John Wayne Airport is adding even more local businesses to its lineup of concessions as part of Airport Director Charlene Reynold’s plan, enacted last year, to redevelop the airport’s restaurant and retail offerings.
The investment to alter the terminal space totals almost $50 million with most of the incoming establishments—such as Wahoo’s Fish Taco and Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza Store—set to open in fall of 2025.
The new restaurants are expected to bring $11.4 million in annual revenue to the airport, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said in a statement.
Most of the incoming businesses are locally based in OC, including Costa Mesa-based Wahoo’s, Left Coast Brewery from San Clemente, Five Vines Wine Bar based in San Juan Capistrano, Tacos La Piña from Costa Mesa and Laguna Hills’ Chaupain bakery.
The announcement included at least eight new restaurant operators are in the works to take over up to 37,000 square feet of space.
According to the airport, 18 new eateries and retail spots are set to open in over 31,000 square feet of terminal space.
These vendors follow the first three restaurants to open under Reynold’s concessions’ initiative at the airport. Vietnamese quick-service Brodard Express, Taps Fish House and Greenleaf Kitchen & Cocktails all opened last year.
“The new concessionaires will be utilizing the existing footprint of the stores we currently have,” Reynolds told the Business Journal last summer.
“They’ll go in within these four walls, gut that space and then rebuild their new concepts within.”
She also said there was an “outstanding” response when operators were first invited to join the redevelopment venture.
Currently, the airport has 19 eateries in operation.
According to a map of the plans for the new concessions, Irvine-based The Habit Burger Grill and an Earl of Sandwich location will also be coming to the airport by next year.
The region’s board of supervisors awarded the businesses 15-year term retail and food and beverage leases in May.
Other Improvements
“The revitalization of the restaurant and retail landscape at John Wayne Airport finally takes off, focused on providing local family-owned brands to the millions of travelers that visit our beloved community every year,” Foley said in a statement.
The culinary revitalization is in addition to the ongoing $700 million capital improvement plan Reynolds proposed after her first year as airport director. It was approved by the Orange County Board of Supervisors last June and includes over 30 programs across the airport in need of updates.
Priority improvements include parking structure repairs and rental car configuration.
Total passengers at the airports in 2023 increased 3.3% with 11.7 million recorded.
However, total aircraft operations, which are mostly made up of general aviation then commercial, decreased 10% to 273,175 takeoffs and landings.
The airport moved 2.7 million passengers in the first quarter this year, off less than 1% from the same period in 2023. John Wayne currently has a cap where only up to 11.8 million passengers can move through it this year, which cannot be raised until 2026.
Aircraft operations totaled 70,025 in the first quarter, up 15% from a year ago.
