New branch in airport will be first with self-order kiosks
Autogrill, the leading global operator in food & beverage services for travellers, and Le Pain Quotidien, the Belgian bakery-and-restaurant concept, today opened an All Day Bakery in the departure hall of Brussels Airport. The new restaurant at Brussels Airport is the first milestone in the cooperation between Autogrill and Le Pain Quotidien. The traditional bakery and restaurant will have room for 160 guests. The hurried traveller, however, can pass by the Grab & Go and enjoy their meal elsewhere or inflight. Brand new for Le Pain Quotidien, is that this branch is the first to have digital order units, combined with traditional table service.
The restaurant is located in the central departure hall, which welcomes over 9 million passengers every year. The location covers 200 square meters and has seating for approximately 160 people. Eating in or taking away, passengers will be able to enjoy the quality tartines, pastries and salads from 04:00 to 20:00. Additionally, all companies located within Brussels Airport will be able to call on Le Pain Quotidien for catering their business lunches. The new venue will create 16 additional jobs at the national airport.
Arnaud Feist, CEO Brussels Airport Company: “With the arrival of Le Pain Quotidien in the catering offer at Brussels Airport, we are delighted to welcome a Belgian brand that is known and recognised even beyond our borders. We are thus offering our passengers the possibility of choosing a different and qualitative catering offer in an important transit place where a multitude of nationalities meet. With this collaboration, we also emphasise our Belgian identity which is very important to us. With Le Pain Quotidien, our catering offer is now even more extensive to meet the needs and wishes of our passengers even better.” ?
Self-order kiosks and table service
The new restaurant at Brussels Airport is the first milestone in the cooperation between Autogrill and Le Pain Quotidien, which was announced in May this year. Autogrill brings the iconic Belgian brand, founded in 1990 by Alain Coumont and expanding rapidly in recent years, to Brussels Airport for the first time. A joyous occasion, which is celebrated with a new service model: a unique combination of self-ordering and table service. Guests can place their orders at self-order kiosks at the entrance of the restaurant, receiving a geo-tracker which allows the Le Pain Quotidien team to bring orders to the right table. Any additional orders can be made through the QR-code, available at each table. In addition, the hurried traveller can grab his food at the Grab & Go counter and pay for his meal at the cash register or through the paypod.
Stan Monheim, COO Rest of Europe at Autogrill: “We are delighted to be able to introduce this iconic Belgian brand at Brussels Airport. This restaurant is the first result of the collaboration between Autogrill and Le Pain Quotidien. At Autogrill, we try to accommodate travellers with a varied range of food options. The addition of Le Pain Quotidien to the Brussels Airport portfolio contributes greatly to that goal. We were both convinced that the concept of Le Pain Quotidien, a ‘home away from home’ – bakery environment with simple yet high-quality ingredients of organic origin and from local partners, is a perfect addition to Brussels Airport’s current food offer. Not only can people enjoy breakfast, brunch, lunch or even just a snack break in this new venue, but they can also take their meal to go. The high standards of Le Pain Quotidien and the high-quality food they offer, are perfectly in line with the requirements Autogrill sets for their partners.”
Classic and new flavours
Annick Van Overstraeten, CEO Le Pain Quotidien: “We are very happy with the trust Autogrill and Brussels Airport have given us. Expanding our reach to Brussels Airport is a logical step in our growth path, adding to the more than 220 bakeries we already operate in 15 countries. And as a Belgian company, we are delighted to offer our food to Belgian and international travellers at our national airport. Our loyal guests will find their favourite dishes on the menu, as well as some new additions. We are convinced that all travellers – young, old, in a hurry or already in vacation mood – will find something to their liking and will appreciate the cosy bakery setting within the hustle and bustle of the airport.”
The menu of the All Day Bakery at Brussels Airport will be in line with the traditional Le Pain Quotidien menu, honouring the company’s motto of fresh and quality ingredients and meals. The menu includes options that are suitable for the entire day, meeting the different needs of travellers at any time of day. The Le Pain Quotidien enthusiasts will recognise several cold and hot drinks, breakfast and brunch combinations, organic baguettes, hot and cold tartines, organic soups, quiches, salads, classic organic viennoiseries, pastries, buns, brioches, muffins and cookies. The branch will also offer several menu deals, such as the Manhattan Breakfast, the Botanist Brunch or the Baker’s Lunch. Entirely new and exclusive for Brussels Airport is a bun with scrambled eggs and bacon, available in the Grab & Go section. Guests can simply heat it up at the counter and are ready to go anywhere they want.
