ORANGE COUNTY AND THE GULF WAR : Tighter Security Puts Pinch on Airport Shops : Precautions: Concessionaires in restricted areas watch business drop as result of anti-terrorism measures.

Tighter security at John Wayne Airport may help combat terrorist threats, but it has meant a decline in revenue for some of the airport’s specialty shops located in restricted areas.

“Yes, the new measures have been a concern for us,” said Robert Park, owner-operator of the Creative Croissant, a coffee shop specializing in fresh-baked goods inside a portion of the new airport terminal where only passengers with tickets have been allowed entry.

As he pointed toward the airport’s unsecured area, where a competitor is located, Park said he has yet to determine his loss in dollars and cents.

“But you can see that they’re pretty busy over there, and we’re not so busy here,” he said.

The precautions, which began Jan. 16, were authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration as part of the airport’s security plan to protect passengers and airport employees, said Courtney Wiercioch, a spokeswoman for the airport, which is under the management of Orange County.

The plan allows airport management to take such precautions as prohibiting entry to people accompanying passengers near the gate areas, Wiercioch said.

“This isn’t so unusual,” she said. “Airports across the country have been required to implement their added security plans.”

Wiercioch said that each concessionaire’s contract contains a clause explaining what is to happen if security is tightened. She said concessionaires in the secured area knew their location would be on the other side of the metal detection checkpoint when they agreed to the contract terms.

“They just didn’t know that we would have to prohibit non-ticketed passengers from going through,” she said.

However, talks are under way between concessionaires and airport managers to reach a solution, Wiercioch said. One idea being discussed is to allow the concessionaires to set up temporary facilities outside the restricted area, she said.

Two McDonald’s restaurants may begin a fast-food delivery service by taking telephone orders, especially from airline employees inside the new terminal, Wiercioch said.

On Wednesday, wartime security was obviously in force. Sheriff’s deputies had cordoned off entrances to the large parking lot structure and were instructing motorists to park in the outdoor lots across the street.

Inside the terminal, passengers were repeatedly warned over the public address system not to leave any bags, luggage or other items in the terminal. Also, small signs posted throughout the facility warned of the extra precautions being taken because of the Gulf War.

A spokesman for Host International Inc., which is the largest airport concessionaire in the nation, also expressed concern that some of Host’s concessions at John Wayne Airport may lose money.

“Yes, the security measures at John Wayne are a concern for Host,” said Richard Sneed, a spokesman at the corporation’s Maryland headquarters. “But fortunately, at most of the airports, our food and beverage facilities are both in and out of the secured areas.”

Host, which is a division of Marriott Corp., operates seven concessions at John Wayne Airport, namely the Pavilion Pub, the Lido and Orange bars, the Orange Grill restaurant, Pizza Hut, a snack bar and a yogurt shop.

Sneed could not estimate how large a loss, if any, the corporation has suffered so far. Host’s contract with Orange County projected that it would gross $4.2 million during the first year of operation in the new terminal. Based on that figure, the county would receive at least $760,000 a year from the Host contract.

Sneed did note that John Wayne is a commuter airport, where the business traveler usually flies out in the morning and returns the same day. Consequently, he said, there are fewer “meeters and greeters,” essentially relatives and friends who accompany or pick up passengers.

“Orange County isn’t like LAX (Los Angeles Airport), which is an international airport. We have 70 concessionaires at LAX, and they’re all inside the restricted area,” he said.

Host and other concessionaires, including Park, said they thought the added restrictions were necessary, given the threat of terrorism.

“It’s a welcome consideration in light of calming fears for people interested in travel,” Sneed said. “It makes people feel better, and we, as concessionaires, have to put up with it to make our passengers feel better.”

As for Park, whose livelihood depends on the success of his croissant shop, he said the tighter security is better “than having to say sorry later.”

“I have to live with it,” he said, “so I will.”