U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon took to twitter to complain about a $25.60 for a cold refrigerated turkey sandwich at the Burbank Airport. Responses mostly fall along the lines of:
- airport prices are insane
- this is because of California or Gavin Newsom
- she should complain to Trump.
The price is absurd, but coming from the assistant attorney general for civil rights it’s primed for a political response, and also tone deaf as a civil rights issue and seems to speak to priorities. Still, it sent me down a rabbit hole to learn more about this sandwich.
Someone just tried to charge me $25.60 for a cold, refrigerated turkey sandwich at Burbank Airport. Have people no shame?! Luckily I had tangerines and trail mix in my bag. I’ll survive …
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@HarmeetKDhillon) May 20, 2026
Airports often have ‘street pricing’ rules where food and retail items aren’t supposed to cost much more than they would outside the airport. That usually means 10% – 20% more than some benchmark. However,
- It’s rare that the airport defines which street – vendors can scour for the most expensive comparable.
- And the rules are often ignored by airports. The rules get set because airports in the U.S. are mostly government owned and passengers are voters who hate the high prices.
- But vendors have to make money, and airports are very expensive to operate at. They charge some of the highest rents. It’s expensive to attract workers who will travel to the airport, park in off-property lots, and who can pass required security checks.
At the Burbank Airport I found street pricing rules for the new Replacement Passenger Terminal concession program. Prices have to be either at the approved Street Price Benchmark or no more than the Street Price Benchmark + 15%. The benchmark has to be approved by the Airport Authority before opening and is supposed to be based on same or substantially similar goods in Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena, with periodic reviews.
I haven’t found the rule for the existing terminal, and the new one isn’t expected to open until October. In that current terminal, the two concessionares are:
- Food and beverage: Metropolitan Culinary Services which has held the contract for more than three decades.
- Retail, news and gifts: Hudson News & Gifts
The new replacement terminal food award went to incumbent Metropolitan Culinary Services, while retail went to WHSmith replacing Hudson. Vendor SSP America filed an FAA Part 16 complaint alleging the airport authority ignored scoring and used impermissible local affiliation when selecting Metropolitan Culinary Services.
I can’t be certain what this $25 sandwich was. It seems most likely to be from a Metropolitan Culinary Services grab ‘n go. There are “Sandwiches and Salads” locations in Terminal A near Gates A1 and A7 and Terminal B near B3, including Guy’s Sammich Joint and Perry’s Joint Sandwiches. A cold turkey sandwich seems more like a grab-and-go than a made-to-order restaurant sandwich.
It’s possible the sandwich was from a Hudson News near the main entrance, Terminal A, or Terminal B. But that seems far less likely.
However, posted menus do not show a $25.60 turkey sandwich. ‘The Lunch Box’ shows turkey items $17.95 – $19.50, including “Smoked Turkey, Brie & Apple” at $19.50. Let’s assume the $25.60 price includes tax.
- Burbank’s combined sales tax rate is 10.5%.
- That would mean the pre-tax price would be $23.17.
- Under a 15% street-pricing cap, that would require a benchmark of $20.15.
But I’m not sure if we can include sales tax, it depends where the sandwich was purchased, because California exempts cold food to go from some locations (the determinant is whether the food it is sold for consumption with tables, chairs, and tableware).
$25.60 is an expensive sandwich. It would probably be noncompliant with street pricing rules. But maybe it doesn’t exist? Or maybe Dhillon included a tip?
The tweet has some David Brooks 2023 vibes. The columnist posted about a $78 meal at Newark Airport, with a burger, fries and whiskey. But food was not the main driver of the bill – the bar tab was 80% of the total.
This meal just cost me $78 at Newark Airport. This is why Americans think the economy is terrible. pic.twitter.com/1qeV9qOBL3
— David Brooks (@DavidBrooks224) September 21, 2023
Interestingly, I found Pappy Van Winkle 20-year listed at $240 at Burbank Airport’s Guy’s Highball Lounge and at Lunch Box. So the airport is certainly capable of producing a Brooks-style airport price shock.
Hey, Gary… No comment on #47 using the pretext of a 1996 plane crash to go after Cuba? I mean, I’m no fan of Castro, but, if we’re gonna start settling scores over plane crashes, let’s do Putin. I’d say he’s liable for at least MH17 (2014) and probably the Smolensk air disaster (2010)… Any Dutch or Poles wanna back me up here? @Walter Barry, you wanna defend your buddy in the Kremlin?
In the majority of cases, and I don’t speak for everyone, business people moving around in airports before, in between or after do not pay attention to the price since they are usually expenses. There are always other options in airports that aren’t as extravagant, you just have to search. Think of it like an amusement park, have you purchased a soda or hot dog there lately?
no one forced him to eat that sandwich and paid for it. that’s why people prefer to go to the lounges.
@Don G – You nailed it. High airport concession prices are a significant factor in the ridiculous queues to get into the increasingly subpar U.S. lounges.
