Denver International Airport, the world’s third-busiest hub, welcomed over 82 million travelers in 2024 – and now, those travelers can experience a taste of Osage heritage through Tocabe, an Osage-owned restaurant.
“Native culinarians and our traditional foods are finally gaining broader recognition, not just locally, but on a global stage,” said Chef Ben Jacobs, Osage co-founder of Tocabe, an Indigenous foods restaurant based in Denver, Colo., which recently opened its newest location at the DEN.
With the airport’s “wider audience,” Jacobs is excited to share Tocabe’s story from Concourse A near Gate A38, between the hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Dishes served at the new location include all menu items served at Tocabe’s North Denver location—such as bison ribs, fry bread tacos and green chili stew—with the addition of a breakfast menu.
Opening an airport location means serving three mealtime rushes per day, every day of the year, said Jacobs. That means more space to share Tocabe’s culinary experience, from sourcing ingredients “Native first, local second,” to their goal of revitalizing Indigenous culture through the power of food.
Co-founder Matt Chandra, a restaurateur with over 16 years of culinary operations leadership, notes that Tocabe is forging bonds with Native and Indigenous communities to build a self-determining Indigenous food system. He considers himself a national advocate for such a food system. Both he and Jacobs are excited to continue sharing Tocabe’s foods with a larger audience outside the walls of their original location.
Tocabe was first inspired by Jacobs’ family restaurant, Grayhorse: American-Indian Eatery, established in 1989. In 2011, Tocabe was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and in 2024, they launched an Indigenous online marketplace. In 2019, the airport location entered the pipeline, taking six years of work after having a grand opening on April 29, 2025.
Expanding the Tocabe brand
The airport location is an expansion of their brand, Jacobs said. He emphasizes the global audience at the airport, in particular. “Denver International Airport is currently the third busiest airport in the United States, which also serves a global audience, so having space to share our culinary experience is a wonderful opportunity.”
Denver International Airport is the third-ranked United States hub, according to OAG Aviation Worldwide, and with Tocabe as one of the few Native-owned restaurant concepts operating in the U.S., its presence at the airport is groundbreaking. In particular, the airport location reflects “a growing movement to increase the visibility of Native American businesses in major public spaces,” said Jacob Kingrey, a Tocabe representative. He sees “demand for authentic, culturally significant dining experiences in airports” as one key reason for the expansion.
Plans for the expansion began in 2019, when Tocabe’s bid was accepted as part of a request for proposal (RFP) process at the international airport. Next, they went under contract for the Concourse A development, which also includes D Bar, a restaurant focused on “drinks, dining and dessert,” a fellow-Diners Drive-ins and Dives feature, The Bagel Deli & Restaurant, and a speakeasy-style cocktail bar Williams & Graham, hidden behind a bookstore façade.
As Tocabe’s licensed agreement partnership developed, Jacobs saw firsthand how complex it is to work within the airport system.
He described overcoming hurdles, including security and building protocols as well as building relationships with partners. “Opening a restaurant is a difficult task … but opening in a non-traditional location, especially at one of the nation’s busiest airports, creates many complex scenarios,” Jacobs said.
He is currently the only Osage working at the airport location, and noted that he is focused on quality control amidst the collaborative structure of the airport location. “Our partners have daily operation oversight, so currently, other than myself … there are no other Osages on the DIA location crew at this time,” he said.
At the grand opening, customers queued up for assembly-line service, receiving their selections from cast iron pots. They took their food, packed to go, as there is no seating at the Denver International Airport location.
Jacobs had been hearing a great deal of excitement about the opening from both the public and the City of Denver, but one highlight Tocabe had overlooked was support from local airport employees.
“It is easy to think of all the travelers while planning, but [Denver International Airport] has over 40,000 employees, so having local support is a wonderful advantage,” said Jacobs.
Both airport employees and travelers flying out of Concourse A can enjoy Tocabe’s authentic Indigenous food, which is as Jacobs said, “is an amazing step for Native food representation around Indian Country.”
