The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by Vin

I find that people hang out longer in Food Halls rather than Food Courts, especially for the working crowd.

That's probably a good distinction.
Food Halls seem to be destinations, whereas Food Courts (Food Fairs) tend to be conveniences for shoppers and workers.

[connect2source]

Originally Posted by s211

Boomer English vs. Gen Z English?

Go back further and they were called 'food fairs' back in the 70's and 80's. I remember the one in Pacific Centre was called Pacific Food Fair.

[officedweller]

The BIV article says that the former Cadillac Fairview senior vice-president for Canadian retail, Tom Knoepfel, has largely retired - so there's a new retail exec in charge and could be that she has different ideas or is focussing on the deals one at a time.

[WarrenC12]

Food Halls have the same food for 20% more because it's sounds fancy.

[NewfBC]

Here's the page for Time Out Vancouver... has limited info for now...

https://www.timeoutmarket.com/vancouver/

Ron.

[Vin]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Food Halls have the same food for 20% more because it's sounds fancy.

Not necessarily true, at least not for the ones I have been to.

However, as in all other businesses, the more you invest into the decors and services, the more you need to make it all worthwhile by charging more. It's like you could sleep free on a park bench when travelling but choose to pay a hotel to stay there instead. Same deal with people visiting the more expensive (or perceived so) food halls, which are considered a lot more economical compared to upscale restaurants.

Originally Posted by officedweller

That's probably a good distinction.
Food Halls seem to be destinations, whereas Food Courts (Food Fairs) tend to be conveniences for shoppers and workers.

Exactly! This is especially so for tourists and visitors who want to experience something different for a change. An A&W Papa Burger and root beer found in a food court just aren't going to make the cut.

[MIPS]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Food Halls have the same food for 20% more because it's sounds fancy.

"Food Hall" make me think I'm going to a Communal Meal Depot (or Local Public Eatary) to collect a tray of "protein and ration substitute product" and sit with my neighbor at a long table with institution style fixed bench seating.

"Food court" on the other hand. That's got a good vibe to it. First thing that comes to mind is New York Fries.

[madog222]

My understanding is that a food hall is meant to have locally based independent tenants while food courts are populated by chains, ultimately it's really just semantics.

[Migrant_Coconut]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

Food Halls have the same food for 20% more because it's sounds fancy.

Upscale food courts like Brentwood have a pizza joint, a sushi joint, 2-3 Chinese joints and a Thai joint for $10-15, whereas food halls like Club Kitchen have... a pizza joint, a sushi joint, 2-3 Chinese joints and a Thai joint for $15-20.

Yup, checks out.

[officedweller]

The original Food Halls were like the one at Harrods, weren't they?

[SpongeG]

Some may find this interesting, they are targetting Millenials these days and is going for basics and less branded stuff. New store coming to Metropolis.

How Abercrombie Pulled Off One Of Retail’s Biggest Comebacks

• Video Link

[RedArbutus]

Originally Posted by officedweller

The original Food Halls were like the one at Harrods, weren't they?

Yes.

Personally I see a food hall as a concept where it's independent vendors (not chains!) providing both specialty grocery products (a cheesemonger for example) as well as prepared hot and cold food for sitting down and eating. Like your supermarket deli, but much more expansive and operated by many vendors under one roof. Some cynical people might say that it's a fancy gentrified name for the same food you'd get at a food court, only for 1.5x the price, but if done properly I'd disagree.

I don't consider most of GI Market to be a "food hall" as it really separates vendors that are specialty grocery/gourmet providers from independent fast food joints (the Blue Parrot corridor), but it's about the closest thing to one that we have in Vancouver, IMHO.

[whatnext]

Regarding Food Halls, this was from the Canadian press last week:

'Just at the beginning': Food halls on track for more growth as concept catches on
Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press
Published Friday, June 7, 2024 5:39AM EDT
Last Updated Friday, June 7, 2024 2:42PM EDT
TORONTO -- For decades, Canada's food courts were cookie-cutter spaces jammed with the same dozen or so chains hawking dishes ideal for lunch breaks or snacking at the mall.

But a new wave of dining spaces has thrown that playbook out the window, sandwiching dozens of lesser-known brands with growing followings into chic sites, where everyone from 20-somethings on dates to in-the-know grandparents have a dizzying array of cuisines to feast on at a table of their choosing.

The spaces, known as food halls, have turned Canada's approach to commercial and communal dining spaces upside down as they spread from coast to coast.

These days, most of the country's major cities have at least one food hall, if not several, and many think this is just the beginning.

"You're going to see more of them over time and you're going to have, I think, a population that really desires these new kinds of food experiences," said Jonathan Gitlin, chief executive of RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust....

