Ontario International Airport handed over a check for $82,918.99 to the USO at ONT this week, the net proceeds of its fourth annual 5K at the Runway event held earlier this year. The funds will support military servicemembers traveling through Southern California, underscoring how airports and travel hubs are expanding their community-engagement playbooks well beyond the terminal.
More than 2,000 runners, walkers, sponsors, and supporters took part in the race, which unfolds on the airport's own runway — a setting that transforms otherwise off-limits infrastructure into a public experience. Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) CEO Atif Elkadi joined board members in presenting the check to USO Operations Manager Brandi Elias, signaling the event's institutional weight within the airport's annual calendar.
For hospitality and food-and-beverage operators with airport or travel-hub locations, events like the 5K at the Runway highlight a growing strategic reality: passenger-facing venues are no longer judged solely on concession revenue or retail mix. Community programming — particularly cause-driven activations — is becoming a measurable differentiator for airports competing to attract both travelers and high-quality restaurant and hospitality partners. Operators that align with these values-forward initiatives can benefit from increased foot traffic, co-marketing opportunities, and stronger relationships with airport authorities.
The USO lounge at ONT serves as a direct service touchpoint for military personnel moving through one of Southern California's fastest-growing airports. With the Inland Empire continuing to expand as a logistics and travel corridor, ONT's investment in community programming reflects a broader trend that beverage and food vendors in transit environments would do well to monitor. Airports that cultivate strong local identities tend to attract concessionaires who share those values — and passengers who spend more time, and money, in the terminal.
The fourth-year milestone for the 5K at the Runway suggests the event has moved from novelty to institution, with year-over-year participation and fundraising gains reinforcing its viability as a long-term anchor on the airport's community calendar. Details on the next event have not yet been released, but Food & Beverage Magazine — a sister publication covering the broader food and drink industry — has tracked similar cause-marketing momentum across airport and hospitality venues nationwide.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
