Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, V Pizza and Willie Jewell’s Old School Bar-B-Q will be part of Jacksonville International Airport’s new Concourse B pending approval by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority board.
The board has scheduled a Nov. 19 vote on 15-year lease agreements with the restaurants, a mix of local and national options.
Host International Inc. will manage the venues in the concourse’s 3,814-square-foot food hall, now under construction at a project cost of $6.285 million.
Under terms of the proposed leases, rent is guaranteed at $925,000 for the first year. After that, Host International will be required to pay that amount or 14% of its gross revenue, whichever is greater.
Chick-fil-A: The family-owned chicken tender and sandwich concept was founded in Atlanta in 1967. It has 3,000 restaurants across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. All locations, including those in airports, are closed on Sunday.
Panda Express: The family-owned and operated Asian restaurant was founded in 1983. It has 2,500 locations across the U.S. and 11 countries.
V Pizza: Jacksonville-based V Pizza launched its concept in San Marco in 2014. It now has eight Northeast Florida locations, plus one in Orlando, one in Gainesville and two in North Carolina.
Willie Jewell’s Old School Bar-B-Q: The restaurant was founded in 2008 as a fast-casual concept of Bono’s Pit Bar-B-Q. It has nine locations in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Bono’s was founded in Jacksonville in 1949 and bought by the Adeeb family in 1980. The restaurant is named in honor of Jewell, who worked with the Adeebs and helped to develop the chain’s recipes.
Retail options
New retail options are also planned throughout the airport, including in the new concourse and at baggage claim. They are Beaches @ Jax, Five Points General Store, Postcards from Jacksonville and Seven Bridges Marketplace. According to JAA documents, the stores will stock items from brands including Toys “R” Us and LEGO along with “locally made or artisan-crafted gifts,” including items from Downtown’s Sweet Pete’s Candy.
Lease agreements for the retailers is also up for board approval Nov. 19. Estimated build-out costs for those spaces are $5.6 million, with Marshall Retail Group managing the stores. The year-one rental fee is $1.8 million. After that, Marshall Retail Group will be required to pay that amount or a percentage fee of its gross revenue, ranging from 10% at baggage claim to 18% for travel essentials.
The expansion project
Construction on the six-gate, three-level Concourse B began in July 2024. The $344 million, 186,733-square-foot project is at 2400 Yankee Clipper Drive in North Jacksonville. Balfour Beatty Construction LLC of Orlando is the construction manager. Gainesville-based Jacobs Engineering is the lead design engineer and Jacksonville-based RS&H Inc. is the architectural subcontractor.
Funding sources include Florida Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration grants and JAA money.
At an Oct. 24 topping-off ceremony, JAA Chief Executive Officer Mark VanLoh said the addition was long overdue after delays tied to the recession and pandemic. Topping off refers to installing the final, highest beam on a building.
“This gives us more gates, more flights and our staff will be filling this concourse with the restaurants that you have been bugging us about all these years to put in Jacksonville airport. They’re coming,” he said, declining to comment on specifics.
VanLoh also said American Airlines is taking all six gates. The airline has announced plans to add more routes and flights to Mexico and the Caribbean in July.
“Put two and two together. We think that’s big news for American, which is our No. 1 carrier now in Jacksonville. I would love to see the Caribbean and Mexico immediately,” VanLoh said.
He added that while he would like more domestic routes to cities such as Seattle and San Francisco, international travel remains a JAA priority.