Not really. The "free food at the Admirals Clubs is comparable to what United has; the Admirals Club in Concourse A in PHL is a very nice facility and much nicer than the dingy United Club at that airport. Yes, American sells food items, but these are "meal" type items, and they still have nice soups, salads, and other buffet items, not to mention the guacamole bar in the afternoon and guacamole toast in the mornings (I enjoy the former, can't stand the latter, but . . . .