Chopped: The process and politics in selecting Sacramento Airport’s new eateries | Opinion

A peaceful revolution recently occurred in Sacramento, one that will change the culinary futures of untold thousands of travelers passing through Sacramento International Airport.

As one example, Vino Volo, the wine bar with fancy food, is out. So is Jack’s Urban Eats, the popular midtown eatery.

Roseville’s Nixtaco, with its sumptuous and creative tacos and salsas, is in. So is East Sacramento’s One Speed.

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These changes were recently approved by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, a legislative body that had one key concern that had nothing to do with food. More on that later.

Preceding this decision, made unanimously by supervisors on February 6, was a great public bidding war that came and went without a major controversy. As a case study in process and politics, give the staff of Sacramento County Airports at least three stars. It could have been a real food fight as the supervisors approved 13 new food options in their downtown chambers.

But everybody was home before lunch.

Credit the supervisors and staff for continuing an important, and perhaps obvious, food policy. National chains at an airport have a place. But for a town known as The Big Tomato or the Farm to Fork Capital, our community pride is deeply invested in what is homegrown and homemade.

“I’ve always thought that this airport should have a sense of place that represents Sacramento,” saId Supervisor Patrick Kennedy. “Anybody that gets off an airplane should be able to see Sacramento. This continues in that vein and that legacy.”

Renowned local restaurateur Patrick Mulvaney, who happened to be part of a bidding stable of eateries that fell just short of victory, said the contest showed something remarkable about Sacramento’s food scene. “We have such a deep bench,” said Mulvaney, whose midtown restaurant carries his name. “We congratulate everybody who got in.”

Mulvaney praised the county on a “thoughtful process.” A lot of thought went into the eventual decision made by the supervisors, such as: Which local eateries should get coveted slots in Terminals A and B? Which national chains should be kept in the mix? And what kind of transparent public process can arrive at a solution that doesn’t give everyone heartburn?

As supervisor decisions go, “This is big to me,” said Kennedy.

In a way, life imitated art to render this big decision. In this case, “art’ is Food Network televison.

“Chopped,” an infamous Food Network show, is a brutal competition of chefs facing a basket of mystery ingredients and little time to devise a dish. Sacramento County staff had to devise its version of Chopped to identify the best concessioners for 18 available food and beverage sites in both terminals.

The airport and county wisely reduced this competition into bite-size chunks. It divided these culinary opportunities into eight different bidding competitions for different eatery slots within the terminals.

And then the county selected the judges.

“The five-member evaluation panel consisted of two Department of Airports staff members, two representatives from Sacramento area community and economic development organizations, and one (airport) airline station manager,” the staff reported.

The judges were given a scorecard: Proposer Evaluation, Business Terms and Concept Evaluation.

Conspicuously missing was something these judges didn’t evaluate - taste.

There will be some familiar local names surfacing in the terminals, such as midtown’s Magpie, Centro Cocina and bawk! New Helvetia Brewing Company and Midtown Spirits got slots as well. Nationally, look for a Wendy’s in both terminals.

The national chain Famous Famiglia actually outscored the local One Speed based on the criteria given to the judges. But it turns out that Famiglia was famous inside the airport for something rather unsavory, “for late rental payments,” according to the staff report. So it was chopped.

In the local retail politics that consume the supervisors, worries about food and restaurant selection were largely cast to the wind. Two concerns emerged about the 300-some employees who are about to lose their jobs at airport establishments that are to go out of business.

Will they get hired back?

And will they stay in a union?

The concession agreements give these employees a first shot at all jobs, County Airports Director Cynthia Nichol assured the supervisors. “Change is a scary time for us…especially for people who rely on certain contracts for their livelihoods,” Nichol said.

Along with getting rehired, said Supervisor Phil Serna, “It is of great value, at least to some, perhaps all members of this board, that those employees be represented,” he said.

Supervisors last made this weighty decision more than a dozen years ago. Get prepared for the coming eatery lineups at the airport to be around for a while.

More than 12 million travelers are expected to spend nearly $73 million at these establishments in their first full year. These establishments will pay the airport nearly $10 million in annual rent to keep Sac International operating.

The airport is a grand opportunity to showcase what is fundamentally great about Sacramento, the food that we grow and the culinary minds who gravitate here. Travelers are poised to get a taste of what makes this region great in the years to come.