The number of food halls in the U.S. is on pace to triple in the next two years.
That’s according to a recent report from real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield that predicts the nation’s food halls will total 300 by the end of 2020.
The firm first began tracking food halls in 2015, when it reported 70 food hall projects. By the close of this year, there will likely be 190 food halls in the U.S., according to the report.
“One of the hottest trends right now in the restaurant business, and retail in general, is the food hall,” the report states. “Food halls are the sharing economy for restaurants. They are here to stay and, for most of the United States, the trend has only begun.”
Now that food halls have become common, operators are beginning to tinker with the model, the report says. They’re adding upscale, full-service food halls; food halls on college campuses; and food halls helmed by celebrity chefs. Operators are opening food halls in unlikely locations, such as Turnstyle in a New York City subway tunnel. Expect to see more “mini food halls” of 10,000 square feet and under, especially in high-density, urban areas, the report says.
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