Few things in the built environment have been as much a craze in the past couple years as the food hall. I mean what’s not to like? Multiple small format eateries with a common seating area so your group can all get food at different places and yet all eat together. Wait, isn’t a food court a collection of small format eateries with a common seating area also? And don’t people generally loathe the mall food court? So why is one so hot and the other completely… not?
Last summer my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting the Time Out Market in Lisbon, Portugal. And as expected it was a great experience. The pastel de nata alone would have been enough to endure the 10 hour flight from Atlanta for, but then there were premium meats, seafood and of course wine and beer. Ironically, no line was longer than the outpost selling American burgers. Yet I have no desire to visit and dine at a mall food court. So why is that? Time Out Lisboa is housed in a building which has been throughout its history used as a market, first opening in 1882. The redesign is simplistic yet hip and modern. All the signage is black with white letters and wood tables and high-bay lighting fill the central seating area. Really nothing to extraordinary but yet it feels right. So one ingredient seems to be the design aspect of the space. Food courts are often dark with low ceilings and a generic design to create a blank slate for its tenants. Literally almost the opposite of what we are finding in food halls.
The second ingredient is the food selection itself. Certainly more upscale in general, but not without recognizable brands that have other locations – such as where we bought those delicious little Portuguese custard gems. This ties in though with the “foodie” trend sweeping across the US in general. It needs to be more of a destination, not just another spot to get chinese buffet or a slice of pizza under a heat lamp. Additionally, kiosks in the market also provide an area for things such as cooking classes, fresh flowers and other local items.
It seems the recipe is one part design and one part food selection. So what can a mall owner do to bring life into their food court? First a separate entrance to directly access the area is important. This is becoming quite common in US malls already and might be flanked by outward facing full-service restaurants. Secondly, working with your designer to create an authentic ambiance. It can’t feel like a mall inside. This will be the biggest challenge from what is all-to-common in American architecture – soulless generic spaces that don’t offend you, but don’t WOW you either. Many of these European food halls reside in old structures with plenty of character not found in today’s buildings. So getting this piece right is essential. And lastly it is reworking the tenant mix to include more local flavors from local chefs. That isn’t to say that the more traditional chains need to entirely go away, but tweak the balance between the two and at lease renewal require an “upgraded” version of their traditional design palette and menu.
As our malls evolve to include more experiential aspects and familiar names such as Gymboree, GAP and Toys R Us give way to previously online only retailers Indochino, Casper and eyebobs – the next phase is rethinking the food court. The recipe above illustrates the bones are already there and the transformation to a more hip food hall is maybe just a spirited design away.