New F&B line up planned for New York JFK Airport’s Terminal 4

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFKIAT, the operator of John F Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 4 have announced a new line up of food and beverage concessions that they believe will create a unique New York sense of place at the recently expanded terminal.

Notable local brands that will enliven the passenger experience include Bessou, Dos Toros Taqueria, Boqueria, Eataly, the James Beard Foundation’s Good To Go by JBF, and Villa Russo Café, a Queens-based family operated business.

The selection of the brands was curated following a competitive process that awarded HMSHost, a global leader in travel dining, the contract to oversee their operations at Terminal 4.

Additionally, HMSHost formed joint-venture partnerships with seven local and diverse airport concessions disadvantaged business enterprise (ACDBE)-certified businesses selected following an extensive community outreach led by HMSHost.

Image courtesy of Bjorg Magnea.

“From the outset, our goal in building a new JFK International Airport has been to create a world-class passenger experience that will include a mix of exceptional local food and beverage brands alongside notable national brands,” said PANYNJ’s executive director, Rick Cotton.

“Terminal 4’s line-up of appealing, iconic local brands will help to create a travel experience that is unique to New York.”

While Port Authority chairman, Kevin O’Toole, noted: “Passengers travelling through JFK International will get to experience the tastes of our region from the moment they arrive until the moment they depart.”

Local, diverse, and disadvantaged businesses taking part in the concessions programme hail from the New York City boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. Collectively, these businesses will have a 30% equity stake in a joint-venture with HMSHost. Together, these collaborations, initiated through community outreach programmes, will fulfil the ACDBE participation goal.

Joint-venture partnerships with HMSHost will provide a unique opportunity for the redevelopment of T4 to benefit local and diverse business owners who will be directly involved in the management of the restaurants, learning about the complexities of airport operations and bolstering their chances of successfully competing for and operating their own airport concessions in the future.

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.

Creating opportunities for local and diverse businesses to create airport concessions that will be appealing to travellers has been at the forefront of the Port Authority’s $19 billion redevelopment of JFK, which includes the $1.5 billion modernisation and expansion of T4 by JFKIAT and Delta Air Lines.