NEW YORK (FORTUNE Small Business Magazine) - Why is it that no matter where you are in America, airports offer the same chain stores with flaccid fries and cheesy T-shirts? Why not bring in distinctive, local mom-and-pop joints?

Turns out airports have long taken the no-fuss approach to their retail shops: Invite in corporate concession managers and collect a 15%-or-so cut of sales.

From the small-company side, construction costs at an airport (often 50% higher than just outside the gates) and security requirements were a problem. But these days, as airports compete with one another and travelers arrive earlier and get delayed longer, local aromas are slipping in.

Jim Neely, owner of Memphis's Interstate Bar-B-Que, says he is selling almost $1 million annually from a 90-square-foot takeout joint at Memphis International Airport, which renegotiated its concession contract to mandate more local businesses.

Dave Fechter, director of operations at Ivar's, a Seattle restaurant chain that in May opened an outlet in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, says that it ranks first among the company's 27 locations, with about double the usual revenue per square foot.

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