Papa Joe’s & Embers Fire & Ice Lounge

This casual pre-boarding dining experience, located in Terminal B (Gates B18- B21) at the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport (DTW), offers a casual food and beverage service area with a strong visual and cultural tie to local restaurant brands. The project promotes a strong local identity through its concession offerings, including Papa Joes and Embers Fire & Ice Lounge, which offers a menu inspired by the fresh, sustainable ingredients found in Papa Joe’s own market, and local craft beers. The furnishings feature unique seating areas, including a park-like setting with tall sculptural tree elements that house accent lighting.

The design team skillfully inserted the new dining spaces into the barrier-free concourse, seamlessly integrating it with the passenger boarding areas. While there are no walls, the high visibility of the Embers Fire and Ice LED lighting and its large structural canopy provides a strong sense of place to arriving and departing travelers. NORR’s client, Midfield Concession Enterprises, selected this location for its proximity to many arrival and departure gates.

The excessive ceiling heights within the concourse meant that a complex MEP system had to be designed to exhaust out through the floor of the structure. Technology was integrated throughout the space, providing iPad ordering capabilities for food/beverage purchase and delivery to the guest table location. The client released the project for bid to a preselected pool of general contractors under a Design, Bid, Build methodology. Since completion, travelers have embraced this local themed food venue as a destination dining experience within the busy airport environment.