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Red Baron restaurant to become a food court By Dani Dodge After more than 30 years as a sit-down dining experience at the Medford airport, the Red Baron Restaurant will fly off into the sunset. In its place will be a mall-style food court with the same name and same owner. "It will be grab and go," said restaurant owner Kathi Sackett. "Hot items and cold will be available, and we won�t compromise the quality of our food." The transition will begin in about three weeks. The lounge, will remain unchanged. The Red Baron has had a number of owners over the years and in its heyday was a popular meeting spot for Rogue Valley diners. But over the years, a succession of different owners, difficulty parking at the airport and increased corporate competition from restaurants like Red Robin and the Outback Steakhouse took their toll. Sackett has owned the Red Baron for six years. She said she gave up advertising for the Medford diner several years ago. "In the last five years, we�ve gotten 10 new restaurants within three miles of the airport," Sackett said. "We�ve been inundated by restaurants with huge corporate advertising budgets and people don�t come out here anymore." So her customer base was reduced to travelers, which can mean huge surges of people followed by long droughts. Staffing was difficult. "As soon as you let someone off the clock because there�s no one here, then they�ll call a delay (in a flight) and have 50 people here," she said. "Because of the fluctuating planes I don�t know how to staff it. "God knows I�ve tried every which way." Between four and six people will be laid off. Like many restaurants in airports across the country, the Red Baron will adjust to a new airport-eating environment that is more casual and requires a person to carry their own tray. "This is a dramatic change, but it will still be the Red Baron," Sackett said. "Seventy-five percent of our clientele was the travelers and they�ll adjust easier than Medford people. "But if we keep the quality of food good, which we plan to, then people will orient themselves to this kind of format." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA