Jun 22, 2017
Peter Ranvestel and Bettina Chang | Chicago Magazine | June 19th, 2017
Don’t assume that Tapster (2027 W. North Ave., Wicker Park), the self-service drinking hole without bartenders, removes the human element from a business. If our recent visit is any indication, the opposite is true.
The bar was bustling this weekend, with some people stepping inside just to figure out how the heck it all worked. Customers pay by the ounce and can choose from 40 different beers, plus some wines, kombucha beers, and a dozen craft cocktails. Some have used this freedom to create their own tasty mixed-beer concoctions. And, the short pours and tasting-room feel gives people more of an excuse to mingle and chat about different brews with fellow patrons or a number of helpful employees on the floor. There’s also a small food counter in the back.
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Jun 16, 2017
Samantha Bomkamp | Chicago Tribune | June 16th, 2017
Chicago has always been a food town. Now, it’s becoming a food hall town.
Food halls — the modern, upscale, urban reincarnation of the humble mall food court — have opened in the Loop and nearby neighborhoods in recent years, and experts say their growth in the Windy City has just begun.
Why are food halls all the rage? They’re a representation of where the restaurant industry as a whole is going: Boutique. Local. Instagram-able. They fulfill consumer demand for quick and diverse food options, with a curated set of both popular restaurant outposts and newcomers.
While the traditional mall food court has a group of fast-food options aimed at helping shoppers recharge, a food hall is made to be the whole show, a destination in and of itself with a cohesive, sleek design intended to elevate the experience beyond a grab-and-go lunch from a national restaurant chain.
“They are a destination. They bring excitement,” said Doug Roth, founder of Playground Hospitality, a restaurant consulting firm. “Panda Express just can’t do that.”
Already widespread in New York and Los Angeles, there are about 35 to 40 food halls in the U.S., industry consultant Aaron Allen said, and just a handful of those are in Chicago. He estimates there could be as many as 200 across the country in just three years.
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Jun 14, 2017
Daniela Galarza | Eater
“Conflict and Change” was the topic of yesterday’s fourth-annual Welcome Conference, a hospitality summit created by restaurateur Will Guidara of Eleven Madison Park and Anthony Rudolf, founder of the educational community Journee. Its goal is to bring members of the restaurant world together; this year’s theme was chosen in light of challenges in the industry, though it nods at this country’s current political climate, as well.
Chefs and restaurateurs including Jordyn Lexton of Drive Change, David Chang of Momofuku, Rich Melman of Lettuce Entertain You, and Brian Canlis of Canlis in Seattle spoke to the crowd of 850 about their own personal challenges and conflicts — and the ever-changing industry. Here now, attendees and speakers on what they believe to be the most pressing conflicts facing the hospitality business today:
Patrick O’Connell, the Inn at Little Washington, Washington, VA: “The greatest conflict in the industry today? How about the world? I think we need to have more empathy. The restaurant industry isn’t isolated… our collective anxiety level is extraordinarily high right now, and it’s affecting people’s concentration and their ability to perform. So much of what we’re about is taking people out of their reality and making them happy, putting them in a festive frame of mind.
Jun 9, 2017
Ryan Ori | Chicago Tribune
The media group that publishes Time Out entertainment magazines and websites plans to open a gourmet food hall in Chicago’s Fulton Market district, after the concept drew more than 3 million visitors in Portugal last year.
Time Out Market is close to finalizing a lease to move into all of a two-story 30,000-square-foot building at Fulton Market and Sangamon Street, according to sources.
The media company has used Time Out Market as a profit generator and a method to build awareness of its magazines, websites, apps, guides and events. Time Out Chicago eliminated its weekly magazine in April 2013; it now comes out quarterly.
In its market concept, Time Out signs a long-term lease on a large retail space and then offers stalls within the market to bars, restaurants and shops of its choosing. Time Out keeps a percentage of each vendor’s sales.
Time Out also has announced plans for markets in Miami Beach, Fla.; London; and Porto, Portugal, and is “exploring other cities like New York, Chicago, Boston and more,” according to CEO Julio Bruno’s LinkedIn profile.
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