It would be hard to find anyone who’s a big fan of airplane food, which has been the butt of jokes for so long that it’s considered cliché. “Hell’s Kitchen” host Gordon Ramsay refuses to eat while flying, for one, and late fellow celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain also rejected in-flight meals. But there’s one particular aircraft where none of this applies. An old U.S. Air Force plane that stands firmly on the ground in Colorado Springs houses a restaurant that’s been serving up food and aviation enthusiasm for more than two decades.
Patrons at The Airplane Restaurant dine inside a 110-foot-long Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter tanker built in 1953 that once refueled other aircraft. It also transported cargo and troops before ending its service with the Texas National Guard. Its silver exterior still bears “U.S. Air Force” and “Texas Air Guard” markings on the side, reflecting its history.
Owner Steve Kanatzar, himself a pilot, bought the plane in a government auction in 2001 and created a dining space inside, with booths running down both sides of the narrow interior. The restaurant opened the following year near the Colorado Springs airport, with seating for 42 people in the cabin. There’s space for another 233 guests in the attached main restaurant, which displays memorabilia, artifacts, and photos related to air flight. One of the Boeing aircraft’s four engines, a propeller, and one wing extends into the building.
What’s served to guests at the restaurant?
Steve Kanatzar had already been in the restaurant industry for many years when he fulfilled his long-held dream of opening an aviation-themed eatery. Guests are waited on by servers wearing flight attendant-style uniforms, and anyone — including kids — can go into the cockpit and explore the switches, buttons, and other controls, all of which are still intact. While Kanatzar extended his love of flying to creating menu item names, he didn’t go overboard by giving every dish and drink a related moniker.
The restaurant’s menu features standard American fare like steaks, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and pasta. The appetizers are in a section called “Preflight” and include Runway Chicken Wings and Aero Southwest Eggrolls with chicken, spinach, jack cheese, rice, onion, and cilantro, served with guacamole-ranch dressing. There’s a Flying Fortress Fajita Salad, a BBQ Bomber Burger, and the Afterburner Burger with guacamole, roasted green chiles, and pepper jack cheese. The Reuben von Crashed offers three Reuben sandwich options — with corned beef, turkey, or bison. There’s also the Philly Flyer, with beef or chicken, sauteed onions and bell peppers, topped with Swiss on toasted French bread, and a Piper Club sandwich. Patrons can find desserts under the “Tasty Postflight Dessert Debriefing.”
A few of the “Jet Fuel” specialty drinks also have themed names. For instance, Grand Marnier, Kahlúa, Irish cream, and ice cream make up the boozy dessert drink Arctic B-52. And the Chocolate Touchdown is made with peppermint schnapps, hot chocolate, and whipped cream.
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