Bonnie Mulligan

Juice stands in Food Halls could be coming to a city near you.

Food halls are popping up in busy business districts, urban areas and as anchors in malls. They are a perfect blend of many popular food trends, incorporating authentic high quality food, talented chefs and a fun experience. The food hall experience caters to many different audiences. The high traffic locations easily target busy lunch crowds &the after work happy hour crewduring the week, and then move into the weekend offerings.
One of the first food halls to usher in the trend was Eataly. Now with locations in NYC, Boston, LA and Chicago. There are now many more to choose from with options.

According to an article in the New York Times “Unlike food courts made up of fast food chains, food halls typically mix local artisan restaurants, butcher shops and other food-oriented boutiques under one roof. Many celebrate quirkiness versus uniformity, and their ability to draw crowds is particularly appealing to landlords battling the growth of e-commerce and changing shopping habits.” Already popular in Europe but spreading quickly throughout the United States, food halls seem to be a perfect match for a fresh juice stand too. The typical customer of the food hall concept has a great appreciation for high quality local food.

In DeKalb Market Hall in Brooklyn there is a mix of so many delicious sounding options such as poke bowls, pierogies, tacos and Brooklyn Juice serving up fresh juice and smoothies. Revival Food Hall in Chicago’s website describes the location as “Operated by Chicago hospitality collective 16″ On Center, Revival Food Hall is an all-local dining concept spotlighting the best of Chicago’s acclaimed culinary scene under one roof. The massive, 24,000 square foot marketplace is located in the heart of Chicago’s central business district, on the ground floor of The National – a restoration of a historic 1907 Daniel Burnham-designed 20-story building. This cornerstone of The Loop neighborhood opened in 2016, and boasts 15 fast-casual stalls featuring many of Chicago’s favorite neighborhood restaurants in a grab-and-go setting, plus a handful of all-new concepts debuting from several acclaimed Chicago chefs.”

Livability.com highlights 5 new food halls to check out in 2018. The describe the growing trend, “In the same vein as food trucks, they offer small restaurants an alternative to an expensive brick and mortar location and consumers a range of high quality, affordable choices, often with communal seating. They also tap into millennials’ growing interest in locally sourced, authentic food.”
The same article says Cushman and Wakefield predicts there will likely be as many as 200 food hall projects throughout the United States by 2019.

It is an interesting trend to follow and would be a perfect match for a juice truck or juice bar to set up a stall in a food hall to expand their business, experiment with new recipes and bring fresh juice to more customers. We are looking forward to checking out some of the Chicago Food Halls like Latinicity, Chicago French Market, Revival Food Hall and sample some of the delicious local cuisine when we are in town for the National Restaurant Association Show in May.