The Great Northern Market at Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2 is the first street food market of its kind in a UK airport. An ambitious concept delivered as part of the airport’s £1.3bn transformation. Operated by Airport Retail Enterprises (ARE) and powered by Vita Mojo, it redefines what high-volume, high-complexity airport dining can look like.
Open 365 days a year, the market serves a projected 24 – 26 million passengers annually. It spans three floors and accommodates 470 dine-in covers, with a further 300 seats in the terminal concourse for takeaway customers. The space brings together six independent kitchens, a bakery, two bars, and four kiosks. Creating a vibrant, multi-brand food hall experience underpinned by a single, unified tech ecosystem.
At its core is an Order & Pay at Table (OPAT)-led model that enables customers to browse multiple vendors and place a single transaction via a QR code. Behind the scenes, this simplicity is powered by highly sophisticated orchestration: 13 bespoke operational flows, 16 kitchen stations, and six menus, all intelligently routed based on location, product type, and fulfilment logic. Orders are dynamically routed to the correct kitchen or bar, and food is delivered to guests as it’s ready.
The technical infrastructure is equally robust, including 22 kitchen screens, handheld ordering devices, POS terminals, Self-serve Kiosks, and a central collection screen. To manage complexity and unlock granular insights, the operation is split across three distinct stores: dine-in, takeaway, and replenishment. This ensures accurate data and scalable decision-making.
