Last Updated: June 17, 2019
**Floret has once again left Priority Pass but we are keeping this post in case it is of any interest to those looking to eat and drink at Floret.
As a Priority Pass member, there are 2 lounge options and there was 1 restaurant option at Sea-Tac:
- The Club at SEA in Concourse A
- The Club at Sea in the South Satellite Terminal near Gate S9
- Floret by Café Flora in Concourse A
As we have an American Express Platinum card which gives us access to the AMEX Centurion Lounge, we have never visited any of The Club lounges. In this post, we share information and a review of Floret by Café Flora at Sea-Tac using our Priority Pass membership for dinner in May 2019.
Overview:
Café Flora is a Seattle vegetarian/vegan restaurant located downtown and who has since opened up a new eatery called Floret at Sea-Tac. Open from 04:30-21:00 (22:00 on Fridays), Floret serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, cocktails, wine, and beer at a sit down restaurant and has food and non-alcoholic beverages for grab-and-go. Up until June 15, 2019, Floret was the only non-lounge option for Priority Pass members at Sea-Tac. Launched as an option in February 2019, it was removed days after before rejoining again, and so we are unsure how long it will continue to be an option and it left the Priority Pass network again in mid-June 2019. There are lots of rules and conditions to using your Priority Pass at Floret and so you better read the fine print. Please note the messaging on the Priority Pass website at Floret differs slightly. Here are the key items:
- You can only your Priority Pass from 14:00 (2 pm) to close and for din-in only, no grab-and-go.
- After you are seated, let the waitress know you are using Priority Pass. We told the hostess so we didn’t think we’d have to tell the waitress but this was not the case. More on that later.
- Each eligible member gets $28USD off the bill and excludes gratuity.
Our Experience:
Getting a Table:
When we arrived, all but two tables were taken (nicest tables by the window with views of the airplanes) and we were told it would be a 5-15 minute wait so we placed our name on the list. Within 10 minutes we were seated at a table with menus and water. We had told the hostess we were using Priority Pass.
Ordering:
As the restaurant was busy, it took about 10 minutes to get a server to take our order. We decided to order drinks and food to save time as we would go to the AMEX Centurion Lounge for dessert. I ordered the Hummus Plate $11 (hummus drizzled with sumac oil, marcona almonds & fried olives, fresh seasonal vegetables) with a Purple Rain cocktail $13.50 (empress 1908 gin, lemon lavender shrub, sparkling rosé) and Jason ordered the Superfood salad $14.50 (kale, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, carrot, dried cranberries, chia seeds, almonds & cilantro citrus vinaigrette) with a Pfriem Pilsner $9.95. Our drinks arrived about 5 minutes after ordering and our food arrived about 10 minutes after ordering.
The Food and Drinks:
I really enjoyed my cocktail and found it to be well balanced; I really like Empress 1908 gin and you could taste it in the cocktail without it being overpowering. Jason appreciated getting a craft beer. As for my hummus plate, this is the kind of meal I like to have before getting on an airplane and found to be tasty, filling, and satisfying. The marcona almonds were a nice touch and I also particularly enjoyed the fried olives even if they were a little salty as expected. You can add pita bread for $1 but for me, this was not needed. Jason also enjoyed his salad but was still hungry as he didn’t any proteins.
Cashing Out:
We asked for the bill and when we presented our Priority Pass, we were told that it wouldn’t be accepted as we needed to tell them as soon as we were seated but that she would accept it this time only, but that she didn’t have to. Obviously, we made a mistake, apologized, and explained that we had told the hostess and would know for next time, and yet the attitude continued and we were told we needed to read better in a not so polite way as she rolled her eyes. The bill ended up being about $51USD and we were kindly reminded that we’d have to fork out cash for the gratuity; there was a lot of emphasis on the gratuity. This was one of those moments when you want to say: “Oh, didn’t you read the fine print? You have to be nice to customers and offer good service for a gratuity.”, but we didn’t say that and left the gratuity and apologized again. We understand enforcement of the policy but the excessive negative attitude was unnecessary.
Overall:
Service with attitude aside, we did enjoy Floret and think it is a nice addition to the Priority Pass offerings at Sea-Tac due to how inconvenient it can be to get to The Club lounges depending on your flight. As Canadians, having access to a $56USD ($73CAD) credit to our bill is worth so much as our meal would have cost us close to $70CAD when you factor in the conversion. The food offerings, quality of the food, quantity of the food, and selection/quality of drinks is good too, making Floret a good choice for a sit down meal as opposed to the lounge atmosphere. That being said, while we may visit Floret again as long as it remains part of Priority Pass, we still prefer the food and drink offerings, the seating, and service at the AMEX Centurion Lounge (when we can get in as there is usually a wait list and you cannot enter if your flight leaves in 3 hours or more). We would also consider just sitting at the bar at Floret to grab a drink in the future.
Do your Priority Pass? Have you ever used it for a restaurant? Have you been to Floret at Sea-Tac? If so, have you experienced issues with service?
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