Ontario International Airport (ONT) on Thursday (April 25) celebrated the grand opening of its newest restaurant, Mi Casa Cantina, part of the popular Southern California airport's transformation of its food and beverage concessions in partnership with SSP America.
Located in Terminal 4, Mi Casa Cantina offers ONT travelers original, authentic and innovative Mexican cuisine in a lively environment. The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner menus featuring scratch-made salsas, and salads, a variety of quesadillas, bowls, burritos, guacamole, and Mexican small-plate dishes.
Thursday's grand opening is the latest in an aggressive rollout of food and beverage concessions since the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) entered into a formal partnership with SSP America early last year. The contract is expected to bring in $66 million in non-aeronautical revenue to OIAA over the initial 20-year term – dollars that support airport operations, help to reduce landing fees and other airline costs and ultimately provide an enhanced experience for our customers. Other recent openings include Einstein Bros. (Terminal 4) and Pizza Vino (Terminal 2), and renovations are underway at Urban Crave (T4) and Tap & Pour (T2).
"We are proud to partner with SSP America in this critical part of the ONT travel experience. These enhanced concessions delight travelers with a variety of food and beverage options, providing jobs for local residents and generating millions of dollars a year in revenues to support ONT's mission of connecting people and places," said Elisa Grey, OIAA's chief revenue management officer.
"ONT is one of the fastest growing airports in the U.S., and the SSP America team led by our Director of Operations Tina Dungan is delighted to be part of the airport community. We fully support the airport's efforts to elevate the culinary program with memorable experiences for travelers to enjoy before their departure," said Oscar Hernandez, regional vice president of SSP America.
In addition to these more recent updates, OIAA's Revenue Management team has helped attract such popular establishments as Chick-fil-A, Dunkin' Donuts, Brewery X and the first-ever Top Golf Swing Suite to be located at an airport. In March, a national study by Upgraded Points ranked ONT as the third best airport in the U.S. for fast food accessibility.
In the meantime, ONT remains one of the aviation industry's great success stories, achieving 37 consecutive months of year-over-year passenger gains. Through the first three months of 2024, ONT passenger volumes were 10% above year-ago levels, which puts it on pace to approach its annual record of 7.2 million, set before the Great Recession in 2007.
