The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Serving local fare to travelers on the go
Long having worked under the shadows of chefs Duane Nutter and Todd Richards at Hartsfield-Jackson fine-dining venue One Flew South, Andrew Tabb has finally been given his own wings to fly at new airport restaurant Chicken + Beer. And he’s soaring.
In his first executive chef position, Tabb might just be the busiest chef at the world’s busiest airport. Consider the challenges he contends with on a daily basis as he runs a scratch kitchen in an airport setting: Compliance with the Department of Agriculture, random night and safety checks, no steak knives (which means figuring how to prepare that flat iron steak so diners can eat it). And then there’s sourcing. How can he bring in product from local farms? Until he figured out a better system, that meant meeting farmers multiple times a day at passenger drop-off curbs. And let’s not forget all of this is for a time-pressed clientele. The clock matters with every meal order.
But the Atlanta native has come up with solutions to all these issues. The restaurant does some 350 covers a day, and Tabb’s team is averaging ticket times of six to eight minutes. “We can get you out of here in a maximum of 10 minutes,” he said.
That’s quite an accomplishment, especially considering that Southern-inflected Chicken + Beer is truly a chefdriven eatery, with poultry sourced from White Oak Pastures, and everything from stocks to condiments to cured pork belly done in house. Poke your head in the kitchen. You won’t find a microwave.
“I’m trying to change the idea of how people think of airport food,” Tabb said. Bite into the two-piece Southern Fried Chicken plate, and “airport food” is not what comes to mind. Rather, finger licking delicious is what your brain and tastes buds will register.
Since the restaurant’s debut last fall, Tabb has tweaked the menu to better suit patrons on the go. The C+B Fried Chicken Sandwich is one he launched recently. A perfect item to take on the plane, the sandwich has since risen to the top of the sales chart. “Last week, we sold 450 sandwiches,” he said.
Tabb has been around the airport long enough, clocking in at One Flew South from 2009 as a line cook, until last year as its chef de cuisine, to know how to keep frequent flyers happy. “I’m 31 years old. A good portion of my 20s, I was in the airport.” He’s clearly applying that acquired knowledge to food service at Chicken + Beer.
Tabb may soon be putting his touches on food outside the airport, as Chicken + Beer’s owner, the entertainer Ludacris, considers expanding the brand. And maybe, one day, Tabb will see his own restaurant concept come to fruition. “I do have a dream for a place of my own,” he said.
But for now, Tabb is poised to keep air travelers happy and fed on Concourse D.
Chicken + Beer, HartsfieldJackson International Airport (near Gate D5), 6000 N. Terminal Parkway, Atlanta. 404-2093905, ChickenandBeer.com.