MIA HONORS ITS TOP CONCESSIONS AT SECOND ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY
From left: MDAD Deputy Director Ken Pyatt, MDAD Director Emilio T. González, Half Moon Empanadas Owner Pilar Guzman Zavala and MDAD Assistant Director of Business Development and Retention Gregory C. Owens; representatives from Icebox Café, Half Moon Empanadas and 305 Pizza
Miami International Airport recognized its top stores and restaurants based on excellence in customer service, merchandise and menu offerings at its Second Annual Concession of the Year Awards Ceremony, held at the airport on Friday, January 20.
Out of 24 nominations from more than 200 retail and dining locations at MIA, the final winners categorized by gross revenue were:
Small Concessionaire of the Year: Half Moon Empanadas
Medium Concessionaire of the Year: Icebox Café
Large Concessionaire of the Year: Johnston & Murphy
Best New Concept: 305 Pizza
Overall Concession of the Year: Half Moon Empanadas
The quality and diversity of our concessions are some of the most important contributors to our customer satisfaction ratings, so we are proud to recognize these exemplary restaurants and stores. Even more gratifying is that three of the four winners this year are local small businesses.
The nominees were judged by a three-person panel of industry professionals from Bayside Marketplace, the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association, and The Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University. Each concession was judged based on excellence in presentation, retailing and merchandising/menu selection; uniqueness of space/street appeal; sales per square foot; and customer service. The size categories were determined by annual gross revenue, with large category nominees earning $5,000,000 or more, medium category nominees earning $2,000,000 to $5,000,000, and small category nominees grossing up to $2,000,000.
MIA won numerous national awards in 2016 for its concessions, and jumped from 18th place to fifth among large airports in the J.D. Power 2016 North America Airport Satisfaction Study - in large part because of its dining options. The J.D. Power Study was based on responses from nearly 39,000 travelers who were asked to rate airports in six areas: terminal facilities; accessibility; security check; baggage claim; check-in/baggage check; and food, beverage and retail. Among its comments, J.D. Power noted MIA’s growing variety of localized food options. MIA also ranked third among all airports in North America for sales per enplaned passenger, according to the Airport Revenue News 2015 Fact Book.
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