Summary: New local food and beverage concepts at JFK Terminal 4 include Villa Russo Café, serving Italian family recipes from a long-established Queens business, and Brooklyn Tea & Market, a Caribbean-rooted tea brand from Brooklyn. The openings are part of a wider effort by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, JFKIAT, and HMSHost to increase local and diverse participation in the terminal’s concessions programme, supported by mentorship and operational assistance.

New local food and beverage concepts at JFK Terminal 4 are now available to passengers, as two New York–based operators begin serving travelers at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The additions are positioned as a way to bring more locally rooted and culturally diverse options into one of the airport’s busiest terminals.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFK International Air Terminal (JFKIAT)—the operator of Terminal 4—announced the debut of Villa Russo Café and Brooklyn Tea & Market. Both openings are intended to reflect New York City’s culinary variety while expanding opportunities for local businesses within the terminal’s concessions programme.

Villa Russo Café brings Queens-based Italian family recipes to Terminal 4

One of the new arrivals, Villa Russo Café, is tied to a Queens-based business known for Italian family recipes. The company traces its roots to 1954, when it began as a family-run pizzeria, and later developed into a recognized event and catering venue in Queens. At JFK Terminal 4, the café focuses on Italian-inspired grab-and-go items based on those family recipes.

Villa Russo Café is also connected to the Port Authority’s Institute of Concessions programme, which is designed to expand local business participation in airport concessions. The Port Authority said the opening aligns with its broader goal of making the airport experience feel more representative of the region it serves.

We are thrilled to welcome small local businesses to JFK in our effort to make the airport truly feel like a mirror of the region it serves,

Kevin O’Toole, Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, made the remarks as the agency highlighted the role of local operators in shaping the passenger experience at JFK.

As a graduate of our Institute of Concessions, Villa Russo now represents a taste of New York City to millions of air travelers,

Rick Cotton, Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, linked the café’s presence in Terminal 4 to the Institute of Concessions programme and its aim of widening access for local businesses.

As we enter a global market at JFK Terminal 4, we are eager to offer an international audience our local and authentic Italian-American menu,

George Russo, second-generation owner of Villa Russo, said the Terminal 4 location is an opportunity to present the brand’s Italian-American menu to travelers passing through an international gateway.

A food and beverage area inside JFK Terminal 4 featuring signage for local dining concepts and travelers in the concourse
Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport is adding locally rooted dining options as part of its concessions programme expansion.

Brooklyn Tea & Market debuts as a tea-focused and Black-owned airport brand

The second opening, Brooklyn Tea & Market, is described as a Caribbean-rooted tea concept that began in Brooklyn. The business is notable for two firsts at the airport: it is the first tea-focused retail concept at JFK and the first Black-owned tea brand to operate in an airport in the United States.

Founded by Jamila Wright and Alfonso Wright, Brooklyn Tea & Market curates tea blends tied to Caribbean heritage, wellness, and community storytelling. For Terminal 4, the brand is offering 11 signature tea blends chosen from a wider selection of more than 150 teas and herbs. The menu is designed to cover different traveler preferences, including both caffeinated and caffeine-free options.

We are honored to be part of this milestone and represent what’s possible when diverse businesses are given the opportunity to lead,

Jamila and Alfonso Wright said the opening represents a broader signal about what can happen when diverse operators are supported in high-visibility commercial settings such as major airports.

These new concepts bring distinctive offerings to Terminal 4 and highlight the city’s rich cultural diversity,

Roel Huinink, Chief Executive Officer of JFKIAT, said the two concepts add variety to Terminal 4 while underscoring New York City’s cultural mix.

How the concessions programme supports local operators at JFK Terminal 4

According to the announcement, both businesses are operating through joint-venture partnerships formed by HMSHost. The partnerships are intended to help integrate local and diverse operators into Terminal 4’s concessions programme, while also providing operational support needed to function in an airport environment.

  • Villa Russo Café: Queens-based business offering Italian-inspired grab-and-go items based on family recipes
  • Brooklyn Tea & Market: Tea concept founded by Jamila Wright and Alfonso Wright, offering 11 signature blends from a portfolio of more than 150 teas and herbs
  • HMSHost joint ventures: Partnerships designed to integrate local and diverse operators into Terminal 4’s concessions programme

The two openings are described as the first phase of a broader collaboration between JFKIAT and HMSHost to increase local business participation at Terminal 4. Under the programme, selected businesses receive mentorship and operational support, and may later be positioned to run independent concessions at JFK.

JFKIAT said it has backed local business participation through its 4GOOD programme for more than two decades. The operator also said it has invested $37 million to integrate locally owned enterprises into Terminal 4 as part of the terminal’s ongoing redevelopment.

JFK’s wider redevelopment and what travelers can expect

The Port Authority and JFKIAT framed the new concessions as part of the broader transformation of John F. Kennedy International Airport. That wider effort includes multiple terminal redevelopments and infrastructure upgrades intended to position JFK as a world-class global aviation gateway.

Why this matters: For travelers transiting through JFK Terminal 4, the new local food and beverage concepts add more New York-specific choices and may improve the overall airport experience during layovers and departures. For the industry, the openings highlight how major airports are using mentorship, joint ventures, and targeted investment to bring smaller local operators into high-traffic terminals—an approach that can influence concessions strategies at other large hubs.