CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hungry Charlotteans await the openings of dozens of craft restaurants at incoming food hall, which aims to reinvent the meaning of “fast food” for working foodies. Tompkins Hall, a 125-year-old mill turned prospective food hall, will house 146,000 square feet worth of restaurants in its large-scale development.
Yet, Tompkins Hall will not simply be your average mall food court with “the Gyro Wrap, Sbarro, Freshens, Chick-fil-A, the Orange Julius” and more, Paces Properties Principal Merritt Lancaster says.
Instead, it will offer easy and affordable cuisine crafted by culinary artists dedicated to providing quality food to their customers. Lancaster puts it perfectly: Tompkins Hall is not a food court, but “It’s a very thoughtfully curated assembly of what we hope are the best food options in a number of categories.”
The most recent tenant announcement was that of Bao + Broth, an Asian-inspired food stall that will feature noodle bowls, steam buns and dumplings. Owners of Bao + Broth, Bruce Moffett and Larry Schreiber, uphold the spirit of the purpose of Tompkins Hall by carrying out their passion for food service and a dedicated mindset to always improving their menu items to provide the best quality meals.
Other tenants of Tompkins Hall will include Fonta Flora Brewery, Aix Rotisserie and Undercurrent Coffee.
Developers of Atlanta-based Paces Properties and Charlotte-based White Point Partners have constructed the foundations for the food hall within an old mill building that once housed Highland Park Manufacturing Co. Located only one block away from the Parkwood Station of the LYNX Light Rail, Tompkins Hall will be easily accessible to those commuters looking for unique and affordable lunch options.
Developers toured food halls in California, like Oxbow Public Market in Napa and Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco, looking for inspiration for Tompkins Hall. Lancaster, of Paces Properties, spent additional time in France, and thus, has incorporated elements of French marchés into his design of the incoming Charlotte food hall.
“As we collectively move to a more casual dining environment, it doesn’t mean anybody wants to sacrifice food quality. You don’t have to go sit down for an hour and a half and spend $250 to have some of the best food in the city. You can go and order it and have it for lunch,” says Lancaster, regarding his vision for Tompkins Hall.
Lancaster has been paying attention to Charlotte food trends, seeing a rise in contrasting customer concern for both quickness, as well as quality. But he believes working foodies should not have to sacrifice time for good food and vice versa. He strives to combine all aspects of efficiency, affordability and culinary excellence in the purpose of Tompkins Hall.
“With an unrivaled concentration on food and beverage concepts, the project will be a community gathering spot and destination not just for the residents of the Optimist Park neighborhood, but all of Charlotte,” Lancaster continues.
The food hall expects more tenant announcements in the coming weeks. Tompkins Hall is scheduled to begin rolling openings of its food stalls in late 2018. So, make sure to put Tompkins Hall on your foodie bucket list because its culinary experience is “anything but run of the mill,” as they say. For more information, visit http://tompkinshall.com/.
