Breakfast, lunch and dinner from one of New York City’s preeminent restaurant groups are back on the menu for certain Delta Air Lines passengers, now that meal service is once again available in the sky.

Union Square Events, owned by Danny Meyer, is cooking braised short rib with cheesy twice-baked potato and a spinach-and-goat-cheese frittata served with bacon and hash browns for passengers in Delta One and first-class seats who fly between Kennedy Airport and Seattle, Los Angeles or San Francisco.

The partnership began years ago but paused during the pandemic as airlines cut meal service. In mid-June, as COVID-19 cases fell across the nation, Delta restarted its onboard food and beverage program. Soon after, the culinary team at Union Square Events began work on a seasonal menu.

Not all airlines have resumed serving meals, and most of the meals are available only on long-haul flights. New York–based JetBlue serves free packaged snacks and drinks, as well as boxed meals for purchase. Although federal law requires that everyone older than 2 wear a mask in airports and onboard planes, flyers do take off their mask to drink or eat food.

So far, the return of Union Square meals on Delta flights is a soft launch, with about 250 meals served on flights each day—about half the pre-pandemic volume.

Although the partnership accounts for only a portion of Union Square Events’ catering business, it provides crucial predictability as the firm rehires staff and forecasts the near future.

“In the catering world it is amazing to have consistent business,” said Dan Dilworth, director of culinary operations. “Having this be consistent, rather than catering events—which is fast and slow—helps us bring back employees.”

The restart of the airline business comes as Union Square Events puts the finishing touches on a 70,000-square-foot space on 41st Street in Industry City, Brooklyn. Once the move is completed in early fall, Dilworth said, the Delta food will be produced in bulk at the new location, and he hopes to hold the next airline tasting in the brand-new kitchen.