Nashville International Airport plans to add more local businesses to its already packed concessions roster when the new $855 million Concourse A opens in 2028. In an Aug. 12 Metro Nashville Airport Authority meeting, BNA Vice President of Concessions Lisa Leyva announced the full list of future tenants her team recently recruited, including Eric Church's Broadway bar Chief's and East Nashville's New Orleans-based restaurant Turkey and the Wolf.
"We feel really good about the package that we're bringing to you," Leyva said.
Nashville's airport authority board plans to vote on approval for the new subleases during its regular September meeting.
Instead of a multi-level bar like the concept on Broadway, Leyva said the Chief's at BNA will operate
as a full-service restaurant. AJ Capital, the development firm that owns Chief's alongside Church, declined to comment. Across the walkway from Chief's will be Hawkers, the Florida-based Asian street food restaurant that opened in East Nashville in 2020, and Nashville gourmet hamburger restaurant Burger Republic will open further down the concourse.
Rounding out the new full-service restaurant offerings is Turkey and The Wolf, a restaurant from James Beard Award semifinalist chef Mason Hereford that is known for its eccentric decor, unique takes on nostalgic childhood dishes and stacked sandwiches. It will take over an open space in Concourse C.
"We freaking love Nashville, and we can’t wait to cook for airport travelers," Hereford said. "It’s a cool opportunity to reach new folks with a menu of some of our classics and some new stuff, and we’re honored to be part of the expansion."
Massachusetts-based coffee giant Dunkin' will also open its first Nashville airport location in Concourse A, and it will be the company's first coffee shop that also serves alcohol. Dubbed Dunkin' After Dark, the BNA spot will have all-day coffee and a bar. After Leyva described the concept, airport commissioners joked about how excited they are to order a donut and a shot once Dunkin' After Dark debuts.
Meanwhile in Concourse B, another new coffee shop is in the works. Coolship Coffee Co., a venture from Nashville's TailGate Brewery, will open its first standalone shop inside the airport. Since its start in 2025, Coolship's canned and on-tap cold brew has been available in all TailGate Brewery Taprooms.
One of the few new concepts that doesn't have Tennessee ties is Freshens, a healthy fast-casual option that serves acai bowls, flatbreads and salads to-go. The Atlanta-based company has over 200 locations nationwide, including 25 in airports.
Beyond restaurants, bars and coffee shops, Leyva described plans to open two new retail options in Concourse A: Nashville Remix and Greatest Hits. The former will operate as a travel essentials and bottle shop, and the latter is a sister store to the music-themed apparel and gift shop open near the international departures gates.
When Nashville airport turned toward local businesses
Most U.S. airports feature an array of chain restaurant options, from Chick-Fil-A and McDonald's to TGI Fridays and Chili's, but in 2019, Nashville International Airport decided to chase a different model. Instead of angling for mass appeal and nationwide brands, airport leadership began prioritizing local businesses and building upon Nashville's reputation for live music honky-tonks.
First, BNA brought in Nashville favorites like Broadway's oldest bar Tootsie's, country star Blake Shelton's Ole Red and Prince's Hot Chicken. Next came Tailgate Brewery, Swett's, Puckett's and Bongo Java, and local retail like actress Reese Witherspoon's Draper James and novelist Ann Patchett's Parnassus Books followed.
The travelers responded just as BNA officials hoped they would.
"It's the local Nashville theme. We get a lot of positive comments," airport CEO and President Doug Kreulen said. "You can enjoy it on the way in, on the way out and while you're downtown."
In 2025, after dozens more Tennessee businesses made their BNA debut, the Airports Council International named Nashville's concessions program the best in North America. Now, Nashville airport officials are committed to continuing the Tennessee-first concessions strategy as it renovates and reconstructs new pieces of the terminal like Concourse A.
What else is new in Concourse A?
Along with new restaurants, the $855 million Concourse A renovation will add more gates, two 120-foot-long moving walkways, an outdoor terrace and a second story of lounges for passengers. American Airlines was the first to announce its new 17,400-square-foot Admiral Lounge in April.
The renovation will take Concourse A from six gates to 16, and once it opens in 2028, the airport will jump to 70 operable gates. By then, BNA predicts that it will service 28 million passengers annually, compared to a projected 27 million this year.
"If Tennessee keeps going, you're going to be at 60 million in 2047," Kreulen said. "If the growth is slower, good. We don't need it to be this fast, but if we stay on this track, it's going to continue to challenge the board, the staff, the state and the city to keep handling it."
Concourse A's additions bring the growing airport one step closer to managing that future demand.
Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work,subscribe to The Tennessean.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville airport adds new local restaurants to concessions lineup
