OR
Toll Free: 1-800-574-9991

BeCause

Mitch-Stuart Blog

Any questions?
Call our experts today.
1-800-574-9991
 

RSS FEED
Click here to access our RSS feed

ARCHIVES
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012

TAG CLOUD
2013 2014 afp airports appreciation association of fundraising professionals auction auction fundraisers auction help auction ideas auction items auction planning auction travel packages award shows baby boomers blog canada case study charities charity auction charity auction fundraiser charity auction fundraisers charity auction ideas charity auction items charity auctions charity fundraising ideas cinema client referrals consignment cruise customer service destination spotlight destinations direct marketing disney donations donor recognition donors employee incentives employee motivation europe event planning event tips events exotic destinations facebook family vacations flickr food france fundraiser fundraiser auction ideas fundraiser auction packages fundraiser ideas fundraiser packages fundraiser venues fundraisers fundraising fundraising auctions fundraising events fundraising ideas fundraising packages fundraising professionals fundraising raffles fundraising tips fundraising trips galas getaways giving great fundraising opportunities holiday holidays incentive travel incentive travel packages incentive travel program increase auction bidding journal marketing mitch-stuart movies new orleans non profit auction non-profit non-profit fundraising ideas non-profit organization nonprofit times npt oscars paris philanthropy raffles repeat business social media sports packages success story successful auctions summer vacations tags: auction ideas technology things to do things to eat tips tours travel travel experience travel incentives travel packages travel tips travel trends twitter vacation vacation packages veteran's day volunteers youtube

Beware the Hungry Road Warrior

April 16, 2013
Road warriors know certain truths. First, if you are trying to stretch the travel budget never, ever stay at the conference hotel. There is always a better deal, often right across the street. Second, clear Homeland Security early. It’s better to wait on the other side of the wall.

If flying out of San Francisco, you might want to get in line the night before the flight. It is without a doubt the worst of the major airports when it comes to clearing security.

That brings us to food. No real road warrior would pay United Airlines $7.99 for a microwaved cheese burger or $7.49 for a snack box of stuff you wouldn’t buy if you were on the ground. Real road warriors know where and when to eat. The food at airports is overpriced in all cases but you can get a decent meal if you know where to look.

A favorite place is in Houston at the George H.W. Bush Intercontinental Airport. In Terminal C you’ll find an area called Real Food. It’s cafeteria style. There’s everything from barbecue to salads to meatloaf to chicken and deli. It is airport pricing, but the portions are respectable. If I’m going to or through Houston, I wait to eat there.

My home airport is Newark Liberty International. The food there is early American shopping mall food court. For the trendoids, there’s a Crumbs Bake Shop if you want to spend $3.95 on a cupcake or $4.25 on a cannoli. There is a Gallagher’s Steakhouse in Terminal C. It’s nothing like its namesake in New York City and the food has been uneven in multiple tries. But, it’s probably the best of what Newark has to offer.

You would think that the food at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans would be mighty tasty. You’d be wrong. It’s got to be in the top five worst airports for food. Likewise, you’d think there would be decent food at Ronald Reagan International Airport with all of the important folks going through there. You’d be wrong again, although a Five Guys hamburger joint just opened.

Whenever one of those celebrity chefs opens a chain of eateries in airports you can expect to be disappointed, like I was at Cat Cora’s Kitchen at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. That isn’t the case in Chicago at O’Hare International Airport where Rick Bayless has opened Tortas Frontera. There’s a guacamole bar, soups, salads and breakfast sandwiches. The main attraction is the tortas, griddle-baked Mexican sandwiches with a variety of fillings such as beer-braised beef short ribs, chipotle chicken, garlicky shrimp and goat cheese. Here’s the best part. It has a list of the local farms from where the food was sourced.

It’s a long way from San Francisco International to downtown. Grab a cup of soup at the San Francisco Soup Company near Gate 80. They have a great variety of nice soups and, of course, some sour dough to go with it.

You don’t have to be hungry or under-nourished while on the road. To steal a phrase from celebrity chef Alton Brown, you can find good eats at the airport.

Paul Clolery is vice president and editorial director of NPT Publishing Group in Morris Plains, N.J., which publishes The NonProfit Times and its sister publication the magazine Exempt. He also has oversight responsibilities for the editorial content The NonProfit Times Online, the e-letters NPT Weekly, NPT Instant Fundraising, NPT TechnoBuzz, Exempt and NPTJobs.

Often a speaker for industry meetings and conferences, he has spoken at conferences of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, The American Society of Association Executives, The American Institue of Certified Public Accountants, The DMA Nonprofit Federation, the Blackbaud user conference, the Kintera user conference, the Convio user and the Sage Software user conferences. He also has been master of ceremonies for events at The National Press Club in Washington, D.C.


To leave a comment, please click here.