Food Options at Dane County Airport in WI Few at Night

Passengers coming into the Dane County Regional Airport at night may find it difficult to grab a bite to eat or get something to drink.

That's because the six new restaurants on the arrival-departure concourse shut down when the last flight of the day leaves but before the final ones arrive.

The shutdown can be frustrating to hungry passengers, flight crews or ground crews working the late shift. But airport spokeswoman Sharyn Wisniewski said the nightly shutdown of restaurants is a common practice at airports, and has more to do with economics than convenience.

A ground-level restaurant between the baggage carousels and the main entrance is required to stay open at least 15 to 30 minutes after the last flight of the night arrives.

People waiting for arriving passengers can't go upstairs to the concourse restaurants anyway because tight security regulations implemented after 9/11 don't allow people without airline tickets to get past the security checkpoints.

The restaurant situation at the airport was criticized by Madison resident Nicole Bonura, who wrote a letter to The Capital Times complaining about the lack of food and drink availability after 7 p.m.

"Because the restaurants are closed at this time it's a great disappointment to passengers and flight crews, most of whom are hungry from being on a plane all day or just want to grab a bite to eat for their ride home," Bonura wrote.

The airport terminal underwent a $65 million facelift and expansion over the last three years, with 10 new restaurants and shops opened on the upper level, as well as new ticketing, baggage areas, security checkpoints, concessions and an art gallery on the first floor.

The new restaurants on the concourse include Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, the Great Dane Pub, Pizzeria Uno, Quizno's Subs, the Wurst Bar and Ancora Coffee Roasters and Cafe.

"If the restaurants stayed open until 10 at night to accommodate the employees, pilots, crew members and passengers, this would not only benefit the people but it would increase sales and business," Bonura wrote.

Not really, said Airport Commission member Dennis O'Loughlin, who notes there is a captive audience waiting for departures, but business from incoming flights is less certain as passengers leave the airport.

"They close down around 7 or 7:30, but one restaurant, the Great Dane Pub, stays open until 8:30 on the nights we have late Las Vegas flights going out," O'Loughlin said. "With no more departures, it's not reasonable for those restaurants on the second level to stay open because nobody can get upstairs after the security checkpoints shut down."

Cafe Ritazza, the restaurant in the public area on the first floor, stays open until the last flights arrives.

"We also require at least one restaurant to be open before the first flights take off in the morning," Wisniewski said.

She noted that Lake Country Travel, the newsstand and gift shop on the first floor, also has some "grab and go" food and drink, and it stays open until the last flights arrive.

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