Arent Fox this week notified Congress that it is lobbying for a retro-diner chain based in Rockville, Md.
The firm is advocating for Silver Diner Inc. on the "[r]elocation and construction of Silver Diner restaurant at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport," according to a lobbying registration filing.
Silver Diner in 2007 opened a restaurant in the airport's Concourse B, which has gates for Southwest and AirTran. The Maryland Aviation Administration is planning a $100 million BWI expansion that "will destroy a significant portion of the existing restaurant space and will require the complete relocation of the kitchen, the bar and the restaurant seating area," according to a Maryland Department of Transportation fiscal 2013 budget report.
Arent partner Jon Bouker, co-manager of the firm’s government relations practice, and associate Amal Dave are handling the account. Neither the lobbyists nor a Silver Diner representative could be reached for comment.
Silver Diner hasn’t had federal lobbyists before, according to congressional lobbying records that date back to 1999.
The company has more than a dozen restaurants located in Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey. The chain’s diner at BWI is its only restaurant in an airport.
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