Airports are known for their joyful encounters, but it would be hard to beat the enthusiastic welcome shown to Barú, the new restaurant that has just landed in Owen Roberts International Airport’s departure lounge.
Just seconds after Cayman Islands Airports Authority CEO Albert Anderson performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony to declare the restaurant open, hungry passengers were already in full flight towards the 90-seater eatery, dragging suitcases and children in their wake.
First through the door was American businessman Steven Henderson, who travels between the US and his home on Rum Point at least three times a month.
“It’s amazing!” he declared, eagerly perusing the menu. “I’m thrilled beyond belief. I have much love for the people at Subway, but they’re going to miss me. I’m going to have lunch here every single time I fly out.”
GCG, the company behind Barú, must be hoping that every passenger flying out of Grand Cayman feels the same. The restaurant has been a long time in planning but will provide much-needed variety in the departures lounge, with table service, bar seating and live TV sport to help pass the time before boarding.
Bruno Barrientos, chief operations officer at GCG, said that while the company had been in Cayman since 1993, when it started supplying the in-flight catering for British Airways, Barú is its first Cayman airport concession.
Panama inspiration
Describing the concept as “casual/fine dining”, Barrientos said the name and logo were inspired by a volcano in Panama, and Cayman’s Barú will join others in locations such as Panama, Barbados and Medellín.
“We have tried to bring the Caribbean feel of a tropical environment – with original materials such as wood, a little bit of leather, greenery – to have the passengers feel like they are getting a last glimpse of a Caribbean island,” he said.
“The idea is that when they enter here, they feel that there is not only a convenient choice of food of a consistent quality, but also that they have a little bit of an experience before they get into a metallic aircraft for nine hours.”
He said that alongside local passengers, the majority of customers will be from the US, Canada and Europe, including the UK, “so we have created a simple, quick menu that they can choose from which is convenient and which captures a little bit of everything”.
The menu has a selection of breakfast options, pizzas, sandwiches, appetizers, salads and pasta dishes, with main courses including ribeye, tenderloin and short ribs.
With the crucial certificate of occupancy coming through just one day before opening and the liquor licence yet to come, Barrientos said that there had been some “challenges” throughout the process.
“The Cayman Islands is a very strict building authority,” he said, “so we had to get approvals from the fire department, from the architectural department … lots of different entities. So, we are 100% sure that we did everything right.”
Changing face of departures
Airports Authority CEO Anderson said it was the first time that the airport had a full-service restaurant since the airport was redeveloped a decade ago and it has already made a huge difference to the departure hall.
“The food and the ambiance are fantastic,” he said. “It’s a new chapter for the airport and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with both Barú and the CIAA and other things hopefully to come in the future.”
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