The Chicago Department of Aviation welcomed five new culinary and retail offerings to Terminal 5 at O’Hare International Airport Tuesday during a series of ribbon-cutting ceremonies emphasizing the recently revamped busy concourse.
“We had the opportunity to really refresh and reinvigorate our concession program as a result of the expansion of Terminal 5 that we’ve undergone for the past several years,” said Amber Ritter, Chicago Department of Aviation’s managing deputy commissioner and chief commercial officer. “We are thrilled to bring such fan-favorite local Chicago brands to O’Hare.”
Joining the roster of food brands in Terminal 5 is Publican Quality Bread and a combined concept between Six Points Market and Metropolis Coffee Co. Electronics retailer InMotion and local brand retailer BLVD & Branch are also new. Ritter said she expects BLVD & Branch to quickly become a one-stop shop for “better than your standard quality Chicago souvenirs” that also carries resale vintage luxury, high-end purses and handbags.
Representatives from the CDA joined business owners Tuesday afternoon in Terminal 5 to officially mark the new concessions’ grand openings, though many have been operating since May.
Metropolis Coffee partners Farhana Rahim and Sulaiman Fahim, a father-daughter duo that operates a number of concessions at O’Hare as an Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise company, are excited to bring local coffee to travelers looking for alternatives to chains like Dunkin’.
ACBDE is a concept under Federal Aviation Administration rules that gives minority-owned small businesses an opportunity to own at least 51% of an airport concession business. At O’Hare, Farhana Rahim and her father already operate Garrett Popcorn, Goddess and the Grocer, Gold Coast Dogs and Subway.
“(Coming to O’Hare) has been a long time in the making for Metropolis — it’s a Chicago favorite and highly recognized in the Lakeview neighborhood,” Farhana Rahim said. “To passengers, it will be something that’s truly a representation of Chicago.”
Metropolis Coffee is a grab-and-go concept inside Six Points Market, a Chicago-themed store named after the six points on each of the four stars appearing on the city’s official flag. The store sells snacks, souvenirs, books and travel accessories, with the Metropolis counter serving its usual coffee roasts plus sandwiches, pastries and samosas.
Six Points Market and Metropolis are located near Gate M30, which mostly services Southwest Airlines. At the opposite end of Terminal 5, near where Delta flies out, is Publican Quality Bread, which also has artisanal coffee and specialty bakery items.
“Local high-end coffee is always a hit with passengers and this makes it available no matter which direction you’re heading in the terminal,” Ritter said. “They really, really add a lot of character to Terminal 5, and really bring a sense of Chicago into our terminal.”
O’Hare’s Terminal 5 now has 38 total concessions and there’s a lot more to come. New locations for Chick-fil-A and Protein Bar & Kitchen are set to open later this summer. Popular Loop-based American restaurant The Dearborn is also slated to open in early 2025 in Terminal 5’s new expansion area. Bronzeville Bar and Bites, which will be based on a winery concept, is set for an opening in early 2026.
The new Terminal 5 locations for Six Points Market, Metropolis Coffee, InMotion and BLVD & Branch were developed through operating partnerships with specialty retailer WHSmith North America.
Ritter said the additions in Terminal 5 are in line with the planned modernization of the entire airport.
In May, Mayor Brandon Johnson shared new plans for a long-awaited rebuild, which would replace Terminal 2 with a new Global Terminal, though many questions remain about the timeline, cost and design of the delayed expansion project.
And in July, Chicago-based United Airlines became the first to purchase lower-emission fuel made from leftover fats, oils and grease to be available soon for use by carriers that fly in and out of O’Hare.
