The Food Society, a massive 3,500 m² food court located at the foot of the Montparnasse Tower, closed on January 1, 2026, after less than three years of operation. A few months later, Central Chapelle opened a venue of similar size within the Adidas Arena, but with a very different concept: four food counters integrated into a space that combines a café, bar, live music, club, and terraces.
These two trajectories are not enough to conclude that one format is doomed and the other guaranteed to succeed. Above all, they show that a food court is simultaneously a real estate, commercial, and operational project. The quality of the stalls matters, but it cannot compensate for a poorly assessed catchment area, a fragile operating model, or programming that is disconnected from local habits.
The French market has become more dense over the last decade. However, openings coexist with closures and restructuring.
A booming format, but mixed results
The development of food courts is a response to two trends:
- The first concerns consumer habits: a single group wants to be able to share a table without ordering the same type of cuisine.
- The second concerns commercial real estate : dining has become a driver of foot traffic for shopping centers, train stations, neighborhoods undergoing transformation, and assets that can no longer rely solely on retail.
However, the proliferation of projects has also led to standardization. Too many venues have been designed as a collection of counters, with an interchangeable industrial aesthetic and programming centered on street food. Yet visitors do not travel long distances just for a collection of brands. They return for a place that offers them multiple reasons to visit at different times of the week.
The most robust projects generally combine three dimensions: a clear culinary offering, local roots, and continuous programming.
Food court, food hall, gourmet market: four models
The terminology is often used as if it referred to a single category. However, each format implies a different level of service, relationship to the local area, and business model. Clarifying the format is the project's first strategic decision.
The food court: shared fast food
A food court in the strict sense brings together several counters around a common seating area. Customers order separately, seat themselves freely, and prioritize choice, speed, and affordability. This model is particularly well-suited to high-traffic areas, where seat turnover and concentrated demand can support multiple operators.
Its weakness is systemic: when foot traffic drops, the most vulnerable stalls reduce their hours or leave the site. The variety of the offering then declines, which further reduces the venue's appeal. The performance of each individual unit therefore depends directly on the health of the whole.
The food hall: moving upmarket through curation
The food hall stands out through a more discerning selection of concepts and a stronger, shared identity. The operator focuses on complementary cuisines, design, marketing, and programming. Stalls may be run by artisans, local restaurateurs, or chefs, with offerings that sometimes extend beyond on-site dining to include wine shops, grocery items, catering, or fresh produce.
This model requires genuine editorial and commercial direction. Curation is not about filling units, but about building a balance between signature products, unique offerings, extended operating hours, and price points.
The gourmet market hall: a regional project
The gourmet market hall often extends the logic of the traditional covered market. It combines food retail, dining, local production, and on-site consumption. Its goal is not limited to the revenue of the stalls: it can contribute to revitalizing a city center, supporting local artisans, and boosting tourism. The Halles Terroir in Valence project is part of this approach, anchoring a food market within its local community.
For a local authority, the risk lies in pursuing too many objectives simultaneously without prioritizing them. A facility cannot be a daily market, a tourist destination, an incubator, an event space, and an evening restaurant all at once without clear trade-offs. Programming must reflect the territory's priorities, as Tomorrow Food analyzes in its missions related to regional attractiveness.
The food and leisure market: experiences beyond the meal
A fourth format is emerging: the food and leisure market. Here, dining becomes the glue for an ecosystem combining leisure, culture, sports, wellness, work, or events. Halle Nova Market, announced for Montpellier in September 2026, plans to feature a gourmet food hall, restaurants, local shops, and leisure spaces across approximately 5,000 m².
In this model, F&B is no longer the sole destination. It supports a broader experience and increases the time spent on-site. While this hybridization can secure foot traffic, it also complicates operations: multiple activities, different rhythms, and various audiences must coexist without diluting the venue's core promise.
The five mistakes that undermine a food court
Starting with the building rather than the usage
Many projects are born from a real estate opportunity : a brownfield site, a vacant ground floor, or a heritage building in need of conversion. The reasoning then shifts to finding a concept capable of filling the space. This method reverses the order of decision-making.
The right question isn't: "What can we put in this building?" It is: "What uses are missing in this area, and what F&B offering can address them?" This is the purpose of a potential study : analyzing foot traffic, customer demographics, consumption habits, and peak hours before sizing the program.
Underestimating the critical foot traffic threshold
Every stall must be able to reach its break-even point, but the calculation cannot rely on the local population alone. You must distinguish between residents, workers, students, visitors, transit commuters, and event-based customers. You must also measure their presence according to the day and time.
A project may have a large catchment area and still remain fragile if demand is concentrated into just five lunches per week. Viability depends on the distribution of traffic, not just its annual volume.
