MD Restaurant Fights To Stay Open At BWI Marshall Airport

ODENTON, MD — Silver Diner joined BWI Marshall Airport's lineup of eateries in 2007. Now, it's facing a potential closure by the end of 2027 over a dispute with its landlord.

The restaurant was founded in Rockville, Maryland, in 1989 by Bob Giaimo and Ype Von Hengst, and later went on to score a prime location at BWI Marshall Airport's Southwest Terminal.

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Since its opening, the Silver Diner location has served as the only non-franchise restaurant in the terminal, offering customers a variety of dishes while keeping prices affordable.

Silver Diner's hold on the Southwest Terminal space came under threat after its landlord, Fraport, said the eatery would need to completely rebuild its restaurant when it submitted plans to renovate the site.

The full gut and rebuild would shutter operations for a year and comes with an $8 million to $10 million price tag that, according to Silver Diner, was thought up by Fraport and blamed on Maryland regulations. "We learned from the State in 2026, that there was no such State requirement," the business said in a statement.

"This German-based landlord wants to boot a 19-year Maryland institution and 120 employees, most of whom are minorities, so a billion-dollar multi-national corporation can take the space," Silver Diner said in a post.

"That is not a business decision; it is a bait-and-switch that does not serve the interests of travelers nor the citizens of the State of Maryland, who will bear the burden of higher prices."

The ongoing dispute led to Silver Diner filing a lawsuit in September, accusing Fraport of breaching its contract.

The Baltimore Business Journal reported the suit also requests Fraport to agree to a sublease that would grant Silver Diner a 10-year term and offer a $750,000 tenant improvement allowance.

As Silver Diner's fight moves forward, the business more recently took to placing card displays on its tables alerting customers to its endeavor, which did not fly with Fraport, The Banner reported.

The business was instructed to remove the cards or face a daily $250 fine. Robert Giaimo, who serves as Silver Diner's chairman and cofounder, said in a release obtained by the outlet that its landlord was attempting to "muzzle" the business.

"Fraport could not silence us in the courts and is, therefore, attempting to silence us on our tabletops," the Silver Diner release said.

Since reports first emerged regarding the restaurant's fight to stay at BWI Marshall Airport, hundreds of letters of support have been sent to state officials.

Fraport has said it rejects accusations outlined in the lawsuit, noting it would be challenging its merit in court.

BWI Marshall Airport is managed by the Maryland Aviation Administration. It is not part of the lawsuit and has not weighed into the signs shared by Silver Diner.

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