RDU celebrated the openings of three new restaurants on Aug. 21 with ribbon cuttings for local Italian deli Bongiorno & Son, Dunkin’ and Guy’s Pizza Joint from celebrity chef Guy Fieri.
“We are thrilled to celebrate our restaurant partners and introduce travelers to the latest additions to RDU’s dining experience,” said Tammie Hall-Roberts, chair of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Board. “This marks an important step in our ongoing efforts to reimagine airport dining, with even more exciting options planned in the year ahead.”
Bongiorno & Son, Dunkin’ and Guy’s Pizza Joint are among more than a dozen new concepts that will open their doors in Terminals 1 and 2 through 2026. Last year, RDU welcomed Crawford’s Genuine from local James Beard Award-nominated chef Scott Crawford, Carolina Craft and locally owned Black & White Coffee Roasters. From regional and celebrity chefs to local breweries and national favorites, you can learn more about what’s on tap next at rdu.com/reimagine.
Expanded Alcohol Sales: The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Board has approved a six-month pilot program for expanded alcohol sales. During the pilot period, the time restriction for alcohol sales will be removed, allowing restaurants to sell alcohol during all open hours. Restaurants will also be allowed to offer to-go drinks. Guests may consume to-go drinks anywhere in the post-security areas of the terminal but may not bring them aboard flights.
Summer Travel: July passenger traffic showed an uptick over the same month last year, as the peak summer travel season begins to wind down. Nearly 1.5 million passengers flew through RDU in July. RDU has served almost nine million travelers this calendar year, and they will soon have more choices for domestic flights. Breeze will add a route to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in December and expand service to Albany, Fort Myers and Orlando. Avelo is also growing at RDU, with more flights to New York and Connecticut. The airline will expand its Albany and Rochester routes in September and add daily service to New Haven beginning in October, with twice-daily flights around the holidays. Delta Air Lines launched new service to Indianapolis this month. RDU now has a record 19 airlines and 81 destinations.