Choosing an unsuitable operating model
Three main configurations exist: direct management by the owner or local authority, the use of a specialized operator, or a concession to a lead partner. None is universally superior. The choice depends on the level of control desired, available expertise, investment sharing, and risk distribution.
The decisive factor is identifying who is truly responsible for programming, stall leasing, event management, service quality, maintenance of common areas, and financial oversight. A multi-operator venue without a conductor quickly becomes a shared burden of constraints.
Programming an unbalanced offering
The classic mistake is to multiply kitchens that look good on social media without building any real complementarity. A project dominated by quick lunches will be weak in the evening. A purely nightlife-focused venue will struggle to become a daily destination. A lineup of similar concepts will create internal competition rather than useful diversity.
Resilient projects generally combine several layers: regular usage, an attractive dining offer, and programming that creates new reasons to visit. This coherence stems from an F&B concept designed as a holistic product, rather than mere commercial space filling.
Confusing launch with operations
The opening creates a peak of curiosity, but it does not validate the business model. After the first few weeks, the venue must convert discovery into habit. This requires an events budget, management tools, the ability to adjust the tenant mix, and ongoing support for operators.
The financing plan must therefore incorporate a realistic ramp-up, cash reserves, and footfall scenarios. The question is not just whether the venue can open, but whether it can navigate its initial learning phase without compromising the quality of its offering. The same principles apply to the profitability of a restaurant, but they are amplified in a multi-operator site.
Three 2026 projects that are shifting the model
Central Chapelle: the food court connected to an Arena
Opening in spring 2026 within the Adidas Arena, Central Chapelle brings together four food counters, a café, a central bar, terraces, and a musical program across 3,500 m². Its value lies less in its size than in its integration into a sports and cultural ecosystem that generates distinct reasons for visiting.
The project thus benefits from footfall linked to Arena events, but must also stand on its own outside of them. The synergy between the food and cultural programming is its true test of sustainability.
Halle Nova Market: the neighborhood as a playground
Led by Hibrid in the ZAC Cambacérès in Montpellier, Halle Nova Market is designed as the village square for a new neighborhood. Gastronomy, sports, wellness, culture, services, and entrepreneurship are meant to intersect here throughout the week.
The project illustrates a significant shift: the restaurant industry is no longer just looking to capture existing foot traffic. It is helping to shape the neighborhood's identity and how it is used. This ambition, however, requires a phased rollout, capable of adapting to the actual arrival of residents, employees, and other activities.
Les Halles de Tours: heritage, food, and culture
The City of Tours has selected a project aimed at bringing the upper floors of Les Halles to life through a food court, cultural activities, and a sensory journey centered on food. The proposal seeks to extend the existing market's activity rather than simply adding an independent facility alongside it.
This type of project can create a seamless connection between food retailers, dining, and education. Its success will depend in particular on the actual role given to the merchants of the market hall, the clarity of the layout, and the venue's ability to attract visitors without disrupting daily market activities.
Assessment framework: eight viability criteria
Before launching a food court, food hall, or gourmet market, eight questions can help test the project's coherence. While they do not replace a feasibility study, they quickly reveal the most fragile assumptions.
1. Catchment area. Which customer segments are truly accessible based on transport modes, days, and hours?
2. Available foot traffic. Is the foot traffic residential, professional, tourist-based, event-driven, or transit-related? Is it consistent or sporadic?
3. Competition. Does the project address an underserved market, or does it add similar concepts to an already saturated one?
4. Consumption patterns. Can the venue operate beyond lunch hours and create reasons for people to visit in the evening or on weekends?
5. Offer mix. Are the counters, shops, and activities complementary in terms of pricing, cuisine, and operating hours?
6. Operating model. Who manages the venue, makes final decisions, supports the operators, and drives collective performance?
7. Financial capacity. Can the project withstand a slower-than-expected ramp-up and the potential replacement of certain stalls?
8. Local integration. Does the concept reflect a local identity and a genuine need, or does it simply replicate a format seen elsewhere?
Tomorrow Food's support
Curating a food court is about more than just selecting brands. It is based on an analysis of the area, a clear positioning, a coherent mix of offerings, and an operating model built to last.
Tomorrow Food supports local authorities, property companies, and developers from the initial feasibility study through to programming and the search for operators. The firm has notably worked on the Halles Taponnier in Annemasse, a hybrid project located in the heart of the city.
Our philosophy is simple : a sustainable food court should be designed as a product and managed as an operation, rather than a collection of retail units.
Contact Tomorrow Food to assess the feasibility and structure of your food court, food hall, or gourmet market project.
