When I clicked on the page, it turned out my MileagePlus number served as the “code” to get me onto the site, where I could book a reservation. With my flight landing at 8:15 p.m., I snagged one of the last slots of the night at 8:30 p.m., and received confirmation for my reservation. Excited to end my trip with such an exclusive meal on my home turf, I tucked a change of clothes suitable for an airport speakeasy into my backpack, and carefully managed what I ate on the return trip to save space for the meal.
When we landed early, I was thrilled to have extra time in Classified, and eagerly read the instructions again. “When you arrive at the airport, please make your way to Saison, a restaurant located in Terminal C near Gate C120,” the confirmation said. “After you let the host know that you’re dining at Classified, you’ll be escorted to a private entrance and seated at your table.”
That’s when I came to the realization that—invitation or not—I had just flown in from Europe, and needed to go through immigration, which would lead me straight out of the terminal and nowhere near the C gates. Logically, I knew I couldn’t defy border control just for a meal I really wanted to try—but I had to try! I started asking every single person—from United employees passing by to the border security officers at Global Entry—how to get to the “secret restaurant.” Everyone looked back at me with the same reaction: cluelessness.
That’s when I started to think that perhaps this was all a ruse. I had nearly given up on things when I came upon a baggage claim employee who perked up the moment he heard, “Classified” and started jumping up and down. As it turned out, he had just received the invite himself a few weeks back and knew what a privilege it was, and started showering me with “Congratulations.”
“So, you can get me a gate pass, so I get to my reservation, right?” I asked.
Naturally, no luck. I left the airport defeated—and hungry.
A month later, I was back at Newark’s Terminal C, bleary-eyed for 7 a.m. flight, when I realized I was walking past Saison, the gateway to Classified. In my hectic week leading up to the flight, I realized I had received another invite. I assumed it was another mistake, but standing right there at 5:45 a.m., I gave it a try and was able to make a 6 a.m. reservation.
