Modern food halls — collections of stalls, often run by independent operators, serving fast-casual food around central seating and often a bar — have been popping up around Greater Washington since Union Market proved a successful test case in Northeast D.C.
Like most of the restaurant industry, the halls and their tenants had their businesses upended by the Covid-19 pandemic. The model also presented opportunities, however. Operators in food halls were already often running lean operations, and they were serving fast-casual food in takeout containers that have become ubiquitous during the coronavirus crisis. They’re also often located in larger spaces, where customers who do want to eat on-site have more room to spread out.
All that has led to the D.C.-area’s food hall pipeline remaining robust despite the pandemic. While a few that were in the works have fallen by the wayside — Baltimore chef Spike Gjerde bagged his plans for a food hall and multiple restaurants at Buzzard Point,…
Read the full story from the Washington Business Journal.
