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 to date, either because lack of viable real estate or a desire to launch in larger communities.
But that’s about to change, says the founder of Local Kitchens, who’s creating what are essentially ghost kitchens that you can visit in person and functions as a “digital food hall. It’s a micro food hall offering several fast casual concepts under one roof, with a much smaller footprint than the aforementioned spaces above.
“We are confident that Local Kitchens will be complementary to the dining options available to these community members – both in terms of our wide variety of cuisines and convenience,” says Local Kitchens CEO and Co-founder Jon Goldsmith, who plans to open in Mill Valley at 741 East Blithedale Ave. in the Alto shopping center in July; in Los Gatos in June; in Campbell in July, and previously announced a Local Kitchen opening in Santa Clara at the end of 2022.
Though Local Kitchens plans to serve up food from Bay Area heavy hitters like Señor Sisig, Curry Up Now, Humphrey Slocombe, and more, they haven’t finalized their their roster and it could change over time.
The business describes itself as a “micro food hall that lets you mix-and-match your favorite local restaurants in one easy order.” Customers won’t be able to wander around and pick their food after checking the restaurants out in-person. They’d simply order online, through Local Kitchens’ app or at a kiosk. Further, you can’t sit there to eat your food.
Local Kitchens typically hosts delivery favorites for the area — but those that perhaps haven’t expanded out of their original SF location. Its other locations have featured restaurants like The Melt, Señor Sisig, Oren’s Hummus, Proposition Chicken, Curry Up Now, Saucy Asian, MIXT, and more.
Which retail space will this food court occupy within the Alto shopping center?