Achievements:

HOBBY AIRPORT PRIME CONTRACT

In 2023, LaTrelle’s was chosen by the Houston City Council as the prime LaTrelle’s is honored to be the prime concessionaire for 10 new restaurants in Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport — the birthplace of our first restaurant and the inspiration for our future successes. The city's decision to have a Houston-grown and -headquartered, ACDBE-certified prime is not only historic, but the fulfillment of a family dream nearly 40 years in the making.

Wendy’s Opens in SEA

In 2022, LaTrelle’s opens Wendy’s in the Seattle-Tacoma Airport.

Subway opens in SEA

In 2022, LaTrelle’s opens a new Subway in the Seattle-Tacoma international Airport.

Stumptown Coffee opens in PDX

In 2022, LaTrelle’s opens new Stumptown in the Portland International Airport.

subway OPENS IN DFW

In 2019, LaTrelle’s opens Subway at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport.

First To Come. First To Serve.

We encourage everyone from crew members to upper management to dream big and think outside the box. Thanks to this approach, we have achieved some remarkable “firsts,” including opening the first Subway, the first Wendy’s, and the first Buffalo Wild Wings in an airport. In addition to introducing several nationally known brands to the traveling public, we’ve also introduced many gourmet boutique brands, eliciting rave reviews from travelers and airport partners alike.

Preparing a brand for the round-the-clock traffic of airports is no easy feat, but LaTrelle’s loves challenges. To ensure our restaurants that specialize in lunch and dinner are able to meet the early morning cravings of airport customers, we work closely with top chefs to create first-ever breakfast menus, featuring original, delicious and always fresh, food.

Innovative Introductions

LaTrelle’s is proud to be the first restaurant owners and operators to introduce these wonderful brands to airports across America:

Big Volume. Teeny Space.

While being first is quite a big deal, we also value our reputation for thinking big on a small scale, or to put it in business terms, we’re masters at producing a high volume in a super small space. We operated the world’s smallest Wendy’s, a 400 square-foot dynamo that produced the highest volume per square foot of any Wendy’s in the system for more than 15 years. We also opened the world’s smallest Subway in the restaurant’s chain, a 144-foot “super” store located in Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Our story begins with one man’s enduring commitment to his dreams.

W.A. James Sr. believed you should do what you love, and he loved sharing great food served fresh with others. He also loved his family dearly and wanted to build a business for them that was so well-established in its values and principles that it would last for generations. As our founder discovered, hard work, persistence, and a relentless commitment to one’s dreams leads to their fulfilment.

Now, three generations later, LaTrelle’s continues to grow and thrive through good economies, and tough ones, by staying true to our roots. We are always on the lookout for great restaurants serving delicious dishes we want to share with the rest of the world, from nationally known brands to locally loved institutions. We ensure that all of our restaurants serve the freshest food possible, and that employees deliver it with utmost pride and customer care. We treat our employees like family because that’s what we are, and food is the passion that unites us, now and for generations to come.

Our Values

Quality

We do everything with excellence, from food preparation and restaurant construction, to representing beloved national brands.

Customers

We strive daily to exceed customer expectations for fresh food, served quickly in an immaculately clean environment.

Employees

We reward loyalty and professionalism and boast one of the best employee retention rates in the business.

PARTNERS

We hold dear our relationships with franchisors and airport authorities, and take pride in doing a great job, on time, on budget and in compliance with all contract terms.

Our Mission

Our mission is to have customers, partners and airport authorities associate LaTrelle’s name with the highest levels of service, quality and trust. We do this by representing brands the way they want to be seen, instilling in employees our rich heritage of exemplary customer service, and consistently providing customers with a great meal, well-served.

Our History

LaTrelle’s Boutique Beginnings: Gourmet Baked Goods

A visionary entrepreneur and dedicated family man, W.A. James Sr. believed that his wife, Gladys LaTrelle, made cookies and brownies that were superior to all others. As more friends and neighbors gushed about her delicious baked goods, James became convinced his family had the makings of a successful business venture. It was then that he used his extraordinary sales and marketing talents to sell LaTrelle’s baked goods to local retailers, grocery stores and specialty mail order catalogs. Orders for her baked goods began pouring in and LaTrelle’s Bakery was born.

Meeting National Demand

As word of mouth spread, orders grew. James expanded LaTrelle’s Bakery to meet mounting demands. Soon, the bakery began producing and distributing prepared foods to convenience stores, vending machines, and institutions via national food distributor, SYSCO.

Dreams of a Legacy Take Flight

Driven by a desire to leave a family business to his children as a legacy, James set a goal to open a LaTrelle’s bakery at Houston's William P. Hobby Airport. He accomplished this dream in 1985. Encouraged by its success, James began making plans to expand the family restaurant business into other airports.

Continuing a Tradition of Success

Over the past three decades, LaTrelle’s Management Corporation has become one of the leading owners and operators of top national restaurants and independent gourmet brands located throughout America’s best airports, event venues and cities. Today, the James children continue the success and growth of the family business by honoring the ideals of their father: a love for hard work, an enduring commitment to quality, and a passion for pursuing dreams.

Aramark

Our partnership with Aramark has been great fun and continues to be a wonderful experience.

- Cindy James

Sought-After

When Aramark was looking for a partner to manage and finance restaurants in the 40,950 seat Minute Maid Park in downtown Houston, LaTrelle’s was on their short-list of top restaurateurs. Aramark reached out to LaTrelle’s and requested they submit a proposal.

Selected

A number of top companies vied for the opportunity, but LaTrelle’s deep experience in successfully operating restaurants in some of the world’s busiest places gave them a true competitive advantage. Aramark selected LaTrelle’s to become their largest partner, a role the company is proud to play.

Successful

To date, the partnership between LaTrelle’s and Aramark has been a winning combination for Minute Maid Park. Sales have been exceptional, and both local fans and visitors agree that the food and beverages inside the home of the Houston Astros is nothing short of a home run.