Food halls, an incredibly popular trend in recent years whereby a space – see the Ferry Building in San Francisco and Grand Central Market in Los Angeles as two of the best examples – haven’t found an easy fit in Mill Valley, with the lone exception being the foodie array at the Mill Valley Lumber Yard, either because lack of viable real estate or a desire to launch in larger communities.
But since its arrival in Mill Valley in 2022, Local Kitchens, which have created an ever-growing network of ghost kitchens that you can visit in person and function as a “digital food hall with several fast casual concepts under one roof, Mill Valley has thrived with this concept. Local Kitchens in Mill Valley is located in the former Starbucks space in the Alto Plaza shopping center near the post office at 741 East Blithedale Ave.
Co-founder and CEO Jon Goldsmith said the company last week finished a revamp of its Mill Valley location as part of the San Francisco-based chain’s move beyond its initial model for pandemic-inspired takeout.
Local Kitchen is opening its wallet in a big way for upgraded and new locations across Northern California, according to the North Bay Business Journal. Those upgrades are part of a broader $40 million investment that Local Kitchens recently secured to fuel its expansion plans, in both Northern and Southern California, TechCrunch reported June 25. Leading the series B funding round was General Catalyst, plus other existing investors Human Capital, Pear VC and DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang. On top of the $28 million series A round that included NBA star Steph Curry and his food entrepreneur wife, Ayesha, Local Kitchens has raised $75 million so far.
For families, one of the brilliant elements of the concept is the ability to avoid the debates and delays associated with the preferences of each member of the family. At Local Kitchens in Mill Valley at the moment, the menu spans Boba Guys (artisanal teas and quality Boba), Nopalito Tacqueria, Proposition Chicken, Square Pie Guys, Sushirrito, Sajj Mediterranean, The Melt, Humphrey Slocombe and much more.