The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) and JFKIAT, the operator of John F Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 4 (T4), have launched a line-up of food and beverage (F&B) concessions that will include a mix of local and national brands designed to create a New York sense of place at the recently expanded terminal.
Local brands will include: Bessou, a Manhattan-based James Beard Foundation alumni offering Japanese comfort food; Fieldtrip, a Harlem-based restaurant that connects global cuisines through rice; Boqueria, a tapas bar steeped in traditional Spanish flavors; Eataly Restaurant & Bar with an Italian marketplace; Brooklyn Tea & Market, a Brooklyn-based tea shop that marries old-world appreciation for tea with next-generation execution; Dos Toros Taqueria, an authentic Mexican cuisine concept; Chopt, a salad destination that originated in Manhattan; and Villa Russo Café, a Queens-based second-generation family business that brings Italian-American tradition to its cuisine, and a graduate of the Port Authority’s Institute of Concessions.
HMSHost will also evolve its partnership with the James Beard Foundation (JBF) to bring the foundation’s Good To Go by JBF fast-casual concept, which will debut in Terminal 4 with a menu by the women behind New York’s popular Due Madri. The selection of these brands was curated following a competitive process that awarded HMSHost the contract to oversee their operations at Terminal 4.
Local and ACDBE businesses
Additionally, HMSHost has formed joint-venture partnerships with seven local and diverse ACDBE-certified (airport concessions disadvantaged business enterprises) businesses selected following an extensive community outreach led by HMSHost.
These include: Tamalito from Manhattan (ACDBE-certification pending); Hibiscus Brew from Brooklyn; Sugar Hill Creamery from Harlem, (ACDBE-certification pending); Kintaro Foods from Manhattan; Kismet Cocktails from Queens; Fresco’s Cantina from Queens; and Corlis Stone-Littles from Texas
As the operator of T4, JFKIAT’s objective in these partnerships was to foster a mentorship program in which local and diverse business owners would have the opportunity to learn how to operate an airport concession from a global travel retail operator while offering passengers an attractive selection of local culinary experiences.
As part of this initiative, JFKIAT will ensure local business participation and input into the assortment of offerings, supply and fit out of these new retail and food and beverage locations. Collectively, these businesses will have a 30% equity stake in a joint venture with HMSHost. Together, these collaborations, initiated through community outreach programs, will fulfill the ACDBE participation goal.
JFK’s US$19bn redevelopment
Creating opportunities for local and diverse businesses to create JFK Airport concessions that will be appealing to travelers has been at the forefront of the port authority’s US$19bn redevelopment of JFK, which includes the US$1.5bn modernization and expansion of T4 by JFKIAT and Delta Air Lines.
Working with the JFK Redevelopment Community Advisory Council, led by US Rep. Gregory Meeks and Queens borough president Donovan Richards Jr., the port authority launched the Institute of Concessions in 2023 to prepare local businesses for the unique requirements of competing for and operating a business inside an airline terminal. To date, 45 businesses have completed the program, including the owners of Villa Russo Café, one of the new dining concessions that will be an equity partner with HMSHost at T4.
Approximately 45% of JFKIAT’s project spend for its share of the transformation of T4 has gone to MWBE companies, totaling US$34m so far. This collection of local experiences is to strengthen T4’s New York-centric identity. The terminal is also home to the T4 Arts & Culture program, established to support the local community and provide enriching experiences for travelers that epitomize New York City.
For more top insights into the US$19bn redevelopment of JFK, read Passenger Terminal Today’s exclusive interview with Steve Tukavkin, vice president of IT and digital at JFK Airport Terminal 4.