Friday, April 26, 2013

Altitudes Café opens at Suffolk Executive Airport (KSFQ), Virginia

Travelers and hobbyists passing through the Suffolk Executive Airport will once again be able to get a bite to eat at the airport without putting quarters in the vending machines.

Altitudes Café held its grand opening last weekend. Set in the newly remodeled terminal building, the restaurant will serve breakfast platters, sandwiches, burgers and salads. Initially set to be open on weekends only, it will expand to Fridays as the weather warms up.

Owner Raven Ford heard of the opportunity through the work of her husband, Orren Ford, who is an instructor at Skydive Suffolk. She spent lots of time at the facility and eventually met Kevin Hughes, the city’s economic development director.

“He asked me about opening the restaurant, and we just kind of went from there,” Ford said.

The restaurant is an expansion of Cravin’ Raven’s Cheesecakes, which she has operated for several years. It includes cheesecakes, birthday parties, sculpted cakes and special orders.

The airport has been without a restaurant operator since the Throttle Back Café closed.

“We’re kind of hoping it’s going to stay pretty busy,” Ford said. “But it’s going to be hard because the restaurant was closed for so long. I don’t think it will be a problem once the word gets out.”

Ford said she aims to provide good food at reasonable prices while enabling people — both fly-in and walk-in customers — to support a small business rather than eat fast food.

“We try to keep it around that same price range, but better quality food,” she said. “We’re trying to get to that point where people can go out and enjoy a meal and not take long, and it’s not something that comes in a wrapper.”

She also said she hopes to source at least some of her offerings from local farmers.

“We’re excited,” she said, speaking of herself and her business partner, Tanni Williams.

“We are so pleased to welcome Altitudes Café to the Suffolk Executive Airport,” Suffolk Mayor Linda T. Johnson said in a press release. “For many travelers, our airport is both a welcome center and a central hub for their activities in our community. It will be a wonderful amenity for Suffolk’s fly-in visitors and guests to have dining options during their stay.”

To contact the restaurant, call 828-3512.

Story and Photo:   http://www.suffolknewsherald.com

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