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While I was in Colorado a few weeks ago, I transited through the Denver International Airport (DEN) both coming and going.  While waiting for our rental car to be ready, we stopped at the Timberline Steaks & Grille restaurant, which is the new Priority Pass Denver Airport “lounge”.  In lieu of having any relationships with any actual airline lounges at DEN, Priority Pass Denver is located at the Timberline Steaks & Grille restaurant

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The Timberline Steaks & Grille restaurant is located airside in Concourse C. Once you come up from the escalators that take you between Concourses, the Timberline Steaks & Grille restaurant is right at the top of the concourse to your right.  As you can see, there is a Priority Pass Denver Airport indication right at the hostess stand

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You can get a Priority Pass membership through several different credit cards (SEE: Our list of top credit cards) and depending on which card you have, you have different guest policies.  I have my Priority Pass through the American Express Platinum card (SEE: One Aemx bonus per lifetime? I just signed up for a 2nd Amex card), which allows me 2 guests.

How to use your Priority Pass Denver lounge benefit

When you get to the Timberline Steaks & Grille restaurant, just be seated as normal.  No need to show your Priority Pass card to the hostess – just have it out when your server comes by.  The Timberline Grille has actually hired a specific employee whose ONLY job is to sign you into Priority Pass!  You’ll get $28 per person and can order as usual.  Remember that tax is not included in the menu price (of course) but you CAN use your $28 towards the tax. Tip however is NOT included in your $28 (see below).

We took a seat up by the window, which had a nice view of the tarmac

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Timberline Steaks & Grille menu and review

Here are a few screenshots of the menu at the Timberline Steaks & Grille restaurant.  Breakfast goes through 11 a.m., and you can start ordering lunch at 10:30 a.m.

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And don’t yell at me (like last time) but I forgot to get a picture of the drinks menu 🙂

The Priority Pass Denver benefit is $28 per person.  So if you have a card that allows 2 guests (like mine), EACH of you gets $28 towards anything on the menu

You can also use your Priority Pass Denver airport benefit EVERY TWO HOURS, which seems, frankly, ridiculous.  If you’re traveling with a companion who ALSO has a Priority Pass card with guesting, you could each order $28 of food / drinks every ONE hour (rotating guesting each other)

I’m not a big steak fan, so I got a burger and fries

priority-pass-denver-food-review

It was only $12 which (while more expensive than I like to pay) did not seem overly outrageous, even for a non-airport location.  I was full after that but Angelina “made” me get steak quesadillas to go 😛

priority-pass-denver-food-review-quesadillas

When I returned on Sunday morning, I had the meat lover’s omelet, which came with home fries and was delicious

priority-pass-denver-breakfast-food-review-omelet

The server there tried to get me to order more food (I had used not even half of my $28) but I was stuffed and about to get on a plane, so I declined.

Do you have to tip at the Priority Pass Denver lounge restaurant?

I know this may seem obvious to many people, but lots of people have been questioning if you have to tip at the Timberline Steaks & Grille restaurant when using your Priority Pass Denver airport lounge benefit.  If you are wondering that, the answer is yes, you do have to tip (or at least it is expected and customary). Remember this is a restaurant and these servers work off tips.

It would be my preference that either restaurants pay servers a decent wage with tips not expected, or that the Priority Pass Denver lounge benefit have tips included, but that is not the world we live in, so until that time, please tip your server while using your Priority Pass Denver airport benefit.

I’ve written several articles before on tipping while traveling – see also

Is the Priority Pass Denver Timberline deal sustainable?

So the big question – is this Priority Pass Denver airport Timberline deal sustainable?  According to the servers I talked to at the restaurant, they had done about 12,000 visits in the month of October just from Priority Pass customers.  The server I talked to was not 100% sure but had heard that Priority Pass is paying the restaurant $24 per customer.  If that is true, then I can believe that the restaurant is happy.  I’d imagine that the traffic they’re getting, plus the customers who spend more than $28 per visit would put them in the black.

Priority Pass?  I’m not so sure.  I guess I don’t know how much Priority Pass pays the other lounges that are in their network, but I could believe (based on the day rates at these airport lounges) that $24 is in the ballpark.  So maybe it’s a true win-win-win?

Have you used the Priority Pass Denver airport lounge benefit at the Timberline Steaks & Grille restaurant?  Leave a comment with your experience below!


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