Veteran Tulsa hoteliers Pete and Tina Patel are adding another branch to their entrepreneurial tree: a convenience store.

Owners of Promise Hotels, the Patels on Thursday broke ground on what will be Tulsa International Airport’s first on-site convenience store, On The Go-Tulsa.

Part of TNP Fuels, a new business venture by the Patels, the $4.7 million project brings to about $30 million the amount they have spent in development and renovations at the airport, where the couple also owns and operates the Hilton Garden Inn and the recently built Home2Suites by Hilton 

“We are proud to deepen our commitment to Tulsa International Airport,” Pete Patel said.

To be located next to the airport’s cell phone lot, the store will feature a drive-through, grab-and-go food options, fresh deli selections and 10 gas pumps. It is set to be completed by the end of 2025. 

“We share the airport officials’ conviction that this facility will meet strong demand with a robust presence of manufacturing, maintenance and distribution companies in the area,” Patel said. “We anticipate serving a wide and vital customer base.”

Mike Neal, president and CEO of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, served as emcee of Thursday’s news conference.

“When you think of hospitality, how can you not think of the Patels?” he said. “They’ve been local institutions in this industry for nearly three decades, providing quality accommodations, and, as their company name suggests, delivering on a Promise for the best in customer service and amenities. They also have been a huge presence at the airport, owning and operating the Hilton Garden Inn and the recently built Home2Suites by Hilton.

“This convenience store project, through their newly established business, TNP Fuels, will meet the highest standards the Patels have set for themselves while satisfying a long-overdue need of Tulsa International Airport.

Alexis Higgins, CEO of the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust, said the airport serves about 3.2 million passengers annually, adding that more than 13,000 people work on the airport campus.

“We have about 4,500 vehicles that are coming onto Airport Drive every day,” she said. “Many of those people are not familiar with Tulsa. They don’t know where the closest fueling station is, and we have felt for a long time that it’s a missed opportunity for us as an airport to be able to serve those customers, especially those rental car customers.

“To have a first-class operation run by a company that values customer service and is going to put the same level of customer service that they do into their hotels, I think it’s just a big win for Tulsa.”