With their lively atmosphere, tempting aromas and mouth-watering dishes, all your senses are on the alert: there's no doubt you're in a food hall. In Paris, in the regions or in the 4 corners of the globe, more and more of these places are attracting the curiosity of consumers and restaurateurs who see them as a great opportunity. Let's take a closer look at the world of these food halls, where culinary diversity, product quality and innovation come together to the delight of everyone who comes into contact with them.
Food court versus food hall
Before we go any further, a few definitions are in order. A food court is a place that brings together a number of fast-food chains for whom speed of service is a priority.
Food halls are catering spaces designed not only to delight customers' taste buds, but also to offer them a real experience. The food stands they house offer quality dishes, often made with fresh produce from short supply chains. These places promise a true gastronomic discovery. Artisanal spirit, authenticity and quality are all characteristics that distinguish food halls from food courts.
👉 To find out more: Understanding the food court trend
Food halls, a response to current consumer expectations
To understand the proliferation of food halls and their popularity with consumers, it's important to analyze their needs and expectations. Today's French are constantly on the lookout for novelty and quality, both of which you'll find in a food hall.
Consumers - 69% of the French to be precise - are increasingly attentive to their food, aware of the impact it can have on their health. They demand total transparency in the products they consume, and prefer seasonal, organic and short-distance produce.
The French are also keen to discover new flavors. In a food hall, customers are free to flit from one stand to another, eating Asian, Italian and Lebanese dishes.
Given these figures, it's easy to see why food halls are so popular. They are the perfect answer to today's consumer expectations , offering a pleasant, innovative setting and a wide choice of fresh produce prepared before their very eyes.
An interesting option for restaurateurs
If food halls are appealing to consumers, what about catering professionals?
Increased visibility
Food halls are generally high-traffic areas. This high level of traffic offers increased visibility without the need to increase your marketing and communications budget. Customers visiting a competitor's restaurant or exploring the various food hall options will inevitably pass by your establishment and, who knows, maybe come back for you next time...
Cost sharing
Sharing a space with other restaurateurs means you can reduce the costs of rental, fitting out and maintenance. So you can benefit from a high-quality infrastructure without having to bear the full cost. Personnel management, procurement and logistics are also considerably simplified. So you can concentrate more on the quality of your cuisine and the experience you offer your customers.
A higher retention rate
Being present in a food hall not only demonstrates your ability to adapt to your customers' needs, but also your desire to offer them the best possible experience. Everything is designed to ensure that they have a pleasant time: a lively atmosphere, meticulous decor and a unique, high-quality meal. All this usually translates into increased customer loyalty.
Boosted creativity
Food halls foster culinary innovation by encouraging restaurateurs to experiment with new concepts and adapt to market trends. Are you looking to develop your creativity, or are you convinced that creativity is your strong point? The food halls will enable you to express your full potential and test the public's reaction to your new recipes. And why not collaborate with other professionals with a stand near yours for an even more original result?
Key success factors for a food hall
The success of a fast food restaurant is based on a cocktail of several elements. The first key factor in the success of a food hall is the uniqueness of the location. This facilitates the development of a genuine storytelling that meets consumers' growing need for authenticity.
To ensure the longevity of such a place, it's important to offer a high-quality, diversified and personalized catering service. The challenge is to achieve a perfect balance between elaborate and casual cuisine, built around fresh produce, all with complete transparency.
Finally, the third essential element for the success of a food hall is its versatility. Consumers are increasingly interested in holistic experiences! Combining culinary discovery with cultural aspects will be highly appreciated. The organization of exhibitions, concerts, conferences, workshops or even the presence of ephemeral boutiques enrich the overall experience for visitors and contribute to the vitality and ongoing appeal of the venue.
This list of criteria is far from exhaustive, but in our opinion they are the three essential ingredients for a successful food hall.
Tour de France of the best-known food halls
Looking for inspiration to start your own food hall or join one of them? Here are a few that deserve your full attention:
- Food Market, Paris and Lyon
- La grande épicerie, Paris
- Parisian Omnivore District (POD), Paris
- La Halle Charolais, Paris
- Les Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse, Lyon
- Les Halles de Bacalan, Bordeaux
- Les halles de la Major, Marseille
- Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, Paris
- Le Printemps du Goût, Paris
Innovorder, a partner of choice for your food hall project
Are you planning to open a food hall? Innovorder stands out as a partner of choice, for a number of reasons.
Expertise in food halls
Accustomed to working with food halls like Ground Control, we understand the challenges and opportunities you are or will be facing. Thanks to our expertise, we can offer you solutions tailored to your needs.
Comprehensive, optimized management
Innovorder offers efficient management tools, enabling restaurateurs to supervise operations in real time , and manage online orders, on-site orders and deliveries. The result? You benefit from complete visibility over your entire business, and guarantee a seamless customer journeyno matter which channel you choose.
State-of-the-art solutions
At Innovorder, we keep a close eye on all the changes and technological advances in the foodservice sector. We offer solutions adapted to food halls, such as order terminals to simplify order-taking, QR codes to order at the table, kitchen preparation screens to boost productivity, etc.
"The Innovorder kiosks are capable of presenting the menus of my 6 brands on a single interface." Sébastien, co-founder of Marmites à Lille
👉 To find out more: read his testimonial
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Are you planning to open a food hall and looking for a partner to help you digitalize your establishment? Innovorder is the only player in France to offer a complete ecosystem designed specifically for food courts: order-taking, checkout, preparation, delivery and management!
👉 Discover our solution for food courts: Innovorder Foodcourt
