A decision to attend a routine meeting last year with executives of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Alaska Airlines and Visit Seattle paved an unexpected pathway for a family-owned Mexican restaurant with Tacoma ties to achieve an unthinkable small-business feat: to feed their food to tens of thousands of people who pass through such a major transit hub every day.
Taco Street, which has anchored the Waterfront Market in Ruston since its 2020 debut, officially opened Aug. 21 in the Central Terminal Esplanade, below Brewtop Social and next to Salty’s at the SEA. The restaurant out-competed dozens of applicants in a competitive bidding process for a slot in SEA Sparks, an economic development program that aims to cut costs and typical barriers-to-entry for small businesses, especially those in the startup or growth phase, to operate at an airport.
“This continues SEA’s efforts over the years to bring in small business opportunities to the airport, which can be a challenge to operate in,” said SEA spokesperson Perry Cooper…