Portland International Airport Is Getting a Slew of New Business as Part of Its Concourse Construction

Prepare to get brunch drunk and your ice cream fix while waiting to board your flight.

IMAGE: M.O. Stevens / Wiki Commons.
By Andi Prewitt

Abiding by the recommendation to arrive two hours before your flight just got a little more enticing—at least when departing from PDX.

A slew of new restaurants, coffee and juice shops as well as retailers are coming to Portland International Airport as part of ongoing concourse construction projects.

This week, the Port of Portland announced that it was beginning lease negotiations with nine new businesses. Seven are expected to open in June 2020 as part of the 830-foot extension of Concourse E, which will also include six additional gates and more charging stations. What's likely to be one of the most popular newcomers is Tillamook—a spinoff of the sprawling cheese factory's cafe near the Oregon Coast, serving burgers laden in melty slices, grab-and-go items and an ice cream counter.

If you'd rather get a good buzz going before crawling into your cramped seat and spend a few hours next to strangers with questionable hygiene, belly up to Juliett. The watering hole with a women-in-aviation theme should serve stellar cocktails since it's the latest to come from the Lightning Bar Collective that also spawned the Bye and Bye, Century and Capitol.

And anyone looking for a last-minute gift that encapsulates Portland's preciousness, the project brings the number of Tender Loving Empire storefronts inside the airport to two—though the new one will have a greater focus on the offerings from the company's record label.

You'll have to wait a bit longer for brunch heaven to arrive in Concourse B, though. The always-packed, Southern-inspired Screen Door is expected to start slinging chicken and waffles all day in the spring of 2021.

In order to meet the goal of helping small business growth, the Port made some changes to the solicitation process for the new spaces. There were 42 proposals from 30 companies, making it the most competitive process in PDX history. When the selected shops open, 26 percent of the airport's concessions will be women- and minority-owned.

Related: Portland is The Nation's Best Airport, and it Keeps Getting Even Better.

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