Potential changes to Abilene Regional Airport: Food options, bar & more

BigCountyHomepage.com
by: Ashly Ibarra
Posted: Jul 13, 2023 / 10:33 PM CDT

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Many people need a lot of patience at any airport, so having something to do while waiting at the Abilene Regional Airport could be in the near future.

Bodegish owner Josh Rader, GoGoGiri Owner Harrison Nguyen, and entrepreneur Jerron Johnson are partnering up to bring new businesses to the airport, such as new vending machines, food options, and a cocktail bar.

Radar said that with the growth of the city of Abilene comes more travel and tourism. For those who travel, the airport is the first and last impression they have of Abilene. He plans to bring a Bodegish-style business to the airport.

“I want to have two vending machines on the other side of security, so before you fly out, the last thing you see is Abilene featured things,” said Rader.

Although the airport already has vending machines, Rader said he wants to show off the local businesses the key city has.

“We’re not just doing Skittles and stuff like that going out of it. I want pies from Caitie pies and I want to have beef jerky the Local is making,” expressed Rader.

Jerron Johnson has always been interested in opening his own bar. For the past 20 years, he has been working in the cocktail business. Since working at Fatbosses, The Hallows, and the Poorhouse, to name a few, he has come up with the idea to open a bar at the airport called ‘Half Hour Flight.’

“Half Hour Flight came from the inspiration of a guy that actually helped pioneer some of the craft cocktail scene here in downtown Abilene. His name is Drew Garrison, and he’s based out of Forth Worth in the Dallas area. So when he would come down when he was helping cultivate the bar scene around here, he would fly into the airport and everything, and he know it’s about a 30 or 45 minutes flight, so you know he would reference it as a half hour flight because there is a popular cocktail known as a paper plane and he made a riff on that cocktail and named it the half hour flight is an ode to the culture and the industry,” said Johnson.

Johnson gave KTAB/KRBC a sneak peek of what the logo would look like at the new cocktail bar and with the new amenities, he hopes the airport can be the place to be even if someone doesn’t have a flight to catch.

“The airport kinda provided us an opportunity, and it was kinda a way to give back and contribute to the city further than the downtown scene, you know because Abilene is growing. You’ll probably end up seeing an influx of people coming into the airport and stuff like that,” expressed Johnson.

Although other businesses at the airport have closed in the past, Harrison Ngygen said with the right marketing, they can create something that will stay put.

“We market towards the correct demographic as well as any demographic in any given city, and we take a percentage of that population, and we turn it to consistent returning customers,” added Nguyen.

Once these businesses are up and running, the owners shared that they hope to expand to other areas of the airport with the possibility of even an outdoor space for people to enjoy.

The proposal was approved by the Airport Development Board, but it will be presented to the city council for final approval. If approved, the owners said they should be up and running by the fall.