A Virginia Beach taphouse built to support combat-wounded veterans has pulled its first pints inside Norfolk International Airport, cutting the ribbon on a new Concourse A location that co-founders say extends its charitable mission to a much bigger stage. Warriors Taphouse joins a wave of Coastal Virginia brands landing at the airport as it scrambles to keep pace with record passenger traffic and a sweeping, $1 billion terminal makeover.
Warriors Taphouse first opened in Virginia Beach's Red Mill area in 2018, built around the idea of being a taphouse with a purpose, as reported by WTKR. Co-founder Dave Culler, a retired naval aviator who served as Commanding Officer of Naval Station Norfolk and commanded an F/A-18 fighter squadron at Oceana Naval Air Station, said the business was founded to give back to combat-wounded veterans and their family members, according to WTKR. He launched the concept alongside Navy SEAL veteran Tony Bird and Mike Herron, a pedigree that carries extra weight in a region anchored by Naval Station Norfolk, the world's largest naval base, located just miles from the airport, per Warriors Taphouse.
Since that first opening, the taphouse has supported more than 25 charitable organizations, including donating its opening-weekend proceeds to Equi-Vets, which provides therapeutic horseback riding for wounded service members, according to a 2018 report from 13News Now. Culler said bringing the brand to the airport was an opportunity to support even more veterans and family members, the station's report notes.
A Terminal Reshaped By Record Crowds
The airport opening comes as Norfolk International Airport posts numbers it has never seen before. The airport set an all-time annual traffic record in 2025 with 4,892,594 passengers, its fourth consecutive year of record-breaking volume, per 13News Now. That followed a July that was the busiest single month in the airport's history, with 521,387 passengers passing through, according to a report shared on Patreon by aviation journalist Sam Walker.
That surge has strained a terminal that long relied on separate security checkpoints for Concourses A and B. Norfolk International Airport, through the Norfolk Airport Authority, announced in 2025 a revamped concessions program aimed at bringing in local brands, per WTKR. Town Center Cold Pressed opened in the Concourse A expansion in April 2025, and Bruce Smith's 200 Sack Club opened in Concourse B that June, the outlet reports.
Transform ORF's Billion-Dollar Bet
Those openings are early moves in the Transform ORF initiative, a $1 billion capital plan reshaping the airport, according to WTKR. Under the plan, renovations will establish a single consolidated TSA security checkpoint in the main departures lobby, letting passengers move freely between Concourses A and B once they clear security, per the Norfolk Airport Authority. The departures terminal project also includes a consolidated ticketing counter and security checkpoint, WTKR reports, and the airport completed a bond sale in October 2026 of more than $280 million to help fund the terminal expansion and renovation.
Mark Perryman said a lack of concession options had been one of the biggest complaints from Norfolk flyers, according to WTKR's report citing News 3, and he said the next wave of concession openings should arrive in the coming months. Stockpot has already started construction near Concourse A and is slated to open early next year, per the same account, while Ghost Kitchen, described as a popular Norfolk food truck, could open as early as late fall. Cova Brewing Company is expected to be part of a second phase of the concessions revamp tied to Ocean View, WTKR notes.
A New Corporate Backbone For Concessions
Behind these individual restaurant openings sits a much larger corporate shift. In May 2026, the Norfolk Airport Authority awarded travel restaurateur Avolta and its subsidiary HMSHost a 12-year master contract to redevelop more than 4,200 square feet of existing concession space and add nearly 2,000 square feet of new retail and dining across Concourses A and B, according to the Moodie Davitt Report. Avolta was formed in 2023 through the combination of legacy concessionaires HMSHost and Hudson, which had operated separate master contracts at the airport for nearly 30 years before the original agreements expired on June 30, prompting the authority's competitive bidding process, per the Norfolk Airport Authority.
The airport's growth extends beyond domestic terminals, too. Norfolk International Airport opened a 26,000-square-foot International Flight Arrival Center in early 2026, enabling its first commercial international route in 25 years with nonstop seasonal service to Cancun on Breeze Airways, according to WVEC. The facility includes floor-to-ceiling windows, custom border processing, and an on-site Global Entry office, the station reports.
The Transform ORF capital plan is reshaping the airport. For now, though, the most tangible sign of change for travelers passing through Concourse A is a veteran-founded taphouse pouring beer for a cause.
