Is Time Out out?
I am a huge fan of modern food halls. The whole concept of having a space dedicated to good food, where people can try new cuisines worldwide, sit together, and enjoy live music and events is amazing. It’s almost like crafting an environment where people can live at their best. These places have life. I’ve always thought this while studying these business models deeply for a lovely project I worked on years ago. It’s also the feeling I get whenever I visit Foodhallen Amsterdam | Rotterdam in Amsterdam.
This year, after five years of using @TimeOutMarket as a benchmark, I finally had the opportunity to visit two of their locations. I was SO excited to see them in person. It felt like seeing a painting come alive after only viewing it in books or on screens. I was expecting vibrant, lively spaces, but they were empty. In Barcelona, I initially hypothesized that in such a beautiful city, full of life on the streets, people might not be drawn to the idea of being indoors, even in a food hall. But Boston presented a completely different context. Its surroundings had more cars than people, with few other restaurant options nearby. This left me wondering: why isn’t Time Out as vibrant as it’s supposed to be?
My first two hypotheses were straightforward: perhaps I visited at the wrong times (6 p.m. in September for Barcelona and 1 p.m. in November for Boston), or maybe the pandemic had caused significant damage, and they hadn’t fully recovered. But then I thought, why not look at it through the lens of the consumer experience? For this analysis, I’ll compare the concept choices of Time Out and Foodhallen and how these might impact consumers based on my observations.
Let’s start with Time out. They have a beautifully minimalist brand. All restaurants follow the same design pattern, either square industrial kitchens or island-style counters. The options are functional and unified in style: black signs with white lettering. While the signs may vary slightly, vendors are required to follow the Time Out brand guidelines. Everything looks the same, which fosters a sense of reliability. You know someone is maintaining high standards for food quality and best practices. In Boston, seating consists of loooong tables, each with almost 30 identical chairs. In Barcelona, they have similar long tables but also offer some more flexible arrangements. Cleanliness and organization were impeccable.
Foodhallen, on the other hand, allows vendors to showcase more of their personality. Restaurant signs feature unique colors and designs, staff uniforms vary from one stall to the next, and these differences are immediately noticeable to consumers. While I didn’t count precisely, Foodhallen seemed to have fewer seating options. Perhaps this is because the tables are smaller, designed for groups of 6–10, and scattered into cozy clusters instead of large communal tables. The environment also stands out with creative visual details, such as small lights, old basketballs repurposed as plant pots, and other quirky touches.
At first glance, you might think Foodhallen looks messier than Timeout. But isn’t that what brings life to space? Consider these two houses:
Which one feels like the home of a happy family? The right house may be picture-perfect, but the left one tells more stories. Don’t get me wrong, both can be a home of happy families, but we have shortcuts in our minds that make us perceive the left one as messier but more interesting. Moreover, studies show that people tend to seek variety in their dining experiences. Even if we have our favorite spots, we enjoy exploring new places. A venue packed with unique details—so many that you notice something new with every visit—naturally encourages repeat visits.
Both concepts have pros and cons. Their choices depend on their strategies: Time Out aims to be a safe, reliable option for tourists, while Foodhallen focuses on being a dynamic spot where locals can explore diverse culinary experiences. However, the vibrant life I had expected from the well-designed and polished Time Out, I found instead in the richly detailed, slightly chaotic, and lovely atmosphere of Foodhallen.
Aline from Arribada 🧡