New dining options are coming to CT’s Bradley International Airport
An upgrade of at least $6 million to the shops and restaurants at Bradley International Airport will bring a first-ever Starbucks to the airport later this summer and a new sit-down restaurant this spring.
The new restaurant, Beercode Kitchen & Bar, is planned for the Gates 20-30 concourse at Connecticut’s largest commercial airport. The gastropub-style restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus local craft beers and other beverages.
Beercode Kitchen & Bar will open in the space formerly occupied by the American Airlines premium lounge. The lounge closed in 2018 and the space has been vacant ever since.
In addition, six existing shops — two CNBC stores, two New England Travelmarts, one iStore and one Avanti Marketplace — will get a new look.
Two of them — one CNBC store and one Travelmart — will be rebranded to CT River Landing and Charter Oak Emporium to make a stronger connection to the local Hartford-area market.
“We are truly excited to enhance our successful retail stores as well as add the iconic Starbucks and Beercode restaurants to our overall program at Bradley International Airport,” Gregg Paradies, president and chief executive Paradies Lagardère, said Wednesday.
Paradies Lagardère is a major operator of shops, restaurants and bars at airports around the country.
“Dining and shopping are an important part of the travel journey, and we are thrilled to be rolling out these exciting terminal-wide changes in partnership with Paradies Lagardère,” Kevin A. Dillion, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, which oversees Bradley’s operations, said.
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The upgrade in concessions comes as Bradley also embarks on $230 million in projects aimed at transforming the airport’s terminal and making room for more airlines, passengers and amenities.
A $185 million project will remove baggage screening from the lobby. Plans call for constructing a system that will transport checked baggage along a mile-long conveyor belt to a new building for security screening. The system is standard at most airports across the country.
A companion, $42 million project will create additions to the east and west sides of the terminal. New sets of escalators and elevators will connect the concourse and baggage claim, also creating new lounge areas for people waiting for travelers arriving at the airport.
The two projects are expected to be completed in the next two or three years.
Last year, Bradley opened a $210 million ground transportation center. The transportation center consolidated all rental car companies in one place and added more parking — all connected to the terminal.
Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com.