Editor’s Note: In the airport food and beverage world, chefs and culinary executives are constantly tracking emerging dining trends, evolving consumer preferences, and operational challenges, all with an eye toward elevating the traveler experience. For the July/August issue of Airport Experience News, AXN’s Sally Kral connected with culinary leaders from some of North America’s top airport food and beverage concessionaires to get their insights on the latest developments.
Alongside the feature story in the magazine, Kral asked each leader a series of additional questions. In the third installment of this web-exclusive Q&A series, Jeff Steelman, North American vice president of culinary for HMSHost, shared his experiences and insights with Kral.
To read the full feature on the industry’s leading culinary directors, log in, subscribe, or check out the July/August print edition of Airport Experience News.
Kral: What’s your hospitality background and how did you get into the airport industry?
Steelman: I started in the food and beverage business at 14 years old. I was a hydro porcelain technician, which is just a fancy way of saying a dishwasher. It’s been a great journey—I was very, very blessed to be brought up in the food and beverage business and the restaurant business, through friends and family, and over the years just grew and grew. Right before joining Avolta I was doing corporate development, and I was the corporate chef for Todd English. We were flying around the world and doing pop-ups and opening restaurants all over, and we would consult for HMSHost at the time. And then Steve Johnson [Avolta’s North American president and CEO] started asking if we would come over full time and bring what we do on the street to the airports. We said “absolutely” and that was about 13 years ago.
Kral: What are some of the biggest food and beverage trends in airports right now?
Steelman: I think obviously healthy has been is a timeless theme, a timeless trend, but I would say that ever since the GLP-1 movement came out, I think people have taken it a lot more seriously, and they’re really focused on better-for-you items through their snacking periods, through their breakfast, lunch, dinner periods, everything. Protein seems to be the biggest driver right now. People are seeking protein options with whatever they’re eating, and now we’re seeing more people asking to read labels—from Boomers to Gen Alpha—looking for protein, creatine, colostrum, magnesium, vitamin D, calcium, fiber. The better-for-you movement is out there and this is just part of the norm conversation now.
Another trend we’re seeing in our locations around the world is that the younger generations want bold flavors. They want spices and sauces, global cuisines, whether it’s ramen, Middle Eastern, Indian, Latin American, all these different types of flavors.
Kral: What’s your approach to menu evolution to keep up with trends?
Steelman: We can always test and try things out. Depending on where we are and what season it is, and where we are in the country or the world, we can test something. If it has a really high take rate and everyone’s enjoying it and loving it, then maybe it does earn permanent space on the menu. But you can’t do that with every single item or with everything that someone would potentially call a trend.
A big thing for us right now is relaunching our Eat Well Travel Further grab-and-go program, and we think it’s going to be amazing. Our promise on that brand is that everything we introduce will have no artificial flavors, no synthetic colors, no artificial sweeteners, no fructose corn syrup, and no hydrogenated fats. Whether it’s sandwiches, salads, wraps, parfaits, fruit cups, bento boxes, that promise will be built into all those items underneath the Eat Well Travel Further program throughout the country. We’re building a whole program and snack category that will have all those ingredients—the protein, colostrum, creatine—all the things that everyone’s asking for.
Eat Well Travel Further is our grab-and-go program, but obviously during these conversations about what travelers are looking for and as we flip 100-plus menus every year, we see where we can tie that in. Is there a dessert, a homemade cookie, that we can add creatine and colostrum to? I think it’s about having fun with it and just really trying to build those foundational pieces, whether it’s salad, whether it’s a QSR meal, a full-service sit-down experience, just really trying to put the better-for-you touch on a lot of it. And listen, we still love the indulgent piece too, especially for those going on vacation. We want to appeal to everybody, no matter where they are or what they’re seeking.
