Eat. Read. Fly.
As modern travelers make their way through a busy airport they are faced with a multitude of options. Typically, these consist of either eating or drinking establishments, or a concessionaire that offers periodicals, books or pre-flight sundries. But what the traveler does not have is a single location that provides ALL of these.
EAT. READ. FLY are concepts for a new concessions and food concept at SFO where on the one hand, a traveler can slowly browse for that perfect book and then sit down and enjoy it over a bite to eat or drink during their long layover. On the other hand, it will offer the traveler who only has seconds to spare both a quick snack and that perfect little gift for their loved one waiting for them at home.
STORY
The inspiration for these design rests on our comfortable familiarity with the traditional newsstands and markets of our past. EAT . READ . FLY draws from those memories and reinterprets them into a clean-lined version that celebrates those vendors in a modern way, one appropriately suited for a 21st Century airport. The material palette reinforces the design, and harkens back to the industrial aesthetic of the urban newsstand vendors by the use of metal paneling and display shelving. This, combined with the warmness of wood allows the interior to remain inviting and approachable for all.
The plans are designed for ease of customer flow and open visibility, giving the most hurried traveler clear visible access to all the products in the store. The organic and continuous circulation paths offer multiple merchandising options that have been designed to draw travelers into the space. In the case of the AW60 space the existing windows that have long since been covered over are now reopened, providing natural light at the rear of the space into the new Library lounge. As a result, the traveler that has a little bit more time to spend will find places to relax, catch up on a meal, watch a little news or sports on the flat screen TVs, or just slowly browse for that perfect item. The traveler that is just running in for a quick snack will find multiple under-counter shelves and above-counter tiered shelving stocked with impulse items at the central cashier’s area.
The entire concept of these EAT. READ. FLY. spaces is planned and designed for the traveler to spend a little more time in the space and to enjoy themselves while doing so… unless of course they are sprinting to make that connecting flight.
