Detroit Metropolitan Airport announces new shops, restaurants and video game lounges

DETROIT (July 22, 2024) – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) is excited to announce the future addition of 12 new retail shops, six restaurants and two video game lounges as part of the McNamara Terminal Concession Program Transition. The new offerings will be introduced as current concessions contracts expire. 

“DTW is already the number one ranked mega airport in North America,” said Wayne County Airport Authority CEO Chad Newton. “These additions, with their Detroit-centric branding, will help us maintain our position among the top airports in the country, as we take Detroit to the world and bring the world to Detroit.”

Paradies Lagardère, Delaware North, WH Smith North America/The Marshall Retail Group and Gameway, Inc. will operate the new concessions and invest a combined $18.8 million in capital improvements for their respective spaces. 

Here’s a rundown of all the exciting new businesses that will make their home at DTW:

Paradies Lagardère

• 313 Exchange/Dylan’s Candy Bar: A Michigan-inspired news and convenience store featuring locally crafted artisanal gifts and gourmet products. Inside 313 Exchange, customers will find Dylan’s Candy Bar. This store within a store will offer a variety of candy offerings.            
• Corktown Place: Named after Detroit’s oldest neighborhood, the Corktown Place will offer news and convenience items. Customers will also find a Pure Michigan boutique within Corktown Place featuring local and Michigan-based brands like Sanders Candy, Cherry Republic and Original Mackinac Island Fudge Co.
• Detroit-VS-Everybody: Offering news and convenience items and highlighting the Detroit-born and internationally known Detroit-VS-Everybody brand, DVE will feature Pop Daddy Snacks, Creative State Apparel, Detroit Streetwear, Inspire Michigan, Made in Detroit, Wetroit, Great Lakes Proud, Kalamazoo Candle Company, STP Distributing, Diamonds Body Care and Scene Happy among other local and Michigan-based brands. 
• Eastside Golf: A golf lifestyle apparel brand that golf professionals, celebrities, fashion influencers and professional athletes have all embraced by promoting diversity on the course. The space will include custom-commissioned murals by local artists.
• Hip & Humble: This specialty retail space will offer a variety of local and nationally branded fashions, home and personal products with vibrant eclectic designs and a locally themed mural. 
• iStore Express: This retail space will meet traveler needs by offering a wide selection of mobile products from Apple, Bose, Beats, JBL and Skullcandy among others. 
• Johnston & Murphy: The national clothing brand offering a wide assortment of business and business casual shoes, apparel and accessories for men and women will move to a new location in the McNamara Terminal. 
• Motor City Essentials: Named after one of Detroit’s iconic nicknames, the Motor City Essentials travel store space will offer news and convenience items as well as snacks, drinks, prepared meals, local artisan treats, travel accessories, tech products, souvenirs and more.

“We are honored to expand our partnership with the Wayne County Airport Authority by delivering new retail experiences that will highlight local businesses as well as national brands,” said President and CEO of Paradies Lagardère, Gregg Paradies. “From iconic names such as Pure Michigan and DETROIT -VS- EVERYBODY to rapidly growing new brands like Hip & Humble and Eastside Golf, we aim to continually elevate the shopping experience for travelers at Detroit Metropolitan Airport through fresh concepts, customer-centric innovation, and our award-winning customer service.”

Delaware North

• 7greens: A health-forward café born in the Motor City. Michigan native Kelly Schaefer founded 7greens which focuses on high-quality, locally sourced ingredients and chef-inspired recipes.
• Born in Detroit Kitchen + Bar: Showcasing the best of Detroit’s food and beverage scene, Born in Detroit Kitchen + Bar features retail items from local retailer Born in Detroit and is co-branded with the Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company. Inspired by the grit and passion of the 313, this venue celebrates Detroit’s unique culinary culture.
• Cask & Craft Local Spirits + Bites: An exciting beverage-focused concept featuring Detroit’s two most renowned distilleries. With the power duo of Valentine Distilling Co. and Detroit City Distillery leading the way, Cask & Craft will offer DTW travelers an experiential and beverage-forward experience.
• Dunkin’: Dunkin’ will be managed by The OM Group, Delaware North’s local operator, which is the largest and fastest growing Dunkin’/Baskin Robbins franchisee network in Michigan.
• Wahlburgers: This crave-worthy burger shop is owned by the Wahlberg brothers. Wahlburgers is known for its elevated, chef-driven burgers that blend national recognition with a strong local community connection. 
  
