With aviation market conditions tough at the moment, it seems that Thai Airways has decided to branch into the restaurant business instead! Why has the airline opened a food business, and what is it like? Let’s explore.
What is the airline’s restaurant like?
At first, you might assume that this restaurant is simply a way to keep the carriers caterers busy, but its so much more. Let’s take you through a walk-in experience as if you were a customer.
‘Passengers’ enter the restaurant on the second floor of the airline headquarters in Bangkok by climbing a set of stairs fashioned after a staircase at the airport. There is a passage that acts like the typical aircraft door, with a moment for staff to check your booking in the shape of a boarding pass (that you get to keep after the meal). Then they take a seat at one of the many real economy seats (or business seats for coffee) taken from a grounded aircraft.
Diners then notice that the smaller coffer tables are made out of aircraft tires and the larger ones out of older engines.
Given a menu (printed on the same stock as the inflight menus), passengers have the following main meals:
- Penne Pasta Carbonara: $4.00
- Caesar Tuna Salad: $3.15
- Pasta Beef Bolognese: $6.00
- Chicken Shawarma: $3.00
- Mixed Seafood Yakisoba: $5.10
- Beef Kut Tah with Rice: $5.75
- Mango Cheesecake: $3.80
Fantastic food at a pretty unbeatable price. Although it is technically plane food at the same costs that airlines charge per passenger (hence why the prices are so low), although we like to think as each meal is freshly prepared, it would be significantly higher quality.
Why has the airline created this restaurant?
The airline already operates a trendy restaurant at Phuket International Airport and saw that there was potential for a further offering in Bangkok. According to the airline, it trialed the service locally with its first-class chefs (keeping them employed) in June and July, and thanks to unprecedented demand, the carrier decided to open it up to the public.
The company itself is in a dire financial position, and it can seem like the equivalent of a bake sale that that airline is operating here. Whether or not it will improve the financial situation of the company remains to be seen. It is nice that the airline is employing catering staff who, without this, would largely be lost in the current crisis.
If you wish to go yourself, you can get all the details from the airline’s website here.
“THAI Catering extends the activity on every Wednesday to Friday starting 2 September 2020, from 9.00-14.00 hours, at THAI Restaurant.”
What do you think of this restaurant? Do you want to dine there? Let us know in the comments.
