Gordon Ramsay Group has secure a 10-year extension at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 for its Plane Food restaurant — a £75 million boon for the revitalised empire.
Plane Food opened at Heathrow in 2008, with the aim of improving the dining experience for travellers before and during their flight. With Ramsay (pictured) taking a back seat on the day-to-day management, chief executive Stuart Gillies says securing the deal was a key part of the group’s future.
Plane Food will close for 12 weeks next year next year while it is revamped, reopening in July. Gillies reckons the venture could generate £75 million of sales over the 10 years.
“The new agreement will enable the group to further enhance its offering that has helped transform the travel-dining scene at the UK’s hub airport,” he said.
Plane Food cost more than £2.5 million to set up at a time when the group was lossmaking and dealing with management infighting. Gillies says the wider company and Plane Food itself are now making a profit — full-year figures will be released in the new year.
Plane Food serves more than 800 customers a day with à la Carte dining, 25-minute Express menus and on-board picnics. Gillies added: “Heathrow has been the perfect location for us to showcase our offering to a discerning international audience of travellers.”
Heathrow retail director Chris Annetts said: “Since its opening in 2008, Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food has become a cornerstone of the Terminal 5 experience for so many of our passengers.”
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