{{Short description|Food and drinks retail area}} <!-- photos in alphabetical order of city --> [[File:Confectionery counter, Harrods Food Hall, London.jpg|thumb|Confectionery counter, Harrods Food Hall, London]] [[File:Mercado Roma (39701016555).jpg|thumb|Mercado Roma in Mexico City]]
A '''food hall''' is a large standalone location or department store section where food and drinks are sold.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140814074430/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/english/food-hall "Food hall"], Oxford Dictionaries</ref>
== Overview == Unlike food courts made up of fast food chains, food halls typically mix local artisan restaurants, butcher shops and other food-oriented boutiques under one roof.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gose |first=Joe |date=September 12, 2017 |title=The Food Court Matures Into the Food Hall |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/12/business/food-hall-development.html |newspaper=The New York Times }}</ref> Food halls can also be unconnected to department stores and operate independently, often in a separate building, or repurposing a building formerly used for something else.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Biron |first=Bethany |date=2018-10-30 |title=Meet the food hall, the food court’s "authentic" cousin |url=https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/10/30/18039790/food-halls-local-vendors-court-modern |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=Vox |language=en-US}}</ref>
The number of food halls in the United States grew by 37% in 2016 and has spread across the country. Advocates state that it provides a third place for gathering, can function as a business incubator, and are part of a trend towards more experiential retail experiences tailored to a given community, in contrast to traditional food courts with national chains which are deemed inauthentic.<ref name=":0" />
The term "food hall" in the British sense is increasingly used in the United States.<ref name="bourdain">{{cite web|url=https://ny.eater.com/2014/3/24/6256791/anthony-bourdains-food-hall-will-have-40-to-50-vendors|title=Anthony Bourdain's Food Hall Will Have 40 to 50 Vendors|first=Greg|last=Morabito|date=March 24, 2014|website=Eater NY}}</ref><ref name="industry">{{cite web |url=http://m.ny.eater.com/archives/2014/06/industry_city_in_sunset_park_is_getting_its_own_food_hall.php |title=Industry City in Sunset Park is Getting Its Own Food Hall - Coming Attractions - Eater NY |website=m.ny.eater.com |access-date=January 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140814024622/http://m.ny.eater.com/archives/2014/06/industry_city_in_sunset_park_is_getting_its_own_food_hall.php |archive-date=August 14, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="plaza">{{cite web|url=https://www.theplazany.com/dining/the-plaza-food-hall/|title=Food Hall NYC | The Plaza Food Hall | The Plaza Hotel New York|website=The Plaza}}</ref> In some Asia-Pacific countries, "food hall" is equivalent to a North American "food court", or the terms are used interchangeably. A food court means a place where the fast food chain outlets are located in a shopping mall.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/food_court|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731183733/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/food_court|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 31, 2020|title=Food Court | Definition of Food Court by Lexico|website=Lexico Dictionaries | English}}</ref>
A gourmet food hall may also exist in the form of what is nominally a public market or a modern market hall, for example in Stockholm's Östermalm Saluhall<ref name="stockholm">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dvawyDSmxzkC&pg=PA77|title=Time Out Stockholm|date=February 9, 2011|publisher=Time Out Guides|via=Google Books|isbn=9781846702303}}</ref> or Mexico City's Mercado Roma.
==See also== *Food truck *Hawker centre
==References== {{reflist}} {{Retail}} Category:Food halls Category:Department stores Category:Food retailers