New restaurant at Billard Airport terminal revealed in Topeka

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Local airport officials are unveiling the new restaurant selected to fill the vacancy at a newly built terminal in the Oakland area.

The MTAA announced during a meeting on May 2 that Sky Restaurant Holdings, LLC is being given the green light to run “a full-service family restaurant in the new Philip Billard Terminal building.” This comes after a months-long search for a restaurant to fill the space in the new terminal.

“The team at Sky presented us with a dynamic, exciting vision for Billard,” said MTAA Board Chair, Brian Armstrong. “Sky’s management team is local, experienced and creative. We feel very confident that visiting aviators and diners from across Northeast Kansas will be delighted by what they see and taste at the new SKY Restaurant at Billard.”

The restaurant will be branded “SKY by Day” for breakfast and lunch and “SKY by Night” for dinner. Its menu will feature Cajun/Creole items, paired wines and cocktails and more. The staff will focus on delivering a high service dining experience.

“From the moment we read the MTAA’s request for proposals, the ideas for creating something special at Billard, focused on the local community, just started popping into our minds," said Chris Stemler, co-owner of Sky Restaurant. "The MTAA is taking Billard in a new direction and our team couldn’t be more excited by the opportunity to partner with them in making that a reality.”

The restaurant's team consists of Stemler and his wife, Courtney, Nic and Shelby Irick and all co-owners of the Beacon event venue located at Ninth Street and Topeka Boulevard. Local caterer Bobby Santacroce with Bobby's Food Truck will also be joining the team. A grand opening of the restaurant is slated for just after the Fourth of July holiday.

The MTAA announced last year it planned to construct a new airport terminal to replace the aging structure on site. This resulted in the closure of the longstanding restaurant situated in the old terminal, Tammy's Café. 27 News learned in late April the MTAA had plans to honor the legacy of this restaurant at the new terminal.

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