This article was written by 海角社区app鈥檚 news partner and republished with permission.
Amid for American shopping malls, Arlington鈥檚 two malls are betting on new eateries to turn more diners into shoppers.
Management at the newly-renovated Ballston Quarter and the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City say elevated dining options 鈥� from Ballston Quarter鈥檚 trendy local eateries to newer, healthier options at Pentagon City mall 鈥� are becoming an increasingly important part of mall design.
Commercial real estate experts say food options are now the key driver of mall traffic.
A new study 聽by the International Council of Shopping Centers shows that 40 percent of customers choose which mall they go to based solely on the food there, and nearly 38 percent of those surveyed said healthy options were a priority, according to CNBC.
鈥淧eople increasingly value experience-based shopping and place higher expectations on how they spend their time,鈥� said Will Voegele, senior vice president of mixed-use development for Brookfield Properties, in an email to ARLnow. 鈥淲e designed the revitalized聽Ballston聽Quarter聽with the community in mind and our vision reflects a strong focus on experiential retail, innovative food and beverage concepts, and diverse entertainment offerings to create a new all-season neighborhood experience with the density of an urban center that is purposeful, thoughtful and unique.鈥�
Voegele said part of the redesign for Ballston Quarter was to maintain a focus on for the 25,000 square-foot food hall.
鈥淭he uniform array of national names that we associate with the traditional food court does not provide the richness and authenticity that is so important to our mission at聽Ballston聽Quarter,鈥� Voegele said. 鈥淔amilies and young professionals still want grab-and-go, but they are also looking for better quality and healthy dining options. Food halls offer the perfect solution in this case.鈥�
Voegele said the new food hall design has gradually supplanted the traditional fast food-oriented food court of the archetypical 鈥�80s and 鈥�90s malls.
鈥淭he fundamental design of the traditional mall no longer supports the way people like to shop and dine as consumers are craving visually stimulating and creative experiences,鈥� Voegele said. 鈥淭he boxy retail behemoths of yesterday are just not practical for today鈥檚 landscape.鈥�
were also a big part of the 聽of the Pentagon City mall.
鈥淔ashion Centre at Pentagon City has introduced enhanced dining options over the recent years, including , , and ,鈥� management at the mall said in an email. 鈥淚n addition, the center added modern furniture, finishes and additional seating during the renovation in 2016 to offer an even better experience for shoppers visiting the dining pavilion.鈥�
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But does this translate into sales at other retail options in the mall? Voegele said the Ballston Quarter鈥檚 food hall, , has seen consistent traffic across all age groups 鈥� and events like last weekend boosted its local profile. The study said transactions increase as much as 25 percent at malls with quality food and beverage options, with shoppers who eat at the mall spending 15 percent more per trip.
Shoppers inside Ballston Quarter weren鈥檛 so sure. While several said they came for the food hall and loved the dining options, many also said this wouldn鈥檛 necessarily translate into going into the upstairs part of the mall to shop.
鈥淚 live across the street and I鈥檝e been watching this go up for years,鈥� said one shopper, proudly eating fried chicken after a visit to his cardiologist. 鈥淭he food court was the focus of this visit. I like that it鈥檚 not trying to be Tysons. I come here for the entertainment.鈥�
Entertainment has been a component of Quarter Market鈥� appeal, with the main doors often open to let in music from a live band playing outside. The chicken-eater said that if he needed something from one of the upstairs stores, he鈥檇 go shop there, but otherwise he would probably just come for the food hall experience.
Some diners said the Quarter Market was hard to find from the main section of the mall. The food hall is listed as being located in the 鈥渃oncourse,鈥� which drew some confusion as shoppers were looking near the bridge for the food hall.
鈥淲hen I see 鈥榗oncourse鈥� I don鈥檛 think 鈥榠n the basement,’鈥� one said.
Another diner, at the food hall with a group of friends from out of town, said she was excited for to open upstairs. The friend said they were considering moving to the area and would likely shop at the mall if they did.
Others eating at the food hall said they worked upstairs and loved the dining options in Quarter Market, but weren鈥檛 as enthusiastic about the selection of stores.
鈥淲e come down for the food court and we love it,鈥� one said, 鈥渂ut there鈥檚 really nowhere else to shop here unless you鈥檙e looking for a new cell phone.鈥�
