DCA writer

I had the chicken corn chowder at the SFO rotunda UC this afternoon. Good stuff--especially when topped with the bacon bits offered on the side.

My day started at the DCA UC, where the blueberry pastries DELee photographed last week had been replaced by an apple version of them. Maybe we'll have a peach edition next month?

rittenhousesq

Sorry if this has already been discussed ad nauseam...but any idea why the hot food offerings at ORD have not been expanded to any of the other hubs? Is is merely the lack of food prep capabilities? I wonder if they included kitchen capabilities when the new LAX club was built??

mahasamatman

There was hot soup and oatmeal yesterday, but everything else was cold.

rittenhousesq

But all the clubs have hot soup and oatmeal. Why no other hot food offerings such as are available at ORD?

goodeats21

Has not been definitively addressed by United.

When EWR club at A terminal was being closed for remodel, there was indication from staff that there would be hot food when re-opened, but didn't happen. I think other clubs have opened the remodeled versions without food as well.

Some wondered if United was waiting for the rest of the clubs at EWR to be remodeled before launching hot food there, but I am doubtful.

I would bet on ORD losing the hot food instead of them rolling it out systemwide.

NikoLGA

The rumor is, though, that the EWR A Club was installed with full kitchens for hot food. Not saying that means anything, but if there was some long term plan, that's an indication.

RockinRon

Maybe that's what they are building in the EWR C club by the low number gates. Part of it is blocked off today but was not last week when I passed through.

kmersh

I was passing through ORD and my buddy also connecting in ORD guested me into the UNITED Club by the F gates.

We sat down at the bar and the bar tender was not wearing the usual uniform and instead was wearing more business attire (suit and tie minus the jacket) .

We ordered drinks and as the club was slow he chatted with us a for a few minutes and I asked about hot food at other hub clubs and if he knew anything. He said that he is a manager with Sodexho and that he was covering as two bar tenders had called out sick that day (I guess as a way of saying that he knows more than average employee), but he felt hot food would come eventually just maybe not in the same way it is being provided at ORD.

He said that UNITED was looking at other ways to provide hot food without a full kitchen and apparently they were looking at using airline catering as the solution. He said that Lufthansa already does this and UNITED was looking at a similar solution, thus avoiding the need for a full kitchen and the construction costs associated with that.

Granted, it was I am guessing a fairly low level manager, so I caution everyone to take it with a grain of salt, but it does make sense (at least to me).

rittenhousesq

Thanks for relaying what you heard. very interesting! Btw, were you in the F club on Thursday? If so, we may have been there at the same time.

EWRFlyerAL

Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes made for a nice lunch at the ORD club by B16.

cesco.g

A chance for UA to look at DO & CO, who is opening operations at LAX.

emcampbe

keep dreaming. I mean I love Do & Co - just take a visit to the TK lounge in IST or even onboard TK, but there is honestly zero chance that UA will pay for that.

And I was honestly suprised that the staff at the clubs (at least ORD) were all/mostly Sodexho - last Time there we wanted to submit a complimentary note about a staff member, and was told they weren't Ua so had to submit it at the club desk - we did that before we left.

cerealmarketer

Clam chowder was pretty good too.

But at LGA it was clam water.

DCA writer

Clam chowder at SFO rotunda Saturday. Nice to get two (good) options a week apart.

nevansm

Clam chowder at BOS and IAH E club today, no second option at IAH E club. Loads of chorizo/mortadella/etc available. Place was packed.