Pop Up Restaurant at Airport by JetBlue and Coca-Cola Combines Different Cultures
The airport is full of people from all different places, offering a great opportunity to connect with someone new. Yet in actuality, people rarely do. To change that, JetBlue and Coca-Cola opened a pop up restaurant in the airline’s Terminal 5 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) called “Shared Plate” to give travellers the chance to share a meal before takeoff.
The catch? They had to eat with a complete stranger.
Instead of a set menu, the restaurant served one-of-a-kind fusion meals by Chef JJ Johnson inspired by the diverse backgrounds of each diner to encourage meaningful connections at each table.
One of the recipes that travellers got to enjoy was the Banger Chili Dogs With Everything Bagel Potato Chips. Chef Johnson gave bangers, a British staple, an American twist by re-envisioning them as the iconic hot dog, topped with chili and served alongside New York bagel “chips” — fried potatoes seasoned liked an everything bagel. There’s even a recipe for it.
“It’s not just combining food. This is really combining people and I prepare a dish that represents each of them. One was from England and the other was from New York, so I came up with the banger chili dog on a pretzel roll with everything bagel with potato chips” said Chef Johnson.
“When you go to the airport, you don’t usually think about company. All you’re thinking about is making your flight on time. And we need this. There are too many things pulling people apart nowadays,” said one of the travellers.
“Everybody has a story. When you really get to know other people, it just breaks down barriers,” added another traveller.
Coca-Cola was a global winner of the World Branding Awards 2017-2018, in the Beverages-Softdrinks category.