It’s Burbank so no lounges. That’s about what I’ve paid at airports where I’m hungry, there’s no lounge and there’s no inflight meal in first. I have no idea why this imbecile would think other airports are cheaper than this. One could simply eat before they go to the airport, if not a quick snack to tie them over.
“David Brooks 2023 vibes” … Ah, yes… following Brooks’ viral post, the actual restaurant he ate at (1911 Smokehouse BBQ) looked up his receipt and publicly revealed that his food only cost about $17… the other 80% of the bill was his bar tab from ordering multiple shots of high-end whiskey. Classic out-of-touch faux-conservative elite pundit complaining about a broad issue while hiding the fact that his own expensive or luxury tastes are the actual culprit. (That said, I do still like his segments along side other columnists on the PBS Newshour… Shields and Brooks, Brooks and Capehart, and occasional guests like Ruth Marcus.)
@ 1990 — The Idiot knows no end. Let him proceed with his next quagmire. His approval rating drops every week. It’ll be about 25% by November. Surely, even he and his fellow crooks can’t overcome that deficit.
@Gene — His ‘supporters’ (online, at least) appear to be ever-more over-confident. Haven’t seen @Michael Mainello in a while, but his counterpart, @Walter Barry, seems to think gerrymandering (aka effectively outlawing black representation in the South) will overcome any shortcomings on the economy, inflation, new wars, blatant corruption, layoffs… better build that ballroom/bunker quick!
I can’t remember if that’s the exact price, but I fly out of Burbank all the time, and it’s pretty close – within a dollar or so. I usually just bring a snack with me, as the food prices are laughably outrageous.
Lesson learned, pack your own sandwich or snack Amazing to think this is even legal. Seems like price gouging to me.
“The rules get set because airports in the U.S. are mostly government owned…”
I think we’ve hit on the problem, as usual.
@Mike P — Not this nonsense, again. Your anarcho-libertarian ‘sovereign citizen’ stuff would be chaos. Nope.
$25.60 for a cold refrigerated turkey sandwich at the Burbank Airport. seems too high given there is a surplus of turkeys in California, especially up in Sacramento.
When a turkey sandwich costs $25, someone in the marketing/pricing process has to say stop “WTF?” It is beyond absurd.
Tone deaf as a civil rights priority? Ffs Gary, she tweeted about the outrageous price and that was it. She didn’t threaten to open an investigation. She also often tweets about knitting, and gardening. Is that tone deaf too, because…gosh, I don’t know, I’m sure one of the leftist retards here could come up with a reason why.
@1990
Sure, mh17 was an accident that was caused when terrorists caused a civil war when they overthrew a the democratically elected President of Ukraine.
@gene
Actually good approval is in the mid 40s which is higher that dementia joe and bath house barry had at this point I’m either of their terms
We’ll see the reality in November especially now that Democrats have lost their racial gerrymandering.
A turkey complaining about a turkey sandwich?
@Walter
Dream on, RCP approval is < 40 right now.
The real racial gerrymanders being perpetuated here are in Southern states that still haven't gotten over losing the Civil War.
@Walter Barry — The troll from Olgino speaks! On MH17, Kremlin propogandists like Lavrov, Peskov, or Zakharova had better watch out because you’re taking their jobs! Likewise, your outright lies on polls and voting in the US. Meanwhile, Daddy didn’t close his pipeline deal with Xi… boo hoo…
Btw, this was tweeted from her personal account, she also has an official asst AG acct. You got all the retard leftists riled up over an innocuous personal tweet about airport food prices. Wait until you see her latest tweet, you’ll really lose your shit.
https://x.com/i/status/2057472361549500866
Amateurs complain about overpriced airport food. Professionals eat either before arriving to or after leaving the airport.
@Mantis — In Bangkok, Manila, Bali, Da Nang, Delhi, or wherever you’re based, 1) how much would the food at airports cost there? and, 2) dude, it’s probably past your bed time, no?
@Retard
Yes I’m in Asia. I wrote that, you didn’t figure it out. You keep repeating it as if you think you deserve a ribbon for reading comprehension. Retards often want reward just for doing what is expected of everyone.
@Mantis — Oh, I still think Asia is pretty cool, mah man. Just wondering, is everyone over there managing alright with the fuel shortages caused by the war in Iran…?
It must be DELTA selling those sandwiches
I hear they are letting you pay for it or redeem 100,000 miles instead
Sad part about it it’s likely turkey roll
So an airport selling expenses is somehow Trump’s fault and somehow a civil rights issue? I paid about that for a crummy burger at TUS in 2024 so that means it was Biden’s fault and Biden wasn’t concerned about civil rights because I paid $25 for a burger at TUS.
@George Romey — No. A U.S. Assistant Attorney General whined about cost of food at an airport. The irony is that she’s a conservative appointed by #47, so… yeah, she has ‘TDS,’ obviously. /s
@Mantis
Gary was only commenting on travel related items in the tweet. Seems fine for the blog.
But the really bizarre action is following an Assistant AG slavishly, as you seem to do. But retards are often slavish cultists too
@ergon
They were loser democrats then and they are losers democrats now. It’s ironic and fitting that a black man on the supreme Court ended the Democrat neo Jim Crow racial gerrymandering.
