Helen Back could open at airport

Helen Back might be headed to Northwest Florida Regional Airport.

To meet the added demand generated by increased traffic in recent months, airport staff is moving forward with plans to open a new restaurant inside the terminal building.

Okaloosa County Commissioners are set to approve a five-year contract with First Class Perks, a company formed by Helen Back owner Chris Sehman, at their 8:30 a.m. meeting today at the Water and Sewer Administration building in Fort Walton Beach.

“This will be offering something that is a locally grown operation at our airport,” Sehman said. “I’m changing my menu to kind of accommodate the airport clientele. We’re kind of just jumping on board with the increased traffic to the Panhandle and the growth that’s expected with Vision Airlines.”

Okaloosa County asked for proposals from companies interested in opening restaurants at the airport. Although five companies attended a pre-bid meeting, only Sehman’s First Class Perks submitted a proposal.

Sehman’s proposal would have him pay the county 12 percent of his annual gross sales for the first five years of the contract. The contract also has an option for a five-year renewal, at which time the payment to the county would increase to 14 percent.

If approved, Sehman would open a version of his popular Helen Back restaurant and bar with a slightly modified menu in the airport.

Northwest Florida Regional Airport was designed with about 2,000 to 2,500 square feet of open space behind the tiled wall in the airport’s welcome area. The restaurant would be divided into two sections, one for people who have a boarding pass and already have gone through security or have a layover, and another section for people who have not gone through security. The two sections would share the same kitchen.

If approved, the restaurant would feature Helen Back’s famous pizzas, although the sizes would be different from its other locations, and more sandwiches and wraps. The airport restaurant also would be open for breakfast and feature a breakfast pizza, as well as pastries, yogurts and breakfast wraps.

The restaurant would also include the multiple LCD television screens and sports packages for which Helen Back is known, Sehman said.

Tracy Stage, project manager for the Northwest Florida Regional Airport, said construction could begin by September and would take approximately 90 days to complete. The airport will pay approximately $80,000 for the interior design and build-out, which will consist of electrical, plumbing, lighting and redoing the walls and ceiling.

The remaining work to get the restaurant open would be funded by Sehman, if the board approves the contract.

The county recently awarded Sehman a contract to open two new kiosks at the Northwest Florida Regional Airport. The first of those is expected to open next month. The need for more food venders at the airport has increased recently as passenger counts have jumped.

For the third time in the past three months, Northwest Florida Regional Airport has broken its record for the most passengers in a given month. The airport had 116,948 passengers in June, and airport staff believes the record could be broken again soon.

“We anticipated another record-breaking month in June and see no reason why this trend won’t continue throughout the summer,” said Mike Stenson, Northwest Florida Regional Airport’s business development manager. “Our total passengers count is up 37 percent for the year with almost 500,000 passengers to date. With the previous high of just over 800,000 passengers in 2005, 1 million passengers for 2011 is very attainable.”