Interview: TRG Concessions and London Luton Airport celebrate Sanfords Diner & Loft Bar

London Luton Airport (LLA) and TRG Concessions celebrated the opening of Sanfords Diner & Loft Bar on Wednesday (19 March). The milestone opening marked the culmination of a multi-year transformation project that aims to redefine the passenger experience at LLA.

The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Director Hannah Tan was on location at LLA for the official opening of Sanfords Diner & Loft Bar; a two-floor American-style restaurant claimed to be the UK’s largest airport F&B venue in terms of footprint.

As reported, the statement airside opening – designed by turnerbates Design & Architecture – features a family-friendly diner on the first floor and a vibrant bar setting on the second.

The venue occupies 12,800sq ft and accommodates 480 covers. It offers an experience that seamlessly blends casual American-inspired dining with an upscale bar atmosphere. The new mezzanine level, adorned with 30 metres of windows, floods the space with natural light, creating a bright and welcoming environment for travellers.

During the event, The Moodie Davitt Report caught up with three key figures behind this ambitious development: LLA Head of Retail Mark Jennings, LLA Chief Commercial Officer Jonathan Rayner, and TRG Concessions CEO Jon Knight to discuss the inspiration behind the project, their continued partnership and the importance of F&B to the traveller journey at LLA.

Looking back at how it all began, Jennings said: “This project started because we wanted to give more choice in F&B. We knew we needed more space, which is why we invested £4.5 million to bring this to life. We have a great partner with TRG Concessions, who created this bespoke concept for us.

“It is a legacy project which has introduced 30 metres of windows that bring a lot of natural light inside the bar and through the airport. This is the biggest airside restaurant and bar of its kind in the UK. We opened three weeks ago and today is a celebration of the successful collaboration between London Luton Airport, TRG Concessions and our construction partners.”

“TRG Concessions are a trusted partner and were the perfect choice to make this project,” Rayner added. “They have the Hawker Bar downstairs, Smithfield and formerly Frankie & Bennie’s, and forwarded the most compelling tender. We are further deepening our partnership with TRG Concessions with a new landside project to come in the summer.”

The downstairs diner menu delivers American classics and Stateside twists on British equivalents. Breakfast options include cinnamon swirl pancakes and a US spin on the English fry up, with afternoon menu highlights including Sanfords Loaded Dog, the Cheeseburger Pizza, Jambalaya and the Philly Cheesesteak.

The mezzanine Loft Bar is a drinks and light bites-focused space. Alongside wide-ranging drinks options, customers can choose from a menu of handheld food. Notably, the mezzanine offers views of the Departures Lounge below and a shuffleboard, adding an element of gamification and interactivity to the dining experience.

Jennings explained, “We wanted something fresh and American dining speaks to all kinds of people. Downstairs is more food-led; upstairs is more bar-led with light bites, drinks and snacks. It’s a fusion of both.”

Sanfords is 24 months in the making and the result of a £4.5 million investment, representing a real statement of intent on the growing importance of F&B to the customer journey at LLA.

Jennings said, “We’ve been investing in F&B now for three years with a broad array of partners and choice and were delighted to win a FAB Award in 2024. We believe that choice drives competition and competition drives performance and performance then drives great customer service.

“This is the pinnacle of a four-year programme and then we will start again, beginning with our landside offer.”

“Sanfords is a real statement of intent,” Rayner added. “We’ve spent the last four years completely redeveloping the Departure lounge. We changed the order in which things come in and the space mix between categories to elevate the customer journey.

“Our mantra is to grow by providing choice whether that’s self-service, grab and go via a wide variety of restaurants and coffee shops. Sanfords is the pinnacle of that journey. We are looking to grow from 18 million to 19 million passengers, so we knew we needed more space. This is an easy way to deliver that commercially.”

Elaborating further on the rethinking of LLA’s passenger journey, Rayner said: “The airport had a big area just after security which became more of a thoroughfare with not many reasons to stop. We put essentials much earlier in the customer journey.

“We also put coffee much earlier in the customer journey to give travellers a reason to stop, especially those who need their coffee first thing in the morning. We also brought restaurants earlier in the journey, including The Big Smoke Bar, making that a dwelling area instead of a thoroughfare.

“None of that happened by accident. We sat down and really reorganised the customer journey with a specific strategy about what we wanted to do.”

While LLA and TRG Concessions have been long-term partners, the opening of Sanfords represents the next chapter in their partnership. “Sanfords is the evolution of where we want to take the concessions business,” Knight said. “It was a great opportunity for us to curate a brand, highlight all the different facets of what we can do and showcase that to our partners.”

Sanfords is a completely bespoke concept created for LLA. Speaking on why he believes the creation will work at the airport, Knight said: “We’ve been working in airports a long time and this is a culmination of what we know will do well and what we do very well as a business. We like doing full-serve restaurants and bars, so it was about pulling everything together.

“Sanfords ticks a lot of boxes,” he added. “If you want to grab a meal with your family you can do that with nice soft seating downstairs. If you want to come with a group of friends and have a drink at a bar then you can do that upstairs.

“American is very popular and speaks to a lot of demographics. When you combine American classics, such as burgers, chicken, fries and pizzas, with great cocktails and experiences, such as our shuffleboard upstairs, you have a winning formula.

“We also have a good bar line-up, including a no- and low-alcohol offer, so it really caters to a lot of consumer needs.”

TRG and LLA are furthering their partnership with a new landside opening this summer. Knight said, “We have three locations airside at Luton and hopefully before summer will be opening a new landside pub, bar and dining room. Every time an opportunity comes along, we work with our partners to see how we can best achieve what they’re looking for in the space provided for us.

“The UK market for F&B in airports is steeped in great quality operators, offering great food whether that’s snacks, full-service or drinks. We were very fortunate working with Luton to have the two-floor opportunity and the two different, yet complementary, concepts under the Sanfords banner.”

The project’s successful completion is not just about architectural innovation but also reflects a strategic vision for LLA’s future. As the airport gears up to accommodate an increased passenger capacity, the focus on enhancing the customer journey and optimising space has been paramount, with F&B at the centre of that transformation.