Airport hospitality operator OTG has opened three food and beverage concepts at John F. Kennedy International Airport's Terminal 5 — Mozz Lab, Serafina, and Starbucks — adding to a concessions buildout that already brought Nom Wah, The Halal Guys, and Melt Shop to the terminal earlier in 2026. The additions are part of a broader redevelopment of the JetBlue-operated terminal undertaken in partnership with Fraport USA Inc. and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The New Concepts
Mozz Lab, a Brooklyn-based Italian cheese and specialty shop, anchors the Italian-leaning expansion with housemade mozzarella, hot and cold paninis, and deli fare built around traditional cheesemaking techniques. Serafina, the Manhattan-born Italian restaurant founded on the Upper East Side in 1995 by Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato, occupies a space designed by David Rockwell and Rockwell Group in the terminal's post-security plaza. The brand has grown to locations across three continents; its Terminal 5 footprint offers the full menu — pizzas, pastas, and desserts — with quick-service execution suited to gate-side dining. Starbucks rounds out the trio as a quick-service coffee and snack option, with mobile ordering available to travelers before departure.
The Bigger Picture
The openings are tied to JetBlue's flagship terminal refresh, itself aligned with the Port Authority's $19 billion transformation of JFK Airport. The terminal's redevelopment includes new art installations and a redesigned center concourse modeled on New York's public parks. Jose Cuevas, VP of Fraport New York, LLC, described the new concessions as "another exciting chapter in the transformation of JFK Terminal 5," framing the terminal as "a destination in its own right" rather than a transit corridor.
For OTG, the expansion deepens a foodservice strategy built around locally rooted brands rather than generic quick-service chains. The operator has pursued a mix of nationally recognized names — Starbucks being the clearest example — alongside hyper-local New York independents and cult favorites, a combination designed to serve both the city's residents and international visitors arriving at one of the United States' busiest international gateways.
Outlook for Airport F&B
Airport food and beverage has become an increasingly competitive category as terminal operators and airlines use concessions as a differentiator in the passenger experience. OTG Chief Executive Matt King framed the Terminal 5 lineup as a window into New York's culinary identity: "The addition of Mozz Lab and Serafina brings authentic, craveable Italian flavors to the terminal while Starbucks serves up familiar favorites."
Stephanie Evans Greene, senior vice president of marketing and brand at JetBlue, emphasized the breadth of the offering across price points and dining occasions. The terminal's evolving concessions mix — ranging from full sit-down meals at Serafina to mobile-order coffee at Starbucks — reflects a broader industry shift toward tiered foodservice models that capture revenue from travelers with varying dwell times and budgets.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
