United Airlines’ opened its first Polaris Lounge in Chicago O’Hare last month to complement its new Polaris onboard premium product. Today, United introduced full service sit-down dining menus in the ORD Polaris Lounge.
For the last month, food has been served buffet style in the lounge. While the buffet will remain, you can now order off a menu from the comfort of your seat. Zach from The Points Guy got a peak at the menus.
Here’s the breakfast menu, served daily from 7:15am to 11:00am–
Here’s the lunch and dinner menu, served from 11:00am to 8:30pm–
Wow. The menu looks amazing!
This food sounds great! Breakfast has a wide variety of hot and cold dishes and even specialties like a “Magnificent Mile Breakfast”. Lunch and dinner are even better, with appetizers, soup, salads, sandwiches, and desserts that all sound tasty. The “Blue Door Kitchen burger” sounds especially good.
United is now offering something that neither Delta or American do: a true sit-down meal in its business class lounges. While American Airlines offers a “Flagship Dining” experience at DFW for their top-status and international first class passengers, it does not come close what United is now offering in its Polaris Lounge in Chicago.
Will this move business in droves to UA? Unlikely. But it does prove that United is serious about delivering a premium ground product that can rival the best carriers in the world. In theory…
The menu looks great and the first Polaris Lounge in Chicago is beautiful. Now United must be consistent. It must introduce equally great lounges at its hubs across the network. It must offer not only great food in the lounge, but great service. Finally, it must keep the lounges in good order and not slowly clawback the amenities.
There are reports that two of the toilets in the mens’ room in the Chicago Polaris lounge already have bags over them. This bathroom maintenance issue has plagued United Clubs for year. How hard it is to have a plumber on staff to keep the toilets working?
But I digress.
CONCLUSION
The Polaris lounge menu is out and it looks great. Let’s hope that United can deliver on all fronts so that its stellar new product can provide not just great marketing, but a truly great product from check-in to baggage to claim.
(top photo courtesy of United)
Matthew, did SFO UA Global First lounge became Polaris already? Flying to AKL in march UA First.
Not yet. When is your trip?
March 21
I don’t think it will be ready by then.
The menus do look great! I don’t think it will ever be LH First Class Terminal great, but the variety is good enough that 95% of people should be able to find something they like. For those overnight redeyes to Europe I like eating before hand and going right to sleep….this will allow Polaris customers to do that. Hopefully the food quality meets acceptable standards.
As far as ORD bathrooms, that’s an airport-wide issue. They have always been pretty gross.
I have a feeling that United similar to other US carriers will once again fail on execution and half of the listed items on the menu will not be available in the lounge. I guess we will find out.
Not to be a grammar nazi, but it’s “complement”, not “compliment” in your first sentence.
Thank you! Fixed.
AA will release table flagship dining soon, it was announced last year and UA has done nothing but pre-empt AA with an earlier release at one airport.
Menu looks good though, nice UA is serious about improving product (finally).