No longer arriving at Denver International Airport: a local bagel shop.<\/p>\n
Joshua Pollack, owner of Rosenberg\u2019s Bagels and Delicatessen, said a long-planned location at DIA won\u2019t be opening after all. He blamed the development on an airport concessionaire that would have operated the shop.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel slighted and it hurts my brand,\u201d Pollack said. \u201cWe were getting ready, it was public knowledge, and now we have to say we\u2019re not going to open in the airport because our partners screwed us over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pollack opened the first Rosenberg\u2019s in Five Points nearly 10 years ago. It expanded to Aurora\u2019s Stanley Marketplace and also has a kosher bakery.<\/p>\n
Pollack said he signed a deal with concessionaire Skyport Hospitality four years ago to open a Rosenberg\u2019s in DIA. But early last week, he said, cease-and-desist papers were signed and the companies agreed to go their separate ways.<\/p>\n
A number of local restaurant brands operate at DIA. But Pollack noted that those brands, including his, typically sign a licensing agreement with a concessionaire company like Skyport and don\u2019t actually operate the restaurant themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cEssentially no one owns their own concepts in the airports,\u201d Pollack said. \u201cIn Denver there\u2019s a handful (of concessionaires) that operate about 80 percent of what happens at DIA \u2014 they\u2019re pretty powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to its website, Skyport has 23 concepts in DIA, such as Elway\u2019s, Snooze and Shake Shack. It also operates in Nashville International Airport.<\/p>\n
As part of its agreement with Rosenberg\u2019s, Skyport owned the lease with the airport and funded the buildout of the space. Pollack would receive a percentage of sales.<\/p>\n
Pollack said he was attracted to Skyport because it already had space secured, so he wouldn\u2019t have to go through a bidding process with the airport. His only requirement was a commissary kitchen and an oven to do onsite baking. He didn\u2019t want to schlep in bagels made elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Rosenberg\u2019s retail space in Concourse B was nearly finished, and the shop was gearing to open, when Pollack said Skyport told him \u201cin the eleventh hour\u201d it wouldn\u2019t be able to build a commissary kitchen \u2013 a deal breaker for Pollack.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey wanted us to ship out finished products which I said I wouldn\u2019t do because it degrades my product,\u201d Pollack said. \u201cIn a heartbeat they can decide to do it or not do it. They don\u2019t care about your brand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Skyport did not respond to multiple requests for comment. A DIA spokesperson said they could not provide any information about plans for the space.<\/p>\n
Pollack said he\u2019s had expenses related to the planned DIA location, but that the financial impact is less than having to close a restaurant.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt seems like some of the cut-throat business dealings you would hear of in big cities, so it\u2019s not super surprising, but it\u2019s like a gut punch,\u201d Pollack said.<\/p>\n
He said he thinks there should be a certification process so small business owners can operate on their own in an airport, instead of having to rely on concessionaire companies.<\/p>\n
Pollack said he\u2019s not giving up hope on Rosenberg\u2019s moving to DIA, but wants to partner with a smaller company.<\/p>\n
In addition to bagels, Pollack\u2019s restaurant group Bridge & Tunnel owns Lou\u2019s Italian Specialties and Famous Original J\u2019s Pizza.<\/p>\n