PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 

COMMISSION AGENDA             Item No.      6c 
Date of Meeting    September 22, 2009 
DATE:    August 18, 2009 
TO:      Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:    James R. Schone, Director, Aviation Business Development 
Deanna Zachrisson, Manager, Concessions Business 
SUBJECT:  Amendment to Prime Lease and Concession Agreements of food & beverage
concessionaires Host International, Seattle Restaurant Associates and Concessions
International.
REQUESTED ACTION 
Request for authorization for the Chief Executive Officer to execute a lease amendment to the
Prime Lease and Concessions Agreements of Host International (Host), Seattle Restaurant
Associates (SRA) and Concessions International (CI) to cap mid-term refurbishment requirements
to no more than $100 per square foot, and specify dates for completion of mid-term
refurbishments in concessions units. 
SYNOPSIS 
In mid-2008, Port staff commissioned a respected aviation-industry consulting firm, Jacobs
Consultancy (Jacobs), to analyze the contract terms currently in place for the food and beverage
concessionaires at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac). The analysis took into
consideration the significant financial relief  including term extension  that had been provided
to the prime concessionaires (Host, SRA, CI and Hudson Group) in 2005 in response to
unexpectedly high build-out costs for the new concessions program. 
The 2008 Jacobs analysis led to some recommendations for consideration by Airport staff. One
specific recommendation centered on modification of the Port"s requirements for mid-term
refurbishment to concessions units, in light of the high initial investment in the units. Jacobs
suggested lowering the Port"s requirement to a maximum refurbishment investment of $100 per
square foot. Currently, the three prime food and beverage concessionaires" Lease and Concession
Agreements state different requirements for the same mid-term refurbishment. Notably, the SRA
agreement requires a minimum investment of $130 per square foot. Independent of the Jacobs
recommendation, Airport staff believes that the Port should establish a schedule of specific dates
for mid-term refurbishment for each unit. Since many units" build-outs were not complete until
well into the lease term, it is more reasonable to use the first day of operation in a new unit as the
starting point for determining the midpoint of a unit"s operational lifespan.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
T. Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
August 18, 2008 
Page 2 of 5 

BACKGROUND 
In July 2008, Airport staff presented the findings of the Jacobs analysis to the Commission. At
that time, staff committed to further study mid-term refurbishment requirements. Today"s action
focuses on changes to the mid-term refurbishment requirement that are deemed in the best interest
of the Port, the tenants and the traveling public. 
Mid-term refurbishment requirements 
The Airport expects more than 30 million passengers in 2009. Accordingly, Airport concessions
annually see more visitors than any "street" location, and over time, concessions begin to show
the wear-and-tear of a busy airport. It is industry practice to require concessionaires to refurbish
their units mid-way through the lease term. Such refurbishments add value to the unit and are an
investment in its business potential. 
SRA"s prime lease agreement requires mid-term reinvestment of $1.8 million for all of their
units (or $130 per square foot), and consistent with the amount offered in SRA"s response to the
Port"s Request for Proposals in 2003. The 2005 amendment to Host"s prime lease agreement
required a mid-term reinvestment equal to 15% of the initial investment in new units on
Concourse A and Central Terminal, and 25% for other units. The square foot cost will vary
depending on the initial investment in each specific unit, but is less than $130 per square foot. 
The Concessions International lease agreement specifies no specific dollar amount required for
mid-term refurbishment, stated only to be done "in a manner acceptable to the Port." 
The Port has always held a pragmatic approach to mid-term refurbishment by requiring only
refurbishment levels justified by the actual need, assessed through inspection of each unit at the
mid-term. If a unit has been well maintained  carpets cleaned, surfaces repaired, cooking
equipment maintained  the amount of investment necessary for refurbishment is reduced. All
concessionaires have invested significantly in the build-out of their units. In light of the high
initial investment, Port staff concurs with the Jacobs recommendation to reduce the mid-term
refurbishment investment. The proposed amendment will cap the mid-term reinvestment to a
maximum of $100 per square foot. Airport staff believes that a maximum refurbishment
investment of $100 per square will be sufficient for all concessions units to return to a "like new
condition" as specified in the lease agreements. It will also make the requirements uniform for
all three prime food and beverage concessionaires, which currently are different due to different
proposals from the prime concessionaires at the time the lease agreements were written. 
Additionally, lease language would be revised to clearly identify the date of mid-term
refurbishment for each concessions unit, with the mid-point determined individually from the
date on which business commenced in a newly renovated or built-out concession unit. Current
lease language is not reflective of the earlier lease extension given in 2005, or in-step with actual
completion dates of build-out/renovation work. This change benefits tenants, including small

