Mall Dining Gets a Makeover: Innovative New Restaurants Replace Old Favorites
The American mall dining scene is undergoing a major transformation in 2024. Familiar chain restaurants like Ruby Tuesday, Chili’s, and TGI Fridays are being replaced by trendy new eateries offering unique, immersive experiences.
Asian-focused malls in particular are thriving, bucking the trend of declining foot traffic at traditional U.S. shopping centers.
Tangram, a mixed-use development in Flushing, New York, boasts a futuristic 24,000-square-foot food hall inspired by the exuberant night markets of Tokyo, Singapore, and Shanghai.
It features an eclectic mix of international chains and emerging local businesses.
“Asian malls have survived because they cater to a need for community,” said Willow Lung-Amam, director of the Small Business Anti-Displacement Network at the University of Maryland.
These malls serve as social gathering places, with restaurants that draw diverse clientele.
Open-air shopping centers with a high-end feel are also gaining popularity. Many incorporate park-like settings with splash pads, outdoor gaming areas, and spaces for live entertainment.
This variety of diversions, in addition to carefully curated retail and dining options, increases the appeal and length of visits.
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Eatertainment, blending dining with active entertainment, is making a post-pandemic comeback in new forms. Pickleball-focused complexes are popping up, as well as venues specializing in cricket, cornhole, and other niche activities.
These provide alternatives to the axe-throwing and bocce venues that were popular pre-pandemic.
Even traditional mall staples are getting creative. Legendary Restaurant Brands is bringing 15 locations of its revamped Steak and Ale and Bennigan’s concepts to the Twin Cities area, with a refreshed look but a dose of nostalgia.
“Clearly, big brands were considering how they’ll keep growing two steps down the road. Or two decades,” the Restaurant Business article notes about the diversification trend.
Perhaps most telling, malls are seeking out local chefs and unique concepts over cookie-cutter chains. Chef Virgil Harper’s Toast Noir Cafe is opening in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, while the mother-daughter duo behind Salas Salsas is bringing their Mexican concept Bibisol to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
As the Restaurant Business article sums up, “Eatertainment rebounds… Consumers proved this year that they enjoy more than merely eating and drinking when they dine outside their homes.”
With their innovative new mix of food and fun, American malls are positioning themselves as destinations for unforgettable experiences in 2024 and beyond.
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