GOTB Deep Dive · Study Guide
Airport Concessions at O’Hare and Midway: Who Gets to Sell the Coffee?
Every restaurant, newsstand and duty-free shop at O’Hare and Midway sits on City property and needs a City contract. O’Hare’s ORDer Up! request for proposals offered 112 locations and more than 146,000 square feet in Terminals 1 and 3, with a 32% ACDBE participation target[1].
The sticky-note version
- Big Picture
- Chicago is re-bidding the shops and restaurants in O’Hare’s main domestic terminals, Terminals 1 and 3, which the City called one of the largest concession bids in U.S. airport history[1].
- What happened
- The RFP opened September 5, 2024 and proposals were due June 2–20, 2025 after several extensions[2][3]. The City got 167 proposals across 21 packages and said in February 2026 it expected to start awarding contracts by the end of March[6].
- Why it matters
- For more than a decade most of these spaces were held by two operators, HMSHost and Hudson[6]. Breaking them into 21 packages, plus a 10% small-business carve-out, opens the door to more local and diverse owners[1][6].
- Who it affects
- Travelers, Chicago restaurants and shops, airport workers, national operators, and ACDBE-certified firms[1].
- What comes next
- Awards are subject to City Council approval[4]. The timing of concessions for the future O’Hare Global Terminal has not been set[4].
- GOTB angle
- GOTB Consulting brings 20+ years of Chicago infrastructure and aviation experience. Contact us to learn more. GOTB helps local brands and ACDBE firms find the right partners, get certified, read the RFP and work through the City approval steps.
Study guide
1. What is a concession?
At an airport, a concession is any business that sells to travelers: food and drink, retail, duty-free and services. The airport owns the space and leases it out[1].
Explain it like I’m 12: The City is the landlord, and the shops are the tenants.
2. What ORDer Up! offered
ORDer Up! covered 112 locations in Terminals 1 and 3: 75 food and beverage, 34 retail and 3 duty-free, totaling more than 146,000 square feet[1].
The work was split into 21 packages: food and beverage packages 1–13, retail 1–7 and one duty-free package[2]. Ten percent of the space was reserved for small businesses, and the largest packages had to run an incubator program at four prime locations for first-time businesses[1].
Explain it like I’m 12: Instead of one giant contract, the City cut the pie into 21 slices so more people could get a piece.
3. What ACDBE means
ACDBE stands for Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, a federal program under 49 CFR Part 23[10]. The City set a 32% ACDBE target for the ORDer Up! packages covered by the goal[1].
The City’s answers to bidders said the goal can only be met by certified ACDBE firms, that firms must be certified at the time a proposal is submitted for Group A and B packages, and that Group C small-business packages carry no ACDBE goal[4][5].
Explain it like I’m 12: A set share of the business has to be owned by certified small, disadvantaged owners, and you have to have the certificate before you apply.
4. How the RFP timeline played out
The RFP was issued September 5, 2024, with a pre-proposal meeting on September 30 and terminal tours October 1–3, 2024[2]. Deadlines were extended several times, to February 19, March 19, April 8, June 6 and finally June 20, 2025[3]. Proposals were accepted June 2–20, 2025[2].
Crain’s reported 167 proposals; the Aviation Commissioner said in February 2026 he expected awards to start by the end of March[6]. Every award must be approved by the City Council[4].
Explain it like I’m 12: The City kept moving the due date so bidders had more time, then took months to grade the answers.
5. Terminal 5: a recent example
In 2022 the City Council approved the largest set of O’Hare concession agreements in over a decade, including local brands in the expanded Terminal 5. The City reported 40% ACDBE participation on those deals, beating its 32% goal[1].
6. Midway’s makeover
In February 2017 the City Council approved a 15-year, $75 million concessions makeover at Midway with Midway Partnership LLC, as part of a $248 million Midway overhaul[7].
Midway Partnership describes more than 70 new dining and retail brands, 70,000 square feet of concession space and an airport serving 22 million passengers a year[8].
Explain it like I’m 12: Midway got its own shop makeover a few years before O’Hare’s.
7. What to watch next
The City has said the timing of concession solicitations for the O’Hare Global Terminal has not been decided[4]. The Global Terminal itself is scheduled for 2029–2033[11], so its shops are a later opportunity.
Also watch City Council agendas for the ORDer Up! lease approvals[4].
Explain it like I’m 12: The next big chance comes when the new buildings are finished.
Timeline
- Feb 22, 2017 Council approves 15-year, $75M Midway concessions deal[7].
- 2022 Council approves T5 concessions; 40% ACDBE reported[1].
- Sept 5, 2024 ORDer Up! RFP issued for T1 and T3[1][2].
- Sept 30, 2024 Pre-proposal meeting at the O’Hare Hilton[2].
- Feb–June 2025 Deadline extended five times[3].
- June 2–20, 2025 Proposal submission window[2].
- Feb 2026 167 proposals reported; awards expected by end of March[6].
