Celebrity chef and Food Network star Bobby Flay’s burger restaurant opens at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Saturday.
Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay will serve grilled Angus beef, medium or well-done, on brioche buns with sides and shakes near Gate C18 in Terminal 2. The RDU Bobby’s Burgers is the second at an airport, after Phoenix International, and the 10th in the country, including ones in Charlotte and Yankee Stadium and three on the Las Vegas strip.
As RDU fills retail and restaurant vacancies in its terminals, it has emphasized local, including Raleigh’s Bongiorno and Son Italian deli, Black & White Coffee Roasters, La Farm Bakery Cafe and Crawford Genuine by local chef Scott Crawford.
But it has also brought in some nationally known names, such as Dunkin’, BurgerFi and Jason’s Deli. Guy Fieri’s Pizza Joint, where a cutout of the spiky-haired Food Network star Guy Fieri greets customers, opened in Terminal 2 this summer.
Grove Bay Concessions of Miami, Florida, developed the Bobby’s Burgers at RDU. The restaurant’s 400-square-foot kitchen and streamlined operation is built for airports, stadiums, casinos and other high‑traffic sites, said Ignacio Garcia-Menocal, the company’s co-CEO.
“RDU is a smart fit for our approach to airport dining,” Garcia-Menocal said in a written statement. “We focus on strong operations, quick service in tight footprints and partnerships that travelers recognize and trust — and Bobby’s Burgers checks every box as the best-in-class fast-casual burger brand.”
The RDU Bobby’s Burgers will also have a 20-seat full bar and serve breakfast, including a brunch burger, a breakfast burrito and oatmeal.
Celebrity chef Bobby Flay’s burger restaurant Bobby’s Burgers will open in RDU’s Terminal 2 on Nov. 22.
Bobby’s Burgers is one of several restaurants opening at RDU this fall and winter. Still to come in Terminal 2:
▪ Adios!, a Mexican restaurant created by Oscar Diaz, a two-time James Beard semifinalist whose previous restaurants include Cortez and Jose & Sons in Raleigh and Little Bull in Durham.
▪ Bond Brothers Taproom & Kitchen. The Cary-based brewery was open in the airport a short time in 2020 before the pandemic shut everything down.
▪ Lonerider, the Raleigh-based brewery and distillery, opened at RDU in the fall of 2023, offering grab-and-go food, spirits and beer, including a new brew called Boots Up Ale sold only at RDU. Lonerider then closed for renovations and is expected to reopen as a full-service restaurant.
And coming soon in Terminal 1:
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Puro Gusto, an Italian-inspired eatery with coffee, pastries, lunch, dinner and craft cocktails.
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Raleigh Beer Garden, an airport version of the Glenwood South institution, with more than 30 beers on tap and a full menu of bar food, snacks, sandwiches and salads.
