You clear airport security, find your gate, and decide to grab a quick bite before boarding. One bean-and-cheese burrito later, you’re reportedly $25 lighter. That’s the welcome passengers have been describing at Hollywood Burbank Airport‘s new terminal, which opened October 13, 2026, after a $1.3 billion overhaul that created a 355,000-square-foot facility with 14 gates, centralized security, and indoor baggage claim. Complaints about food pricing hit social media almost immediately. Every price cited below comes from individual traveler accounts and has not been independently verified against official menus or receipts.
What Travelers Say They Paid
Within days of opening, Reddit threads and social media posts turned into an informal — and unflattering — price survey.
Among the reported figures circulating online:
- Bean-and-cheese burrito at Poquito Mas: reportedly $25; the same item lists at $11.95 at a separate Burbank location — approximately a 109% difference, per available menu comparisons
- Smash burger at West Coast Smash: reportedly $25; streetside price approximately $15, a roughly 66% premium
- Breakfast burrito and coffee: one traveler reported paying $35
- Three tacos and a bottle of water: one account cited nearly $50
- A packaged chocolate bar: one social media user reported $19.95 — a single, unverified claim
One traveler reportedly described the experience as needing to “take out a loan” for lunch. Another, according to social media posts, compared the terminal’s pricing to Erewhon — Southern California’s luxury grocery benchmark, where premium prices are practically part of the brand.
A reported 2025 concession agreement allegedly limits airport food and beverage prices to no more than 15% above a streetside benchmark. If accurate, the reported 66% and 109% premiums raise compliance questions worth examining. That said, the agreement’s benchmark methodology and enforcement mechanism have not been independently reviewed, and like-for-like comparisons — same portion, same ingredients — still require confirmation. Hollywood Burbank Airport officials had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication. Inspectors have found that some food vendors routinely overcharge well beyond stated price caps, underscoring how difficult enforcement can be.
Why Airport Food Costs More – And Why This Still Feels Off
Structural costs are real, but they don’t automatically account for a reported 109% markup on a bean-and-cheese burrito.
High rents, security-restricted supply chains, captive demand — airports everywhere carry genuine overhead that pushes prices higher. Comparable venue pricing has surfaced elsewhere, with some travel destinations charging $38 Sandwiches as a matter of course. On opening day, not all 13 planned food concessions were fully operational; two outlets launched with grab-and-go options only, with additional vendors expected to come online in phases. A phased rollout creates friction and inconsistency. It does not, by itself, explain doubling a burrito’s street price.
Until the airport, Poquito Mas, or West Coast Smash respond with official menu prices and a clearer account of the markup math, the gap between what travelers are reporting and what the concession rules reportedly allow remains wide open. The scrutiny mirrors broader hidden-fee debates playing out across the restaurant industry. The terminal is new. The questions are not going away.
