A new food hall in New York is betting the next phase of the concept isn’t just dining — it’s creating an all-day destination that draws office workers, tourists and locals.
The model is evolving nationally as developers reposition food halls as experience-driven anchors for mixed-use projects, blending dining with entertainment, longer hours and curated vendors to drive foot traffic.
Shaver Hall opened last week in the landmark former Lord & Taylor building at 424 Fifth Ave. It’s the latest example of a food hall in a dense urban core.
The roughly 35,000-square-foot project, inside Amazon’s largest New York office hub, is aimed at more than just workers in the building. Developed by FB Society, the restaurant incubator behind Legacy Hall in Plano, Texas, and Assembly Food Hall in Nashville, Tennessee, the space features 11 chef-driven eateries, three full-service restaurants, two bars and a bodega with a 20-tap self-pour beer wall.
There’s a conveyor belt of cheese where diners sit along a counter while plates circulate continuously past them. A central stage hosts live music, sports watch parties and other events.
Amazon, which bought the building in 2020 and redeveloped it into a major office campus, positioned the food hall as both a neighborhood amenity and a tool to help revive midtown foot traffic.
“This building represents our commitment to midtown's revitalization, not just as office space, but as a place that serves the neighborhood,” Sean Lee, Amazon’s vice president of global real estate and facilities, said in a statement, adding that Shaver Hall is designed to be a destination.
Unlike many food halls that close by 9 or 10 p.m., Shaver Hall will operate daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
New national projects push ahead
The debut follows a pandemic-era shakeout that forced some food hall closings and underscored risks in the format.
Of more than 500 food halls opened across the United States since New York’s Gotham West Market helped launch the "modern food hall movement" in late 2013 and early 2014, 72 have closed, including 22 during the pandemic, according to a study from advisory firm Colicchio Consulting released in January. Gotham West Market shut down at the end of 2024 after about 11 years in operation, according to media reports at the time.
Still, despite those closings, the food hall category continues to perform "on par with or better than traditional restaurants, reinforcing the model’s long-term viability," the study found. New projects are increasingly targeting suburban markets, including Stix Asia in Las Vegas, an 18,000-square-foot food hall designed around live cooking and cultural programming for residents.
Phil Colicchio, the veteran food service and hospitality adviser behind his namesake firm's report, attended a VIP event ahead of Friday's official opening. He told CoStar News in an email he was “incredibly impressed” with Shaver Hall, describing it as a project that reflects lessons learned from the mistakes of pre-pandemic food halls.
At least 114 additional food halls were in the pipeline as of early this year, on top of about 460 already operating nationwide, according to the consulting firm. By comparison, 23 announced projects were never completed.
Some other food halls have also closed in recent years, from Market Line in New York to Chicago’s Revival Food Hall and select Time Out Market locations, underscoring how even high-profile projects have faced challenges from hybrid work patterns, rising costs and other pressures.
“What makes us different … is our curation, and who we brought into the hall,” Sean Dillon, a development lead on the Shaver Hall project, said in an interview. “How do we offer something to the neighborhood that people will identify with, whether you're a tourist, live here, or work in the neighborhood?”
The vetting process was extensive. Dillon said the team spent a week sampling tacos and several days visiting ramen shops across the city before selecting vendors.
“Our goal was to hit each segment,” said Dillon, a 28-year hospitality executive. The lineup spans Mediterranean, bagels, Korean fried chicken, Indian, burgers and steak sandwiches.
Steak, omakase, ‘something for everyone’
Several stations are tied to Michelin-starred chefs or restaurants recognized in the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand category. Others are newly created for the space, including Layaway, a bar named in a nod to the building’s department store past, and Tallow steakhouse.
Shaver Hall also serves as a testing ground for new-to-market concepts. It includes a 12-seat omakase experience led by Chicago-based Michelin-starred chef BK Park; and London’s Pick & Cheese — known for its cheese conveyor belt — is making its U.S. debut with its largest installation yet.
“The goal was to create something for everyone,” Dillon said. “If you want a full-service experience, we have it. If you just want to grab a glass of wine, grab a Korean fried chicken sandwich, and hang out, we have that also. … We have an offering for everyone. That's a big piece for us.”
Located between Bryant Park and the Empire State Building, Shaver Hall is positioned to benefit from heavy foot traffic, he said.
“The food hall space could be considered challenging,” Dillon said. “But with the location and our eatery partners, we've got the formula. … We have no fear.”
Early signs were encouraging. On Friday night, just hours after the food hall opened, the space buzzed with patrons seated throughout — gathered around the sushi hand roll counter and the conveyor belt cheese concept — while live music played onstage.
Colicchio said in his email that the space stands out for its emphasis on beverage offerings and post-happy hour programming to sustain evening traffic. He added that the project’s scale and execution reflect significant backing, including support tied to Amazon’s presence in the building.
“Shaver Hall is well on its way to securing ‘trusted venue’ status” in New York, he said. He offered only a minor critique, noting the project could do more to highlight individual vendors through more distinctive signage and lighting.
The project also represents the latest chapter in the adaptive reuse of one of Fifth Avenue’s best-known retail landmarks. The 13-story Lord & Taylor flagship, opened in 1914 and long considered a symbol of New York’s department store era, closed in 2019 as traditional retail struggled. Shaver Hall is named after Dorothy Shaver, Lord & Taylor’s former president and the first woman to head a multimillion-dollar business.