4 ms·

I've literally never seen one of these - are they the new thing? Sounds like an upscale hipster version of a mall food court. No surprise that owners are look

by Pxtl 7y ago

I've literally never seen one of these - are they the new thing? Sounds like an upscale hipster version of a mall food court. No surprise that owners are looking to hold the vendors over a barrel - everybody sees dollar-signs at being able to capture upscale dollars with "rustic" setting. I mean, we have an indoor farmer's market with eateries in it in my city, and of course it is a popular destination for hipsters. But I could see how trying to force that experience could just make a mess.

admn2 7y ago
When I was in Denver last, they had 3 or 4 of them that all seemed to do pretty well. Basically these huge warehouse spaces sub-divided up. Some of them even had full fledged restaurants, art studios, breweries, coffee shops, etc. The "landlord" usually puts a bar in the middle, which is obviously the highest margin part of any restaurant. They get the benefit of making money on drinks and events, plus they give patrons a great reason to come there to drink with so many food options.
ghaff 7y ago
>Sounds like an upscale hipster version of a mall food court. Sort of. Yeah. There are bigger ones that mix in markets, crafts, etc. But there's definitely an increasingly common subset that's entirely or mostly "fast casual" food options catering to an artisanal vibe. I know a number of ones in NYC. One also opened up relatively recently in Boston near but distinct from the Quincy Market area.
hadlock 7y ago
Food halls are typically in large urban areas with a thriving tourist industry that can support them outside of typical lunch hours. I have seen them in Portland, San Francisco, etc.
- jacquesc 7y ago
  I wish SF still had a decent food hall. Used to love "The Hall" on market, but that place was only temporary as they demolished the space to build condos. It was in a terrible part of town (south end of Tenderloin), but I ventured there because of it. Now I actively avoid that area.

by Pxtl 7y ago

admn2 7y ago

When I was in Denver last, they had 3 or 4 of them that all seemed to do pretty well. Basically these huge warehouse spaces sub-divided up. Some of them even had full fledged restaurants, art studios, breweries, coffee shops, etc. The "landlord" usually puts a bar in the middle, which is obviously the highest margin part of any restaurant. They get the benefit of making money on drinks and events, plus they give patrons a great reason to come there to drink with so many food options.

ghaff 7y ago

>Sounds like an upscale hipster version of a mall food court. Sort of. Yeah. There are bigger ones that mix in markets, crafts, etc. But there's definitely an increasingly common subset that's entirely or mostly "fast casual" food options catering to an artisanal vibe. I know a number of ones in NYC. One also opened up relatively recently in Boston near but distinct from the Quincy Market area.

hadlock 7y ago

Food halls are typically in large urban areas with a thriving tourist industry that can support them outside of typical lunch hours. I have seen them in Portland, San Francisco, etc.

jacquesc 7y ago
I wish SF still had a decent food hall. Used to love "The Hall" on market, but that place was only temporary as they demolished the space to build condos. It was in a terrible part of town (south end of Tenderloin), but I ventured there because of it. Now I actively avoid that area.