The four types of food halls
So you’re a longtime tenant in a mall or lifestyle center and you’re pleased to find out that the landlord is planning to install a food hall. But what kind of food hall will it be?
A new report from JLL, “So You Want to Build a Food Hall,” states that these new-age culinary attractions come in four types:
Traditional marketplace: These include stores and stalls for sellers of grocery items, produce and other merchandise in addition to foodservice establishments. Retailers of specialty foods or household goods might consider taking space inside these halls.
Community-focused: Regularly scheduled activities and events build traffic here along with the culinary offerings. Legacy Hall in Plano, Texas, is an example. Its Box Garden functions as both a beer garden and a concert hall, depending on the day.
Convenience: These are modernized and gastronomically amped-up versions of food courts geared toward office workers at lunch time and are located in or among office buildings. This model encourages quick entrances and exits.
Incubator: The crème de la crème of food halls, these concepts are in no hurry to curate the optimum collection of higher-end, chef-centered restaurants that cater to finicky foodies. The newly opened Politan Row in Chicago, for instance, presents a mix of local vendors that have had success in other areas and are looking to expand.
“It’s easy to misunderstand what makes food halls different from traditional mall food courts,” said JLL research manager Taylor Coyne, who co-authored the report.
A new report from JLL, “So You Want to Build a Food Hall,” states that these new-age culinary attractions come in four types:
Traditional marketplace: These include stores and stalls for sellers of grocery items, produce and other merchandise in addition to foodservice establishments. Retailers of specialty foods or household goods might consider taking space inside these halls.
Community-focused: Regularly scheduled activities and events build traffic here along with the culinary offerings. Legacy Hall in Plano, Texas, is an example. Its Box Garden functions as both a beer garden and a concert hall, depending on the day.
Convenience: These are modernized and gastronomically amped-up versions of food courts geared toward office workers at lunch time and are located in or among office buildings. This model encourages quick entrances and exits.
Incubator: The crème de la crème of food halls, these concepts are in no hurry to curate the optimum collection of higher-end, chef-centered restaurants that cater to finicky foodies. The newly opened Politan Row in Chicago, for instance, presents a mix of local vendors that have had success in other areas and are looking to expand.
“It’s easy to misunderstand what makes food halls different from traditional mall food courts,” said JLL research manager Taylor Coyne, who co-authored the report.