Centurion Lounge food quality
Jan 13, 23, 3:18 pm
#2
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 407
As the lounges have gotten more crowded, food quality has gone down for sure. I think it will be time to more loudly complain if lounge populations notably decrease after February, and food quality doesn't pick back up rather quickly.
Jan 13, 23, 4:10 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, AC 50K, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,620
Depends on the lounge, IMO. I would say the quality, and certainly the variety, at IAH is as good now as its ever been. In comparison, I have never really been impressed with the food at the JFK lounge.
Jan 14, 23, 12:07 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,147
the leading reason I plan to term my plat and go AU.
Jan 14, 23, 2:48 pm
#6
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: SEA/NYC/IAD
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 1,757
I have yet to go to a lounge where the food truly blew me away. Even in HKG, the buffet style dining is nice, but not particularly “restaurant” quality either. Given the choice between say, a hypothetical free CL lounge visit at EWR vs. going to Classified, I think I’d actually pay the $34 to go eat at Classified (and I’m departing EWR maybe 12-14 times a year).
I do use a lot of the ancillary Plat benefits though, so it’s still nominally worth it to keep the card, but I don’t think the lounges are as big a draw to me these days.
I do use a lot of the ancillary Plat benefits though, so it’s still nominally worth it to keep the card, but I don’t think the lounges are as big a draw to me these days.
Jan 14, 23, 10:57 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,147
my most recent visit to CLT around dinner, the only meal offering were vegetarian!
Jan 16, 23, 11:30 am
#10
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: JFK/LGA/BDL
Posts: 419
I attributed much of the drop in quality to pandemic era shortages but, more broadly speaking, it seems that companies have little incentive to improve quality after consumers have gotten used to accepting lesser offerings. Not to get all doom and gloomy, but inflation has also drastically impacted the cost of goods. My company has a third-party company operate a cafeteria for onsite employees and I was talking to the owner there. His bottom line is getting destroyed by things as ridiculous as the cost of iceberg lettuce lol. He is obviously a much smaller operation, but I would not expect amex (or, more aptly, their subcontractor) to be immune from these circumstances.
Last edited by imnotalawyer; Jan 16, 23 at 1:59 pm
Jan 16, 23, 6:34 pm
#12
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,188
I attributed much of the drop in quality to pandemic era shortages but, more broadly speaking, it seems that companies have little incentive to improve quality after consumers have gotten used to accepting lesser offerings. Not to get all doom and gloomy, but inflation has also drastically impacted the cost of goods. My company has a third-party company operate a cafeteria for onsite employees and I was talking to the owner there. His bottom line is getting destroyed by things as ridiculous as the cost of iceberg lettuce lol. He is obviously a much smaller operation, but I would not expect amex (or, more aptly, their subcontractor) to be immune from these circumstances.
Jan 16, 23, 6:59 pm
#13
Join Date: Jul 2015
Programs: UA Platinum, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 866
I agree, Ive noticed a decline in quality and variety even since 2021. The lounge I use most often is JFKI love the speakeasy but the food is so repetitive and boring.
Jan 17, 23, 10:24 am
#14
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: JFK/LGA/BDL
Posts: 419
The bump in annual fee also corresponded with a significant benefits refresh ($300 Soulcycle, $300 Equinox, $240 Entertainment, $200 Hotel, $189 CLEAR, $155 Walmart), so I think your comment is more than a little misguided.
My comments about the impacts of inflation were directed at the contractor responsible for lounge operations, whose margins are undoubtedly a little slimmer and likely feeling the crunch associated with the rising cost of goods.
I am of course not letting anyone off the hook here, I just think the explanation is unfortunately obvious.
My comments about the impacts of inflation were directed at the contractor responsible for lounge operations, whose margins are undoubtedly a little slimmer and likely feeling the crunch associated with the rising cost of goods.
I am of course not letting anyone off the hook here, I just think the explanation is unfortunately obvious.
Jan 17, 23, 12:41 pm
#15
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: CLT
Programs: US CP, SPG Gold
Posts: 584
Agree that food quality is suffering as prices increase, and also Amex has little incentive to demand meaningful improvements because of the crowding - there is little benefit to arresting a decline in food quality as thus attracting more visitors when one is having overcrowding issues.
