Punta Gorda Airport Seeks Proposals for Restaurant/Bar at New General Aviation Center

PUNTA GORDA, FL (June 7, 2021) – The Charlotte County Airport Authority is currently requesting bids for a public full-service restaurant, bar and caterer (Restaurant Services) at the Punta Gorda Airport’s new General Aviation Center (GAC). Proposals are due by 2 p.m. Friday, July 30, 2021.

While the lease space is approximately 2,500 square feet, the 1,045-square-foot dining area can also be combined with an adjacent 534-square-foot rentable events room to open the entire space for larger events. The events room and Restaurant Services spaces feature large wall-to-wall windows with outstanding views of PGD’s runways, aircraft parking and aviation activity.

The Authority is building the new 13,000 square-foot GAC as the focal point of the airport’s aviation expansion area, referred to as the PGD AviEx. Construction of the GAC is expected to be substantially completed in March 2022, with Restaurant Services expected to be operational in the following six months.

The PGD AviEx is the runway-adjacent area on the north side of the airport approximately a mile from the Bailey Terminal. The AviEx is home to the GAC and a 650,000-square-foot-ramp for aircraft parking, which are currently under construction, as well as 24 T-Hangars and several larger corporate hangars that are in the permitting phase. The AviEx is envisioned to become a hub for general aviation activities to flourish, as well as a prime spot for onsite flight schools, avionics and aircraft maintenance services, and related training programs to expand.

Located within the boundaries of the Punta Gorda Interstate Airport Park, PGD is already home to a strong aerospace and aviation community, including professional avionics and aircraft service providers, flight schools, luxury charters, an air ambulance and a new Aviation Maintenance Technician School that Charlotte Technical College is launching in August 2021. PGD also has a Civil Air Patrol squadron, Experimental Aircraft Association and 217 onsite T-Hangars that are in high demand. 

In 2020, PGD’s air traffic control tower logged a total of 79,045 takeoffs and landings – evidence of the strong activity from air carriers, air taxi/charters, GA and military aircraft. With 1,363 air taxi operations in 2020, there is a proven demand for onsite to-go catering for charter flights.

With about 500 employees working on airside airport property on a daily basis, plus hundreds more in property-adjacent businesses like Cheney Brothers, Peace River Distributing, Blue Bell, Amigo Pallets and the Sheriff’s headquarters, there is a large potential clientele hungry for food service. While several fast-food restaurants are located off I-75 exit 161 south of PGD, there are no other competitive sit-down restaurants in a three-mile radius. The growing number of airport tenants, surrounding businesses and nearby residential development provides a strong base for walk-in customers as well as business catering, delivery and pickup orders.