Hospitality Awards in 2024.
Sherefe, created for Antalya Airport, blends a restaurant concept with a stylish cocktail bar, offering guests a sample of the Antalya nightlife vibe upon departure.
Another new concept, Pizzeria Enzo, was designed as a family Italian restaurant, with familiar dishes and a vibrant social feel with a nod to Mediterranean culture.
There is so much more besides, including BTA concepts Cakes & Bakes (among the top three F&B sales performers from limited space) and Brewmark, plus international brands from McDonald’s and KFC to Costa Coffee and Yo! Sushi.
The broad selection is tailored to the highly diverse audience travelling through Antalya, from western Europeans to Russians to locals, as BTA Food and Services Group CEO Baha Bülbül explains.
“We serve over 30 nationalities across our operations, and understanding their expectations is always a key focus for us. Before the new Terminal 2 opened, we interviewed 2,500 guests face to face to address this, and to understand what they wanted to see at our outlets.
“More than 60% of the passengers are families, which means taking care of the needs of many children too. On departure many come early and spend a long time at the airport, especially those flying on charters.”
The findings of the research proved valuable building blocks for the offer that has since taken shape. Turkish cuisine ranked as the most preferred dining options, followed by Italian, then international (hinting at the appeal of global fast-food brands, with McDonald’s a firm number one), followed by Asian.
Another factor that underlines the necessity of variety, and that defines how F&B performs, is that more than 50% of passengers use the F&B outlets more than three times in a single visit, and 30% use them twice or more.
“We designed our units according to these expectations,” says Bülbül. “As you come through the duty-free shop, we have grab & go outlets that appeal to families and younger travellers.
“With their long dwell times they may buy once for breakfast, the next time a snack for the kids, and a third time at the gates before boarding. We use these occasions to satisfy every need.”
BFA today operates some of the highest revenue-generating and most profitable airport-branded concepts worldwide, through this mix of grab & go, casual dining and sit-down service restaurants.
The power brands lead the charge on volume. The T2 McDonald’s for example is the brand’s number one location in the world (from over 45,000 outlets) by sales value per square metre, with soaring popularity among families and charter travellers.
Almost 85% of the business comes via orders from a bank of digital screens near the counter, though – and this is a factor for many travellers – they can still transact in cash at the till having made that order.
Similarly, KFC is also at the top of that brand’s global rankings, while Costa Coffee in T2 is the brand’s number one airport location worldwide relative to its footprint. Crucially for footfall, the unit sits at the point where passengers fan out towards the gates at the end of the main concourse.
There are many other highlights including charming children-focused concept Sweet Delights, grab & go pizza from Sbarro alongside several bars (including an elegant Champagne Bar in the luxury arena) embedded in the retail zone that allow a moment of pause.
Sense of place, so important to the BTA approach at every airport, cuts through most strikingly with Taste of Anatolia, translated beautifully for Antalya T2.
Designed to reflect the culinary heritage of the Anatolia region, the offer represents a modern approach to traditional regional recipes, with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients and menus developed just for this outlet. The culinary range is complemented by memorable design from ceilings to floors that evokes the spirit of the region.
Bülbül says: “We try to link the airport experience to what people have done on their holiday. They want an experience. And we have a dedicated team here that implements sense of place down to the fine details.
“Taste of Anatolia is an ambassador for Turkish cuisine. In Türkiye we have a variety of 3,000 herbs and vegetables, and many from Antalya that we serve to our customers. Next year we plan to open a small museum to showcase 12,000 years of Anatolian cuisine.” 
*Part 2 of this feature will follow soon, with interview highlights in video.
**BTA Food & Services is a Platinum Partner for the Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) + Hospitality Conference & Awards to be held on 7-8 July in Bengaluru. Click here for more.
