Dublin Airport to trial a cashless ‘honest food’ store

If you have recently flown through Dublin Airport, you’ll have noticed the €1 honest water initiative. Launched in 2014, passengers are invited to purchase bottled water throughout the terminals; but not from airport staff. The idea is customers will be honest; drop a €1 coin into the cash box; before helping themselves to a 500ml bottle. With an impressive 92% of passengers paying their dues; Dublin Airport is introducing the same concept for food.

The Dublin Airport Authority has teamed up with food hall Marqette for the new honesty trial, which will run for four weeks. An Honest Eats Co fridge will be installed at Marqette’s in Terminal 1 later this month; fully stocked with sandwiches, wraps, salads, pastries, snacks and drinks. A total of 73 products will be on offer.

“We are constantly seeking to improve the passenger experience,” said Vincent Harrison, Dublin Airport’s Managing Director. “Honest Eats has the potential to work really well in an airport setting where passengers in a hurry want to grab high-quality food and drink on the go,” added Marqette owner Michael J Wright. “We’re really excited to be working with Dublin Airport to test this new concept.”

Payment will be cashless; passengers will be asked to scan their own products on a self-service machine and pay via card or mobile payment apps. What’s more, the fridge will send updates to the airport kitchens when stock is running low, ensuring it’s regularly restocked throughout the day.

Depending on the results of the trial, the honesty initiative will be rolled out across other parts of the airport, particularly in places too small for a café.

Photo: Dublin Airport