Mall food courts are not known for fine dining or even particularly good dining. Or dining at all. Noshing perhaps…
In general, mall walkers and mall rats can choose from fried, grilled, or “steam-table-over-cooked,” or slathered in frosting (think Cinnabun) when it comes to food options inside those concrete walls.
That’s about to change!
This week, the management of the Old Orchard shopping center in Skokie, Illinois, announced that a new “green” food court offering “organic and sustainable foods” will open next summer. The details:
The 22,500-square-foot format, created by Richtree Market Restaurants Inc. of Canada, will include a range of specialties from seafood and pasta to sushi and pastries, as well as vegetarian and gluten-free options. There also will be indoor and open-air dining spaces.
So is “green” food in a mall a fad, a trend, or a cultural change?
The jury is still out on this one. My bet is on “fad.”
(But I can dream, can’t I? It would be terrific to think this reflects a true change in our culture.)