Bubble tea chain Gong Cha will open its first U.S. airport location at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport before the end of 2026, partnering with Kind Hospitality — an airport concessions operator led by President and CEO Nava Singam — to execute the unit. The opening signals a deliberate pivot toward non-traditional, high-volume venues as the brand looks to stretch its domestic footprint well beyond conventional inline strip-center locations.
The Operating Model
The Phoenix unit will run on Gong Cha's 2.0 operating platform, a format engineered for compact, fast-paced environments. Flexible footprints range from roughly 150 to 600 square feet, covering kiosk and inline configurations, and automation technology allows the brand to produce beverages in under one minute with just one or two employees per shift. Critically for airport landlords, the model requires no walk-in coolers or ventilation hoods — infrastructure constraints that routinely complicate traditional foodservice concessions deals.
"Our model was intentionally designed for operational efficiency, flexibility, and speed," said Michael Nedelkovich, Vice President of U.S. Non-Traditional Franchise Development at Gong Cha. "This opening represents an exciting opportunity to introduce more travelers to the Gong Cha brand while continuing to build scalable growth across multiple formats."
Why Airports, Why Now
Travel-hub foodservice has become an increasingly competitive arena as beverage-forward concepts chase the captive, dwell-time-rich audience that airports deliver. For Gong Cha, the timing aligns with broader momentum: the brand ranks No. 1 in the Tea category on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 list for five consecutive years and operates more than 240 locations across 24 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The company has publicly targeted more than 500 locations across the Americas by 2028, and non-traditional venues — airports, transit hubs, campuses — represent a fast path to unit count without cannibalizing existing trade areas.
The Phoenix move also fits a pattern visible across restaurant expansion strategies: brands that invest in streamlined, lower-SKU operating models are finding it easier to win concession bids because they can demonstrate predictable throughput and reduced buildout costs to airport authorities. Gong Cha's lack of hood and walk-in requirements is a meaningful differentiator when terminal square footage is scarce and construction timelines are compressed.
With the Phoenix deal in hand, Gong Cha says it is actively recruiting experienced concessionaire partners to support additional airport and non-traditional development across the country. For Food & Beverage Magazine readers tracking the premium beverage space, the move underscores how customizable, made-to-order tea concepts are pushing into dayparts and venues once dominated by coffee chains.
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.
