What’s on the menu of the uberwealthy’s private jets
- Money is no object to the millionaires and billionaires able to fly private
- These clients have a completely different concept of plane food to regular people
- From special tongs for eating escargot to bespoke yoghurt delivery; this is how the uberwealthy eat in the skies
Published on May 28, 2024 at 12:55 AM (UTC+4)
by Andie Reeves
Last updated on May 28, 2024 at 12:55 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
It’s safe to assume that private jet plane food is not the same as regular plane food.
The ultra-wealthy get far more options than chicken or beef when traveling.
As private jet ownership grows, so too does the demand for Michelin star meals in the sky.
But just what are the billionaires eating on planes, and how are these five-star meals achieved in those tiny kitchens?
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The uberwealthy are used to a certain way of living and aren’t the types to compromise.
Millionaires and billionaires don’t believe that gourmet food is limited to being served on land.
Take Jay-Z, whose private jet turns into a fine dining restaurant when in the air.
And the passengers onboard Concorde who were served lobster, caviar and champagne.
Nowadays, when the very rich fly private it’s the norm to hire a speciality food provider, such as VistaJet or On Air Dining.
These middlemen will both create a bespoke menu for the guests and provide ongoing services throughout their trip.
For these individuals, money is no object.
Daniel Hume, founder of On Air Dining has seen it all, from clients ordering 25 Happy Meals to be served while flying to fully-sized spit-roaster onboard.
A regular economy meal costs around $2.50 per person while a first-class meal is closer to $12 per head.
According to Hume, a meal on a private jet is between $300 and $1,200 each.
“We’re not price conscious when choosing produce,” he says.
“They can use whatever product they like, we just charge them for it.”
Meals are prepared using the freshest, most expensive ingredients available.
Some guests will ask for nostalgic favorites while others will request meals to be made in the cuisine style of their holiday destination.
A client once requested for their yoghurt to be from a named cow from a specific herd, and the jet staff obliged.
The kitchen of a plane is one of the most challenging places to produce high-end food.
Meals are prepared on the ground, then par-cooked and blast chilled to seal in flavor and texture.
“When you’re in the air you lose 50% of the flavour of salt so we add plenty of umami and strong flavours that can blast through the dryness on board,” Hume says.
They are loaded into the plane 90 minutes before departure after which flight attendants are responsible for completing the meal.
These attendants are trained to plate up as if they were in a five-star restaurant, depositing sauce with squeezy bottles and arranging food like works of art.
There are no plastic cutlery and trays here: private jet clients drink from crystal glasses and eat off luxurious ceramic crockery.
Glancy Fawcett is one of the leading suppliers to private Gulfstreams and Boeings, providing everything from linen napkins to snail tongs.
Because heaven forbid you find yourself 40,000 feet up without the correct tongs to eat your escargot.
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Andie is a content writer from South Africa with a background in broadcasting and journalism. Starting her career in the glossy pages of Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire, Andie has a broad portfolio, covering everything from sustainability solutions to celebrity car collections. When not at her laptop Andie can be found sewing, recording her podcast, taking board games too seriously or road-tripping in her bright green Kia.