A Food Hall is Coming to Willis Tower

While the Willis Tower in June welcomed an exclusive new restaurant on the 66th floor for club members, what can the rest of Chicago — especially workers regularly buzzing around the Loop skyscraper on weekdays — expect to eat there? Two words: food hall.

Those who travel to New York may be familiar with Urbanspace, a food hall that opened in 2015. Earlier this year, the company opened a second food hall, also in N.Y. Now they’re coming to Chicago.

Yes, the city’s tallest skyscraper is joining the food hall trend, following acclaimed Chicago names as Revival, Forum 55, the French Market, and Wells St. Market. There’s not much to say right now about Urbanspace’s Chicago expansion. A spokesperson provided the same statement furnished to Crain’s. They’ll deliver more details next week.

Urbanspace’s N.Y. venues feature an assemblage of the city’s best, and would-be restaurant owners in Chicago are excited by more opportunities to introduce their food and brands to new customers. Food halls can be great venues to work out recipes and operational concerns before investing in a standalone brick-and-mortar restaurant, while establish restaurants can bring their food to a new audience without investing in another full space. If restaurants are successful in a food hall setting, it can grab the attention of an investor. Urbanspace’s new food hall that opened in March features 16 vendors including Roberta’s pizza, Kuro-Obi ramen, and a craft beer bar called Top Hops Beer Shop.

Come back next week when Urbanspace reveals more on the project.