COMMISSION AGENDA 
T. Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
August 18, 2008 
Page 3 of 5 

operators, who completed build-out or renovation work much later than at the beginning of the
lease term, by adjusting the point of refurbishment to a later time. 
In March 2009, Commission authorized amendments to the Lease and Concession Agreements
of prime concessionaires (and their subtenants) located on Concourses A and D, due to the
reductions in scheduled airline service from gates in those locations. Today"s proposed lease
amendment would specifically delay any mid-term refurbishment of a unit that is operating in an
area subject to a relief provision. It would be unreasonable to require a tenant to refurbish a unit
that is operating under temporary relief. However, emergency, code compliance and operational
repairs always are required of all tenants. 
New Concession Design Guidelines 
In the build-out and refurbishment of concessions units, clear communication of Port 
expectations and requirements with tenants and their designers/architects is critical. If the tenant
is unsure of these expectations and requirements, the result may be multiple submittals and
revisions that escalate costs for the tenant. Airport concessions staff acknowledges that there are
ways to improve the build-out/renovation process and are seeking to create more efficient
processes. This year, Airport concessions staff undertook the work of preparing new design
guidelines for concessions development. The new guideline document is easy-to-read, yet
specifically addresses critical design and construction guidelines and requirements. While buildout
costs for an airport restaurant or store always will be higher than for a street location, it is
possible to establish realistic expectations for concessionaires at the start of the tenant-Port
relationship. 
A part of the new design guidelines entailed development of a specific standard and process for
the mid-term refurbishment  where no guideline previously existed at all. This guideline
includes the inspection checklist, which clearly explains which types of issues the Port expects
tenants to address with their mid-term refurbishment. Once reviewed by internal stakeholders
and tenant representatives, this new design guideline will serve to steer the mid-term
refurbishments beginning in 2010, as well as new concession units. 
SCOPE OF WORK 
The draft lease amendment accompanies this request for authorization. Exhibit A of the lease
amendment shows the specific dates for each unit"s mid-term refurbishment date. If approved,
Airport staff will proceed to execute these lease amendments, as well as assure that the
amendment terms must be passed down to all subtenants.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
T. Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
August 18, 2008 
Page 4 of 5 

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES 
This proposal supports the strategy of "Ensuring Airport and Seaport Vitality" by ensuring
viability for businesses at the Airport. Appropriate re-investment in concessions units
contributes to the overall high quality of the Airport program, while allowing concessions
operators to be profitable. 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 
The proposed lease amendments do not have any negative financial implications for the Port. 
ECONOMIC IMPACTS 
The preservation of attractive concessions units helps assure that discretionary purchases at the
Airport remain desirable to the residents and visitors of the Puget Sound area. Again, certainty
in tenant contract terms helps assure concession unit viability. 
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED/RECOMMENDED ACTION 
Alternative 1: Do Nothing 
The prime concessionaires and their subtenants would be required to complete mid-term
refurbishments in accordance with the terms of their specific food and beverage lease
agreements. The requirements in the agreements are dissimilar, and will result in a different
standard for different tenants. Tenants would be required to complete mid-term
refurbishment at the midpoint of the lease agreement, regardless of when a new unit actually
entered operation. For example, a new unit that opened in July 2007 would need to refurbish
after only four years of operation in a 12-year lease. Additionally, tenants on Concourse A
would be required to do a mid-term refurbishment in 2010, when, in all likelihood, the units
are still operating under terms of relief. This is not a recommended alternative. 
Alternative 2: Other Lease Amendments 
The Port could opt to amend the lease agreements to leave open the minimum or maximum
amount of investment required for the mid-term refurbishment. While this option may work
acceptably well in practice, it does not provide the tenants with assurance that Port
requirements will not escalate costs beyond what is reasonable. This is not a recommended
alternative. 
Alternative 3: Amendments per Staff Recommendation 
A lease amendment to modify the requirement to a maximum investment of $100 per square
foot still provides the Port flexibility in its expectations, and also provides the tenants
assurance that Port requirements will not be overly burdensome. Concession units will be
refurbished at the true midpoint of their operational lifespan, assuring optimum value for the

COMMISSION AGENDA 
T. Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
August 18, 2008 
Page 5 of 5 

Port and the tenants. For tenants on Concourses A and D, it additionally provides assurance
that mid-term refurbishment is delayed until traffic levels return to those concourses. This is
the recommended alternative. 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTION 
May 28, 2002      Commission was briefed on the planned new three-tiered concessions
program for Sea-Tac Airport. 
May 13, 2003      Commission approved the Concessions International (CI), Host
International (Host) Food & Beverage and Duty Free leases. 
June 24, 2003      Commission approved the Seattle Restaurant Associates (SRA) lease. 
August 23, 2005    Commission was briefed on sales for the new concessions program and
the performance of the Central Terminal since its June 2005 opening. 
December 13, 2005  Commission passed a resolution authorizing amendments to the prime
lease agreements of Host and SRA to provide financial relief to prime
concessionaires as well as ACDBE operators at Sea-Tac Airport. 
July 22, 2008      Commission was briefed on the results of the Jacobs Consultancy analysis
of the concessions program in response to complaints raised by two
subtenant ACDBE operators requesting changes to lease terms. 
February 24, 2009   Commission authorized the amendment of Concession International"s
lease agreement to provide identical relief as received by Host and SRA in
2005. 
March 5, 2009     Commission authorized amendments to the lease agreements of Host,
SRA, CI and Airport Management Services (dba Hudson Group) to
provide financial options for operators on Concourses A and D in response
to reductions in scheduled air carrier service.