The restaurant that opened earlier this year at the Roswell Air Center made a profit during the latest quarter of 2026, an administrator of the airport told the city council on Oct. 8.
The Top Flight Tavern had allocated $53,000 to operate through the 2027 fiscal year. More than $43,800 in food and beverages were sold at the terminal building restaurant between July 1 and Sept. 30. September was the strongest month of sales, with a total in excess of $18,900, which was also when last month’s National Championship Air Races and Air Show were held at the airport.
July sales reached nearly $13,800, and in August the amount was more than $11,100.
The tavern held a soft opening in February during the celebration associated with the start of the commercial passenger route between Roswell and Denver International Airport this past February. Full operation of the restaurant and the takeout section began early this spring.
City councilors had requested airport staff to provide them with information about the facility’s food service operations, and this was the first such report, said Omar Gonzalez, who is acting as director until the city finds a replacement for Bobbi Thompson, who recently left her position as the assistant city manager and airport director.
The average monthly profit is about $5,165 from the $15,495 total estimated earnings during this most recent quarter, Gonzalez said during a telephone interview the following week. And the food operation had already been making profits, he emphasized.
The menu includes items such as the “Air Race Wings” that have “non-stop flavor” and “The Tender Terminal Basket” of chicken tenders, fries, Texas toast and country gravy, is described as an experience that shows, “You and this perfectly crispy basket are meant to be.”
And one of the favorite menu items, “Spicy Layover Burger” has an unexpectedly straightforward characterization given what the menu said about some of the other offerings: “A Southern classic with just the right kick!”
The menu has been greatly expanded, and it went up from one to two pages. Copies of the new menu were provided to Mayor Timothy Jennings and city councilors. Among the additions is a children’s menu and a selection on the main menu called “Turbulence Nachos” that asks those considering the item to “Fasten your seatbelts?”
City staff took over operations of the food and beverage service after a contractor couldn’t be found, Thompson said, before the Top Flight Tavern was set to open this past February.
