SPAIN. Avolta this week opened the first outlet in a joint-venture collaboration with Dabiz Muñoz – judged the world’s best chef for three consecutive years (2021-2023) at The Best Chef Awards – at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport Terminal T4 Satellite.
Hungry Club is a partnership between Avolta and Grupo UniverXO, which represents all of Dabiz Muñoz’s restaurants. Further openings will follow at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas and other airports, including Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat and Málaga–Costa del Sol.
They will feature “a unique and revolutionary offer, designed and adapted to the needs of every traveller”, Avolta pledged, saying the initiative forms part of the company’s new commercial strategy.
The concept combines an exclusive F&B offering with what Avolta described as “an unprecedented dining experience” providing travellers with new delicacies from the three Michelin star chef.
The recipes are full of flavour and contrasts, “without borders”, changing constantly and varying depending on the time of day (breakfast, brunch, dinner, quick takeaway).
The gastronomic offer stands out for its high quality and local product base, presented through Dabiz Muño’s unique interpretation, Avolta said.
“Combining innovative travel retail and F&B offers into new hybrid commercial concepts confirms Avolta’s ability to revolutionise the traveller’s experience through innovative highly experiential shopping and dining locations, such as Hungry Club.
“The joint venture is part of our wider innovation and expansion path in Spain, introducing several new travel retail and F&B concepts across the airport channel.
“Leveraging on Aena’s partnership and other collaborations we can focus on the uniqueness and excellence of each territory, supporting local businesses and enhancing the airport’s sense of place.”
Dabiz Muñoz said: “In the XO world we never stop developing new ideas, always under our own rules and codes, which are what have allowed us to successfully develop a world-class restaurant like Diverxo, as well as a food truck or an incredible home delivery service like GOXO.
“We have been working on Hungry Club for a long time and for me it has been incredible. Due to my work, I spend a lot of time in airports, I know the dynamics, the pace, the rush to not arrive late and the dead hours of a delay.
“I travel to the five continents practically every year and I have been studying for a long time how to do something that has never been done before, a hedonistic, dynamic and frenetic experience with the quality that we impose on ourselves.
“I am very happy to collaborate with a global player like Avolta, and that this project is seeing the light of day.”
María José Cuenda, Commercial and Real Estate Managing Director of Spanish airport authority Aena, said: “The arrival of Dabiz Muñoz and his innovative Hungry Club concept in association with Avolta at Aena airports is a clear example of our success in ensuring that our terminals offer top quality services with the most international sense of place.
“The presence of well-known food & beverage brands allows passengers to enjoy a unique and varied airport experience. It also demonstrates our commitment to our customers, offering high-quality and wellness options to travellers at all Aena airports around the world.” 
Martin Moodie writes: You can sense the fingerprints of Avolta CEO Xavier Rossinyol, all over this partnership, and not simply for his epicurean interests.
For the collaboration represents precisely the kind of experiential, exciting and even daring approach Rossinyol vowed to deliver when he unveiled the Avolta identity 11 months ago in Cannes (and earlier the company’s 2027 strategy).
There are multiple talking points here: the illustrious partner chef, of course; the joint venture nature of that partnership; the multiple location roll-out. But most of all there is what appears to be the deep commitment of the acclaimed Dabiz Muñoz, whose splendid quote above is almost as delicious as the dishes he so consummately creates, so much so that it deserves a second serving.
“I have been studying for a long time how to do something that has never been done before, a hedonistic, dynamic and frenetic experience with the quality that we impose on ourselves.”
Aah, how refreshing to hear such sentiments applied to airport cuisine. Will the reality match the sentiment? Time will tell but clearly this is not a case – of which there are far too many – of a celebrity chef bringing his identity to an airport restaurant in name only.
One doesn’t need to visit Dabiz Muñoz’s famed DiverXO restaurant to understand that here is a chef way, way out of the ordinary. You need simply take a look at its website.
“Welcome to the dream world of Dabiz Muñoz,” it proclaims, previewing “A journey through the hedonistic, greedy and creative world of Dabiz Muñoz. Avant-garde cuisine where everything is possible.” Hungry Club has a lot to live up to. And that is precisely what makes it so exciting.
