Rio Linda's neighborhood hangout is about to go seriously uptown. The owners of The Rio Pub have inked a deal to bring a new restaurant and cafe to Sacramento International Airport's Terminal B, with a projected opening in spring 2026. The concept, called Local Flights Brews and Bites, is built to serve travelers, airport staff and anyone waiting on arriving friends and family, putting a small-town operation on one of the region's biggest stages.
According to the Sacramento County Department of Airports, the County Board of Supervisors has approved a 10-year Food & Beverage Concession Agreement with Local Flights LLC, the company owned by Edwin Balli and Andrea Ayala. The agreement clears the way for design work and remodeling in the pre-security area of Terminal B. County officials say the project brings public-facing dining back to that corridor and spotlights a locally rooted concept inside SMF.
What Travelers Will Find
The plan is a hybrid setup that doubles as a sit-down restaurant and a quick-stop hub for caffeine and grab-and-go bites, with a full bar and a separate coffee counter in the mix. The menu, being developed with chef Adam Pechal, formerly of Tuli Bistro, is intended to lean on local ingredients and familiar comfort food, as reported by Rio Linda Online. The layout is designed to hit both types of airport diners - rushed travelers and those who actually have time for a real meal before boarding.
Space And Timeline
The new operation will move into the pre-security space that once held the Camden and Gateway Bar and that has sat empty since March 2020, according to the county. Construction and design work are expected to start soon, with a grand opening targeted for spring 2026, per the Sacramento County Department of Airports. "Travelers have asked for more pre-security options," Director Cindy Nichol said, and the county notes that the new agreement helps push SMF's concessions program to 47% small businesses.
From Rio Linda To The Runway
Local Flights LLC is headed by Balli and Ayala, who have run The Rio Pub in Rio Linda for about five years and turned it into a neighborhood staple. Their work has picked up local recognition, including placing in The Sacramento Bee's 2025 Sacramento Favorites awards for bar food, sports bar and french fries. They credit the Sacramento Valley Small Business Development Center with helping them refine their airport proposal, according to Rio Linda Online. The pair say the project is a chance to put Sacramento's farm-to-fork ingredients in front of a much wider audience.
Part Of SMF's Bigger Refresh
Local Flights is one piece of a long-term concessions overhaul SMF is branding as "A Taste of Sacramento," an airport-wide push to add more local restaurants, national chains and a broader range of price points in both Terminals A and B. The airport's concessions page lists multiple new concepts and notes that more locations are expected to open through 2026, with an emphasis on local flavor and ACDBE participation, according to Sacramento International Airport. For travelers, that should translate into more choices on both sides of security as the refresh comes online.
Final design details and permitting will dictate the exact schedule, but construction is slated to begin soon and the goal remains to welcome guests in spring 2026. Until then, anyone craving a preview of the hospitality behind Local Flights can still find Balli and Ayala holding it down at The Rio Pub in Rio Linda.
