Food court

[fan-of-fans]

I cannot figure out why the food court in my mall here in town has gotten so bad. Even back 5-6 years ago there were still chains there. Originally it had Zbarro's pizza, A&W, Chinese, a yogurt shop and a coffee shop and maybe something else. There was also a nice cafeteria style place in its own part of the mall. The cafeteria closed in like 2003. The coffee shop changed to a Starbucks at some point and then changed back to what it was before. I don't think it's still there.

The A&W was still open in 2009ish but closed shortly after, and then the Zbarro's was closed after that. At one point in the early 2000s there was a Subway also but it didn't last long.

Now there is a private pizza place where the Zbarro's was, the A&W became a weird burger place that is now empty, the Chinese place is still there and I think there might be a sandwich shop where the yogurt shop used to be. I'm not sure the coffee shop is even there and the cafeteria is still empty.

There never seems to be a crowd in the food court like there once was. It all seems to be teenie boppers now, not a big range of people in age like before.

I don't get why the food court is so crappy. Other malls I've been to they have better places like Chipotle, McDonald's, Johnny Rocket, Chick FilA, California Pizza etc. But not here.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Maybe your mall is in a depressed area. Maybe the mall fell out of favor with the locals because there is a new, more exciting mall too close to it. I remember some malls in Florida in the late 80s and early 90s that were dying. In one or two there was a Piccadilly Cafeteria and almost everything else was closed, but the seniors kept coming to the place to get their Dilly Plates. I think my sister said that the Piccadilly near her was gone. I guess having swill delivered to the door is easier than getting dressed and going out in an era when people buy ready-made individual packs of Jello gelatin and pudding and bottles of iced tea.

 

I did not have too much of a problem with enclosed malls. They certainly were nice in extreme weather, but once the developers got all of them built, they decided to go back to open air type malls where cars and pedestrians compete for the same space. Enclosing Lenox Square in Atlanta totally changed the place and not for the better, but that is from an old fogy's viewpoint. I guess if you are a young person with your ears being pumped full of music, you don't mind the ambient noise. Another problem was school apes congregating in the food courts and general areas,  making the atmosphere toxic because mall management did not believe in spending money for real police to patrol the areas. I would rather have a professional than that fart Blart-type acting like a Keystone Cop.

 

[petek]

It's almost word for word what our mall is like and the mall across the bridge in Port Huron..The name brand food counters gone for the most part and sitting empty or a local entrepeneur tries their hand at it and it's also outta business within a year. 

 

[retro-man]

The malls here where I live have changed the food courts considerably. We have more well known restaurants attached to the malls inside but they now existing doors leading to the outside. They can stay open later than the mall does. This increases outside traffic to come in and you don't have to wander through the mall to get there. There are a few places inside that you can get food but not like it was before. Maybe they have realized that this is a better set up and you don't get all the kids just hanging out in a court. I know we have a law, to hang out in the mall you have to be 16 or accompanied by a older person. Gone are the days of the mall rats or gang terrorizing patrons.

Jon

 

[circlew]

I've rarely eaten in a mall food court; I always felt like I was eating out in a hallway, and it was too noisy. The ones around here seem to be less busy than they were a few years ago. One mall (Kenwood Towne Center) has several restaurants in separate sections, some expensive & some not.

When I'm in Mississippi, I always eat at Piccadilly at least once; the food is pretty good and reasonable in price.

 

[fan-of-fans]

When the new Crossings "powercenter" opened in later 2007, it was the popular place to shop. Starbucks moved there. It has a few discount stores, bookstoren a shoestore and other big box stores but not really any dept stores like the mall has.

I think the mall just has done fewer sales due to economy and online shopping.

They have a policy that those under 18 must be with a parent but only after a certain time. I don't think they enforce it much. There are always teens around the food court especially.

 

[brib68]

Spent yesterday doing the Black Friday thing at the mall in Fort Wayne I lived at in high school. Did the fogey thing quite a bit. The LS Ayres tea room is now Macy's lingerie. Azar's Big Boy is long gone and the MCL Cafeteria is now a TGI Fridays. The food court is still big business but completely different from the 80s. It used to be around the ice rink, but the rink is long gone and there's a big carousel now that no one seemed to be riding.

I miss the Hot Sam's pretzels! Auntie Anne is fine, but just NOT the same.

 

[vacerator]

Food courts

are keeping malls going. Ten percent of malls are expected to close within five years. online shopping is the new norm.