“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.

“There’s a lot of room and space for more of these types of markets.”

His company recently got in on the food hall trend when it opened a 50-vendor dining space called Wellington Market in a pocket of the Well, the gargantuan new residential, office and retail complex RioCan partnered with Allied Properties to build in Toronto.

The market can hold 3,400 people and has everything from lobster rolls to ramen noodles and falafel on offer. There’s even a grocer, a florist and a wine shop on site and an adjoining event venue set to host painting, mixology, food and photography classes.

The vision for the Wellington Market came together years ago, when RioCan sent out staff to walk the streets of Toronto and uncover a mix of brands considered to be hidden gems.

Back then, Gitlin recalls that “food halls were starting to become a bit of a craze” but hadn’t reached their recent level of ubiquity.

The Wellington Market houses Toronto’s first Japadog restaurant, its third Rosie’s Burgers shop and its fourth Islands Caribbean Cookshop.

Source: www.cp24.com/lifestyle/human-interest/just-at-the-beginning-food-halls-on-track-for-more-growth-as-concept-catches-on