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"After a challenging first year I consider the project a success: the innovative food hall occupies almost an entire block in the Farragut North atrium of Tishman Speyer’s International Square building and was conceived to host 16 vendors sharing a commissary kitchen, though COVID-driven changes and skyrocketing construction costs forced us to downsize to nine vendors. The shared commissary kitchen remains the heart of the business — everyone is using it and event bookings are starting to help pay for it — and while we aren’t profitable yet we’re getting there. Foot traffic has been lower than pre-COVID expectations because many people aren’t back in offices, but we’re still actively pursuing two additional build-outs, curating tenants (including an akombucha bar, Kiyomi Sushi, Nativo coffee bar, Junge’s churro and Jamon Jamon) and programming to keep the hall part of the community: live music, dancing, retail pop-ups, a break-dancing competition and wine tastings. My approach is to stay present, engage people and give them what they didn’t know they wanted, because we’re selling experience as much as food." - Claudia Rosenbaum