La Piadineria is entering the travel channel with two openings in collaboration with Chef Express at Milan Malpensa and Orio al Serio airports. With a combined annual traffic of over 48 million passengers, these two airports are the second and third busiest in Italy, respectively. The openings, scheduled for May 22nd and 29th, respectively, mark the brand's entry into one of the most strategic fast-casual food markets, characterized by high traffic and strong international visibility.

The move comes amid a profound transformation in airport catering, which is increasingly focused on quality formats and recognizable brands. In recent years, airports have progressively transformed their food offerings from a functional service to a central component of the travel experience, favoring established brands capable of combining speed, reliability, and product identity.

"Entering the airport travel channel represents another strategic step in our growth journey, completing La Piadineria's presence in various food retail segments," commented Roberto Longo , CEO of Gruppo La Piadineria. "We chose Chef Express as our development partner because it is a player with consolidated expertise in catering in major transport hubs, capable of ensuring operational quality and a long-term vision. The first openings at Milan Malpensa and Orio al Serio, right on the threshold of the summer season, mark the beginning of a journey that will bring our format to high-traffic areas, strengthening our ability to offer a distinctive, fast, and high-quality dining experience even while traveling, remaining true to our signature express preparation, using fresh dough and select, high-quality Italian ingredients. Our arrival in these airports will allow us to strengthen our brand awareness among the many tourists who will be able to find La Piadineria at their destinations—from New York to France—as well as upon their return to Italy."

Chef Express, the company that manages all the Cremonini Group's catering activities, is one of Italy's leading operators in travel catering. It has long pursued a strategy aimed at promoting established and highly recognizable Italian and international brands, both its own and licensed, capable of generating high performance even in competitive environments such as airports.

"Established and consolidated Italian and international brands are proving to be the ideal formats for generating and improving commercial performance," says Nicolas Bigard , CEO of Chef Express. "We have been present for years with various formats at Malpensa and Orio al Serio airports, and we are delighted to be able to expand our offering with La Piadineria, a successful format thanks to already optimized fast casual processes, high and replicable standards, and a portable yet high-quality product, also ideal for on-the-go and on-board consumption. With this agreement, Chef Express confirms its position as the ideal partner for developing formats in travel contexts."