Mayor Brandon Johnson Unveils New Central Market At Midway International Airport
Mayor Brandon Johnson joined officials from the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) and local concessionaires at Midway International Airport to celebrate the reopening of the airport’s Central Market and the completion of the historic Midway Modernization Program (MMP), the most comprehensive investment in Midway’s facilities in more than two decades.
“The new concessions in Midway’s reopened Central Market are not just world-class amenities to enhance the passenger experience for Chicagoans and visitors alike,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “These improvements are an investment in our City’s communities, creating jobs on the Southwest Side for young people and mid-career professionals while connecting local businesses and entrepreneurs with one of our region’s biggest economic engines.”
“I am proud of Midway’s long track record of investing in diverse local businesses, with the highest Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) participation rate in the nation,” CDA Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee said. “This ribbon-cutting completes our ambitious Midway Modernization Program and underscores Mayor Johnson’s ongoing commitment to supporting our diverse team of airport concessionaires at both airports, which represent a key pillar of Chicago’s economy.”
The revamped Central Market, located at the intersection of Concourses A and B, is home to a mix of new and existing brands with diverse ownership teams. The food and beverage locations include:
- Connie’s Pizza
- America’s Dog and Burger
- White Sox Bar and Grill
- M Burger
- Beecher’s Handmade Cheese
- Dunkin’
- Reilly’s Daughter
Retail locations include:
- Evolve
- Tumi
- MAC/Jo Malone
In 2023, more than 56% of Midway’s concessions were operated by firms with diverse ownership teams, among the highest rates in the Southwest Side airport’s history and the highest reported rate of any airport in the country.
The airport’s concessions developer, Midway Partnership, managed Midway’s extensive concessions overhaul. The firm’s contract with the CDA will be extended as part of a broader airport concessions ordinance that also extended some relief measures first implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic to help support local businesses hit hard by the historic disruption of air travel. That ordinance was recently passed by the Chicago City Council with the support of Mayor Johnson and the Committee on Aviation.
“Midway Partnership is thrilled to celebrate the opening of the centerpiece of the new guest experience here at Chicago Midway. This milestone almost completes the transformation of the airport’s eating and shopping experience with a private investment of over $75 million. The Central Market features a thoughtfully curated mix of local and national retail brands, and several local Chicago favorites, offered in a welcoming setting here in the center of the airport.” said Sammy Patel, CEO, Midway Partnership. “Thanks to the collaborative partnership between the countless small, local, minority businesses, the Chicago Department of Aviation, and Midway Partnership’s joint venture partners SSP America, Hudson, and Vantage Airport Group, we can deliver an exceptional guest experience and create thousands of jobs and opportunities for the South Side of Chicago.”
Additional development is planned by CDA and Midway Partnerships in 2024, including buildouts for several additional retail and food and beverage locations. Midway is also on track to open the airport’s first lounge, The Club MDW, in the Central Market next fall.
Midway’s concessions redevelopment was the final major phase of the $400 million MMP, which launched in 2015. The airport now boasts more than 45 new and local brands. The expansion increased Midway’s total concessions area from 40,000 square feet to more than 70,000 square feet.
The centerpiece of the MMP was an expansion of Midway’s passenger security checkpoint, which dramatically increased the width of the pedestrian bridge over Cicero Avenue and doubled the TSA’s hourly screening capacity and available space for queuing. The new security bridge opened in 2020 with a virtual commissioning at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Modernization work on Midway’s Terminal Parking Garage was completed in 2021, with technological upgrades including elevator modernization, improvements to the exit plaza, a new revenue control system for more efficient entry and exiting, new electric vehicle charging stations, energy-efficient electrical upgrades including LED lighting, drainage upgrades and other civil improvements.
The CDA also implemented Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements at the nearby Midway Kiss ‘n’ Ride, including a designated passenger loading and unloading zone, a raised accessible path, and new signage.