...Though it's hard to trace the modern origins of the food hall, many believe the model harkens back to European department stores, which opened food halls on London's high streets decades ago, or to Eataly -- a chain of Italian food emporiums featuring a grocery component, a bar and sit-down and quick-service restaurants.

Now, Toronto has at least five food halls in the downtown core alone and several have sprung up in Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa and beyond, with more on the way.

The Oakridge Park shopping centre in Vancouver will get a food hall next year, around the same time that Eataly will bring its fourth Toronto location to the Eaton Centre mall, where Oliver & Bonacini just opened its new Queen's Cross Food Hall.

"We may be getting to be peak food hall," said Gillian Gonzalez-Risso, the Vancouver-based owner of Feast Culinary Consulting.

"But I can't say for sure. It all depends on the neighbourhood."

The reason why they've proliferated in some regions of the country likely has to do with the value proposition they offer to restauranteurs and landlords, Gonzalez-Risso said.

Entrepreneurs adore them because it's often more affordable to open a food hall stall than a full-fledged restaurant, where rent can cost several hundreds of dollars per square foot and operational expenses can't often be shared with fellow vendors.

"When you look at a food hall ... you don't have to pay for servers and you can probably share security, cleaning, utilities," Gonzalez-Risso said....

https://www.cp24.com/lifestyle/human...s-on-1.6917420

[Vin]

Originally Posted by MIPS

"Food Hall" make me think I'm going to a Communal Meal Depot (or Local Public Eatary) to collect a tray of "protein and ration substitute product" and sit with my neighbor at a long table with institution style fixed bench seating.

"Food court" on the other hand. That's got a good vibe to it. First thing that comes to mind is New York Fries.

Not all food halls have the same style of sitting arrangement. The long-table concept is for Time Out's.

[s211]

Originally Posted by MIPS

"Food Hall" make me think I'm going to a Communal Meal Depot (or Local Public Eatary) to collect a tray of "protein and ration substitute product" and sit with my neighbor at a long table with institution style fixed bench seating.

"Food court" on the other hand. That's got a good vibe to it. First thing that comes to mind is New York Fries.

I could be wrong, but I think YVR renamed its domestic pre-security food court as a food hall without any tenancy changes of note.

It's all marketing, just that.

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by s211

I could be wrong, but I think YVR renamed its domestic pre-security food court as a food hall without any tenancy changes of note.

It's all marketing, just that.

Note that the marketing can work both ways: just as some patrons might prefer going to a food hall because of "vibes", some vendors may not be caught dead in a food court but might jump at the chance to co-locate in a food hall with other hip options.

Having said that, I'm sure branding alone is not sufficient. The landlord better also budget for some faux wood tables and maybe bring in chill live music every so often.

[SpongeG]

Asian Brand LOJEL Entering Canadian Market with 1st Store Opening in Vancouver This Summer [Interview]

By
Mario Toneguzzi
Date: June 12, 2024

Retailer LOJEL is expanding into the Canadian market with its first store scheduled to open this summer in Vancouver.

Rachel Draper, General Manager, North America for LOJEL, said the brand is building its North American team in Vancouver.

“You could go to New York, LA or Toronto but for us we’re really excited to open our first store in our backyard in Vancouver and specifically it’s a very green city, very diverse, multicultural,” she said.

Beyond Vancouver, Draper said the brand is particularly interested in growing very intentionally.

“We’re very fortunate to be a family business, privately owned. So when we look at growth we look at how do we reach our key audiences. It’s not just west coast Pacific although that is very tied to our audience. It’s getting into the key metro cities, the urban cities where you have people moving every day and travel hubs.

...

“We were founded in 1989 in Japan. We are a family-owned business. The current CEO is in fact the grandson of the person who founded it originally. We have a headquarter in Hong Kong and we have a North American headquarter in Vancouver.”

There are 18 stores in Asia Pacific.

...

The Vancouver store will be opening on West Fourth in Kitsilano. Target opening date for the just over 1,800-square foot store is late summer.

“The landscape and environment on West Fourth has changed so much. A lot of brands have come first to market in North America on West Fourth so there are a lot of reasons for it but a big reason is our office (is close) to the store,” said Draper.

...



https://retail-insider.com/retail-in...mer-interview/

[officedweller]

Strange article. Other than looking at the pic, you have to read halfway through the story to even find out what type of store it is.

[bluefox]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Strange article. Other than looking at the pic, you have to read halfway through the story to even find out what type of store it is.

You could make a drinking game out of the number of times Retail Insider uses the word "innovative" in their articles or headlines.

[Conrad Yablonski]

Originally Posted by bluefox

You could make a drinking game out of the number of times Retail Insider uses the word "innovative" in their articles or headlines.

Quite true-one 'innovative' company is always planning 'synergies' with another pack of 'innovative' nobodies and neither are ever heard from again.