  

“We’re thrilled to broaden our footprint in Detroit alongside our new and longstanding partners,” said Delaware North Group President of Travel, Scott Socha. “These new concepts underscore our dedication to providing an exceptional guest-centric experience while highlighting the remarkable local talent and the rich, diverse culture of Detroit’s business and culinary scene.”

“Detroit is like a second home to me,” said actor, producer and co-owner of Wahlburgers, Mark Wahlberg. “Joining the DTW airport is an incredible honor, allowing us to share our signature burgers and uphold our brand pillars of great food, shared experiences and community giving. We can't wait to bring a taste of our family-inspired recipes to DTW airport!”

WH Smith North America/The Marshall Retail Group

• Fuel Travel Shop: Offering news and convenience items, Fuel Travel Shop will feature Michigan-branded products like Zingerman’s, Motor City Popcorn, Garsnett Beacon Candles, Tru Royal Universe, Detroit Originals and more.
• iStore: A retail shop equipped with interactive displays featuring product testing and the latest brands, as well as more than 60 company-branded products from Apple, Bose, Beats, JBL and Skullcandy.
• Michigan Makers: This unique retail shop will showcase the work of some of Michigan’s finest artisans to create a one-of-a-kind shopping experience made expressly for DTW travelers. Michigan Makers will feature products from local artists and vendors and highlight merchandise from artists on a rotating basis.  
• Motown Greatest Hits Travel Shop: This space will offer news and convenience items as well as an in-store shop featuring Motown themed gifts and collectibles and local brands such as Bon Bon Bon and Detroit is the New Black.

“We are delighted to extend the WH Smith North America partnership with Wayne County Airport Authority and the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport,” said CEO of WH Smith North America, Toby Keir. “The team has been great long-term partners with our tech brand, InMotion, and it is a pleasure to continue our strong relationship through this new opportunity. We look forward to exploring what makes Detroit unique and channeling these aspects into charming retail spaces for travelers to take a piece of the city wherever they go.”  

Gameway, Inc. 

• Gameway “Classic” Lounge: The “Classic” lounge will likely offer 12 gaming stations on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 platforms and five stations for PC gaming. The “Classic” lounge will also offer pre-packaged snacks and bottled non-alcoholic beverages.
• Gameway “Ultra” Lounge: The “Ultra” lounge is expected to offer 10 gaming stations for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 platforms, five stations for PC gaming and six stations dedicated to popular retro games. The “Ultra” lounge will also offer canned alcoholic beverages in addition to bottled non-alcoholic beverages and pre-packaged snacks.

“We are thrilled to be opening two new Gameway locations at Detroit's McNamara Terminal,” said Gameway Co-Founder, Emma Walbridge. “As the first and only airport gaming company in the US, we're passionate about bringing entertainment to travelers across the country. Detroit has an amazing community of passionate gamers, which makes this market a perfect fit for our newest locations. Our premium video game lounges will offer everything from the latest consoles like PS5 and Xbox Series X, high-end gaming PCs, to old-school classics on the original NES/SNES all while sitting on comfy seats and enjoying your favorite snacks and drinks. We are thankful for the chance to bring the Gameway experience to more travelers, and we hope our lounges quickly become a favorite Detroit airport tradition.”   

All restaurants listed are scheduled to open in 2025. Corktown Place and Motown’s Greatest Hits Travel Shop will be among the first retail locations to open in 2025.  Other concessions will begin operations over the course of the next two years. 

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) welcomed more than 31 million passengers in 2023. As one of the world’s leading air transportation hubs, DTW offers service from 17 scheduled passenger airlines. Michigan’s largest airport offers approximately 800 flights per day to and from more than 125 nonstop destinations on three continents. With two award-winning passenger terminals, six jet runways, and an onsite AAA Four-Diamond Westin Hotel, DTW is among the world’s most efficient, customer friendly and operationally capable airports in North America. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport earned Airports Council International’s 2020 and 2022 Airport Service Quality Award for Best Airport by Size and Region (25 to 40 million passengers per year in North America). DTW also ranked #1 in Customer Satisfaction among Mega Airports in the J.D. Power 2023 North America Airport Satisfaction Study and scored highest among the following study factors: Security Check, Food/Beverage and Retail Services, and Terminal Facilities. DTW is operated by the Wayne County Airport Authority, which also operates nearby Willow Run Airport – an important corporate, cargo and general aviation facility. The Airport Authority is entirely self-sustaining and does not receive tax dollars to support airport operations. Visit www.metroairport.com for more information.