Travelers at the Redmond Municipal Airport will have their choice of Central Oregon favorites including Sisters Coffee, Bend Brewing Company and Sparrow Bakery when an expansion project wraps up there in late 2027.
The Redmond City Council signed a contract with Tailwind Hospitality, LLC, a national airport concessions company that will facilitate the local restaurants at the airport. The vendor plans to create a new food hall with walk-up counters, self-order kiosks, express areas and a grab-and-go market.
That will go in a 4,500 square-foot concessions space on the second floor to accompany a 700-square-foot coffee stand on the first floor with Peet’s Coffee, a national brand from California.
More food and beverage options are one part of a $180 million expansion meant to take Central Oregon’s commercial flying center to new heights, doubling terminal seating, add seven new jet bridges, 6,000 square feet of concessions, new restrooms and more.
While the number of passengers flying through Redmond has boomed over the last few decades, they don’t tend to linger in the terminal. An analysis conducted by airport officials found an average “dwell time” of one hour, while one-quarter of passengers go through security checkpoints before 6 am.
With the new contract, the City is aiming to make early-morning coffee and food stops more efficient, said Zach Bass, airport director.
“We found that with the lack of options and efficiency, people were just waiting to buy their coffee until they get to Seattle or San Francisco,” Bass told the Source.
A selection committee included airport staff, Bend and Redmond economic development staff and one Redmond city councilor. They graded proposals on background and experience, concepts and design, management and experience, customer service, financial proposal and capabilities, Bass said at a May 26 City Council meeting.
“Welcoming this new concessionaire marks an important milestone in our airport’s continued expansion,” Redmond Mayor Ed Fitch said in a press release. “Tailwind’s demonstrated commitment to excellence and alignment with our region’s character reflects the high standards we uphold for our travelers and our community.”
Tailwind runs concessions in about 50 mid-sized airports across the country, including in Eugene and Medford. According to agenda materials, the company’s proposal estimated a $4.7 million in construction of the concession space, while another proposal estimated $2.2 million.
Some city councilors said they were disappointed that a local concessionaire would no longer be running food and beverages at the Redmond Airport. The only other proposal was from the airport’s current concessionaire, Albany-based Aviano RDM, LLC, which proposed to bring Bend’s Thump Coffee and a restaurant and grab-and-go market. Aviano runs the Avalon Aeropub, a restaurant and bar on the second floor of the airport.
At the May 26 meeting, councilors also expressed concerns over menu options and the authenticity of the food hall aesthetics. John Nielsen, who was on the selection committee, called Tailwind’s concept “tragically uninspired.”
“It literally could look like any mid-sized airport anywhere in the country,” Nielsen said.
But the contract gives the City control over many aspects of Tailwind’s concessions, including design approval, food menus, changes to vendors and general manager approval. The contract lasts for 10 years.
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