Neman: At Lambert, You Can Now Order Food While in the TSA Line
I come from a family that occasionally misses planes, and by “occasionally” I mean “at least once, and possibly twice.”
Airline time is never as fluid as my family’s time is. Though I have never personally missed a plane, I have, every now and again, arrived at an airport hungry but without enough time to grab a bite to eat.
St. Louis Lambert International Airport understands, and has been slowly rolling out a solution for my fellow latecomers.
On the Fly Pickup allows you to order food from eight of the airport’s restaurants while you are in the TSA security-screening line. By the time you get through security and to the restaurant, your food should be ready to go.
I tried it myself last week. I had a little trouble ordering, because anything involving technology defeats me, but other than that, it worked like a charm.
The food can only be taken to go, incidentally. You can’t eat it at the actual airport restaurant for logistical reasons. If the restaurant is full, as it often is at an airport, people with to-go bags trying to eat at a table would only cause chaos.
However, the to-go bags, like all food sold inside the airport terminals, can be taken onto planes and eaten there. Or it can be eaten at the gate or anywhere else you want to wait for your plane.
I chose to get a Kings Signature Smash, which is a double smash burger and fries, and an iced tea from Three Kings Public House, which is kind of tucked out of the way in Terminal 2 near Gate E33. The bag was ready when I walked up to the counter. My total bill was $26.59, including tax.
Airport food is always going to be pricier. At a regular Three Kings restaurant, the Signature Smash is $14.99. At the airport, it was $18.99.
Even so, my lunch was terrific. Honestly, it’s hard to mess up a smash burger, and this one had just the right amount of gooey American cheese and a rich and lightly tart sauce, served on a brioche bun. The lightly spiced fries were double fried, so they were extra crispy and delicious.
Not coincidentally, the Three Kings at Lambert is in the running, once again, for the title of Best Airport Bar as picked by the readers of USA Today. The restaurant has scored in the top five four times in the last six years and came in first place in 2023. It has been second for the last two years.
Other airport restaurants that are currently available for the service are Mike Shannon’s Grill, Budweiser Brew House, NASCAR, Schlafly’s, Brewmasters Taproom, Blue Note and 1876.
Just those restaurants, and nowhere else. Lambert is the first and only airport in the country to offer this service. It was developed by the airport’s executive chef, Larry Duncan, and Public Information Manager Roger Lotz. If it is a success, expect it to spread to airports everywhere.
“We try to accommodate everybody, but what we run into is people who don’t want to stop because they see the line waiting to get in, or they see the line to order, and they go, ‘Oh, I don’t have time for that. I’m going to hit a vending machine. I’ve got a granola bar in my purse,’” Duncan says.
Duncan oversees 20 restaurants at the airport, which are all run by HMSHost, a national food-service company now owned by a Swiss company, Avolta. HMSHost runs the restaurants, not the restaurant companies themselves. They consider the restaurant companies their brand partners.
For instance, HMSHost uses the name and concept of Schlafly, a local brewery that owns two popular restaurants around town. HMSHost worked with Schlafly to develop a menu that is similar to their own menus, but can stand up to the demands of an airport restaurant, Duncan says.
Airport restaurants serve a high volume of food, in a small space. Their offerings all have to be able to be cooked and served quickly.
Duncan says the idea of On the Fly Pickup is to relieve some of the stress often felt by travelers.
“Getting through TSA, if you’re not a frequent flyer, is a nerve-wracking experience. If you’re not familiar with the airport, it’s a nerve-wracking experience to walk in and go, ‘I’ve got to find my gate,’” Duncan says.
On the Fly Pickup is one thing the airport can do to ease the anxiety people experience when flying.
“If anybody’s traveled with kids, I know the best way to distract them when we get through this (security) gate is to have some chicken strips ready for them, right?” Duncan says.
“These kids need chicken strips, and mom needs a margarita. And you can now do that from the TSA line and have it waiting for you when you get here.”
To order from On the Fly Pickup, go to flystl.com and click on “Dine” in the section labeled “At the Airport.” Click on the box labeled “On the Fly Pickup.” The restaurants that use the system will appear just below the box — make sure you are ordering from a restaurant in your terminal. Click on the restaurant you want, and then click on the “On the Fly Pickup” box. The menu, which is the same menu offered at the airport restaurant, will appear.
Make your order, and then pick it up at the restaurant.
Travelers with special needs covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act can click on the button showing an image of a man, for additional help.
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