Celebrity chef Bobby Flay debuted his first airport restaurant this month, with the opening of at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Flay鈥檚 burger chain has 17 locations, but this is the first one in Atlanta and the first one at an airport.
The airport eatery, ,
has menu items like a pistachio shake, green chili cheeseburger, a Crunchburger with potato chips, and an ATL burger with pimento cheese and fried
pickles that鈥檚 exclusive to this location.
鈥淚n some ways, it鈥檚 sort of a tour around America, on a burger,鈥� Flay said. 鈥淎irport food has come a long way…. I was really skeptical earlier in my
career about opening a restaurant at an airport. But things have really changed.鈥�
Still, operating a restaurant at an airport is intense.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no meal period,鈥� Flay said, while a street location has a lunch rush and dinner rush. At an airport, 鈥渋t鈥檚 basically just, always.鈥�
And the airport location — unlike street locations of Flay鈥檚 burger chain — serves breakfast including a jalapeno egg sandwich with bacon and queso,
and is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
But, 鈥淚f there鈥檚 a storm that rolls through here, which happens often, we could be open until 2 o鈥檆lock in the morning, feeding people and making them
cocktails,鈥� Flay said.
Flay鈥檚 restaurant takes the place of another celebrity chef鈥檚 burger joint, ,
who ended up in a .
The Hartsfield-Jackson location of Bobby鈥檚 Burger Palace is operated by Atlanta-based airport concessionaire 91直播, which has a licensing
deal for the restaurant as part of a joint venture between 91直播 and H&H Hospitality.
The idea for the Hartsfield-Jackson location started when 91直播鈥檚 operating partner Charles Bluemle visited Flay鈥檚 restaurant Gato
while he was in New York City for a James Beard Foundation event last year, and met Flay and his business partner there.
鈥淚 just like them,鈥� Flay said. 鈥淭hey talked about food first, as opposed to business first.鈥�
Bluemle said he was interested in the idea of craft burgers and the 鈥渘ostalgia behind traveling鈥� and finding something that can鈥檛 be found elsewhere.
Flay鈥檚 restaurant joins other burger purveyors at the world鈥檚 busiest airport, including Grindhouse Killer Burgers, Shake Shack, Five Guys, The Varsity,
Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries, Burger King and McDonald鈥檚.
It鈥檚 yet to be seen whether Flay will open more airport locations. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to see how this one goes,鈥� he said.
