Bartke’s Restaurant at Tampa International Airport

Bartke's Restaurant dining room at the Tampa International Airport. Circa 1960s. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection.

Tampa International Airport Terminal Building with Dc-6 Airplane on Tarmac [and Bartke’s Restaurant on the second floor], November 20, 1952. Burgert Brothers. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection.

Frank and Alva Bartke brought their restaurant experience from New York to the Edward James Hotel in Treasure Island in the early 1950s, opening Bartke’s Restaurant next to the Plaid Bar. According to historian Andrew Huse, in his excellent book “From Saloons to Steakhouses,” the Bartkes moved the restaurant next door to The Tropic Terrace Hotel following some political turmoil.

In 1952, when the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority recommended that Frank bid on a luxury restaurant in the new Tampa International Airport terminal, he complied. The dining room, which cost $75,000 to build, was an immediate success and quickly became a favorite spot for affluent diners. At that time, eating at the airport was a special treat since most people didn’t fly. Customers could valet park and enjoy a high-end meal while watching planes take off and land. The second-floor dining room accommodated 100 guests and had a panoramic view with windows on three sides, allowing patrons to sip martinis, eat steak, and watch the activity on the airport's airstrips.

Bartke’s kitchen featured a custom Groetchen rotary broiler, where steaks were placed in a tear-drop-shaped pan and set on a rotating grill inside. It allowed for precision uniformity for rare, medium, and well-done steaks (and other meats) while retaining all the juices.

As air travel became more common, the uniqueness of airport dining decreased. When plans for a newer airport terminal were made in the late 1960s, the Bartkes were forced out. The Aviation Authority hired Host International to manage hospitality in the new complex. The Bartke family opened other restaurants in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, including The Careless Navigator, The Causeway Inn, and The Bartke’s Rocky Point Dinner Theater.

Bartke's kitchen with the custom Groetchen rotary cooker. Circa 1960s. Gandy Collection. Courtesy of the University of South Florida Digital Collection.