For Colorado restaurants opening at Denver International Airport, is the risk worth the reward?

When Justin Cucci would fly out of Denver International Airport more than 10 years ago, he’d usually pack his own food. “As a traveler, I was always let down by the food and the lack of Denver representation,” he said.

So when an airport concessionaire approached him about opening a branch of Root Down — his eclectic, farm-to-table restaurant — as part of a major retail overhaul at DIA in 2013, he decided to take the risk. “I thought it would be cool to make a statement about accessibility to craft food that’s sustainably sourced from local farms in the airport,” he said.

It paid off. Root Down, located across from McDonald’s at the high-traffic entrance to Concourse C, quickly became a favorite of travelers waiting for their flights. Last yea...