The Washington Post has a story about the growth of the food hall movements in the US, and how major chefs are following the lead of Mario Batali, who has seen his Eataly format open in New York, Chicago, Boston and soon in Los Angeles.
The story says that José Andrés "will open a yet-to-be-named project devoted to Spain in the Hudson Yards development on Manhattan’s West Side." At the same time, Anthony Bourdain’s "Bourdain Market, a 100-vendor project, is scheduled to open at Pier 57, also on Manhattan’s West Side, in 2019. Chef Michael Mina, whose many restaurants include Washington’s Bourbon Steak, has plans to open locations of his new food hall, the Street, in Los Angeles and Honolulu." And, Philadelphia chef Jose Garces has plans for a concept called Union Market.
Food halls, the story says, "reflect the way more Americans are eating these days, allowing for people to sample a lot of different items (a la small plates) in one place. They encapsulate the move away from fine dining to casual eating, as well as the growing interest in street food. 'You’re shifting the entire food culture and moving away from an entirely brick-and-mortar culture that’s hostile to street food to one that embraces both,' said Bourdain, who, like his fellow entrepreneurs doesn’t see food halls replacing restaurants but, rather, supplementing them ... He said food halls appeal to a kind of democratic ideal in which you’re more likely to find a mix of people from all walks of life, citing Singapore’s trademark hawker markets, on which his project is modeled, as an example."
The story says that José Andrés "will open a yet-to-be-named project devoted to Spain in the Hudson Yards development on Manhattan’s West Side." At the same time, Anthony Bourdain’s "Bourdain Market, a 100-vendor project, is scheduled to open at Pier 57, also on Manhattan’s West Side, in 2019. Chef Michael Mina, whose many restaurants include Washington’s Bourbon Steak, has plans to open locations of his new food hall, the Street, in Los Angeles and Honolulu." And, Philadelphia chef Jose Garces has plans for a concept called Union Market.
Food halls, the story says, "reflect the way more Americans are eating these days, allowing for people to sample a lot of different items (a la small plates) in one place. They encapsulate the move away from fine dining to casual eating, as well as the growing interest in street food. 'You’re shifting the entire food culture and moving away from an entirely brick-and-mortar culture that’s hostile to street food to one that embraces both,' said Bourdain, who, like his fellow entrepreneurs doesn’t see food halls replacing restaurants but, rather, supplementing them ... He said food halls appeal to a kind of democratic ideal in which you’re more likely to find a mix of people from all walks of life, citing Singapore’s trademark hawker markets, on which his project is modeled, as an example."
- KC's View:
-
The one thing about the food halls that I've visited is, they tend to be high end and expensive ... so that gives them a somewhat limited appeal. But they're also great entertainment, and offer a lot for traditional food retailers to learn from.
