In a riverside venue in Durham with sensational views of the city’s castle and cathedral, John Theobald is getting to grips with a fancy new digital oven. LED lights flash on and off apparently randomly, but soon enough a plate of handmade peri-peri pork sausages, champ mash and buttered spinach is on the counter.
The Durham Sausage Company is one of seven independent food businesses under one roof at the Food Pit, which officially opened on Friday. Its plates of sausages and mash had previously been available at a local pop-up, but Durham’s new food venue was a chance for Theobald and his business partner to go a step further without the investment and risks of opening a restaurant. “Anyway, I don’t think there’s demand for a restaurant dedicated to sausages,” said Theobald. “This is a bit like a food cart, but on a bigger scale.”
In another booth, Richie Parker of Spread From The Med – offering chicken gyros, souvlaki and halloumi fries – had spent the summer touring festivals in a converted horse box. “We’re still doing the van, but this is a toe in the water to see if there’s scope to become a bigger company.”
From Durham to Brighton, Preston to Cheltenham, in Liverpool, Leeds and London, food markets and halls are bringing street food indoors. The largest, Market Halls West End, opened nine days ago in a redundant BHS store at Oxford Circus, London, offering more than 900 covers a day in a 35,000 sq ft venue. One of the smallest, the Street Food Market in Preston, will open on Wednesday after local businessman Irfan Asghar borrowed money from family and friends for the venture and spread the word on social media.
The food market movement is a “runaway train”, according to Big Hospitality, a website that reports on the industry. The new wave of food halls with multiple restaurants in one venue is “sweeping the UK at an alarming rate”, it says.
Food courts are a common feature of Asian cities, but there they can be chaotic and brash experiences, with noisy hawkers, formica tables and bright fluorescent lighting. The concept has spread across the world and moved upmarket: last week, the 50,000 sq ft Time Out Market Chicago opened following similar ventures this year in Miami, New York, Boston and Montreal, five years after the first Time Out Market opened almost 4,000 miles away in Lisbon. In Chicago, customers can choose from 19 outlets and three “beautiful bars”.
In most UK food markets, a developer will operate the venue, choose the independent food businesses for the hall, pay business rates, utilities and insurance, provide cutlery and crockery, hire uniformed staff to clear tables and clean toilets, and – critically – the developers run the lucrative bar. The independent food outlets either pay a fixed rent or a share of their turnover.
“These markets are blurring the lines between street food and restaurants,” said food writer Hugh Thomas. “They are more democratic and less formal places to eat, and the food is more affordable. You don’t have to go for a full-on meal, you can spend a tenner for great food along with a drink.” For customers, the biggest advantage is choice. Those socialising in groups can eat different food, depending on taste or dietary restrictions. Everyone pays for what they eat; no tortuous dividing up of bills at the end of the meal.
For families, food markets have the informality of fast-food venues but are more relaxed, pleasant places – and some provide games, play areas and activities. Solo diners are common, with a choice between communal tables or eating alone.
Mark Laurie, director of the Nationwide Caterers’ Association which supports street-food traders, said the rapid growth of food markets was partly due to the slow death of retail. “There are more spaces available on high streets and in town centres. People who would have invested in restaurants are now investing in market halls.”
In Durham, Nick Berry of Clearbell Capital, the developer behind the Food Pit, said there was an “experiential” trend in retail and eating out. Customers were looking for something unusual, with a local feel and good value. And small food businesses “don’t want to sign up to long-term liabilities if they can’t be sure they will be successful. We’re trying to remove those barriers.”
Colin and Mandy, who had eaten their lunch at the Food Pit, were delighted. “Spot on,” said Colin. “I like the fact that there’s all different variations of food in one place. And it’s very relaxed.” Dawn, who was among a group of women taking a break from their workplaces, said they had “tried pretty much all the restaurants around here in the past 10 years” and were grateful for something new and different. “It’s good to have a choice, especially when you have a fussy eater with you,” she said, indicating one of her co-diners.
Two hundred and seventy miles away in London, Market Halls West End is the firm’s third food hall in the capital, with two more planned to open by the end of 2020. “We’re bringing young, independent, chef-driven businesses that wouldn’t normally have a chance of trading in these sites, to the West End,” said Simon Anderson, the company’s chief creative officer.
The venue offers 11 kitchens, including Malaysian Tamil cuisine, Japanese sushi bowls, Chinese savoury crepes, tacos from Tijuana and vegan and gluten-free wok dishes. There is a rooftop bar and a demonstration kitchen.
On Friday, the lunchtime clientele included office workers, tourists, construction workers in hi-vis jackets, students and families. “It has a busy vibe. You can come on your own or in a big group and be part of something,” said Anderson. “It breaks down a lot of barriers.”
But Laurie warned of a “battle for the soul of street food”. There was a risk of the street-food movement being taken over and exploited by big corporations, he said.
“Food halls done right are a great addition to the UK food scene. They fit the ‘experiential’ zeitgeist and suit the British weather. But they need to maintain the authenticity that made street food so popular, and they need to continue to facilitate micro-businesses and start-ups.
“Street food has disrupted the traditional food and beverage sector, and it is now disrupting the entertainment sector and night time economy. The passion, skill, innovation, and theatre of street food is what makes it special. Hopefully as the market hall sector grows, this will continue to flourish – otherwise punters will head back to the streets or elsewhere.”
