Chicago is often referred to as the “Second City”, just as Chicago’s Midway International Airport is often overshadowed by Chicago’s larger and busier O’Hare International Airport. However, as Midway’s largest airline, Southwest, continues to grow its market share, Midway is fast becoming the airport for which an increasing number of domestic air travelers spend their time. The City of Chicago has recognized that its two airports serve as ambassadors for Chicago, as evidenced by the millions of dollars it spends in renovations and remodeling at these two airports. Most recently, the City of Chicago announced a $75 million program to renovate Midway’s concession areas. In addition to these renovations, travelers will also see some long-time tenants replaced with fresh new vendors.
As part of the Midway Modernization Plan, twenty-one current food and beverage vendors will close, including McDonald’s, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, and Harry Caray’s. Indeed, only four current vendors will remain as Midway seeks to usher in more upscale food service. True Burger, Windy City Tap, Pizza Vino, Tabo Sushi, and Home Run Inn will soon take positions as the newest Midway residents. Midway’s new focus on concessions will lead to the creation of over 300 new jobs once the project is completed.
The concession services manager is a joint venture between three companies that were picked through a modified bidding process. Municipalities often use modified bidding processes to create opportunities for businesses that the municipality itself is not equipped to manage. Such opportunities are usually first presented as a procurement request that can be hundreds of pages long. While the opportunities contained in these requests are highly sought after, procedurally, they can be very complex, often requiring the unique evaluation and skills of many different experts. In addition, the application process, bidding compliance and other requirements such as licensing for a proposal, often need legal expertise. You can find attorneys with the experience and knowledge to coordinate the ins and outs that are inherent with the municipal procurement request process at Rock Fusco & Connelly.