Yes, it will offer grab-n-go purchases, specialty cocktails, and plenty of alcoves for suitcases and charging outlets. It is backed by a credit-card issuer, with a world-famous chef attached.
But the new Capital One Landing, opening Tuesday at Ronald Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, is far from the typical airport lounge — or at least that’s the goal of José Andrés, the Michelin-starred chef with a sprawling global food empire and head of a disaster-relief nonprofit, and his partners at Capital One.
The Landing, the first airport project for Mr. Andrés, aims to elevate the airport dining experience, and, at the same time, create a welcoming space for harried travelers.
“I want people to feel like they’re coming to a place that somebody has put in love and care,” Mr. Andrés said in an interview ahead of the opening.
Top-quality fresh food is key, he said. The Landing’s globally influenced menu was revised eight times to consider seasonality and the logistics unique to an airport. True to Mr. Andrés’s roots in Spain, the offerings will highlight tapas galore (crisp pan con tomate and gambas al ajillo among them), beers imported from Spain, and carts full of caviar cones and Basque cheesecake.
The venture is envisioned as a lounge-and-restaurant hybrid — it takes reservations and will be open to all, but charges a flat fee for entry.
Matt Knise, the head of Capital One’s travel and premium product experiences, said the Landing aims to be a “world class restaurant in an airport,” without sacrificing the things travelers expect from a lounge.
Lucrative, yet complicated
Airport food has improved in recent decades, partly because of boosted competition from credit card-operated lounges that have invested in enticing food and beverage offerings, said Claude Guillaume, senior vice president of restaurant operations for Paradies Lagardère, an airport concessions company.
In addition to Capital One, Chase and American Express have been on a tear opening upscale lounges; some lounges have announced menus designed by notable chefs.
Other acclaimed chefs have long been attached to airport restaurants, like Guy Fieri (Newark Liberty International Airport), Rick Bayless (Chicago O’Hare International Airport) and Cat Cora (multiple airports, including the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Hartsfield—Jackson Atlanta International Airport).
The exposure of airport dining appeals to chefs, Mr. Guillaume said, as does the potential money to be made.
In the United States, airport restaurants generate about $7 billion in annual revenues, according to the investment bank Cougar Mountain Financial.
“You don’t have to fight to get people in the seats. The volume is there,” Mr. Guillaume said. “The biggest challenge is how fast can you serve the guests.”
Last year, a record 25 million passengers passed through Reagan National Airport alone. But airport restaurants are constrained by operational challenges, as airports have many restrictions, policies and security checks. There’s a limited frequency of deliveries, time-consuming security screening for employees, and even a rule restricting the number and size of knives that can be used in the kitchen (at the Landing, it’s only four knives, and each under 10 inches long). Then there’s the timing of passengers, who can often unexpectedly descend all at once.
This environment has created “shortcuts” in airport dining, Mr. Andrés said.
“A lot of food is highly precooked and this is why the quality is not what we expect,” he said. “What we’re doing with Capital One, obviously, is a fresh approach.”
Food prices are also often high at the airport, a constant complaint among travelers.
‘On par with the brick-and-mortar experience’
The Landing’s 5,500-square-foot space echoes a luxurious lounge, with distinctive touches that include decorative paneling, contemporary art, and brown-and-blue tiles meant to evoke Spanish interiors.
A grab-and-go section and a separate seated dining area will both be open to the public. But to sit down and order food in the dining area, visitors will pay a flat fee, as they do in lounges, rather than per dish. Venture and Spark Miles cardholders will pay $45, while Venture X and Venture X Business cardholders will have unlimited complimentary access and free entry for one guest per visit. For all other Capital One cardholders and non-cardholders, it’ll cost $90 per visit. As in a lounge, there will be a time limit on how long guests can stay.
Menu offerings are reminiscent of the dishes at Mr. Andrés’s celebrated restaurants, Jaleo and Zaytinya. In addition to tapas, there are dishes with influences spanning the rest of the globe, like an eggplant and tofu donburi and a smoky baba ghannouj dip. For dessert, there’s flan and fried custard-filled pastries called xuxos.
The Landing is using the same purveyors used at Mr. Andrés’s restaurants.
The grab-and-go menu features pork empanadas, gazpacho, smoked brisket sandwiches, and fresh juices spiced with cardamom and saffron.
Sam Bakhshandehpour, the global chief executive of José Andrés Group, said that the company would be at the “forefront” of evolving airport dining. Longtime employees, including the company’s culinary director, will be working at the Landing in its first few months of business.
Mr. Bakhshandehpour suggested that some chef-led airport restaurants did not live up to their original efforts: “You see the name of the chef predominantly, but it looks like a billboard, and it’s not about the experience.”
“It needs to really be on par with the brick-and-mortar experience outside of the airport,” he added.
For Capital One, the Landing is part of the company’s goal to build brand loyalty and affinity, Mr. Knise said. A second location, with Mr. Andrés on board, is slated to open next year at LaGuardia International Airport in New York. And new conventional lounges are planned for Las Vegas’s Harry Reid International Airport and New York City’s Kennedy International Airport.
Mr. Andrés said he feels invigorated by the challenge of cooking food in one of the most challenging restaurant environments.
“I have been waiting for this moment for many years to have my food in an airport. I didn’t start thinking about this yesterday, but in the end I always hesitated,” he said. “Like all the other chefs before me who have already tried this arena, between all of us, we keep pushing about how we can get a better experience in the airport in America.”
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