HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — You can grab an artisan cold brew coffee, a decadent chicken Thai sandwich or — for those pre-flight jitters — a strong cocktail or craft beer paired with some bar bites.
Lehigh Valley International Airport on Wednesday unveiled its new food, drink and shopping amenities — which are as varied as curated, farm-to-table food, and traditional eats such as chicken tenders and tuna subs.
Joining the dining options inside LVIA's main terminal is Zekraft coffee shop and cafe and Which Wich, a made-to-order sandwich chain.
Also, in partnership with Tailwinds Concessions, the terminal added a swanky airport bar (complete with plasm TVs to catch a sports game or news) and a souvenir shop, Spirit of Lehigh News & Gifts.
The airport hired Tailwind Concessions, headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, as its concessions provider, in October 2023.
Since then, Tailwind, which operates concessions in 60 airports, worked closely with airport executives to revamp the main terminal to provide more options for customers as travel continues to grow.
'Hit all the marks'
According to LVIA's operator, Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, the airport served 1,012,240 passengers last year — a record number and an 8.7% increase from 2023.
More passengers means a greater need for ambiance and comfortability, officials said Wednesday.
"The nice thing is we check all the boxes for people now, so no matter what you're showing up here with a taste for we can cover that," Airport Authority Executive Director Thomas Stoudt said.
"We want the environment to be welcoming. We want it to be something that people are excited when they come. Generally, people are in a happy place when they're going to travel."Tom Stoudt, Executive Director of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority
"We want the environment to be welcoming. We want it to be something that people are excited when they come. Generally, people are in a happy place when they're going to travel.
"Part of air travel in my mind is that sometimes it can be stressful, so some of the things that we can do to help is to be able to provide some comfort with food and beverage."
With the new foods, travelers don't need to be as weary when ordering on the go.
" I know plenty of people who might have dietary restrictions and food allergies," Stoudt said. "And those are things that we can now accommodate.
" You never know who's flying through and what their needs are and I think we now have products that can really hit all the marks."
The airport will continue to expand, Stoudt said.
Locally sourced
Zeke Zelker, owner of Zekfrat cafe, was all smiles at the ribbon cutting for the revamped terminal on Wednesday.
"It's so great to see," Zelker said. "The first day that we opened, which was on Sunday, this woman got so excited that we had gluten-free items.
"I think we have seven or eight different things that are gluten free, and she so happy that she actually could eat something."
Zelker, who co-owns the eatery with his wife, Elaine, follows a similar model held at his former cafe in Bethlehem, which closed in November.
The goal: to offer quick and healthy, locally sourced meals with ingredients made from scratch.
Among the local farms and businesses with whom the Zelkers work are the Flour Shop Bakery in Bethlehem; Apple Ridge Farm in Saylorsburg; Patriot Farms in Lenhartsville, Berks County; and High Point Kombucha in Allentown.
Since the opening, staff say the top-sellers are the Thai chicken sandwich ($12.99) with peanut chicken and a mango pepper slaw and the razz-a-ma-tazz ($10.99) an open-faced sandwich made with smoked turkey, brie and spicy raspberry sauce.
"For example, to make pesto, I may need six pounds of basil, so we're bringing that same concept to the airport, which is very different," Zelker said.
"But Tailwind's been great to work with because they understand the value of our brand and they also understand our attention to detail.
"We always say, 'Taste the difference,' because what we are doing is different. It's not just a meat-cutter-slicing-meats-for-a-sandwich kind of thing."
Connection to the airport
Zelker said the airport, which was built in 1929, holds a special meaning for him.
"My family has been here since the 1800s and my grandfather had a kiddie land at the airport in the '50s and '60s," he said. "The airport staff are trying to find pictures of it for the cafe."
Zelker, who directed "Billboard," a locally shot indie movie starring Eric Roberts, also owned a cafe in Easton's Simon Silk Mills.
He said he's optimistic about the new venture.
"It's a lot of hours, the margins are slim. So you have to really pay attention to detail and what the customer wants."Zekfrat owner Zeke Zelker
"Being here is an opportunity to take our brand to a lot more people that we didn't have before," he said.
"We've worked very hard to get to where we're at, and we have an amazing local food economy. Not many people realize that this business is hard.
"It's a lot of hours, the margins are slim. So you have to really pay attention to detail and what the customer wants."
For a full list of menu items, visit Zekraft's website.
