“Conceptually, the idea of a food hall isn’t entirely new. Collections of local, varied food and beverage vendors in a dedicated retail space have been around for centuries, both globally and nationally.

Those that have persisted are often in urban centers, and, in the U.S., include spots like Pike Place Market in Seattle, established in 1907, Reading Terminal Market, in Philadelphia since 1893, and Boston’s Quincy Market, which dates back to 1742.

The food courts contained within shopping malls, airports, train stations, and department stores are undoubtedly familiar, too, and have been around for decades. But food halls in the most current sense are something inherently different. The National Retail Foundation helps to define them: “The definition of what constitutes a food hall is still being debated, but it’s generally accepted that ‘foodie culture’— including the farm-to-fork and slow food movements — is largely responsible for kickstarting the modern food hall concept… as is the push for experiential retailing.”

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