Passengers at St. Louis Lambert International Airport could soon be dining out with the St. Louis Blues—or at least a team-inspired eatery—if a proposal for a hockey-themed bar and restaurant is approved by the city.
The Blue Note Bar & Grill could replace an existing restaurant in Terminal 2 by early next year. That’s conditional on city officials giving final approval to a three-year extension to airport food service provider HMSHost’s contract to manage restauarants and bars at the airport, but the plan has already cleared the first hurdle.
On Wednesday, the Airport Commission gave preliminary approval to the contract extension, which would see HMSHost continue to manage food and drink concessions at the airport through the end of 2023. The company’s current deal expires at the end of 2020. Airport spokesperson Jeff Lea says the decision on final approval by city leadership could be “probably three or four weeks away.”
“We love our city and airport, so we truly love what the Blue Note Bar & Grill will mean for the experience of travelers arriving at or departing from the home of the 2019 Stanley Cup champions,” St. Louis Blues president and CEO of business operations Chris Zimmerman said in a statement.
As part of the approval process, the Airport Commission is calling for HMSHost to invest $3.5 million in its restaurant and bar operations at the airport. The commission has sought guarantees from HMSHost that the extension will bring a 6 percent increase in minimum annual guarantee revenue, or $4.7 million, from the firm’s food and beverage operations at the airport.
The deal also calls for HMSHost to introduce new food and drink concepts and upgrades to existing outlets. The Blue Note Bar and Grill is one of the new restaurants proposed and the first to be made public. Lea says that if the extension is approved, the plan is to have The Blue Note up and running in time for the NHL All-Star Game, January 26 at Enterprise Center.
