From the editor

Before the advent of food courts in shopping malls, a food experience at the mall might include the lunch counter at Walgreens drugstore, an ice cream shop or a local cafeteria (such as S&S Cafeteria, in the South). Food courts quickly replaced those other eating options and became popular with shoppers—but that was 30 years ago.

Times change. Today, unfortunately, food courts are one of the things that are wrong with many suburban shopping malls. They are often unattractive, noisy and crowded—usually filled with unruly groups of teens and moms with toddlers in tow and aisle-obstructing baby strollers. They serve an array of inexpensive, fast and passably good—but never memorable—food. Finding a more pleasant dining option or a table-service restaurant at some malls is not easy.

The trouble with food courts is that they are still operating on several assumptions from the distant past: 1) the belief that people are not selective about the quality of what they eat as long as it is quick and inexpensive, and 2) the belief that people want to eat in a hurry, and that they don't want to relax and enjoy their food.

Of course, the operational efficiencies of having food service grouped in one location is a significant, cost-saving advantage for the mall operator. And food courts are an effective way to feed a lot of people in a short time. Sometimes, a sandwich on the run does fill the bill.

But consumers have changed a great deal in the intervening years. Today, consumers are as picky about where they eat and what they eat as they are about the stores in which they shop and what they buy. Diners who regularly frequent P.F. Chang's, Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen are no longer happy with the food court's usual line-up of burger chains, Wonder Wok and Steak on a Stick (not that there is anything wrong with such establishments; they do have their place). But in a society where knowledgeable consumers can routinely debate the attributes of balsamic vinegars and handmade mozzarellas, the mall food court leaves a lot to be desired.

When malls do offer better choices, these often are relegated to out-parcels that require shoppers to get in their cars and leave the mall in order to eat—unmindful of how difficult it then becomes to get them to return and resume shopping. Once most shoppers have left the mall—they are gone for good.

One of the reasons that lifestyle or village centers are gaining popularity is that they offer more and better dining options, and the dining venues are integrated into the overall shopping space and experience. This results in an outing that is more convenient and appealing, and that resonates with the customer's lifestyle. Village centers devote an average of about 18 percent of their space to eateries, a higher percent than most malls. Outdoor cafés and coffee shops also are popular attractions at village shopping centers, offering places where people can rest and catch their breath, boosting their energy for all that shopping.

Food has moved front and center in the American lifestyle. Restaurants of all types are rapidly expanding their domains, growing at a rate of 17.6 percent a year (the fastest growing sector of retail, after discount stores). Americans are in love with their food—and their waistlines show it. Obesity is rapidly becoming a major health problem, and overeating is at least partially to blame. It is rare today for a family or social group event or activity not to include a focus on food. And the popular trend of "grazing" has encouraged a nonstop process of eating, from dawn to bedtime. Packaged snacks—foods in small bites, designed for immediate consumption—are the fastest-growing merchandise category at grocery stores. We are barraged with TV advertisements for foods and snacks, 24 hours a day, and Americans respond enthusiastically.

Chocolate boutiques, tea salons and gourmet food shops add upscale options to shopping centers and are often more appealing than many mass-market apparel chains and shoe stores. When it comes to the customer's attention, time and money, Prada blouses are competing with pesto chicken paninis.

Successful shopping centers find a way to weave food opportunities into the shopping experience, making it easy for the customer to have the best of both worlds—and to avoid the dreaded food court.









Got a comment? E-mail me at: rsway@ddimagazine.com