Frequent flyers have probably noticed a shiny new addition to the Idaho Falls Regional Airport.

Tailwind, an airport concession chain, opened in early December, just in time for the busy holiday travel season. The Wilmington, North Carolina- and Denver-based company renovated both the pre-security full-service restaurant and post-security concession — now a quick-service restaurant and bar — in about a week, after the former restaurant, Kathryn’s, closed in late November.

Tailwind brought in new cooking equipment so that hot food can be served upstairs and installed a new countertop bar with beer, wine and liquor. It also added a retail area, adjacent to the upstairs restaurant, that sells travel items, such as phone chargers, headphones, gadget accessories and, of course, neck pillows.

“It’s a world of difference from what it was,” said Airport Director Rick Cloutier.

After a quick turnaround on renovations, the concessions opened Dec. 8.

So far, Tailwind has been popular among travelers, especially the upstairs bar and quick-service restaurant, which was just a snack bar previously (it did serve beer and wine).

“December revenue was higher than any previous month in five years,” Cloutier said.

And it was only open for 22 days in December, he added.

Airport concessions used to be managed by Kathryn Anderson. She operated the downstairs restaurant, Kathryn’s Lounge, and the upstairs snack bar for 19 years.

The city of Idaho Falls released a request for proposals on the space last summer — Anderson did not renew her lease — which included requirements for minimum annual revenue (including a percentage of profits that goes to the airport), specific hours of operation based on flight schedules and a commitment to make out-of-pocket improvements to the concession area.

Tailwind, which has restaurants in 21 similarly sized airports across the country, won the bid and agreed to spend about $150,000 in renovations. The company signed a five-year contract with an option for an extra five years.

“We don’t take for granted these contracts,” said Tailwind president Jeff Sweitzer. “We’re proud and fortunate to have been selected for that contract and we’ll do our best to serve the community in the best possible way.”

Tailwind seems to have delivered on the infrastructure investment stipulations in the contract, as it completely transformed the post-security concessions.

While the former concession served primarily snacks and drinks, Tailwind made it possible to serve hot food — burritos, breakfast sandwiches, pizza, etc. — by installing a convection oven. It also serves freshly made sandwiches and coffee.

Sweitzer said most of the kitchen equipment is manufactured off-site and delivered to new Tailwind concessions so it can be set up quickly.

“Every single airport is different because of infrastructure,” Sweitzer said. “We have to customize (concessions) around the existing infrastructure to meet the budget we set for refurbishment.”

The two separate concessions in the Idaho Falls airport work together. Some food is prepared in the full-service restaurant downstairs, which is equipped with a flat grill and ventilation system, and brought through TSA security to the upstairs restaurant to be heated in the convection oven later. There’s no ventilation upstairs, so there can’t be a grill, according to John Gustin, general manager of the Idaho Falls airport Tailwind.

Gustin, who used to work in Las Vegas restaurants before moving to Idaho Falls (Tailwind hired all 12 new employees locally), said Tailwind’s goal was to modernize and streamline the airport facility to improve both the quality and accessibility of the food.

Vicki Gray, of New Braunfels, Texas, had a freshly made sandwich at Tailwind before her flight on Thursday. Gray, who travels for work often but was at the Idaho Falls Regional Airport for the first time, said a restaurant like Tailwind is typically what she sees in airports of that size. However, she often has to settle for pre-packaged sandwiches, so she appreciated that her meal was made-to-order.

“This is nice because I don’t like the pre-packaged sandwiches,” Gray said. “It was nice and freshly made and I like that.”

While the made-to-order food has received positive feedback, expanding beer, wine and liquor options has been the most welcome addition, according to Tailwind’s chief operating officer Jess Backhaus.

Tailwind installed a counter with bar seating and beers on tap.

David Schachman, a student living in Boston, was enjoying a beer at Tailwind’s new bar on Thursday before his flight. Schachman uses the airport frequently to visit his family who lives in the area but he hadn’t seen the new bar.

“This is my first time seeing it and I haven’t really tasted the food or anything but it’s got a pretty stocked bar so I can’t complain about that,” Schachman said. “For what it is, getting a beer before a flight, it seems to work well.”

Holiday travelers may not have been able to order liquor, as the airport had trouble acquiring a liquor license for the first month Tailwind was open — it’s a struggle many restaurants and bars face in the beginning due to the state’s strict rules on liquor licenses and even the city-run airport isn’t immune.

The liquor license troubles slowed down revenue for the first month but revenues have since balanced out, Sweitzer said.

“Now we have the liquor license so we’re stabilizing the operation,” Sweitzer said. “It takes about a year for all the residents to use the airport and see what we have.”

Tailwind’s second year in airports is always more profitable, Sweitzer said.

“We see a nice percentage increase because people know they can go to the airport early, go through security, sit and have a meal,” he said.

Tailwind expects to fulfill the five-year extension on the contract with the airport because “We have never not gotten the option” in other airports, Sweitzer said.

“We intend to be there as long as we can be,” he said. “We have a 10-year contract there. If I could talk the airport into extending that for my lifetime I’d take that option.”