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Robotic coffee kiosks debut at Dallas/Fort Worth airport

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Robotic coffee kiosks debut at Dallas/Fort Worth airport
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Sean Donohue Chief Executive Officer of Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport | Official Website

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has rolled out an innovative feature in its Terminal C aimed at improving passenger experience. A new robotic coffee kiosk, introduced by the Fort Worth-based Ampersand Coffee House, eliminates the need for traditional baristas by using automation to serve coffee and other hot beverages.

According to the airport's CEO, Sean Donohue, the introduction of this feature aims to enhance passenger satisfaction by reducing wait times. Passengers can order and pay via a touchscreen, and the machine, known as Gizmo, will prepare the selected beverage. Drinks can be collected from secure pick-up windows that open with a QR code. Gizmo offers a choice of 27 signature drinks, such as espresso, latte, and various types of tea, including breakfast and peppermint.

The change reflects a broader shift in how food and beverage services are viewed at airports. Ed Newton, Director of Pragma, a consultancy firm, explained, “F&B [food and beverage] was viewed as something of a poor relation, one that doesn’t achieve quite as high sales densities as the luxury, speciality retail stores.... Now, as people are more comfortable with eating out, and do so much more frequently, so their expectations of what they want their dining experience to be have increased, forcing airports to improve their F&B offering.”

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Ampersand Coffee House plans to further streamline passenger journeys by introducing autonomous robotic coffee delivery to airport gates by 2026.

The airport features over 200 food and beverage outlets, including major brands such as Starbucks, Wendy's, Caribou Coffee, and smaller venders such as La Crème Coffee & Tea and Lavazza Coffee. These established brands will need to adapt to coexist with emerging specialty coffee brands that are finding a foothold in airports.

In recent years, airports in the US, Europe, and Latin America have seen an increase in the presence of specialty coffee shops like Stumptown and Intelligentsia. The trend began after HMSHost, a primary food and beverage operator, ended its exclusivity deal with Starbucks in 2020, opening the door for more local cafes.

Speaking of specialty coffee, the CEO and Head of Quality at Taf Coffee, Yiannis Taloumis, shared insights on their expansion into airports, saying, “The Taf Retail Shop in Athens International Airport was open from December 2021 until May 2022. In May 2022, we opened the Cultivos Coffee airport location, which is a concept inspired by Taf."

Airport locations provide a high-volume sales environment but often come with constraints on customer experience, as noted by Pedro Echavarría, General Manager of Café Pergamino's airport branches.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport remains one of the busiest, handling over 87.8 million passengers in 2024 and serving as a significant hub for American Airlines. The airline holds a 68.7% market share.

Despite the growth of local and specialty coffee brands, major coffee sellers like Starbucks, Costa Coffee, and Dunkin' continue to hold significant presence in airports worldwide.

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