The Jacksonville Aviation Authority unanimously approved lease agreements Nov. 19 that will bring Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, V Pizza and Willie Jewell’s Old School Bar-B-Q to Jacksonville International Airport.
The restaurants are planned in Concourse B, which is under construction and on schedule for completion by December 2026, according to JAA CEO Mark VanLoh.
“In all of the places I go and after all of the speeches I give, the No. 1 ask is ‘When are we getting a Chick-fil-A?’ They aren’t asking about flights to Mexico or Des Moines,” he said. “So it’s coming.”
With Jacksonville-founded V Pizza and Willie Jewell’s in the lineup, VanLoh said the authority is keeping a “focus on local vendors to round out options” for travelers.
Host International Inc. will manage the concourse’s 3,814-square-foot food hall, under construction at a project cost of $6.285 million. Rent to JIA is guaranteed at $925,000 for the first year. After that, Host must pay that amount or 14% of gross revenue, whichever is greater.
JAA is soliciting proposals for additional concession locations, including sit-down restaurants. The request for proposals closes Jan. 5.
New retail
New retail options are also planned. Beaches @ Jax, Postcards from Jacksonville, Seven Bridges Marketplace and Five Points General Store will open throughout the airport, including in the new concourse and at baggage claim. They will sell travel essentials, locally made items and brands including Lego, Toys “R” Us and Sweet Pete’s Candy.
“Our baggage claim area is the busiest area in the terminal throughout the day,” JAA Senior Properties Manager Jeff Taylor told the board. “So to have another customer service offering in this area is going to be a welcome addition to our customer service initiatives.”
The estimated build-out cost for the retail spaces is $5.6 million. Marshall Retail Group will manage them. First-year rent is $1.8 million, with future payments set at that amount or a percentage of gross revenue ranging from 10% for merchandise sold in the baggage claim area to 18% for travel essentials sold at other stores.
All restaurant and retail leases are for 15 years.
Parking
VanLoh said the new parking garage under construction east of the hourly garage will open at the same time as Concourse B. It will add 2,000 spaces.
He said repairs to the hourly garage damaged by a car fire in May are still being designed. The blaze took 500 spaces offline.
VanLoh said he had a "side bet" with the engineers that he thinks the new garage would be completed first.
American expansion
VanLoh said American Airlines will take all six gates in the new concourse.
The airline has announced plans to add more routes and flights to Mexico and the Caribbean in July.
The project
Construction on the $344 million, six-gate, three-level Concourse B began in July 2024. The 186,733-square-foot project is at 2400 Yankee Clipper Drive.
Balfour Beatty Construction LLC of Orlando is the construction manager. Jacobs Engineering of Gainesville is the lead design engineer, and Jacksonville-based RS&H Inc. is the architectural subcontractor. Funding includes FDOT and FAA grants and JAA money.