- Next Council approval of leases[4]; Global Terminal concessions timing to be set[4].
Key numbers
Photo gallery
Photo: 李元顥, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Christophe95, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Warren LeMay, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Vmzp85, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: N i c o l a, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Watch
ORDer Up: RFP for O’Hare Concession Opportunities in Terminals 1 and 3
CDA’s official ORDer Up! briefing.
Video: Chicago Department of Aviation · YouTube
O’Hare Airport Concessions Symposium
CDA session for businesses interested in airport concessions.
Video: Chicago Department of Aviation · YouTube
How to Open a Concession at O’Hare or Midway
City walk-through for small businesses.
Video: Chicago Dept. of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) · YouTube
The ABC’s of DBE and ACDBE Certification
How certification works and why you need it before you bid.
Video: Chicago Department of Procurement Services (DPS) · YouTube
Behind the Boarding Pass: Cielo Concessions
A day with a concessions operations manager.
Video: Chicago Department of Aviation · YouTube
O’Hare Terminal 5 Extension Grand Opening (1/31/2023)
T5’s new space, where the 2022 concession deals are opening.
Video: Chicago Department of Aviation · YouTube
Latest Updates · What City Hall Decided · What’s Next
Latest updates
- CommitteeOct 13, 2026City Council Aviation Committee approved, as amended, a concession lease and license agreement with ALCLEAR LLC (CLEAR) for TSA identity-check services at O’Hare and Midway (O2026-0029003). An amended lease for a Terminal 5 food concessionaire, HFF HPH SK ORD T5 LLC (O2026-0028753), was on the agenda but not on the list of items passed. Source: Committee on Aviation, Summary of Meeting (Oct. 13, 2026) ↗
- CDAFeb 2026Aviation Commissioner says 167 proposals received for 21 ORDer Up! packages; awards expected to begin by end of March 2026. Source: Crain's Chicago Business ↗
What City Hall decided
- CouncilOct 16, 2025Council consents to transfer of the Terminal 5 concession redevelopment lease from URW Airports to ASUR US Commercial Airports (O2025-0019971). Source: Chicago Councilmatic ↗
- CouncilMay 21, 2025Council approves 49–0 concession-agreement transfers of interest at O’Hare and Midway (Vosges/NorthAmerican ORD JV, Nuts on Clark-Midway, CAVU) (O2025-0016745). Source: Chicago Councilmatic ↗
- CouncilFeb 22, 2017Council approves the 15-year, $75M Midway Partnership concessions lease. Source: Chicago Sun-Times ↗
What’s next
- CouncilOct 14, 2026The committee-approved CLEAR agreement (O2026-0029003) was on the agenda for the full City Council’s Oct. 14, 2026 meeting. As of Oct. 14, 2026 the final vote result had not yet been posted publicly; check the City Clerk’s record for the outcome. Source: Committee on Aviation, Summary of Meeting (Oct. 13, 2026) ↗
- CouncilPendingORDer Up! awards still need City Council approval of each lease. As of Oct 14, 2026 no public award list was found. Source: CDA ORDer Up! Addendum #3 ↗
- MilestoneTBDTiming of the O’Hare Global Terminal concession solicitation has not been set (building scheduled 2029–2033). Source: CDA ORDer Up! Addendum #3 ↗
The GOTB angle
Winning an airport concession takes more than a good menu. You need the right prime or joint-venture partner, ACDBE certification finished before you apply, a plan that fits the RFP’s scoring, and a path through City Council.
GOTB works with local brands, ACDBE firms and operators on partnering, certification, community support and the approvals that come after the award.
Want a spot at O’Hare or Midway? Start with GOTB.
Michael E. Brown · GOTB Consulting LLC · (312) 342-6629 · mbrown@gotbconsulting.com
Sources
- City of Chicago press release: bids opened for 112 new concessions at O'Hare (Sept. 2024)
- FlyChicago, ORDer Up! Concession Opportunities in Terminals 1 and 3
- FlyChicago, ORD RFP Documents Data Room (addenda and extensions)
- CDA, ORDer Up! Addendum #3: Answers to Written Questions Set #2 (Dec. 18, 2024)
- CDA, ORDer Up! Addendum #2
- Crain's Chicago Business (via LinkedIn), O'Hare concessions bids (Feb. 2026)
- Chicago Sun-Times, $75 million Midway Airport concession revamp cleared for takeoff (Feb. 22, 2017)
- Midway Partnership, Project Overview
- Chicago Councilmatic, Ordinance O2017-695
- eCFR, 49 CFR Part 23: Participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprise in Airport Concessions
- City of Chicago, New Concourse E release (Aug. 20, 2026)
Facts checked against public sources as of October 14, 2026. Photos are public domain or Creative Commons; see credits under each image. Figures change; follow the source links for the latest.
Fictional characters from GOTB’s original stories. Real-world facts always link to public sources.