New York is suffering from food hall fatigue.
That’s the reason behind the unfortunate planned closure of Market Line Food Hall in Essex Crossing on April 1st. But the developer, Delancey Street Associates, blamed the recent vendor closures on the “challenging economic environment” and, oddly enough, the long-running pandemic. Exodus.
This is the first failure for Essex Crossing, a widely admired complex near the entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge that has had great success with other commercial and high-rise apartment complexes.
The Market Line is located deep below the bustling Essex Market on the ground floor and lacks charm.
Visitors descending the long staircase first encounter something like an apparel flea market before reaching the food.
But for this writer who covers and equally loves commercial real estate and the city’s restaurant scene, the reason for MarketLine’s failure is more fundamental.
“Gourmet” food halls lost their specialness many years ago. There are too many of them.
Eater.com, which has long praised its prevalence, called them “saturated” two years ago, but that was before the recent openings of Market 57, Urban Space Union Square, The Hugh and others. did.
Some specialize in specific cuisines, such as Singaporean at Urban Hawker, French at Le District, or Italian at Eataly.
What most have in common is inconsistent food quality, service, and even the opening hours of certain stands. During peak hours, there are few seats, so your food may get cold before you eat it.
As the halls have grown to more than 30 in Manhattan alone, the pandemic has shrunk the talent pool needed to staff them.
So the authentic Singaporean noodles served at Urban Hawker today may taste like reheated leftovers tomorrow.
I once stood in line for arepas de rellena at the still-thriving Arepa Lady in DeKalb Market Hall for almost as long as a trip to the original Jackson Heights location.
At the Asian-themed Canal Street Market, you never know what’s open until you get there.
Some rental agents told Realty Check that the market for halls is unlimited because of landlords’ eagerness to fill large vacant spaces on the ground floor.
But one of the skeptics, Meridian’s James Famularo (then with Eastern Consolidated), said flatly, “There are too many of them” — and that was six years ago.
Todd English Food Hall on the Plaza is gone.
Several others may be on the verge of death. It’s not just luxury goods. The last time I visited the former municipal Moore Street Market in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, there were more stands closed than open.
I agree with veteran New York restaurateur Stephen Hanson.
“The problem with food halls is that there is no central authority in any hall to control food quality or service,” Hanson said.
“The landlord signs a contract with the operator, the operator rents a lot of space in the hall, and that’s it. So a stand could be great today, terrible the next, and the third time we went… Sometimes there may not be a stand.”
