Travelers at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport now has a high-tech way to kill time before boarding. Portal Lounge, a 3,800-square-foot gaming bar in Terminal 1, puts a robot bartender right in the middle of the room and builds everything else around it. The space pairs 17 plug-and-play gaming stations with a buffet, a human bartending team, and a touchscreen robot named Toni that assembles drinks. The pitch is simple: interactive downtime instead of a quiet seat and basic airport snacks.
Portal Lounge sits near the tram at the junction of Concourses C and D in Terminal 1 and lists daily hours of 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. According to MSP Airport, the lounge is open to travelers on any airline, accepts Priority Pass, and offers food, drinks, and gaming during the visit, with walk-ins welcome when there is room. The airport directory also notes that the lounge stocks both consoles and custom PCs for visitors to use while they wait.
Robot Bartender Toni Steals The Show
At the center of the room is Toni, a robotic bartender that customers order from via a touchscreen. The machine will assemble about 35 menu items while a human bartender steps in to add the finishing touches, as reported by the Star Tribune. The paper reports that Portal Lounge held a soft opening roughly three weeks earlier and was drawing about 500 customers a day, with co-founder Jordan Walbridge hoping that number climbs toward 800. General admission is expected to run about $70 for walk-ins or be covered through Priority Pass from participating card programs.
Design, Local Cocktails, And The Wow Factor
Founders say Toni is as much stagecraft as service. The robot was developed in Italy and was chosen to create a visual hook while a full bar program provides traditional service, according to CyberGuy. CyberGuy also highlights Minnesota-inspired drinks like a Honeycrisp-forward “Lag Free” margarita and a zero-proof “Prince’s Lemonade” that tie the lounge to local culture. That blend of local flavor and spectacle is what the Walbridges pitched as the big difference between Portal and the older, quieter airport clubs.
From Gameway To Portal
Portal grew out of Gameway, the Walbridges' airport gaming operation that began in 2018, and the company frames MSP as the first full Portal Lounge and a testbed for expansion, per the Portal Lounge site. The Portal site traces the founders' story and stresses that music, design, and hospitality sit at the center of the brand rather than hush and exclusivity. That origin story helps explain why the MSP rollout leans into spectacle and social energy instead of a muted, members-only feel.
How To Go And What To Expect
Practically speaking, the MSP directory lists the lounge hours as 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. and notes Priority Pass and participating credit card programs, including Chase, American Express, and Capital One, as common access routes, per MSP Airport. The Star Tribune adds that admission generally includes a buffet, gaming time, and drinks, so a $70 walk-in can cover an entire layover experience. Portal staff and founders say they want guests to have fun without missing flights, so it is worth carving out time for play and a firm gate-check before you dive into Mario Kart or cocktails.
