Bubble tea chain Gong cha is bringing its most operationally lean format yet to the U.S. airport market, with a location planned at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport before year-end 2026. The unit — operated in partnership with airport concessionaire Kind Hospitality, led by President and CEO Nava Singam — marks the brand's first domestic airport opening and offers a clear case study in compact, infrastructure-light beverage service design.
The Equipment Story
The Phoenix unit is built on Gong cha's 2.0 operating platform, which the company introduced earlier this year. For equipment specifiers and foodservice consultants, the headline is what the format does not require: no walk-in refrigeration, no ventilation hoods, and no traditional back-of-house infrastructure. That positions it squarely alongside the growing class of ventless, low-utility beverage concepts that are reshaping airport and non-traditional concession planning.
The platform supports footprints ranging from approximately 150 to 600 square feet, accommodating both kiosk and compact inline formats. Automation technology at the core of the model is rated to produce finished beverages in under one minute, with just one to two employees per shift covering the station. For airport operators and concessionaires negotiating tight terminal square footage, those numbers represent a meaningful improvement in revenue-per-square-foot potential compared with full-service food concepts.
Non-Traditional Channel Implications
Michael Nedelkovich, Vice President of U.S. Non-Traditional Franchise Development, framed the airport entry as a direct outcome of the platform's design philosophy. "Our model was intentionally designed for operational efficiency, flexibility, and speed," he said, noting that the format suits environments where travelers expect premium quality without long wait times.
The infrastructure-light approach is particularly relevant for cold chain and prep-storage planning in constrained airport terminal builds, where landlords routinely limit utility connections and exhaust routing. By eliminating the hood and walk-in requirements, Gong cha sidesteps two of the most contentious negotiating points in airport foodservice buildouts — a design decision that could accelerate lease approvals and reduce tenant improvement costs for future concession partners.
Gong cha currently operates more than 240 U.S. locations across 24 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico, and has set a target of more than 500 locations in the Americas by 2028. The company is actively recruiting experienced operators and concessionaires to support additional airport and non-traditional development. For dealers and reps covering the travel plaza and airport concession segment, the brand's stated preference for partners with high-volume operational experience signals a franchise pipeline that will require rapid, repeatable equipment deployments at scale.
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.
