Philadelphia's airport formally rolled out its revamped
Terminal B at a grand opening ceremony Monday.
The innovative airport concessionaire OTG led the $30
million project, which the airport undertook in conjunction with American
Airlines. The project encompassed 15 gates and involved the installation of
more than 1,000 iPads in restaurants and gate areas, which airport customers
can use to order food, browse the internet and play games.
Six of the eight new restaurants that are to be part of the
terminal project are already open, with two more openings scheduled by March.
"When I got into this business, I always looked forward
to the day I could come back to reinvent my hometown airport at this scale,"
OTG CEO Rick Blatstein said in prepared remarks. "Today, that dream
becomes a reality."
Already open in the renovated Terminal B are the French-inspired
bakery Boule Cafe, Mediterranean mezze concept Baba Bar, Italian eatery CIBO
Bistro & Wine Bar, beer and bratwurst concept Germantown Biergarten, Philadelphia-themed
LOVE Grille and pizzeria Mezzogiorno. The steakhouse Independence Prime is scheduled
to open Nov. 17 and sushi restaurant Noobar is slated for a March opening.
OTG's projects are known for their modern designs and
locally driven restaurants. Its biggest project to date is a $120 million
revamp of United's Terminal C at Newark Liberty Airport.
Philadelphia's Terminal B had remained open during the
redesign.