Hollywood Burbank Airport’s new $1.3 billion terminal opened on October 13, and travelers are already calling out food prices that appear to blow past limits the airport agreed to with federal regulators.
One flyer posted on Reddit that Poquito Mas, a well-known local Mexican chain, was charging $25 for a basic bean and cheese burrito with no meat. At a Poquito Mas location outside the airport in Burbank, the same item sells for $11.95 — a 109% markup inside the terminal.
“Seriously? We are still doing this bulls–t?” the traveler wrote.
Other travelers piled on with their own complaints. “$25? I can buy enough bean and cheese to make burritos for a month,” one Redditor wrote. Another said: “I paid $35 for the breakfast burrito and a coffee. That’s absolutely ridiculous and outrageous.” A third reported spending nearly $50 on three tacos and a bottle of water, adding, “Plan on taking out a loan.”
A smash burger from West Coast Smash drew its own backlash at $25 inside the terminal. Streetside, a double smash burger from the same chain goes for $15 — a 66% jump. “Burbank airport is officially more expensive than Erewhon,” one commenter wrote.
Everyday snack items weren’t spared either. One Redditor said bags of nuts inside the terminal were priced far above what a 7-Eleven would charge, and another reported paying $19.95 for a single chocolate bar.
The prices may violate the airport’s own agreement
According to a 2025 concession agreement between the FAA and Hollywood Burbank Airport, food and beverage prices at the airport are not supposed to exceed street prices by more than 15%. The markups travelers reported — 66% on burgers, 109% on burritos — blow well past that limit.
Airport authority officials have not yet responded to a request for comment.
Low wages, high prices
The price gouging stands in contrast to how Burbank Airport pays its workers. Employees there can be paid as little as California’s state minimum wage of $16.09 an hour. That’s far below LAX, where city-mandated minimum wages for airport workers already exceed $30 an hour in some cases and are set to climb further in coming years. LAX is known for high food prices too, but that’s commonly tied to its wage mandates — Burbank has no such excuse.
A brand-new terminal, old-fashioned gouging
Hollywood Burbank Airport first opened in 1930 and badly needed safety upgrades. Plans for the new terminal were unveiled in 2023, and construction wrapped in just over two years. The new 355,000-square-foot facility includes an upgraded TSA checkpoint, larger gate areas, and food vendors including Pasadena’s Jones Coffee, Guy Fieri’s Flavortown, and Border Grill.
None of that is stopping travelers from asking why a burrito costs more than double what it does a few miles down the road.
