Pappas is attracting public support as Houston plans to rally support for new airport concessionaire Hobby.

Hobby airport terminal
This photo shows the interior of Hobby Airport International Terminal, which opened in October 2015.

A popular Houston restaurant chain seeking to continue operations at one of the city’s airports has garnered public support by launching an online petition that has garnered more than 20,000 signatures in two days.

The campaign has drawn the ire of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, whose administration has criticized Pappas Restaurants for spreading “inaccuracies and misinformation” as the group risks losing a 10-year contract with Hobby Airport, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. dollars.

The restaurant company’s online petition, titled “Stop Eviction of Pappas Hobby Restaurants,” is in response to an offer by the Houston City Council to award a 10-year concession contract to a joint venture group led by Areas headquartered in Spain. a company that manages concessions at 89 airports worldwide, including nine in the United States. Turner said during a board meeting earlier this week that 4 Families of Hobby, the Pappas-led group that has managed concessions at South Houston Airport since 2002, did not score as well in the city’s competitive bidding process for a new contract.

“The proposed winner offered a significantly higher rate of return (for the city) and implemented the local concepts demanded by Houston airports through this procurement process,” Turner’s administration said in a statement Thursday. “The City of Houston is required by law to make a decision based on the results of a procurement process, not a popularity contest.”

Each of Houston’s 16 council members on Wednesday decided to delay or “flag” a vote on the proposed Areas contract until next Wednesday’s council meeting. The company proposes to give the city 21 percent of its food and non-alcoholic beverage sales that it does at Hobby Airport, as well as 23 percent of alcohol and merchandise sales, with a projected total revenue of more than $104 million. per annum, according to the agenda item of the council.

Pappas CEO Chris Pappas acknowledged during Tuesday’s board meeting that Areas’ revenue estimates are “above ours in terms of sales” but cast doubt on the other company’s projections as it has not yet operated at the airport and will have a different restaurant and bar roster. concepts. It’s unclear what percentage of revenue for the city the Pappas-led group is suggesting, as those numbers have not been made public by either the restaurant or the city.

Chris Pappas claimed that his group of concessionaires contributed to the 5-star Hobby airport rating obtained from Skytrax in 2022, a first for a North American airport. Its offerings include Cantina Pappasito, Pappas Bar-BQ, Pappas Burger, and Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, as well as a number of national concepts, and 4 Families have suggested adding a few additional Houston-area concepts in their latest offering.

Council members Robert Gallegos and Michael Kubosh said during a council meeting on Tuesday that they don’t understand why the city wants to phase out the Pappas brand because of its visibility and community involvement, and because its restaurants represent some of the main cuisines of the region. barbecue, cajun and texas-mex.

Pappas Hobby Advertising
Pappas Restaurants uses this image as part of a social media campaign related to concession operations at Hobby Airport.

“We’re trying to get rid of our brand that makes Houston,” Gallegos said. “It does not make sense”.

In his online petition, Pappas says the city “wants to replace the local restaurants you know and love with a company that has no ties to our city and no success in the community.” But the Turner administration disputed the idea that local restaurants would not be featured at Hobby Airport if the contract was awarded to Areas.

Among the local concepts that Areas has proposed to include are Killen’s Barbeque, Clutch City Coffee, SpindleTap Brewery, The Spot and Throughgood Coffee, as well as some national chains, according to the Turner administration.

“To put it simply, Hobby Airport will remain local if the city council approves the contract before them,” Turner’s office said in a statement.

In January, the city entered into a separate 10-year concession contract with the LaTrelle management corporation, which proposed adding Houston’s mainstream bakeries Common Bond Bakery, Dish Society, Fat Cat Creamery, Pink’s Pizza, The Rustic, and Velvet Taco to Hobby Airport by November 2024. LaTrelle’s is also part of the 4 Families group, which includes Pappas.

Pappas Restaurants said Friday via a spokesperson that the city has a “guarantee of excellence” from the company and that the airport’s work has helped its business grow. The spokesperson added that Pappas “will continue to serve Houston with pride and excellence, no matter where our restaurants are.”

The Houston-based partners are part of a joint venture group led by Areas, according to company spokesman Steve Duchene. He also said a job at Hobby would give the concessionaire, which has US headquarters in Miami, a first presence at a Texas airport.

“We firmly believe that our 50 years of success have prepared us well to establish Hobby operations, attract passengers and become a productive city partner,” Duchene said. “It is important that we recruit and hire our hobby team locally. Any employee of an existing concessionaire who wishes to continue their work in the Areas may do so. At a minimum, we will maintain current wages and provide comparable benefits without loss of seniority. This is our promise.”

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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