@1990
I have more in common with those Russians than many so-called American ”countrymen”.
@Mantis
Libs get riled up when the sun shines. The secret about owning the libs is that they own themselves and that’s what makes it so great. These losers literally all are on anti depression medication because seeing trump everyday is that hard on them.
As someone who travels through Burbank Airport frequently, I actually find it to be a refreshing alternative to the chaos of LAX—especially for trips west of the Mississippi. On the pricing point, yes, airport food is expensive. I’ve routinely seen turkey sandwiches in the $20–$22 range, but $25+ is definitely pushing it. That said, the pre-wrapped options are rarely good enough to justify even those prices, so I usually pass unless I have no other choice.
One of the advantages of Burbank, though, is that you don’t have to play that game. There are plenty of solid, reasonably priced food options within a short distance of the airport, and it’s easy to grab a real meal before heading through security—something that’s not nearly as practical at larger airports.
What’s more frustrating than the pricing itself, however, is how quickly a straightforward topic like this gets dragged off course. Instead of discussing airport concessions or traveler experience, certain commenters seem unable to resist turning every thread into a platform for their preferred political angle. It’s predictable, exhausting, and ultimately adds nothing to the conversation.
Sometimes a sandwich is just a sandwich—and not everything needs to be reframed into something it never was to begin with. Smh
@Walter
You seem to be most in need of medication? Maybe a Turkey sandwich with some vodka would suit your and your comrades?
@D Fray: These people suffer from an incurable psychiatric disorder called TDS. It is very said. They are to be pitted.
@Regis
You seem to suffer from TWS (T Worship Syndrome). I certainly pity you
@Regis
Yes, I see it everywhere I look and simply do not understand the need to drag it into the most innocent, innocuous discussions. It brings on fatigue and makes one not want to even have a discussion anymore… Simply not worth having to deal with 24/7/365 front and center.
@ergon — I like your style!
@Walter Barry — You must have seen those stories of Americans who moved to Russia… Let’s just say, they didn’t like it much. (“U.S. family moved to Russia to escape liberal culture and got drawn into the war with Ukraine.”) Sure, ‘woke’ seems bad to you now, but I wouldn’t want to end up on the ‘front lines’ with a bunch of ‘conscripts’ from the DPRK. Eh, you do you!
@D Fray — Ahh, so, you’re one of those: ‘No politics; we want the jobs the comet will bring’ folks (Don’t Look Up, 2020… you don’t have to understand the reference.) Often, the answer to speech you don’t like is more speech. Engage or ignore. Gary is the only judge, jury, and executioner on his site, and rarely does he ban/censor anyone, apparently. Maybe that ‘free speech absolutism’ is healthy (or not.) Speaking of 365/24/7, maybe turn down the Fox News. Full-volume is too loud.
I love flying in/out of BUR but it’s the best/worst small airport in the USA. We tolerate its shortcomings because it allows us to bypass LAX traffic ….
There are no electrical outlets and the food offerings are mediocre and overpriced. I’ve eaten those turkey sandwiches and they are definitely not worth $25 and in fact much worse (and smaller) than the ones I buy for $15 in my CA suburb.
If you’re an elite traveler, $26 for a sammy isn’t a big deal.
Harmeet K. Dhillon must have been on Insta early to secure her user name. I looked her up, and just let me say, I’d buy her the sandwich. I’d not talk politics, though (Trump’s lawyer for the 2020 run who hoped the SC would side with Trump of the “stolen election” contention.)
I live significantly closer to BUR than LAX but I almost always fly out of LAX. That is because LAX has the international flights I need and I can get cheaper parking at the Van Nuys FlyAway Bus Terminal for my domestic flights. Further, JetBlue no longer flies out of BUR and I have little interest in flying the airlines that are there.
I wonder if the sandwiches sell enough to make sure you are getting a fairly fresh one. That is always a problem with premade sandwiches. I prefer other types of food in airports unless the sandwiches are made fresh. I sometimes take sandwiches with me. I will have to take tuna salad in a flat foil container (StarKist Tuna Creations) along with a spoon and sliced bread with me sometime on JetBlue to see if that works better for making a fresh sandwich (can make it in the connecting airport).
Burbank is the worst airport for food prices that I have ever been to
Maybe “Hameet ” should change her name to Hambone.
More relatable
Gary I can assure you that $25.60 sandwich is very real from the grab and go stand near Gate A3. Thats the price after tax. I bought it once while on a work trip only because the regular restaurants had already closed for the night. The concession worker was kind enough to remind me that the chips were free with the sandwich! I never buy food when flying on personal trips out of Burbank because of how overpriced the food is at that airport. Just look at the google reviews of the Starbucks that opened not that long ago, plenty of reviews ripping them for how much their normal order costs at the BUR location. Guy Fieri has a monopoly at BUR, basically all the sit down restaurants are part of his brand, I’m hoping that won’t be the case at the new terminal.