New Billard Airport terminal restaurant on the horizon

TOPEKA (KSNT) - A Topeka airport has a brand new look for 2024 with more exciting changes set for the near future.

The Philip Billard Municipal Airport in the Oakland area of Topeka is undergoing development work and is poised to reveal a restaurant for its newly constructed terminal. KSNT 27 News reached out to the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority (MTAA) to learn what people can expect from the terminal in 2024.

Director of Development with the MTAA, Curtis Sneden, said the identity of the new restaurant is likely to be released next week. Currently, the MTAA is considering a number of choices to fill the restaurant slot at the new terminal. The names of the restaurants being considered is not available for release by the MTAA at this time.

The previous tenant of the old airport terminal at Billard, Tammy's Café, held a special place in the hearts of many locals. Sneden said the MTAA plans to honor the legacy of this longstanding business at the new terminal.

"Tammy’s Café was something of a legend, having operated in the old terminal for 18 years or so," Sneden said. "The owner, Tammy Bailey, has taken a well-deserved retirement and we wish her well. There are plans to honor her legacy with a display in the new terminal building."

While the new terminal building has been open since January this year, an official ribbon cutting ceremony is in the works for after the new restaurant is revealed. The new restaurant is currently expected to open around late June or mid-July this year.

"Feel free to check it [the new terminal] out; it’s beautiful," Sneden said.

Sneden said the planned demolition of the old terminal is on hold as the MTAA Board explores new options for the building with the possibility of rehabilitating it. Airport Director/President of Airports Eric Johnson described the old structure as a "constant maintenance nightmare" in an interview with 27 News in 2023.

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