New food options at Charlotte airport, including Florida chicken chain with NC roots

There’s a new place to grab a bite before catching a flight at Charlotte Douglas International Airport with local roots.

PDQ, a fast-casual, chicken restaurant, recently opened its third Charlotte-area location in a 729-square-foot space at Concourse E, across from Gate E36.

PDQ founders Bob Basham and Nick Reader in 2009 purchased Tenders restaurant in Cornelius, the inspiration for the Tampa, Florida-based chicken chain. Along with PDQ Tenders on Statesville Road, PDQ has a store in Concord.

Menu items include hand-breaded chicken tenders, sandwiches and salads, and milkshakes.

The franchise restaurant will have about 25 full- and part-time employees.

PDQ opened in 2011 and has 62 locations in five states, including 10 stores in North Carolina and two in South Carolina. PDQ has one other airport location, at Tampa International Airport.

More places to eat and drink at CLT airport

Charlotte’s airport has several expansion and renovation projects underway as part of a multi-year, $608 million terminal plan that started in 2019.

Renovations in the lobby areas for departures/ticketing and arrivals/baggage claim will include adding five concession spaces.

CLT is the seventh busiest airport in the world for arrivals and departures.

The airport has had several recent restaurant openings, including Charlotte-based Sycamore Brewing in Concourse E, and Beatrix Market and Wow Bao in Concourse C.

Great Wagon Road Distilling Co., based in Charlotte, is open as The Broken Spoke on Concourse A with plans to expand next year and partner with an HMSHost restaurant. The distillery’s original location is in NoDa and second tasting room is opening Sept. 8 in Waxhaw.

Other restaurants planned for the airport are:

▪ Midwood Smokehouse, a barbecue restaurant by FS Food Group in Charlotte with five locations in the Carolinas, will open in Concourse B. It’s expected to open by mid-September, according CLT’s food and beverage concessions partner HMSHost.

▪ The Waterman Fish Bar is planning to open in CLT Concourse C by fall 2024, HMSHost said. The 3,000-square-foot space will be a full-service restaurant. The Waterman has two other restaurants in South End and Cornelius.

▪ OMB Biergarten will be open on Concourse D replacing Carolina Beer. It’s expected to open in fall 2024, according to HMSHost.

▪ Panera Bread will open a second airport location at E rotunda, according to CLT’s website. No timeframe for opening is listed online.

▪ Auntie Anne’s pretzels is opening its third CLT spot at Concourse C. No timeframe for opening is listed.