US: Cigar City Brewing on tap for two locations at TIA

Source from:  Tampa Bay Business Journal 04/14/2015

When the good news came down, the Cigar City Brewing executive team was spread out, so couldn't raise a toast. "We made do with email high-fives," said CEO Joey Redner.

The committee ranking bids for the new Tampa International Airport concessions program awarded Cigar City two storefronts on Friday, arguably making it the biggest winner among Bay area brands.

A large Cigar City Brewing location, featuring an in-house microbrewery, is slated for Airside C. The home of Southwest Airlines is the most heavily trafficked airside at TIA. Airside F will house a smaller Cigar City Taproom.

Cigar City is among a handful of local operators already in the airport, having opened there in 2012 under the aegis of TIA's master concessionaire, HMS Host. The company wanted the Tampa craft brewer to be part of its bid for a new concessions package, and Redner wanted in.

"They've showed a lot of willingness to work collaboratively with us," he said.

It should be noted that committee's rankings are not final, but experts in the concessions industry say that it's unlikely wholesale changes will be made.

HMS Host will run the Cigar City restaurants at TIA, as it runs the current location. Redner's people will concentrate on making the beer.

Cigar City's prime revenue potential comes from producing and selling its ales, porters, stouts and the like. HMS Host reaps most of the benefits from retail sales at the airsides. (The current Cigar City storefront generated $2.5 million in revenue last year.)

"Its been very lucrative so far," Redner said of the existing airport business. Cigar City sells the product to its distributor, J.J. Taylor of Tampa, which in turn sells it to HMS Host. "The airport represents our No. 1 account," he said. Enditem